You've left off lovely Lyme Regis, an important Austen site (also The French Lieutenant's Woman.)

Sorry but you're trying to squeeze in far too much into the time you have available.

Day 1: You don't say where you're coming from but if you're arriving after a long haul flight, you'll be tired and jet-lagged by the time you reach your hotel. A walk around in the fresh air is much better than tackling a large indoor museum.

Day 2: Simply won't work. To get to the Jane Austen house in Chawton, you need to take a train (approx 1:10 h duration) from London Waterloo to Alton, then get on a local bus, then walk. Windsor and Chawton are nowhere near each other and require journeys on completely different train lines out of London to reach, so are incompatible as destinations on the same day. Taking in other major sites in London on the same day will be tricky as both Windson and Chawton are minimum 1/2 day trips on their own.

Day 3: back and forth all across central London all day.

Day 4: as Day 3 but even worse as Wimbledon and Kew are out in the suburbs so you have to factor in additional travelling time - London is an immense city.

...

Day 7: Bath is not a natural base from which to see Stonehenge - most people do the trip via Salisbury (which is a good place to visit in its own right). I've no idea if you can even do a tour from Bath to Stonehenge - it's a good 80 mile round trip.

...

Days 13/14: There is more than enough to see in Edinburgh to fill a week or more, but you want to go all the way there just to spend 1 day? A day trip to the highlands will be no more than a blur seen from a bus window. To really see this area requies several days (and ideally you're own transportation).

I'd really recommend you get a map, a good guide-book and try to be more realistic about what you can see in a 2 week trip.

You may or may not get lots of negative responses; listen to what people say; it is YOUR trip and you know, maybe, what you are capable of handling per day BUT:
Yes, you have way too much planned for London. You need to scale back considerably and/or add some time there. It is huge and takes big chunks of time to get from place to place.

1.When do you actually plan to arrive AT YOUR ROOMS (2-3 hours after your planned air arrival)? You probably don't have as much time as you think. And going INSIDE to a museum is not best plan. Use whatever remaining time you have probably to walk around OUTSIDE--Big Ben, Westminster area, up to Trafalgar Square and/or over to outside of Buckingham Palace.
2.No knowledge of your plans for second day but seriously doubt you can do that. Maybe Windsor and a London site.
3.Start at the Abbey, then do the British Museum and Library in the afternoon perhaps.
4. Start at the Tower, then St. Paul's in the afternoon.

For the Globe, if you want to see a performance, check now. If you just want to go by, you could do the Tower, walk over the Tower bridge, along the Southbank, by the Globe, over the Milinneum Bridge to St. Paul's. If you want a tour, you'll have to figure out that timing. (allow about 3 hours for Tower and about 2 for St. Paul's--note the last time St. Paul's allows tourists in)
5.Yes, stay in London and see what you've missed probably.

I don't have much imput on rest of plan except you can't do it all. I'd think Bath, then York, then Edinburgh would maybe be sorta doable if you rush. Travel time eats up ?halfaday? at a time. Are you then leaving from Edinburgh?

No, you can't go to Chatsworth very easily without a car. We did it. It was very difficult. We trained from London to a nearby town, caught a bus, walked, spent several glorious hours, barely got seats on a very crowded-and-last-one-of-the-day little bus back to the train station, rode train back to London. It was well worth it, but it was a special "quest" that my husband helped me accomplish and I'd never want to try it again. Others may give different, updated, or more helpful advice. Sorry, it was a highlight of my 2008 trip, but I'd never try it again.

You will need the Oyster card--that IS a travel card. There is the complication of perhaps getting paper travel cards (instead of the plastic Oyster card which "holds" travel card values OR monetary values) so as to use 2for1 vouchers (but of your sites, I THINK the Tower may be the only one accepting said vouchers)

We used a BritRailFlex 4day pass and LOVED it because the flexibility it afforded was perfect. You might look into their consecutive pass. It is more costly than buying advance tickets, but it was worth it for us not to have to plan a schedule so rigidly. You will have to plan days you travel so you can get to cities you want and make room reservations, but with a pass you won't have to stress about making a particular time.

I'm a "pack-it-in" trip planner myself, but you do need to be realistic about what is actually physically possible. I'm a big Austen fan too, so I understand the motives. But without a car (which I also understand!!) there are limitations. And you don't want to JUST see Austen stuff, esp. in London and York, so those take time too.

