jwizzall

Hello all,

I've been perusing the forums for a few weeks now, and I feel like I owe everyone a tremendous thank you! The information here has been very helpful so far.

My fiance and I are planning our honeymoon for the UK - 15 nights/16 days in October 2013.

Any feedback on our itinerary would be much appreciated. Our interests are castles and ruins, art and history museums, and general exploring of neighborhoods, towns and cities.

Here it goes:

Day 1, Tuesday: Arrive LHR 10:15 am. Stay in London.
Day 2, Wednesday: London.
Day 3, Thursday: London.
Day 4, Friday: Early train to Bath. Stay in Bath.
Day 5, Saturday: Mad Max Bus Tour - Avebury and Stonehenge. Overnight in Bath.
Day 6, Sunday: Rent car in Bath. Driving tour of South Wales (Caerphilly or Chepstow, Tintern Abbey). End in Chipping Campden. Stay in Chipping Campden.
Day 7, Monday: Explore the Cotswolds. Stay in Chipping Campden.
Day 8, Tuesday: Drive to Keswick with a stop at Warwick Castle. Overnight in Keswick.
Day 9, Wednesday: Explore the Lake District. Drive to Edinburgh. Stay in Edinburgh.
Day 10, Thursday: Edinburgh.
Day 11, Friday: Rabbies 1 Day Tour - West Highland Lochs and Castles. Stay in Edinburgh.
Day 12, Saturday: Edinburgh
Day 13, Sunday: Drive to York with a stop at Hadrian's Wall. Return car. Stay in York.
Day 14, Monday: York.
Day 15, Tuesday: Train to London. Overnight in London.
Day 16, Wednesday: Depart LHR 4:20 pm.

What do you think? Doable? Anything you would change or recommend?

On Day 15, should we plan more time in York, or time in London, or add a stop in between?

On Day 6, Chepstow is closer to Tintern Abbey, would that be the better route (than seeing Caerphilly)?

I think I am already spotting a problem, Day 6 is a Sunday. We will be hard-pressed to pick up a rental car that day, wouldn't you think? (We have rewards with Hertz.)

Thanks again!

bilboburgler

every time you move you lose time in the packing and getting to know the new place so if it were me I'd plan the York to LHR as one trip. This make the last day a bit depressing but means you could either put the last London night at the start or make it a third York night. The London shift moves the Sunday car pick up day.

Look up Morgana on this web site she provides some very good York advice.

Mimar

I assume you already have your plane tickets. Or I'd suggest flying out of Edinburgh. Or even flying into Edinburgh and out of London. Parking a car in tourist-central Edinburgh is expensive. And driving in and out of a city takes away touring time.

It's better to rent a car only between cities.

It's obvious you've put a lot of thought into your itinerary. However, your Day 9 allows you almost no time in the Lake District, not an area that lends itself to the quick in and out. You have very little time in the Cotswolds too.

I disagree with Bilbo. It's always better to be close to your departure airport the night before.

alanRow

You can see the Wall without a car - the AD122 bus runs from Hexham to the Wall. You can leave luggage at Newcastle so you could have a half day on the Wall before travelling onto York.

So that means you can drop the car off in Edinburgh.

Given your flight is late afternoon I wouldn't travel to London the day before but stay in York. Once in London it's a straight run through to Heathrow by Tube, so don't buy any tickets for journeys involving the Heathrow Express

ayeaye

I think you have done a really great job in planning to see a lot in a short time, but I have one suggestion. I agree with Mimar about the lack of time in the lake district and one possible suggestion would be to stay a bit longer there, perhaps overnight, and drive to Glasgow, instead of Edinburgh. Rabbies has tour similar to the one you mentioned, leaving from Glasgow, called Oban, Glencoe, the west Highland Loch and castles. After returning to Glasgow, drive to Edinburgh, turn in the car as alanRow suggests, or give up the car in Glasagow and take the quick train to Edinburgh. You won't need a car in Edinburgh, and then train to Newcastle, bus to Hexham, train to York, then London. Not sure if these changes will matter all that much, but your plans do sound possible and interesting, even as they stand. Enjoy.

bilboburgler

"I disagree with Bilbo. It's always better to be close to your departure airport the night before." Fair point.

I would agree with you especially when traveling in countries with major problems, travel services that are limited (like bicycles) and when the journey starts in the early part of the day.

But on this occasion jwizzall has a fair bit of the day to make the journey, the UK's public transport is reasonably good and central London is a fair bit from LHR so coming from York would be a safe option.

Gordon_R

Unless I'm misreading this, it seems that immediately before you pick it up, and while you have the hire car, you will take expensive day tours in someone else's minibus. That makes no sense to me at all. Either ditch the tours and explore the places you want to see under your own steam (my recommendation), or... don't bother with the car at all and just use public transport to travel between places.

dwdvagamundo

Having just done something similar to the northern part of this trip (plus London) and having done the southern part some years ago,I'd offer the following:

1. Overall, I think you're trying to see too much and moving too much--average of one hotel every two nites. With considerable reluctance (because each has so much to offer), I'd advise you drop either southwestern England or northern England and Scotland. Given your interests, I'd opt to go to northern England and Scotland for ruins and castles.

