tudorprincess

We're going to be in England for 8 days in February and this will be our 4th trip so I would like some suggestions for towns and sights to see as we have already seen a lot of the popular sites.
Here is my itinerary so far:
Paris overnight
York- day trip
My husband wants to see the seaside, would Brighton have enough to see/do? I was also thinking Penzance might be nice as another overnight trip or Torquay/English Riviera.
Also still up in the air is an escorted trip to The Cotswolds or perhaps direct train to Cheltenham on our own?
Would like to see Canterbury as well. What should I leave off or add/change?
Any thoughts or suggestions I would appreciate. I know this is a lot of running around the country but I don't mind. I want to see as much as possible in our short time.
Should I buy rail tickets ahead of time for York? We just walked up for Hampton Court and Windsor and I didn't think the rate was bad. Thanks.

vcl

Brighton is delightful with its Royal Pavillion, lanes filled with antiques shops and seaside promenade. Might be a bit chilly in February for seaside walking, tho. Penzance is also interesting; St. Michael's Mount is definitely worth exploring as is the town. Beachfield Hotel is a great place to overnight. You might also want to consider Cardiff; neat castle right in the city, good shopping, easy access to Caerphilly Castle -- one of the most interesting of the castles of Southern Wales.
I found Canterbury a bit Disneylandish and the cathedral much less interesting than the York; but that's personal preference.
If you haven't been there, you might also want to consider Portsmouth. Great naval history with Admiral Nelson's Victory available for exploration. 2005 is a big Trafalgar anniversary so there's sure to be lots going on.
Have a great trip.
If you want to do several trips outside London, consider a BritRail Flex Pass.

Morgana

Have you thought about Suffolk? I was born and bred here, and it has so many charms but rarely gets mentioned. Long Melford, Lavenham, Cavendish, Clare and Bury St Edmunds are all worth a visit. Newmarket is famous for it's horseracing. Suffolk also has some lovely coastal villages although I have to admit that February wouldn't be my first choice of month to visit (the word 'bracing' springs to mind!!!) Aldeburgh with Snape Maltings close by is lovely, as are Walberswick and Thorpeness. Sutton Hoo (National Trust) is fascinating. You are also within easy reach of 'Constable Country' - East Bergholt, Flatford Mill etc
M

tudorprincess

Great ideas! I haven't been to any of the places mentioned and I hadn't thought about the Britrail pass either. I'll check that out. Our air is already purchased so February it is. We'll just have to make due with the weather.

ron

I think you would want to look into advance purchase train tickets to York. The pricing scheme for inter city routes is totally different than for local, commuter routes like Hampton Court and Windsor. Return fares to York range from £19 to £138 in standard class.

The only place I would consider in February for a sea side visit is Brighton. At least it is close to London and, if the weather is bad, there are things to do besides walking a deserted beach.

scoobydoo15

Whilst you are in Yorkshire, why don't you take a trip to one of old yorkshire sea side resorts (about 1hrs drive from York or you can get a coach or train). Theres Whitby, where Captain Cook lived, Robin Hoods Bay (very small & quaint) or Bridlington which is a typical seaside resort but has some beautiful scenery about 3-5 miles away at Flamborough and Bempton cliffs (well worth a visit. Expect it to be cold though as England is anywhere in February. You mentioned the Cotswolds, they are definately worth seeing. Further south, Brighton is always popular and as mentioned is also near to London. Torquay is a little farther to travel and may be very quiet in Feb. The UK schools are out for 1/2 term break in the middle of Feb, so this may infulence you decision, although doubt it will make it particularly busier at this time of year. Hope that you have a fab trip.

tudorprincess

Scooby, I had thought about Whitby, isn't that where the churchyard from the novel Dracula is located?
Also,vcl- if I buy a Britrail Days Out from London Pass for 4 days it's $110 per person, will it cost me $220 to go to York, Brighton or Penzance, Cheltenham? That seems high.

ron

Tudorp, the Days Out From London Pass is not valid for trips to Penzance and York. You would need the the Britrail England Flexipass at $189 per person.

walkinaround

Penzance is way too far for an overnight from london, in my opinion.

I like Brighton but it is a big city and may not satisfy your husband's desire to see the "seaside". Only you can decide.