Re-think, get good maps, use googlemaps, look at the BritRail sites to get idea of train travel possibilities, continue to plan well. But don't plan too much per day or you will end up frustrated and too tired to enjoy.

I would think that Blenheim would be much better from London than from Bath as it is fairly close to Oxford. I would think the travel connections from London would be easier.

As someone mentioned, Stonehenge is easier from Salisbury than Bath. Salisbury also has a wonderful cathedral. There are good train connections to Salisbury from London, so you might go down, get a bus tour to Stonehenge, wander into the cathedral, spend the night and then get an early start the next day for Bath.

Just thinking of all the sights outside of York. Would you consider renting a car in York for a couple of days? You could more easily take in the sights outside of the city as well as some wonderful scenery. Just a thought.

You might enjoy a book I read recently, A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith by Lori Smith
It talks about some of the places you want to see from the perspective of a Jane Austen fan.

It seems to me you are trying to do too much in 2 weeks especially without a car

Days 9 to 12 are a huge problem and personally I don't think you should even consider them ALL even if you had a car.
1)Chatsworth is in Derbyshire, sorry don't know nearest station or how you would get there by train from York.
2) By Bronte house I assume you mean the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth? You can get there by public transport from York - think it would be a train to Leeds, then to Keightley then bus to Haworth. Would take several hours as you'd have to link up your public transport. Depends how much you want to go. By car you could do it in 90 mins.
3) Beatrix Potter sites - assume you mean Lake District - again not sure how you would get there from York but it's the other side of the country, and you'd have to get a train to Windermere I assume as your nearest station. No idea how you would then travel to Hilltop etc.
When would you get to see York?
York itself is pedestrian friendly, and you could get to see Castle Howard by bus (not Sundays or Bank Holidays) from the city.
www.castlehoward.co.uk/House-and-Gardens/Admission-Information/Public-Transport.html

OK-- you will get tons of response but simply put: Much of your plan would be difficult w/ a car - and impossible by public transport.

I'm not suggesting you hire a car (outside of London of course) - I AM suggesting you need to re-think the whole itinerary.

Even w/ a car what you want to see is a good three weeks worth.

Bath is not a base for Blenheim
York is not a base for Chatsworth, Hill top (Beatrix Potter's House) or the Bronte Parsonage.

The places you want to see in London are spread over a HUGE area and would require 7-10 days because of distances/travel time. Chawton is not in (nor very near) London so you could squeeze it in as a day trip from the city but it would take the entire day.

There are many other specific issues/problems -- but instead of piling on more, I suggest you really need to sit down w/ a map of the UK, and start over . . .

What Janis said. Too many places, not enough time.

If you go to the websites for the places you want to visit, detailed instructions about arriving by public transportation are supplied. For example, the website for Chawton House (www.jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk/visiting/getting_here.htm) tells you how to arrive by train and bus.

You're going to need to cut down the number of places you see or increase your time considerably.

When you get your itinerary more manageable, you might look into the Great British Heritage Pass. It gives you admission to all National Trust, National Trust for Scotland, and English Heritage properties: www.britishheritagepass.com

Thank you so much for all of your replies! My sister and I both appreciate the time and advice given. I'll respond to specifics in another post, but I wanted to let you know a couple of other things. One, sorry for not giving more details on things, looking back I realize I'm a little vague. Two, I am flying from the US to London and my sister, who's been in Spain for the last several months, will be meeting me there. Three, neither of us are comfortable with the idea of driving a car outside the US. I won't even drive in my own "downtown" city here at home.
Three, after reading the responses, we've decided to skip Chawton. (question to all the Jane Austen fans...is that okay? my impression is that the museum might be on the smaller side?) We are also skipping the Beatrix Potter idea.
Also, we have purchased a 3 day London pass and a 7 day Great Britain Heritage Pass. Thank you again for your time and I'll be posting more later!

Our new itinerary: (later I will be starting other threads with more details for each city)
Days 1-4/arrive in London and see major attractions, including Windsor. (we arrive in London in the morning, and I hope that by 1 pm to be able to head out to see some things and then be back at our hotel for an early night to get some sleep to get an early start the next day)

Day 5/attend a service at Metropolitan Tabernacle. Afterwards, head back to our hotel, get our luggage, then get a metro to Paddington Station, and take a train to Bath. Hopefully Arrive in Bath sometime that evening. (between 6-8pm is my goal)

Day 6/see the major Bath attractions.

