Lately, I'm thinking of ignoring the South, just do London only and spend some more time in the North..example York > Liverpool (or somewhere else) and London. What do you think. Yes..I'm a bit confused as there are a lot of places...but I need to find a place that is a good hub to go easily to other places.

rbezzina - you seem totally confused. what do you like to see and do? how long have you got? how are you going to get around? any must sees?

answer those questions [to your own satisfaction] and you might be able to answer some of your own questions.

I have around 17 days. I want to see interesting museums, architecture, parks and some english countryside. I have to rely on public transport as i dont drive abroad. York and London are already on list....now deciding ona 3rd base.

Have you done a search for Morgana on this site? She lives in Yorkshire and has posted lots of help for using public transport around York.

Have you thought about somewhere like Bath as your third base? It has good train links to Bristol, Salisbury/Stonehenge, Exeter...you could fly into Manchester and train to york, then train to London, then train to Bath...then take the bus to heathrow and fly out of that airport...

Sorry, I didn't go back up to the top so maybe you have decided against it already.

You could also do Edinburgh and do day trips from there...

Here is Morganas profile where you can review her posts!
http://www.fodors.com/community/profile/morgana/

Yes - do check Morgana's posts. There may be some threads about York/Yorkshire by public transport.

My concern would be staying a week in York w/o a car. You don't need one for York itself of course. But York is small and you'll see everything in a couple of days. There are probably local tours to places like Fountains Abbey and/or Castle Howard to fill some more of your time. And you can take the train up to Thirsk if you are interested in all things Herriot.

But filling a week w/o driving might take some doing . . .

Hi all...I'm finally closing my plans..can you please give me your suggestions about these plans..which one is better?

Plan A: 5 nights York - 5 nights Bristol - 6 nights London
Plan B: 4 nights Lake District (Windermere) - 5 nights York - 7 nights London
Plan C: 5 nights Lake District - 4 nights York - 7 nights London

Note that I will depend on public transport. In Lake District I already chose I tour company to take me around. From the other bases I will do day trips using trains.

rbezzina,

I know that I was the one who started the Bristol hare running, but given the time of year your are travelling, it seems a shame not to take advantage of the chance to see the Lake District; for me it would be Plan C.

which tour company have you decided upon for transport in the Lake district?

Based in Yorkshire I have to support B but C can be good if the weather holds, now after the "wettest year in 100 years" what exactly causes those lakes?

I like C with an alternative to the Lakes if you're rained out. This is the voice of experience, rain all day every day for the first few days of a planned week so went elsewhere. But I will go back, it was beautiful, not suggesting don't go but have a plan.

@ annhig..I will be using the Mountain Goats tours for the Lake District..sorry I don't want to do any advertising.

If your original criteria (we like museums, cities, culture, castles and nice landscape) still stand, I would opt for plan A.

The Lake District is much loved by the English, and I too like it when I want superb hill walking/hiking, but it would not be in my top 20 for museums, cities, culture, castles. It has nice landscape, but the UK is replete with nice landscape.

If you are deprived of hills, lakes and trees where you live, perhaps that would justification for spending some considerable time there. Otherwise, I don`t see it.