Two years ago I asked some advice for a trip to Italy and Austria, I greatly appreciated the feedback and tips.

Now, I'm starting to research another trip (May 18th-June 3rd) but not really sure what to see and where to go.

1) Have to spend a few days in London to see the highlights

2) Want to spend some time in quaint non touristy towns and spend some quality time with friendly locals

3) Would like to see some rugged natural beauty

4) Would like to see some Jane Austin related stuff (for the wife)

5) Would like to do all this while only changing "home bases" 2 or 3 times. So what would be some good places to use as home base?

I've had cotswold and island of mull recommended to me. I have a friend in Cambridge so I will probably stop there. I was planning on flying into london and out of dublin but not tied down to that, haven't bought tickets yet.

Thanks in advance.

Not sure how Dublin fits into anything you have listed above...?

I would plan to spend 6 full days in London and do a daytrip to Cambridge to spend time with your friend. Then I would train to Bath (Jane Austin for the wife and a lovely town with Roman Baths etc) for a few nights, then get a car and explore the Cotswolds for the remaining nights, returning the car at Heathrow before your flight home.

I would highly recommend maybe 2 or 3 days at Scarborough, England on the North Sea coast. You can Google Scarborough to find out all you need to know about it but briefly it is primarily a small old town(remember the old Simon & Garfunkel song about it) on the sea with mostly Victorian Era architecture. The business district sits on a bluff high above the sea with an old amusement park and castle below. There is a very nice pedestrian area in the heart of town. The nicest hotels and B&Bs are on the South Cliff which is a 5-10 minute walk from center of town. South Cliff has a drop dead view of the sea below. I have stayed at the Mansion House B&B and will again later this summer. The people there are really great as is the breakfast and views.

I would like to visit Ireland, and so I thought about using Dublin as a home base to visit southern and eastern Ireland.

btw - would it be cheaper to vacation in western and southern france? Thought about flying into london for a few days, take the chunnel, few days in Paris, and then the rest in rural France.

With only 13 nights you do not really have time to do all you want to do in the UK and visit Ireland as well.

The Cotswolds are full of "quaint" very touristy towns, you would need to look elsewhere for not so touristy places. But if you want to the the Jane Austen bit as well then the Cotswold perhaps make the most sense. Or maybe heading down into Dorset and seeing some of the Jurassic Coast - lots of nice places,a d a little bit of rugged(ish) landscape along the coast there.
Or go into Wales maybe for some more ruggedness. But with your time scale you will be pushing it.

Likewise for going to France - why fly into London if you want to go to France, especially with only 13 nights. You could split that time between London and Paris, with a few day trips to cover Jane Austen and Cambridge. Alternatively
fly direct to Paris, spend a few days then then head out to the countryside for a week. Rent a house somewhere and a car and explore.

You need to decide do you want a trip to: England, or to England & Scotland, or to London and a bit of Ireland, or to London & Paris. Each of those would be a reasonable 13 day trip.

"<i>spend some quality time with friendly locals</i>" The UK isn't really a theme park w/ friendly locals sitting around waiting for visitors to chat up

How does "13 nights in England" figure into your question? What mode(s) of transport are you considering? How could you only change "home base" 2 or 3 times when wanting to stay in London, Paris, southern France, Scotland, Dublin, south Ireland, rural England...etc?

I think you really need to sit down with some maps and books to finely hone your plan, then ask for ideas or logistics.

But as given, I'd fly r/t London; axe Ireland and Scotland; stay a week in London during which time you could make a 1-night trip to Paris/return via train and a day trip to Cambridge. Week 2: rent a car, rent a cottage in the Cotswolds and do driving day-trips from there. One day before departure return car and stay in hotel near Heathrow, perhaps Windsor if you have a late departure.

p.s. - You asked advice 2 years ago but this is your 1st post, guess you changed names, right?

The reason for flying into London is it is $400 per person cheaper than flying into Paris. So it would be cheaper to fly into London and take the train to Paris and then from Paris to the rest of France.