Day 7/ take a tour to see Stonehenge, etc.
http://www.madmax.abel.co.uk/ is the tour we will be doing, it covers several sites, and although we discussed the Salisbury Cathedral idea, we actually like this idea better since we will be seeing a couple of churches in London.

Day 8/see Blenheim Palace, according to their website, they are 1.5 hour away from Bath. I’m assuming that’s by train, but I still need to work the details of it out better.

Day 9/leave early from Bath to go to Chesterfield, which is where Chatsworth is. We are seriously considering doing a major “splurge” here and spending the night on one of the cheaper hotel properties on the Chatsworth estate. We’d have the afternoon to tour the house and then spend one night there, and head to York next. (plus, it just sounds amazingly fun to spend the night on “Pemberley” property!)

Day 10/leave for York, get settled in our hotel and spend the day seeing major sites in the city of York

Day 11/take a train/bus to get to the Bronte Parsonage and spend the day there and other nearby scenery.

Day 12/leave from York to Edinburgh, approximately 3 hours, I think. Spend the day seeing possibly one thing in Edinburgh and relaxing.

Day 13/ Go on a Highlands tour http://www.timberbush-tours.co.uk/edinburgh_tours/one_day/loch_ness.html True, I’m sure it will be something of a “blur” but we are both excited about the tour as we can at least see the Loch Ness, and enjoy, albeit “quickly” some of the Northern Highland scenery of Scotland.

Day 14/ see some of the top sites in Edinburgh

Day 15/leave from the Edinburgh airport to go home.

My sister and I both like to try to pack in as much as possible; we usually can get through sites fairly quickly. Although we are trying to give ourselves enough time to enjoy everything and not be too exhausted…not that from our schedule it looks like it. Thank you again for your time, I’ll probably have some more specific questions later on in other posts. The main thing that worries me at this point, is trying to figure out the details of train/bus transportation and determining the best type of “rail pass” to get.

"Day 8/see Blenheim Palace, according to their website, they are 1.5 hour away from Bath. I’m assuming that’s by train, . . "

Nope -- that is by car -- and pushing things a bit at that.

To get to Blenheim from Bath by public transport you'd take a train to Oxford, walk from the train station to the bus station, take a local bus to Woodstock,walk to the Palace,walk back to the bus stop, bus into Oxford, walk to the train station, and then train to Bath. The train from Bath to Oxford alone takes between 1:10 and 1:40 each way.

Too bad about the London Pass but that is water under the bridge at this point. The Great British Heritage Pass is a good deal though . . .

Chatsworth is not "in" or even really near Chesterfield--if you want to read how we trekked there, you can click on my name and read my 2008 trip report (which also tells how we used the BritRailFlex Pass) Good luck. Some tried to talk us out of going there, so I won't try to talk you OUT of it, but you really need to understand how difficult and time consuming it is, and what you are going to do if you miss a bus--they aren't frequent like buses in a city. And stuff goes wrong. Just do your homework super extensively.

Yes, forget about trying to get your money's worth out of the London Pass. You won't unless you run around like maniacs. Just see a couple major things a day (Much of what is on the Pass deserves a pass or is really free anyway, as I recall). But as janisj says, the GBHP IS a good deal.

Don't look at site websites for transport info--they will be optimistic. Get real, good paper maps AND try something like google maps or the Britrail sites and plug in "dummy" itineraries. When you get a time from place to place, kinda double it to account for getting to the station, waiting, delays, getting from station to ? It's NOT just the travel time on a vehicle from start to stop. It takes a long time to travel. Which is why people suggest limiting sites. (We successfully, after 4 nights in London, stayed in 9 different spots on 9 nights, and saw what we wanted to see for the most part during the day, so moving around can work, but you need to be very realistic. We were driving so it was different.)

Chatsworth is not "in" or even really near Chesterfield--if you want to read how we trekked there, you can click on my name and read my 2008 trip report (which also tells how we used the BritRailFlex Pass) Good luck. Some tried to talk us out of going there, so I won't try to talk you OUT of it, but you really need to understand how difficult and time consuming it is, and what you are going to do if you miss a bus--they aren't frequent like buses in a city. And stuff goes wrong. Just do your homework super extensively.

Yes, forget about trying to get your money's worth out of the London Pass. You won't unless you run around like maniacs. Just see a couple major things a day (Much of what is on the Pass deserves a pass or is really free anyway, as I recall). But as janisj says, the GBHP IS a good deal.

