RM59

Hi my wife and I are interested in doing a self drive tour of the UK and possibly Ireland in early June 2018.
We have a few areas that are important for us to visit and would like suggestions and information on itineraries and also availability of accomodation ( whether to Pre book or is there enough accomodation to arrive at a destination and book in on that day).
It is imperative we include some time in the Lakes District and Manchester region, We are also interested in the South West, Cornwall, Devon area including Port Isaac area. We would like to include a show at the Minack Theatre in Porthcurno if possible.
My wife is also interested in seeing the New Forrest Ponies.
Apart from these prerequisites we are open for suggestions.
We will have approx. 4 weeks and would like to save money where we can due to the Australian dollar to UK pound exchange rate, however we don't need to be stingy, good quality stays at fair prices is all we ask.
Thanks
Rohan

janisj

4 weeks is not all that long for covering areas from the Lake District > Manchester > Cornwall > the New Forest -- certainly doable but not if you try to squeeze in Ireland too. Just a cursory tour of W/SW Ireland requires 10 days to 2 weeks. Driving in the British Isles is <u>nothing</u> like driving in Oz (other than both drive on the left) In places like the Lakes and Cornwall you will average 30-35 mph.

What sorts of advice are you looking for?

Where are you flying in and out of -- assuming London? If so, do you plan on any time IN London?

The best way for this to work is you come up with at least a basic itinerary and then we can help you refine it. And then we can also recommend specific places to stay (after you give us an actual budget . . . 'fair prices' could mean anything)

In summer one should pre-book accommodations in popular areas such as the Lake District and Cornwall -- and definitely in London. One can free wheel it in other areas.

RM59

Thanks for the prompt reply.
judging on the information you have provided we would probably look at an Itinerary that would concentrate on the the Lakes District, South West UK and London areas. We have stayed in London before and have accomodation options there already but suggestions in the 4-5 star range for approximately 2 days at the beginning of the tour and maybe 3 - 4 days at the end in a central area for easy walking to attractions etc would be appreciated.
We would like to visit Oxford,Stratford upon Avon as well as the areas mentioned in the previous post excluding Ireland.
We would have a budget of around $8000 -$10 000 AUD.
We fly into Heathrow and would take an airport transfer to our hotel
We would then prefer to collect a hire car out of greater London possibly at a train station to avoid central city traffic and possibly do the same in reverse on the return to London.

janisj

>>We would have a budget of around $8000 -$10 000 AUD.<<

By 'budget' -- I meant how much you want to spend per night.

>>suggestions in the 4-5 star range for approximately 2 days at the beginning of the tour and maybe 3 - 4 days at the end in a central area for easy walking to attractions etc would be appreciated.<<

Stars doesn't help much - we still need a nightly amount -- preferably in £ but AUS$ if you must . . . (Money doesn't go far in high end hotels in London)

>>We would then prefer to collect a hire car out of greater London possibly at a train station to avoid central city traffic and possibly do the same in reverse on the return to London.<<

Many assume that is the best option - almost never is. Train stations (at least the ones near car hire firms) are in the middle of cities. So it is MUCH easier to take public transport out to LHR and collect your car there. You'd be on motorways straight away without fighting city traffic. (or if you want to start up in the Lakes getting the car at MAN would be about the easiest)

You have now added the Cotswolds and Stratford and 5 or 6 nights in London to your wish list. That is stretching 4 weeks a LOT. Say 2 days in Manchester, 3 days in the Lakes, and 6 days in London -- that leaves you just 2.5 weeks for Stratford, Oxford, far SW England and the south coast.

historytraveler

I just did a quick conversion of your 10,000 AUD. into £'s and got about a 200 £ a day for expenses. This is a very tight budget if it includes accommodation, food, rental car, petrol and entrance fees. I am not a budget traveler but perhaps those that are could better advise you. As janisj said, the idea of 4* and 5* hotels mean little. They usually indicate the number of amenities the hotel has such as conference rooms, spas, pools etc. Most of these are of little interest to most tourists. With your budget, you'd be better off with booking B&B's. Also remember that with a limited budget you will do better by limiting your itinerary. The further you travel, the more costly it'll be. Besides, your itinerary is still extensive for 4 weeks. Traveling in U.K. takes longer than you might think. The little island is actually pretty big.

BTW, personally, I'd spend the longer period of time in London at the front end of your trip rather than at the end. I find staying in one place for several days on arrival helped you adjust to time differences etc.

historytraveler

I just realized I might have misread your budget. If the 10,000 AUD is just for accommodation, you'll be fine. Still think your itinerary needs to be cut back.

RM59

Thanks again for the information we would probably stay at B & B's outside London. In London we expect to pay around $250 - $350 AUD per night.
What would be a reasonable estimated nightly rate for reputable B & B's.
Also we are open to Public transport options to get to areas and maybe hire a car while in an area then train to the next area. Is this a viable option?

janisj

>>In London we expect to pay around $250 - $350 AUD per night<<

You won't get a 4 or 5 star for that. $AUS 250 = approx. £140 $AUS 350 (approx £200) is a little more doable, but you won't get posh. (It really will help if you think £ and do the calculations)

>>What would be a reasonable estimated nightly rate for reputable B & B's<<

From about £65 - to £100 ($AUS 115 - 175-ish) depending on where. There are much more expensive places of course but in most areas you can find something in that range.

bilboburgler

So
Oxford
SW
Lake District
Stratford

(any order I guess)

I'm going with an interest in walking, nice old buildings, theatre etc.

I'd focus on SW UK with a car, either pick up in LHR, Oxford or Exeter.

Walking, https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ gives the big stuff, but there are thousands of miles of paths open to everyone, https://footpathmaps.com/

Oxford can be done as a long day trip from London, punting in the afternoon, two world class museums, the odd college. You can also stay in colleges (search college rooms) but 16 June will still be the Trinity term. If you are coming later then there may be capacity, but book now. There are also posh hotels, but nothing like staying "in college".

Trains; seat61.com incase you've missed it

Rubicund

To help you with accommodation, try these websites for anywhere in the UK, except for the London town site. Your budget is Travel Lodge or Premier Inn size, but a lot depends on when you travel and June is a busy(ish) month.

www.lastminute.com
www.laterooms.com
www.londontown.com
www.booking.com

If you would like any specific information for the Manchester area, please ask, such as hotels, restaurants etc.

annhig

I'd love to help you plan the SW section, being as how I live in Cornwall, but i think I need to know a bit more about the shape of your trip, how long you are going to be staying and where you are coming from and going to before I can give you some really useful input.

That said, as far as transport in the SW is concerned, using a car will give you the most flexibility but I should tell you that the stretch of railway line between Exeter and Penzance is one of the world's great rail journeys so please try to work that into your itinerary. One way of doing that would be to catch the train to Penzance and thire a care there, spending perhaps 3 nights in that area so that you can see the Minack theatre, and perhaps even attending a performance; by June they should be in full swing:

https://www.minack.com/2018season/

Then you could drive round to Port Isaac and stay another 3 nights; you could use the day as an opportunity to work your way up the coast and if you took all day about it, you could see a lot.

This seems to me to be about the minimum you would need to make it worth your while to visit us, but more time would be better of course.