2 weeks in England - help
 

we are trying to decide on whether to go to England for 2 weeks or Ireland for 2 weeks next summer

For England - if we were to have 14-16 days and 5 of those days were to be in London, where you spend the rest of your time? I like to stay at least 3 nights at each place, I will be renting a car once leaving London. We will have children with us that will be 9 and 7 years old at that time and have travelled to Europe before but first time in England.

Every place that I have looked at looks great so it's hard to decide. I know that I would like to go to York and the Cotswolds area. Where else?

Also any info on family accommodations in these areas would be great.

Thanks

Don't try to be too ambitious. 5 or 6 days in London will be about minimum to see much. Remember the first day may be difficult due to exhaustion and jet-lag, and the last day is pretty much taken up by last minutes packing, getting to the airport and checking in.

So a good reasonable itinerary would look something like:

- 6 days in London, pick up a car and head to York - stopping in Cambridge on the way. This would be a reasonable day's drive w/ the short detour to Cambridge.

- 3 nights in York. See everything in the city plus visit Castle Howard, the N Yorkshire Moors steam railway, maybe the coast at Robin Hoods Bay and/or Fountains Abbey

- drive from York to somewhere in the Cotswolds for 4 nights. Using this base to see Warwick, Stratford, Blenheim, many of the Cotswold villages, gardens, wildlife parks for the kids, and possibly Oxford.

- 1 night in Bath

- Leave Bath in the AM, visit Stonehenge and then spend your last night in Windsor before flying out of Heathrow the next morning. Windsor is less than 10 miles from LHR - and you can drop the rental car at LHR.

Thanks for the info. Looks great

Trying to think as a six year old and a nine year old, I would say Stonehenge would be where I'd want to visit.

With due respect for Janis...even she is too ambitious, I think. Especially with 2 kids in the car. I say scale it back, do fewer things, drive fewer miles and enjoy each spot more. Save what's left off for your next trip. All of Janis' ideas are good ones but too much of a whirlwind in my opinion. (Because of the distance and back, I'd lop off York.) Don't forget Kent is also beautiful, so is Dorset and Devon (all closer to London). On another trip do Cornwall, for instance. Also, no car in London!

Similar to Janis's

Day 1 Land in London. Recover

Day 2-5 See London. Buck Palace etc
(visitlondon.com)

Day 6 Hire a car and drive west to Stonehenge. Also see the beautiful gardens of Stourhead Garden (check in www.nationaltrust.org.uk) or Longleat House and zoo for the kids (www.longleat.co.uk). You won't have time for both. Suggest staying overnight in the pretty Somerset village of Norton-sub-Hamdon or Montacute. (try find B&B in stilwell.co.uk) I'm biased as I'm originally from these parts but it is a lovely part of England I would recommend

Day 7. Drive north stopping off to see Glastonbury Tor (hippie town); Wells Cathedral & Cheddar Gorge (adventure caving for the kids - check for times www.bath.co.uk/cheddarshowcaves/). Finally stay the night in Bath

Day 8. Spend the day in Bath. See Roman Baths, shop etc (www.bath.co.uk). Stay in Bath

Day 9. Head for the Cotwolds - villages of Bourton-on-th-water etc. Would recommend Hidcote Gardens. (If you have time see Witley Court near Worcester 40 miles away - spectacular ruined house often off the tourist trail http://www.nifty.demon.co.uk/witley/) Drive to Stratford-upon-Avon for the evening.

Day 10. Look around Stratford in the morning (www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk) - then spend the afternoon around Warwick Castle. www.warwick-castle.co.uk (I now live in Warwick). Find accomodation in Warwick

Day 11: Drive to the Peak District. Spend a day at the amusement park AltonTowers for the kids(www.alton-towers.co.uk)near Stoke on Trent. Spend night in the Peak District (www.peakdistrict-nationalpark.com)

Day 12: Drive to York. Spend day in York
(www.york-tourism.co.uk)

Day 13: Take the long drive south to Oxford, stopping off to see Chatworth House (www.chatsworth-house.co.uk. Stay at Oxford.

Day 14: Spend the day in Oxford (www.oxfordcity.co.uk) or see nearby Blenheim Palace (if you are still keen to see more old houses)www.blenheimpalace.com. Spend night in Oxford

Day 15: Drive to Windor and see Windsor Castle (www.royal-windsor.com) or Legoland (www.legoland.co.uk. Stay in Windsor

Day 16: Fly home

have a pleasant trip
Dave
([email protected])

In London - the Transit Museum, Covent Gardens, is very child friendly-interactive -- even their rather unusal "ticket". In York the Railway museum, Jorvik Center & York Castle Museum should also appeal to your children. All of these have websites so you can preview. Good alternatives to historic homes which might not have a special event appealing to youngsters during your time period or amusement parks.

Dave, you would know best, but why are you sending these people hop-skipping around, spending five minutes at each stop? Don't you agree that there's enough to see and do (at an enjoyable pace) within a 50 mile radius of Oxford, for instance? The Cotswolds, Stratford, Henley, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Wells, Bath, etc, etc.