Don't look at site websites for transport info--they will be optimistic. Get real, good paper maps AND try something like google maps or the Britrail sites and plug in "dummy" itineraries. When you get a time from place to place, kinda double it to account for getting to the station, waiting, delays, getting from station to ? It's NOT just the travel time on a vehicle from start to stop. It takes a long time to travel. Which is why people suggest limiting sites. (We successfully, after 4 nights in London, stayed in 9 different spots on 9 nights, and saw what we wanted to see for the most part during the day, so moving around can work, but you need to be very realistic. We were driving so it was different.)

How's your budget? There are plenty of private drivers and I use them for clients all the time.

You may want to rethink skipping Chawton and possibly remaking a section of your trip, basing in Salisbury for a night.

You could train to Salisbury, from which there are bus and van trips to Stonehenge. You could also get from Salisbury, which is very nice, to Winchester, where JA is buried, and from there to Chawton, maybe using a driver or private tour.

"you'd take a train to Oxford, walk from the train station to the bus station,"

The buses to Woodstock go from right outside the railway station. However, they run only every half hour, tend to be timed so trains from Didcot (which is where passengers from Bath change) just miss them, take half an hour and for most people it's nearly 15 mins to walk from the stop at the palace gates to the inside of the ugliest building in Southern England.

So from Bath station, it's typically at the absolute minimum 2.5 hours to Blenheim by public transport but a great deal closer to 3. And obviously the same back again.

Three, after reading the responses, we've decided to skip Chawton. (question to all the Jane Austen fans...is that okay? my impression is that the museum might be on the smaller side?)

Yes it's just the house she lived in for part of her life with about half a dozen small rooms with exhibits on display. Enthusiasts would find it very interesting but with your already packed itinerary it's not really feasible given the logistics to/from central London.

Day 13/ Go on a Highlands tour http://www.timberbush-tours.co.uk/edinburgh_tours/one_day/loch_ness.html True, I’m sure it will be something of a “blur” but we are both excited about the tour as we can at least see the Loch Ness, and enjoy, albeit “quickly” some of the Northern Highland scenery of Scotland.

I looked up this itinerary on the link you provided and almost choked on my morning coffee. Most people would take 3 or 4 days to take in this trip - it's literally a mad dash across the entire country in 10 1/2 hours (some of which will be in the dark depending on the time of year). You do realise that virtually all the attractions mentioned are just drive-by's? By the end of the day you'll probably never want to get on a coach tour ever again! It would be a bit like picking up a bus tour in downtown San Francisco, driving south through Monterey onto Big Sur, finishing up in Los Angeles and claiming you'd "seen" California.

If you really want to see some of the amazing Scottish countryside outside Edinburgh, why not take a slightly more sane tour to Perthshire or The trossahcs / Loch Lomond. Everyone's heard of Loch Ness BTW, but it's arguably not the most attractive scenic area to see and it is a long drag from Edinburgh.

Oops. trossahcs = Trossachs

Thanks all for the comments!
to texasbookworm...thank you for the information! I plan to read your report in detail.
I'm rethinking as suggested, and considering staying day 5 in London, Day 6 go to Blenheim, get back to London, grab our luggage, and then head to Bath, and spend nights 6, 7, 8, in Bath.
Not to disagree with all the expertise here, but at this point, I personally am finding us to be getting more of our money's worth out of the London Pass than the GB Heritage Pass. Although, we do plan on rushing around like maniacs to see stuff. My sister and I just spent two crazy days in Paris on March 10 and 11 this year in which we managed to see, the Lourve, Notre Dame, crypt, Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, take a 1 hour river cruise, see Versailles, the Pantheon, and go up the Eiffel Tower. (and yes, we were both exhausted by the end of the trip, but we had a blast) I am trying, although, maybe it doesn't appear this way, to have our London time not be quite as hectic as Paris was...but knowing us, we won't accomplish that and it will be just as crazy if not more so than Paris was. From comments made, and looking at London maps, I'm thinking London is a lot bigger and more spread out than Paris.

to tuscanlifeedit--our budget is so-so, I don't mind spending money on things to make our lives somewhat easier, but I like to try to save most of it for seeing sites, a driver is something we have slightly entertained, but not researched yet and I suspect more than we want to pay...but it may be something we look more into.

to flanneruk--just curious, are you saying Blenheim is not worth it? Somewhat surprised from what I've read it seems really neat, but maybe I'm missing something.

to Gordon_R--not quite sure how to respond yet, thank you for your thoughts. We both really want to do it, and I guess as for a long trip, I'm thinking we might enjoy some sitting time after running around for days on end. I however, did not quite think of the being dark issue.

