2 week England Itinerary
 

Please help--my sister-inlaw from Alabama is going on her dream of a lifetime trip to England in late Aug-Sept for 2 weeks with a friend. She's asked me for help with her itinerary. She wants to see castles, perhaps catch a show in London, and stay in at least on B&B. Normally I would not have trouble in helping, but she has a limited budget (hotels must be under $150 a night) and does not know whether to rent a car or do the train. She's in and out of Gatwick. Please help--just a general place-to-place if possible. I've searched the threads and nothing pops up that doesn't exclude London. She's also in a town called Grantham for two days visiting an old teacher.

If they will be staying for longer than a few days in one location (for example, a week in London, a week in the Cotswolds, etc...) they may want to look into renting an apartment in London and a self-catering cottage outside of London. We've found this is generally cheaper and more comfortable than spending the entire time in a cramped hotel room. Plus, they'd have the added benefit of saving on dinig expenses. Breakfast and a few other meals can be prepared "at home."

Well - since they have to see London and Grantham - that gives you sort of a framework to work with. Grantham is almost exactly 1/2 way between London and York so it is a convenient place to stay.

There are literally hundreds of places they could go to see castles ans stay in B&Bs. But one very doable itinerary would look something like this:

Arrive at LGW and take the train into London for say 3 nights. To get over the jet lag and see just a bit of London.

Then pick up a car and head to Cambridge for one night.

Then, to Grantham for 2 days. On to Yorkshire for 3 days. There is enough to fill the whole two weeks in Yorkshire but 3 days will give them enough time to see York, Castle Howard, Fountains Abbey, Whitby.

Then to somewhere between Warwick and Oxford for 2 or 3 nights. This would be the base for seeing Warwick Castle, Stratford, a bit of the Cotswolds and Blenheim Palace.

Then back to London for the last couple of days. See more of the city and relax w/o a car before taking the train back to LGW.

This itinerary COULD be doen by train - but it is pretty difficult to travel through the countryside and get to many sites/castles/gardens w/o a car.

Of course you don't need a car in London, and possible not in Grantham. So an alternative would be to take trains London > Cambridge > Grantham > York. Then pick up a rental car in York and drop it 5 or 6 days later at Oxford before taking the train back into London.

You will find a huge number of B&Bs in all of the places I mention so that won't be a problem. But do realize that the August Bank Holiday weekend is Aug 26 - 29 and that is a very, VERY busy travel time. Where ever they plan on being over those 4 days should be booked ASAP.

If you're looking for B and Bs, there are several directories but this one is pretty good
http://www.stilwell.co.uk/

susanteach

We have stayed at some lovely B&B's and this sets you up for the day with a full breakfast which allows you to skip lunch or eat just a piece of fruit. A considerable saving in $'s. Try www.smoothound.co.uk

How nice of you to assist your sister-in-law in the planning.

Sandy