Only 7 days in London....

Old Sep 7th, 2015, 09:33 AM
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Only 7 days in London....

Going to London in October. Is this a doable plan or am I dreaming?
Day 1..arrive get settled in
Day 2..Seeing Hamelt at Barbican
Day 3..Palace, Abbey, Big Ben, Tower of London, River Cruise
Day 4..Piccadilly, Kensington, Hyde Park, and other various places
Day 5..Renting a car driving to Windsor and maybe surrounding area for the day
Day 6..Cotwolds and staying overnight
Day 7..Stonghenge, Bath, turn in car back at Heathrow.
Day 8..Go home

Am I out of my mind or can this be done and still enjoy it?
kblythe is offline  
Old Sep 7th, 2015, 09:55 AM
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You may or may not get to all the in-town places on your list on the days mentioned so be flexible with yourself.

My suggestion for days 5-8 would be to rent the car with pick-up at Heathrow, spend 2 nights in the Cotswolds, return the car and spend your last night in Windsor, very near Heathrow, short taxi ride.
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Old Sep 7th, 2015, 11:52 AM
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Day 3 could be hectic as the Tower of London will take 2-3 hours minimum. Aim to arrive at opening time and head to the crown jewels first to avoid the worst of the queues.

Westminster Abbey is going to take 90-120 minutes. I'm assuming Big Ben and the Palace are a walk past and take a picture. Even so it doesn't leave a lot of time for a river cruise.

You may need to think about bringing something forward to day 2.

Day 7 is also a long day. Are you intending to spend time at Stonehenge or just drive past and admire from a distance. If visiting plan on a minimum of two hours. Have a look here:
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/v.../itineraries/#

What are your expectations of Bath? Are you planning on a quick scamper round or are you wanting to visit the Roman Baths, in which case you may need to allow 3 hours.... There are some ideas here:
http://visitbath.co.uk/things-to-do/bath-in-4-hours

Then there is driving time. Depending on where you are staying in the Cotswold, to drive to Bath, Stonehange and then back to Heathrow is going to take four hours without stops. Remember days are getting shorter in October too. You may need to rethink this day.

One suggestion would be to pick up the rental car on Day 5 and head straight to the Cotswolds. day 6 drive to Bath and stop there the night. Day 7 drive to Stonehenge and then onto Windsor for a quick look before dropping the car off at Heathrow.

Don't underestimate driving times. Distances may not look big on the map but they will take longer to cover than you might expect.
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Old Sep 7th, 2015, 12:08 PM
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kbythe: Would you be willing to rethink and perhaps give up one of your destinations?

As pointed out, you can easily move something up in to Day 2, unless your performance is a matinee, which I didn't think about...

I do think moving Windsor and Stonehenge to your last day would work.

But I kind of think it's Bath or the Cotswolds.

Weather might be an issue. Can you decide when you get to England? A rainy day in the Cotswolds would disappoint me more than a rainy day in Bath.
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Old Sep 7th, 2015, 12:16 PM
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OK, you can do something the afternoon of Day 1 and a lot on Day 2 (be sure to note Hamlet curtain is at the slightly odd time of 7:15 - I saw it last wednesday)

Day 3 is really just the Abbey and Tower since Big Ben and the Palace are just walk by's. I'd maybe do the river cruise on day 1. Not strenuous, can be out on deck in the fresh air if the weather is nice and hunkered down inside if it is vile out.

Day 5 I'd head out to LHR and collect a car in the morning, then to Stonehenge and on to Bath by early to mid afternoon. Stay the night in Bath.

Day 6 set off for the Cotswolds after breakfast and spend the night.

Day 7 after lunch head to Windsor, visit the castle and stay the night there.

Day 8 drive the 7 miles to LHR, turn in the car and fly home.
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Old Sep 7th, 2015, 01:12 PM
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The problem here is that you don't have 7 days in London, you have three full days. I'd seriously consider cutting at least one of your other destinations (Windsor, Cotswolds, Bath, Stonehenge). London is a huge city with incredible things to see and do. For me, three days wouldn't be nearly enough. I've spent weeks in London, and I expect we'll spend 10 days or so our next trip.
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Old Sep 7th, 2015, 01:46 PM
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I totally agree -- but IF Bah and the Cotswolds are musts they can be accomplished (Stonehenge and Windsor easily fit in the route)

If it was me -- and IF this was my first trip to London, London is all I'd do and leave Bath/the Cotswolds/Windsor for another trip. The only day trip I'd take would be either Hampton Court Palace or Greenwich.

But it isn't my trip and IF you really REALLY want to squeeze in Stonehenge/Bath/the Cotswolds/Windsor . . . you can.
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