The above-mentioned should make up the bulk of the time!

Beautiful Yorkshire is too far for this trip; even the lovely Peak District is.

To this family I say: Slow down and soak it up, enjoy the experience, stay off the Motorways and don't measure the success of your trip by the number of places you've stopped at far and wide.

Must admit straight away that I haven't been there yet, but Woolley Grange in Wiltshire was highly recommended to me by friends (and I am planning to go there with the kids on our next trip there). It's very kid-friendly, while being also great for the parents. Try this website; www.luxuryfamilyhotels.com.

TuckH ? I don?t claim to ?know best? and I?m not sending anyone hop-skipping around spending five minutes at each stop! I feel that is a very big exaggeration. England is a small country and my route was only a suggestion that can be done at a reasonable pace and includes York as the family wished.

I?ve calculated that my trip using multi-map.co.uk and it would take approximately 767 miles driving over those 11 days after London (including 2 days in Bath and Oxford). This averages 70 miles per day or 1 hour and 30 minutes of driving. And most of this can be broken up by seeing the sights along the way. If Oxford was used solely as a base and you drove to all those places you mentioned and back without using the motorways (and including 2 days in Oxford) then this would total 810 miles ? or 74 miles and 112 minutes per day. Which is more?

Although if you used Oxford, Bath, Stratford and Salisbury as overnight bases (spending a day each at Oxford, Stratford and Bath) and not using motorways then this would reduce it down to 43 miles per day and 72 minutes. Personally I don?t think driving an extra 20 minutes a day and seeing York and the Peak District ? as well as Chatsworth House, Windor, Warwick Castle, Alton Towers etc is well worth and equates to a lot more than 5 minutes.

Also what is wrong with the motorways??? I?m sure most tourists here use the autobahn in Germany, freeways in US etc when they are on holiday as well as the more off the beaten track routes so they don?t miss out. Mixing both makes sense depending on circumstances. All lot of visitors do Europe within 3 weeks so I?m sure they can manage to see a select few areas of England and go beyond a self-imposed 50 mile radius of Oxford without breaking sweat.

The problem with an itinerary that ends in "Stay in X" every day is that a significant amount of time and energy is spent on accommodations -- finding, orienting, packing and unpacking, paying a bill every morning, etc. Some of those jaunts can be combined -- for instance, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick are about 10 miles apart, no need to "stay in Warwick", just find a place near Stratford for 2 nights. The OP even said that she's like to stay at least 3 nights in each place. We did this sort of travel , staying two nights each in Stratford, Hay-on-Wye (we're book fiends) and Bath, and it worked out just fine.

Some families like to go and go, seeing as much as possisble, while others like to stay in one place for a couple of days and get to know fewer areas, in more depth. Neither style of travel is superior to the other, they just sit better with different families.

GaffaUK, I'm sorry if I caused you duress; you said you're from that area, thus the deference. I LOVE England and have been there many times, all as a tourist. Therefore that is my perspective.

Of course the 5 minute thing was an exageration, but I was trying to make a point that many of the visits require 5 hours not 5 minutes! Have a picnic, go up the tower, learn a bit of history, stroll thru town, do some shopping, allow for serendipity, etc, etc. Savor it!

I suggest using near-to-Oxford as a base (5 or 6 nights) and branching out from there. Oxford itself is worthy of one whole day!

I say save some of the many other goodies your country has to offer for future visits, something to look forward to when the tourist is back home again.

My wife and I had our first introduction to England last year and initially I had complex travel plans. We quickly learned it is better to pick two home bases (we picked Bath and Oxford) and do day trips. Less confusion and hassle and more enjoyable. England has so much to offer you don't have to travel miles to see the treasures. We decided to do the same thing this summer, only in York and Edinburgh. No matter what you choose to do, you'll love England.

ga9497, you've come to the right place to get advice from the travel doctors but you are getting cures without a diagnosis.

What is the sex of your children? Are they good travelers? What do they like to do? Do they have hobbies?.

What would you and your wife like to do? Museums, gardens, churches, walking, history, castles, cities, small towns? Is York a must? The Cotswolds? Do you like the sea?

Are you from the US? Flying in and out of Heathrow, Gatwick? What kind of budget?

You don't have to answer any of these questions but you'll get better advice from the doctors if you give a little more info.

Another thought: Staying in B&B's in the countryside (not in-the-town), preferably on a farm for a number of nights will be a big plus. Having your family get to know the host family is a lotta fun! It'll be memorable for the kids too.

"ga0497",

I think Janis has presented a pretty good itnerary. As others have pointed out, the "drive-unpack-spend a night-pack-drive again" routine is very tiring. Better to stay a few nights in one region and use it as a base to explore in detail.

York and the Cotswolds are both good choices for families, although they aren't exactly close together (you would have at least one long drive between these two "bases"). But the overall trip, from London to York to Cotswolds to Windsor, is logical.