Other note--I've been using Rick Steves 2011 and Fodors 2011 guidebooks to help research and plan this trip, and while they do have maps and I've been looking at them, I'm hoping when our Heritage Pass comes in that it will help some with the geography of things. I also keep experimenting with the BritRail website, my sister is actually the one that usually knows how to navigate the transportation issues a little better than me, so my plan is to do some groundwork on it, send her information, and between her and these forums, hopefully get a good idea of how to get from place to place.

Again, I do appreciate your time and thoughts! It's good to hear from people who have actually done some of this and know what I'm talking about. When I went to AAA this week, they had no way of helping me from point to point in the UK...so I'm very glad that this option is available!

If you want to see beautiful scenery, you could always get the train to Kyle of Lochalsh.
You are sitting, but you can walk around, go for a pee or have a cup of coffee.

"are you saying Blenheim is not worth it? Somewhat surprised from what I've read it seems really neat, but maybe I'm missing something."

No. I just think the dump should never have been built.

Hundreds of acres of lovely, publicly-owned, countryside, and a seriously historic palace, were destroyed for this tasteless monument to 18th century corruption to be built and the public kept out unless they contribute to the 'Keep the Feckless Churchills in the Manner They Feel Entitled To' Fund.

But if you idea of good taste is the same as Liberace's, you'll no doubt think it worth the time and money.

"Other note--I've been using Rick Steves 2011 . . . to help research and plan this trip"

I'd seriously recommend you forget about the RS guide. RS is good to really good for a lot of countries. Unfortunately -- the UK isn't one of them. I've met him and he is very open saying England is not his favorite destination and it definitely shows. Some of his advice is downright silly.

As for the Blenheim 'issue' -- flanner lives practically next door to Blenheim so he is coming from a different perspective than most visitors. You will either think Blenheim is fabulous -- or a ghastly over indulgence. But in either case IMO it shouldn't be missed when one is in the area. Unfortunately -- you won't be in the area. To visit Blenheim from Bath will involve approx 6 hours just for the travel -- and you'll go through Oxford yet not see a bit of it.

If it was me I'd spend a night IN Oxford and use 1/2 a day for Blenheim and most of a day for Oxford. I would not (ever) try to visit Blenheim as a day trip by public transport from Bath.

Your tweaks/changes here an there are not solving the basic problem that you want to cover a LOT of territory in very little time.

"I'm thinking London is a lot bigger and more spread out than Paris."

Yes -- London is many times larger than Paris. About 85% of Paris' major attractions are basically w/i walking distance of each other. That isn't the case in London.

"are you saying Blenheim is not worth it? Somewhat surprised from what I've read it seems really neat, but maybe I'm missing something."

"No. I just think the dump should never have been built."

Flanner is entitled to his opinion, he just doesn't like someone else having a house nearly as big as his.

Personally I like Blenheim, its a fascinating place, great for photographing and well worth the visit. IMHO.

Muck

So, you get train to Chesterfield and then take the bus to Bakewell, Chatsworth being a few miles up the road? You can get a cab Bakewell or of course the half hr from Chesterfield for a price. The bus is pleasant and runs several times a day from the station.

Some of those Chatsworth Estate lodgings looked attractive, and not THAT crazy expensive. You can get afternoon tea at the Rutland Arms in Bakewell, where Austen is said to have stayed, or of course at the shop behind Chatworth. The grounds are wonderful there.

For my money, I'd tour Haddon Hall in preference to Chatsworth. As bonus literary tie-in, the recent Jane Eyre was filmed there, and so was the BBC one a few years ago, because the spooky tower there is a natural. There's a nice garden on a much more modest scale than Chatsworth, and it's much older.

sorry, to clarify: You can get a cab from central Bakewell the few miles to Chatsworth. Not sure what a cab from Chesterfield would cost. The owner of the clean but modest B&B where we stayed in Bakewell also runs a van cab: http://www.evertonbandb.co.uk/, and arranging for him to meet the train might be less expensive than getting a cab.

For more than one night it's nice being within walking distance of pubs and restaurants, and not to mention bakeries that compete for title of Original Bakewell Pudding.

Sorrier and sorrier! I mean cheaper than getting a cab in Chesterfield.