For classic English seaside think Dorset. It's much closer than Cornwall and has much of the same features. Devon is a little further but still much closer than Cornwall. Cornwall (where Penzance is located) is beautiful but it is really far away...a quick look at the map does not easily show just how far it is.

vcl

If you decided to do both York and Penzance, the flex-pass is most likely worth it. We use the Senior Flex-Pass (which provides first class travel) for our jaunts to Wales and Cornwall and if we have any additional time for one other day trip. It's our big splurge; in London we stay in a flat that reminds me of the first apartment after college.
Penzance is a five hour journey from London; in February you would have to start out very early in the morning if you wanted to have some sightseeing time in Penzance before the sun goes down. York and Cardiff are good day trips as is Brighton.

jsmith

tudorprincess, we used the 2 days out pass (senior) last year in March for trips to Salisbury and Brighton and for us it seemed a good value. Not necessarily for the price but because it didn't have restrictions that would have required planning ahead.

We decided the night before after watching the weather to decide on Brighton (a beautiful sunshiny day) but had alternatives in case.

I would suggest you look at the map for the days out pass and decide on a few places to visit. I would suggest Winchester (one of my favorite places and I've commented on it often), Portsmouth, Brighton, Canterbury, Dover, Salisbury, Colchester (haven't been but it's planned for November), Rochester (near Chatham). I presume you've already visited Cambridge and/or Oxford.

You've got 4+ months to research attractions for the cut. Good luck.

tudorprincess

As you said jsmith we've got time to figure this all out. We have already been to Oxford. York is a definite. Brighton more than likely and we're still debating Penzance or Dorset and Canterbury. I think we may buy the Britrail pass as I don't know which days we will travel as yet. Thanks.

jsmith

One upon a time Britrail offered a combination package of train and auto rental that I was going to suggest you investigate but I noticed in another post re the Cotswolds that you don't want to drive.

While I was looking I noticed a special on Britrail passes at:

http://autoeurope.raileurope.com/us/...ak_special.htm

The low price may cause me to rethink my November plans.

Keep in mind that age 60 is eligible for Senior passes.

BTW, I think you could be disappointed by Torquay in February. It is pretty tacky.

Another seaside spot you could consider is Harwich. One of the Inspector Lynley mysteries is set there and I presume photographed there. Anyone know.

MikeS

I did a train trip to Penzance in November a couple years ago. I used the local bus service to get around and visited Mousehole, St. Ives, and a few other minor towns. Mousehole has a quaint harbor. There are shops and some nice views coming into St. Ives which was my favorite of the bunch. You can also visit Lands End which has your typical cheesy tourist shops but also has some good walks and views of the sea.

Everything was close and the bus service worked well even though they were running a reduced schedule than from the summer.

In November there was a little rain and it was really windy the day I was in St. Ives but overall the weather was OK.

twoflower

For seaside, why not try Devon? On the south coast you have the English riviera of Torquay, Teignmouth and Dawlish, and on the north side Lynmouth, Porlock and Clovelly to name but a few. In between are the moody moors: Exmoor and Dartmoor, the latter having some wonderfully picturesque villages like Widecombe, Bovey Tracey, Chagford and Moretonhampstead.

tudorprincess

We've been discussing our trip all weekend and haven't gotten any further than York still. The problem is I want to see everything and can't make up my mind. I did get my husband to agree to just the day in Paris so that I'm not losing time outside of England.
Thanks for all the great ideas. I do believe we will buy the Britrail Pass and we will be able to take advantage of the 25% off in Feb.
MikeS- how long did you spend in Penzance? Is overnight not long enough?

socialworker

Hi Princess--we spent 2 nights in St Ives--a 15 minute train ride from Penzance and loved It!! I only remember the return trip to London being around 4 hours, so that does not strike me as so terribly far--altho a bit long for only a one night stay. I would suggest staying at a B&B in St Ives which is a beautiful large village with lovely winding streets going down to unbelievable vistas of a sea that did strike me as you put it the "English Riviera, as opposed to Penzance which had a more urban and less seaside feel to it--just my opinion. The one concern I have for you is weather. We were there in glorious May weather and I have no idea what February is like.

londonengland

Totally agree with socialworker that St Ives is a much nicer place to stay than Penzance. Also the rail journey from St Erth (on the main line from London) to St Ives is probably the most beautiful in Britain.

You certainly need at least 3 days to justify going to Cornwall - it is 5 hours by train. You may also want to use your visit to stop off in Devon on the way which is a much softer countryside feel but Cornwall has the rugged coastal splendour and the Atlantic sea air is in a different league to almost anywhere.

Check out the following website for more info on St Ives

http://www.stives-cornwall.co.uk/