I would adjust slightly and take a train from London to York, then pick up a rental car at York for the rest of the trip (Hertz has a location in the York rail station).

Another possibility is to replace the Cotswolds with the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District as you explore the English countryside. From York, a drive to the Dales is beautiful. You could continue across to the Lake District too, as yet another slight adjustment.

Summertime is the "high" season in the Cotswolds, the Lake District, and other spots. London too, can be full of visitors in July/August (predominately American tourists). If you are able to schedule your trip in mid-June, the crowds will be a bit lighter. At ages 9 and 7, having your kids miss a few days of school may be a possiblity.

Good luck planning your trip....I'm sure you and your children will enjoy it.

David White
[email protected]

One more (important) point:

Because of thievery and quick break-ins, especially in heavily touristed areas and parking lots, it is NOT a good idea to leave belongings in a parked car. Be warned!

Therefore, it makes great sense to have a home base where one can leave valuables and suitcases, etc. safely, thereby visiting sites without worry, with an empty car.

Don't forget to include a one day visit to the theme park (thorpe Park) in windsor. i am sure your kids will like it...there r trains from London to Windsor or it is even better to drive from London to Windsor.

Thanks for the replies so far everyone.

Yes my kids are good travellers, we have taken them everywhere on vacation with us from the time they were infants. (9 yr old girl) (7 yr old boy)

We took a trip to Italy with them in 2001 (they were 6 and 4 then) and they loved it. We spent 16 days there and our itinerary looked like this

*NY-Rome 4 nights in Rome
*Rome-Venice by train 4 nights in Venice
*Venice to Catania Sicily - took a plane
spent 3 nights there.
*Drove from Catania to the Agrigento area. stayed 4 nights there visiting my family (aunts, uncles, cousins)
*Spent 1 night in Palermo the night before the flight so that we didn't have an early morning drive

Would we have loved more time at each place? Of course but this was fine. I would have skipped Rome but it was the first trip to europe for my husband. Next time we will concentrate on one or 2 areas and spend more time there.

Would like to do the same for England, get a feel for place and then on a return trip concentrate on the areas we liked the most and try a new area too.

cont'd

I forgot to mention that I have been to London but it was many years ago. Don't know whether we will be flying into Gatwick or Heathrow, it will depend on what we get with airfare.

My kids love Harry Potter and I was trying to incorporate some places form the movie that they could see. Heck, I would love to see them too

Jsmith - We like gardens, churches, walking, history, castles, cities and small towns. Yes we love the sea

Nadine- We do go to Disney World often so we don't worry about places like theme parks in Europe but like to know about them as a back up plan. So thanks for the info

David - I like the idea of taking the train to York and then renting a car from there, thanks for the idea. I am going to look into ordering your book.

GaffaUK - thanks for the thoughts but that is way too much moving around for me. The minimum for us is to stay at least 3 nights in each place

If York is too far. How about Lincoln?

I have 3 itineraries that I came up from everyone's ideas.

Is this feasible and what are your thoughts on it.

6 nights London
4 nights Cotswold area
2 nights Lincoln
3 nights York - train back to London

Or

6 nights London
5 nights Cotswold with day trips
4 nights ?

Is this too ambitious?
5 nights London
4 nights Cotswold area
3 nights York
3 nights Edinburg

either fly back to NY from Edinburg or train back to London, fly home the next day from London

Thanks for all of the ideas and comments everyone. Keep them coming

Budget on accommodations?

Well we would like to keep it at $200 per night or less but are willing to go over that also if we really like the place

Yes - sorry I did miss the point about ga9497 (er..what's your name?) preferring to stay in one place for several nights. Personally I think it's fun to keep moving despite the slight inconvenience of unpacking.

Anyway I would recommend

5 nights London
3 nights Bath
4 nights Cotswolds
3 nights York

The castle that was used in the Harry Potter films is in a town called Alnwick (pronounced Annick), on the north east coast of England. It's a popular destination for families with kids who need their Harry Potter fix.

http://www.alnwickcastle.com/ (see the Film Location section)

But Alnwick is quite a ways from anything else, and was used only for long-range exterior shots, and most of those were heavily digitally enhanced (e.g., quidditch games).

Much more practical is a tour of King's Cross Station (where Platform 4 played the role of Platform 9), the Reptile House of the London Zoo, and Oxford, where several interiors (Bodleian Library etc.) were used for the Hogwarts library, hospital, etc. Closeup exterior shots were done at Gloucester and Lacock Abbey. Here's a list for you:
http://us.imdb.com/Locations?0241527

My kids claim that roaming about the stairs and turrets of Warwick Castle was actually the closest thing to feeling they were at Hogwarts.

You could tie one neat knot by taking the train to York from Harry's Kings Cross station -- it's a fast train trip. I was amazed to learn that some folks even commute from there to London (though I can't imagine how much that must cost!)

We loved York when we visited our daughter, who was studying at York University. Interesting city with lots to see (Betty's Tea Rooms, too!), and beautiful surrounding countryside. Good suggestion to train to York and rent a car there.

Planning is half the fun!