You might also consider going to Lyme Park, the home that was used for exterior shots of Pemberly in the BBC Pride and Prejudice. It is near a train station (Disley) on the Manchester to Buxton line with courtesy shuttle service

Thanks for the replies! Janisj--we are taking your suggestion and going to plan on staying in Oxford. Thank you for the help there! Very interesting about Rick Steves...I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan. I rarely watch any of his shows. I do like the way he writes his guidebook, it's easier to read than other ones I've looked at. But he does leave out a lot of stuff in his Great Britain book that I'm interested in doing...specifically Austen and Bronte things. My impression would be he isn't into that type of literature. Kind of sad he isn't a fan of the UK...I'm totally thrilled with the idea of visiting!

stokebailey--thanks for the suggestions. We are really excited about the idea of Chatsworth, I did read about Haddon Hall, but I'm more interested in Chatsworth. Although, for the record, I am a fan of the 1995 BBC version of Pride & Prejudice... I've only seen the 2005 version once, but I may watch both again before I leave.

Thanks again all!

As someone else said, Lyme Regis also has Jane Austen associations. It's a pretty little seaside town in Dorset. To read more and see a picture of it, see here: http://postcards-pfte.blogspot.com/

Also, there is a live streaming webcam of Lyme Regis here:
http://www.checkitlive.com/camera/949

There's a room or so at Chatsworth devoted to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, and the pretty good Kiera Knightly film about her. They have letter written in blood to her son and some of the movie costumes.

I'm with Gordon -- I just looked at that Highlands Tour itinerary and it is absolutely awful. You need to rethink that ASAP and get a refund.

Here's what you do: drive PAST one of the most impressive castles in the UK to STOP at a wool mill in Kilmahog so they can try to sell you sweaters. Then you drive past the Massacre of Glencoe site (that's the Clan MacGregor reference) and drive to Ft. William for lunch (Janisj can rail on about Ft. William here).

After that, more time in the bus -- drive some more to Loch Ness where they try to sell you an expensive cruise on the lake or pitter about the ruins of Urquhart Castle (which should be do-able in 45-60 minutes, not two hours -- my wife and I are castle FREAKS and we skipped visiting Urquhart). But wait, there's still more driving through the whole of the Grampian Highlands in late afternoon so you can stop for dinner at tourist-trap town (aka Pitlochry). Then home.

This one has the worst of all tour tropes: too much time in the bus, stops designed to have the captive audience buy useless goods so the company can get a cut of the sales, and skipping important or notable sites (you drive past Stirling Castle, Scone Palace and avoid the Falkirk Wheel). Rethink it.

I wasn't going to say much/anything about the Timberbush tour -- mostly because there were enough other problems w/ the plan and I didn't want to pile on

And Timberbush is a decent tour company. But yes -- this particular tour is dreadful. If it is pre-paid, maybe they'll let you apply the ££ to a different tour.

For instance -- this one lets you actually get off the bus and visit Stirling castle http://www.timberbush-tours.co.uk/edinburgh_tours/one_day/loch_lomond.html

[One little clarification -- "Then you drive past the Massacre of Glencoe site (that's the Clan MacGregor reference)" the Clan MacGregor reference was re the drive past - but not TO - Balquhiddar where Rob Roy is buried. Glencoe is the Clan MacDonald bit]

Thanks for the information, we haven't booked the tour yet and will think about everything you've said. Our current thought is to skip York, and stay closer to the Bronte area and do something over there when we finish at Chatsworth. Does that sound like a better idea? Will we regret it the rest of our lives if we skip York?

I see the same tour company offers this tour which (as I said above) is a more sensible itinerary though still a full day out:-

Loch Lomond, The Trossachs National Park & Stirling Castle
http://www.timberbush-tours.co.uk/edinburgh_tours/one_day/loch_lomond.html

Just curious, has anyone tried either of these tours before and have any thoughts on them?

Gordon_R: That's the same tour I linked earlier today.

JAustenfan: I haven't done any Timber bush tours (or Rabbie's which is another and probably slightly better tour company). But I have reviewed most of their itineraries for others (I do trip planning and lots of folks ask about one day tours if I can't persuade them to hire a car). Both companies are long-established and well thought of.

It is REALLY important to understand 'tour-speak'. "See" or "Pass" means viewing from inside the moving bus - not even a photo op slow down.