Part of my problem is I'm not sure yet of what I want to see. I'm trying to get a feeling for what is possible.

I realize UK isn't a theme park, lol. What I meant is I want to go places that are not touristy. When I traveled in Italy I stayed in some very non-touristy towns and had a great time making new friends.

When I visited Austria I did some bike riding, and that was very enjoyable. Would France offer better biking opportunities or England? What is the weather generally like in those two places in late May.

If I was planning on doing any cycling, I'd go to France. The French are quite use to cyclists on the roads. The Brits not so much.

Suggestions of limiting your itinerary to just a couple of options is about the best advice so far.

I would never presume to predict weather. But, for the most part it should be fine. Probably more chance of rain in Ireland/England,than the south of France but, then again, maybe not.

If you want non-touristy towns then you really need to get away from the obvious choices such as the Cotswolds, although there are some places that seem to have survived the tour buses.

We spent 12 days in England and Wales in 2007. There were a lot of things we were interested in seeing and doing, but we just didn't have time, so we hit our list of must-sees. Don't try to fit too much into one trip.

If you like, you can click my screen name and read my report, which includes visits to some Jane Austen sites.

Lee Ann

Thanks Lee Ann, I'll definitely give your report a read.

Quick question guys (and gals), if I want to explore small towns in south west england am I better served with renting a car or using the train?

I'd recommend a car. Not everywhere is on a train line, and even if all your destinations are, you're stuck with meeting timetables. Plus I see you want to explore the countryside as well.

Definitely a car! The train doesnt go to most of the small villages in the countryside so I think a car is essential if thats what you want to see!

dsiglin congrats on your trip!!

how about exploring London and then maybe Wales? or London and Cornwall?

Wales:

you could have some time in london and then two bases in Wales

will be less touristy than the cotswolds

Tenby-Wales
Rhossili Bay - South Wales
Three Cliffs Bay, Gower, Wales
Fishgard-Wales
Brecon beacons-Wales

Cornwall: it will not be too crowded that time of year and cottages will be cheaper that july/august

http://www.cornwalls.co.uk/towns.htm

I would suggest Polperro or St Ives as possible bases (maybe do both), very rugged beautiful scenery

Places to visit

Padstow
Watergate Bay
St Mawes
Dartmoor national park
Mevagissy
Fowey

Cornwall is a definite contender for places to stay. I've had quite a few of my UK friends recommend Cornwall area. I would like to see Bath and Jane Austen stuff (the wife) so what would be a good quiet town somewhere in the middle of cornwall?

Car rental question: What's some tips on getting a good one way car rental?

If you land at Heathrow I take the bus to Reading and then the train to Bath and spend the night, see Bath and then when you are done pick up the car (you dont want to drive right after the flight hence the bus/train) and drive to Cornwall.

If you arrive late at night you could pick up the car and head to Windsor for the night and then drive to Cornwall.

We stayed in Padstow and visited most areas of Cornwall from there. It was great!

Couple things to note about your timing. The bank holiday weekends in May this year have been adjusted and we get an extra day for the Queen's Jubilee so June 4-5 are holidays. Which means Friday 1 June through that weekend will be SUPER busy on the highways (we got stuck in Aug 2010 by Salisbury and it took us 8 hours to get to Padstow!) so be sure to count on extra time to get places. Especially if you are trying to catch a flight!

Have fun!

Sorry that is supposed to read: If you arrive late at night you could pick up the car and head to Windsor for the night and then drive to Cornwall stopping in Bath along the way.

Good info here.

Or take the coach (long distance bus in English English) from Heathrow directly to Bath. See Bath, get over jet-lag, then pick up a rental car.

As for Cornwall, you don't want to be in the middle of Cornwall, you want to be on the coast. We stayed in St. Ives, which is extremely touristy but also arty, which was my interest. Our hotel, the Garrack, was at some remove from the center of town but still walkable.

But this was a few years ago. Others are more up to date. Maybe Falmouth for a Cornish base?