GoSox

I can get five nights free at the Marriott in Leeds, executive room which includes breakfast and cocktails in the lounge. Is this going to work well as a base for touring the area? Advantages I see are price, in town location so we can walk to different places for dinner. Disadvantage would be that we will be driving out of there most days to visit other towns and cities.

alanRow

Why do you need to drive? West Yorkshire has one of the best train networks outside the SE - you can get a day pass for two people for £11.00. You can then get add on tickets from the boundaries to places beyond - eg if you want to go to Manchester take the train that goes via Todmorden and only pay extra for Todmorden to Manchester Victoria. However it doesn't work for York

http://wymetro.com/TicketsAndPasses/...shireDayRover/

Morgana

All depends where you want to go? Exploring the Dales and Moors would need a car but not everywhere. So give us your itinerary and we'll be able to advise

bilboburgler

As the guys say above. Great train and bus links http://www.transportdirect.info/Web2...epeatingloop=Y but some fine areas need a car.

Driving a car into Leeds via "the Loop" is a learning experience which most people pick up pretty quickly.

GoSox

Our itinerary is tentative as I am waiting for about another week to see which frequent flyer tickets are available. Our dates are somewhat flexible. We like the early AM flight which arrives in London about 7:30, but only 2:30 body clock. On the first night we will pick up a car and drive 1 1/2 hours to Cambridge. We will stay there two nights, planning on one full day of visiting.

The next morning we will head to Leeds, a 2 1/2 hour trip and plan to stop some places along the way. We will spend five nights in Leeds making day trips out to the country - seeing castles, ruins, historic sights, cathedrals and such.

Then we will drive to Conwy in Wales, 2+ hours, also making stops along the way. From Conwy we will also make day trips for the four nights we are there.

this plan puts us out and about for the daytime but in the evening we will be in towns ir cities.

alanRow

<i>On the first night we will pick up a car and drive 1 1/2 hours to Cambridge.</i>

Please don't, you'll be jet lagged, you'd be heading into rush hour traffic, it'll be at least 11:00am before you reach Cambridge and Cambridge is a pain to park a car in. Save yourself a couple of days of car hire and take the direct coach from Heathrow

bilboburgler

alan is right

Morgana

I still don't know enough about your Yorkshire plans to give any sort of meaningful advice. There are hundreds of historical sites. What do you want to see?

GoSox

We will be taking an 8A flight so when we land at 730P it will be 230P by our body clock, not yet jet lagged. Even so, i like the idea of the direct coach from Heathrow. Checked the train but that did not work.

As far as what we want to see in Yorkshire - castles, Roman ruins, great architecture,cathedrals, small villages, pubs, gardens, natural beauty and wonder.

Morgana

You have so many options I really think it best if you look at some guides to Yorkshire and try to narrow down where you want to go. As a starter for ten I would say -
1)Definitely spend a day in York - no car required as you can catch the train from Leeds and it goes directly to York.
2) If you have a rental car one day do this trip around the Dales. This will tick off stunning scenery, villages, pubs etc!
http://www.skiptonweb.co.uk/tourist/walks/21_drive/
Other ideas -
You can easily get to Harewood House by public transport from Leeds - the 36 bus in the Harrogate direction stops outside the gates to Harewood. Check opening times though.
www.harewood.org
You could also head to Haworth (train to Keighley, then bus) to visit the Bronte Parsonage museum.

GoSox

I will be spending some time with guide books but thanks for the links. That one for skiptonweb...looks perfect for us.

GoSox

Ok - Our plans have changed somewhat. we have dropped Cambridge. We will fly on a 1030P flight to London, change planes and go on into Leeds airport. I think we will not get a car for a couple of days - spend first afternoon in Leeds itself seeing anything historic we can walk to from the Marriott. The next day we will take the train to York and see the special places there. Third day is when we would get a car and I know we will travel to Skipton, Harewood and more. then after the fifth night we will move on to Conwy in Wales.

My concern is this, when my husband mentioned to a colleague who grew up in London, she responded by saying that Leeds is not a very nice place. We can shift ourselves over to York and still get a free room at the Hilton there. I would be interested in hearing if Leeds "is not a very nice place." I do not mean to offend anyone, just vetting out what I was told. thanks.

Morgana

I work in Leeds. It's a lively, vibrant, large University city with some of the best shopping you'll find anywhere in the country.
It does not have the beauty of York or Durham, or the amount of popular 'historical sites' you might find in other locations. But over the last couple of decades it has become an increasingly popular place to live and work.
There are museums and art galleries, and some very good restaurants too.
Harewood House is on a direct bus route out of Leeds, with the bus stopping practically outside the gates of the house.
To be honest though I would say that if I was you and had the choice of free rooms then I would stay in York. You could always hop on the train and visit Leeds as a day trip.

GoSox

Thank you Morgana - you have been a great help.

bilboburgler

I grew up in the south of England and thought anything north of Watford was "not very nice". Living in Leeds I learnt I was wrong. Leeds is a small city but with lots going on.

http://www.visitleeds.co.uk/

There is a Marriott in Leeds.

Either way you need to get out of LBA to get to Leeds, there is a regular bus that links up with the station in Menston and catch a train into Leeds, you can hire an expensive taxi (faster) or book a car to pick you up. www.wymetro.com