"Pass" Stirling castle means you would not 'see' anything since the view from the nearest highway is of the castle sitting high up on a distant outcropping and everything interesting is hidden inside high castle walls.

But in essence -- Stirling Castle is very similar in size/scope to Edinburgh castle so w/ your very limited time I'd opt for one or the other.

janisj--do you think if we changed our schedule to: overnight in Oxford, see Blenheim, then afterwards head to Bath, for nights 6, 7, 8, then on day 9 leave for Chatsworth, tour the property that afternoon, stay the night there. Then on day 10, head to West Yorkshire area (I haven't determined a location yet) focused on Bronte, and something else in the area for day 10 & 11, then we left on day 12, for Edi. Would that work out better? It seems a little more doable to me leaving out York, my only concern is if we'll regret that decision down the road.

Thanks for the clarification on the tours...we are looking into the one mentioned.

Chawton was one of my favorite stops on our trip to the UK in 2007. You can read my trip report and see pictures by clicking my screen name and looking for the report.

Lee Ann

Unfortunately you are semi-stuck because of the public transport requirement. If you were just visiting cities or major transport hub towns it would be easier. But you are going to some very rural areas and the buses/train service will be limited/time consuming.

You really do need to assume you'll get back to the UK again and not try to do everything this trip.

I personally LOVE York and have visited it many times. Even being a Jane Austen fan -- you really don't need 3 nights in Bath. So cutting Bath back to 2 nights would give you a bit more wiggle room and you could manage a day/night in York

Haven't read through all the advice here about JA, but this article about a four day P&P Tour may be of interest -

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/willingly-lost-in-austen-20110331-1ch9h.html

Janis is right - it would be such a shame to miss York. Also, although Haworth is a tourist hot spot because of the Brontes, I think it is best visited as a day trip and not used as a base. The countryside and towns around Haworth can be pretty bleak and industrial, although the Pennine Moors have their own beauty. West Yorkshire isn't well visited by tourists compared to North Yorkshire, and there are good reasons for this!
I'd try and rejig things so you have longer in York and then visit Haworth by public transport.

I kind of miss Cholmondley-Warner's knee jerk reaction to any mention of Austen.

Staying overnight in Haworth has the advantage of a ghost tour by a local...does anyone know anything about this? If one got to Haworth early enough in the day is there enough time to walk and see the Parsonage?

I also think three nights in Bath is a bit much. I'd certainly try to find some time for York. As janisj and Morgana have already said, it'd be a shame to miss it when you're so close. With York Minster,the Shambles, the city walls, and museums it is,IMO, one of England's most interesting cities.

stokebailey, me too. I keep hearing JBA in my mind, and I have been on several JBA pilgrimages in my time.

On the first, as we literally ran from JBA site to site in Bath, DH grabbed my arm, pulled me to a stop, and asked me why I hadn't told him we were going on a Jane Austen Pilgrimage.

Silly guy; if I'd told him, would he have come?

Kelsey, the Parsonage Museum isn't large - you can view some rooms upstairs and down, and there's an exhibition area at the back and a small gift shop. Apparently staff often get asked when the latest Bronte novel is due to be published!
They have changing exhibitions and they are usually very interesting. But I doubt it would detain even the most ardent Bronte fan for more than a couple of hours, maximum.
You might want to have a wander down the main street though, and have a drink in Branwell's old local, the Black Bull which is a stones throw from the Parsonage, or visit the church (which has practically been rebuilt since the Brontes were there).
I don't know about the ghost walk as I don't really like such things. Spending some time in the still very spooky and atmospheric graveyard is enough for me, especially when it's quiet and the crowds have gone. The rooks still caw in the tall trees and the gravestones still lean in every direction - apparently over 40,000 people are buried there.

Maybe if we all use 'Jane Bloody Austen', we'll summon up a new DW/CW incarnation (if he can get through the Fodors security levels)

We'd have to keep explaining to the newcomers: "Once upon a time there was this, well, maybe a little opinionated but in his own way lovable, unless you were one of those who found him infuriating..."

It would get too complicated.

>> . . . unless you were one of the pantywaists who found him infuriating...<<

I'm willing to try a "DW/CW incarnation". CW is sorely missed here despite his 'Jane Bloody Austen' and how are newcomers ever going to find out about the best pubs in London without his sage advise ?

Jane Bloody Austen is one of the things I love about C_W. He was a wonderful host and tour guide around the South Bank, too.