2. Again, given your interests, you should definitely spend more time in London for art, Tower, Hampton Court, etc.. If you opt for Scotland, add the Borders for lots of ruined abbeys, beautiful scenery, and interesting towns.

3. Keswick to Edinburgh in one day while "exploring" the Lake District leaves very little time to explore. We drove through the Lake District on our way from Hexham (quite a way south of Edinburgh) to near Liverpool and really didn't have time to see anything. We were also very disappointed with the Lake District, probably because we only got out of the car once--to go to the bathroom and that cost us 5 pounds to park for thirty minutes or so!

4. Why not drive from Keswick to near Hadrian's Wall. There is a beautiful road (A686) running from Penrith to Haydon Bridge, very close to Hadrian's Wall. Overnite near the Wall, maybe in Hexham which has a great old Cathedral/Abbey and is a very interesting town to boot, then continue to Edinburgh. Drop the car there, then train from Edinburgh to York. This will save you the inconvenience and expense of having the car in Edinburgh or having two separate short term rentals.

Finally, your late afternoon flight departure time from LHR would permit you to train from York that day and get to the airport in time for your flight. According to British Rail, trains leave York every half hour or so, take around two hours to London, and arrive at Kings Cross Station. From Kings Cross, take the Piccadilly Underground Line to LHR without a change.

janisj

I'd rearrange things into a more linear route. Either fly directly to Edinburgh - or if you already booked R-T in/out of London, book a separate flight from LHR up to Edinburgh abou3 3 hours after your arrival.

Then get over the jet lag and see Edinburgh without a car. Collect a car when you leave Edinburgh and meander down the country(s) Hadrian's Wall > Lake District > York > Chipping Campden > Bath. You can either drop the car in Bath and take a train in to London - or drive from Bath to LHR (seeing Stonehenge enroute) , drop the car there and take public transport into London.


This way you cover the territory in a more efficient route, save car rental/parking for the days you are in Edinburgh, and not splitting your London stay into two very short bits.

Mimar

What janis said. Which is kinda what I said, but with more details.

PalenQ

You can also take the Caledonian Sleeper train back to London from Scotland - even from places like Inverness or vice versa and you can score some good discounted fares http://www.scotrail.co.uk/caledonian...r/index.htmlom

jwizzall

Thanks everyone! Talked it over with the fiance and after giving due consideration to our interests and travel style, here's where we ended up:

Day 1, Tuesday: Arrive LHR 10:15 am. Fly to Edinburgh. Stay in Edinburgh.
Day 2, Wednesday: Edinburgh.
Day 3, Thursday: Rabbies 1 Day Tour - West Highland Lochs and Castles. Stay in Edinburgh.
Day 4, Friday: Edinburgh.
Day 5, Saturday: Rent car. Drive to York via Hadrian's Wall. Stay in York.
Day 6, Sunday: York.
Day 7, Monday: York.
Day 8, Tuesday: Drive to Chipping Campden via Warwick Castle. Stay in Chipping Campden.
Day 9, Wednesday: Cotswolds. Stay in Chipping Campden.
Day 10, Thursday: Drive to Bath via South Wales (Caerphilly or Chepstow, Tintern Abbey). Stay in Bath.
Day 11, Friday: Bath.
Day 12, Saturday: Drive to LHR via Avebury and Stonehenge. Return Car. Ground transportation to London.
Day 13, Sunday: London.
Day 14, Monday: London.
Day 15, Tuesday: London.
Day 16, Wednesday: Depart LHR 4:20 pm.

It feels like we're spending our time more wisely now. Agree?

janisj

That is soooo much nicer - a very doable itinerary.

Rubicund

That looks so much better. The only area is your in flight. Can't you fly into Edinburgh or Glasgow? That will save a lot of a day.

janisj

Rubicund: If they are flying from the USA there are few if any non stops into Scotland . Most would go through LHR anyway so this isn't much different.

PalenQ

2.5 days in York is IME too much if just staying in the city - but if taking some sweet day trips like to Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales or to the North Yorkshire Moors, etc then maybe - IME there ain't that much to ad in York itself after a day.

Rubicund

Understood janisj

PalenQ

Day 5, Saturday: Rent car. Drive to York via Hadrian's Wall. Stay in York.>

Yoiu can easily motor thru the fabled Borders Abbey district of Scotland along the English border and pop by an historic abbey or two - like Jedburg, Melrose, etc. - can be right the way to Hadrian's Wall I think.

janisj

>>2.5 days in York is IME too much if just staying in the city -<<

You don't have 2.5 days in York. You are driving down from Edinburgh and touring Hadrian's Wall enroute. Driving from EDI to York w/ 2 or 3 hours along the Wall will take the entire day. Really not enough time to visit Border Abbeys - but you <i>could</i> maybe stop for 30-45 minutes at Melrose OR Jedburgh. As it is you won't get into York until evening.

jwizzall

Thanks again all. We don't mind having a little breathing room in York, give us a moment to recover from Edinburgh and our first foray into overseas driving.