Lee Ann

And he gave us good advice on Austen sites in Winchester despite his opinion of JBA.

Lee Ann

Hello again! I have a couple questions/ideas that I'd like some thoughts on.

One, you have successfully convinced my sister and I NOT to take the one Scottish Highland tour we were thinking of doing. I am looking at two other ones, and was wondering if they are just as bad/touristy as the other:
http://www.graylinescotland.com/tour.asp?tourid=44
http://www.rabbies.com/scottish_tour_pages/loch_ness_glencoe_1day_tour.asp?lng=en (this is one janisj mentioned I think) We are considering the Loch Lomond one, only thing is we really want to see the Edinburgh Castle more than the Stirling one.

We are still thinking about the whole York idea...our current thought is to stay in Leeds, and do a day trip to Bronte and one to York. I'm almost afraid to ask if that's a good idea or not. I've emailed several York B&B, but am finding them all booked for the dates we would want.

Also, thank you for the link for the B&B in Bakewell! I just emailed them to see if they had an opening the day we will be there.

The JBA person sounds like an interesting character...

Thanks!

I remember the advice from C_W. and he is quite interesting and gave good advice with great wit. He and FlannerUK both agreed on the recommendation of 32 Great Queen Street which we really enjoyed. The food, the atmosphere, the drinks--it was all good.

I miss his bantering and humor. Why was he banned from the boards?

>>Why was he banned from the boards?<<

A topic for another place -- discussions of former Fodorites/bannings can get a thread locked down and that wouldn't be fair to JAustenFan . . .

JAF: I personally would NOT stay in Leeds for York or Haworth/Keighley. The train from York to Keighley only takes an hour w/ a change in Leeds so I don't see any reason you'd need to stay in Leeds.

I wouldn't take the Grayline tour. That Rabbies tour is about as hectic as the timberbush one.

Have you looked at this one? http://www.rabbies.com/scottish_tour_pages/west_highland_lochs_castles_1day_tour.asp?lng=en It doesn't try to cover sooooo much territory but still gets a lot of terrific scenery (and doesn't stop at Stirling)

Janis,

Oh! Didn't know that. Wouldn't want to hijack JAustinFan's thread

HI, JA Fan,

The Everton B&B in Bakewell is, as I said, clean and decent, reasonably priced. It's 10 min walk through the park and along river path to the center of town. My daughter and I stayed in their twin room three nights and liked it just fine.
You might also check Fodor's or similar book for other recommendations right in town, but the ones in the books do fill up. The Rutland Arms seems overpriced, possibly due to rumor that Austen stayed there.

Gary, the prop. of Everton, a character, could probably drive you in his cab/van to Chatsworth, or you can take the bus from the middle of Bakewell to the stop about a mile from the house along a pretty path.

Thanks for all the information!
stokebailey--the B&B sounds really good, I hope they get back to me with a positive response.

Couple of quick questions, does anyone have any recommendations for a B&B in Oxford and York?

About how long would you guess it would take to see Blenheim Palace? Will three hours be plenty of time, or would more time be good?

Thanks!

3 hours is good for Blenheim. Maybe 90 minutes inside the house (or a bit more depending on if you spend time reading all the Winston Churchill letters/exhibits, or just the most compelling bits)

And 60-90 mins for the gardens grounds. Plus time for either lunch or a break either in the on-site restaurant or in Woodstock.

We enjoyed our stay at Pickwick House which is on London Road, in Headington, on the "outskirts" of Oxford. We had a car. We caught the bus right across the street to travel to and from the city. I've lost track of how you plan to arrive in Oxford so don't know if this location would help at all. We had roomy and clean room with sliding glass door onto the nice back yard, good breakfast, and great shower and quiet. It is a "small hotel" type of B&B.

In York we found my favorite of the 8 B&B's we stayed in. Number 34 York. It is a really short walk from the city walls; there are a number of B&B's in its area, so staying here and walking to and fro is very convenient. It was roomy, pretty, great hostess (young lady and her mom are owners), good food, plenty of info available. A plus for us was the ease of parking right at the doorway on the street and actually having 2 rooms plus the bath which was nice for DD with us, but the other amenities and the general atmosphere are assets for anyone.

Ironically, I DID contact th Number 34 York B&B, I first contacted I believe her dad's B&B, but he was booked and recommended hers, then I contacted her, but she was booked and recommended someone else, who I'm waiting to hear from.

Thanks for Oxford suggestion, will look into it as well.