21 nights in England, please help
 

Hi All,
Haven't posted for awhile, but need help planning a trip to England. We've spent a month in Scotland years ago and want to save Ireland for another trip. We're two couples, 70's and 80's, traveled a lot, but too old to rent a car and drive--and that's the problem, getting from place to place.
We would like to spend 7 nights in the lake district, 4 in the Cotswolds, 3 in Bath, 3 in Cornwall, and the rest in London.
We got our airfare today, a great drop in price, from the U.S. to Manchester. Now how to get to Keswick, where we have reserved a B & B for 7 nights. Like to find some company with a van to pick us up, with our luggage, and transport us to the B & B. I've emailed the B & B to see if they know someone, but haven't heard back yet.

Next, how to get to the Cotswolds and what village to stay in that is convenient for walking/ tours/ trains/ buses. Any favorite village/inns/b & b's? We're not big on big cities, want to enjoy the countryside and beautiful villages and do short walks.

From there, to Bath. Have three days there. Any suggestions on how to get there easily, and where to stay? Next to Cornwall, is it easy to get there from Bath? Is Penzance a good place to get tours from?
Have to see Port Issac,or Port Wen, as it's called on "Dr Martin".

From there to London for four nights. Is the Paddington Station area a good area to stay and catch tours and tube?

Our trip is in mid Sept to early Oct, so still lots of time to plan. We were wondering if that time of year you would need to reserve B & Bs, etc. in advance or can we just wing it. and find nice places when we arrive at a destination.

The logistics of traveling from place to place is the hardest for me.

Thanks for your help, Granny

You don't need a car in Bath, and can manage w/ local buses in the Lake district. But if I was in your situation -- I'd seriously consider hiring local drivers in the Cotswolds and in Cornwall. There are 4 of your so the cost wouldn't be prohibitive and it would be so nice to have someone pick you up each morning and bring you back in the evenings, having taken you around to the sites you want to see -- and not be limited to local bus services.

You can contact the local Tourist Information Office in whichever towns you decide to base yourselves and get referrals -- or even the B&Bs/hotels you choose might have suggestions for local drivers.

That way you could stay wherever you'd like and not just towns w/ train service.

Between regions -- trains will be the way to go. Just remember to pack light enough that you can handle your own bags on/off the trains.

Thanks Janisj for your suggestion. Having someone pick us up would be a lot easier, have to research that. Do you have any suggestions of favorite villages to stay in or things not to miss? We travel light. Had 22 lbs packed for 21 days in Romania and Bulgaria last fall.

As well as asking at local TIC's and B&B's for private drivers, try googling local taxi companies for the areas you'll be visiting. They often have drivers for private hire. Use trains to get you to/ from areas further away.

I use a very reliable service in the Manchester area for your airport to Keswick leg. Try emailing him at [email protected] with times and dates and I'm sure he'll quote you for the trip.

This tool works for the whole country (every train and bus company uploads here)
http://www.traveline.info/
it will tell you what public transport is available

don't leave home without it

Sorry about replies delay, was at two grandkids graduations out of state. Rubicund, I tried to reach "[email protected]" but no results. Bilboburgler, we'll look at that website. Even though I was away, we did find a nice house in the Cotswolds for a week, and a B & B in Bath. So here's what we have now:

Manchester airport to Keswick, B & B for 7 nights
2 nights in Bath, is that enough? B & B.
7 nights in Stow in the Wold. Cottage.
looking for best place to spend 2 nights in Cornwall.where we can get a tour.
also need a convenient place, possibly hotel near tube, in London, flying from Gatwick airport
total 22 nights

Any suggestions for tours in Bath and Cornwall? London? We have the new Rick Steves "London" book, sorry Fodors.

Also, would like to take a tour of countryside in the Cotswolds. We plan to do a bit of easy walking.

More nights in Bath! We spent 4 nights there last month which gave us 3 days, one more day would have been nice. We spent 2 days in the city and one on a Mad Max tour to the Cotswolds. You are fortunate to stay in the Cotswolds but might want to take their tour of Stonehenge.

We walked a lot in Bath and used the hop on/off bus to take us to the Royal Crescent and along the skyline drive above the city.

NevadaGranny, the address was lifeman not lineman. You a Glen Campbell fan? Use [email protected]

<<From there to London for four nights. Is the Paddington Station area a good area to stay and catch tours and tube?>>

No.

Get more central: Bloomsbury, Leicester Square, Westminster, South Kens . . .

Rubicund, you're right! Just sent an email to the right address. Not so much a Glen Campbell fan, more like the Beatles and Beach Boys.

Scootoir, I'm afraid we're locked into that cottage in Stow for 7 nights, so only have the 2 in Bath. Gonna try and find a tour and maybe a half day tour the last day.

Still working on Cornwall and London. Any suggestions there? Paddington is out.

Just a note: Put our airline dates, airlines, on Trip Advisor and they came back that prices had dropped, and we saved $500 each on round trip from Las Vegas to Manchester, return London on Virgin, non stop each way. Booked right away! Thats $1,000 we have for tours, etc. We almost booked on Virgin the day before the price drop!

Hi Granny,

Can I try to help you with Cornwall [where I live]?

it seems to me that you've got two options in Cornwall, Penzance and Truro. Penzance is further away [the direct 9am train from Bath will get into PZ at 13.22] and it will take longer to get to Port Isaac though not that much - perhaps only another 30 mins. There is lots of accommodation there, great restaurants, and the sea of course, as well as other interesting excursions for your second day - the Minack theatre Land's End, St Ives, all of which a good driver could fit into a day's tour.

OTOH you could get off the train at Truro and stay there; there may be a better selection of drivers and tours from there and the train journey is about 30 mins shorter than to PZ as is the drive to Port Isaac. There would also be some really good excursions - not just St Ives and the Minack, but also Falmouth and the Helford, possibly Fowey, and PZ itself of course. Truro is the county town and has a cathedral, the county museum, and again some very good restaurants as well as the main theatre in the county [the Hall for Cornwall] and a proper cinema if any of those things matter to you.

I know that Toucan2 has booked a tour with a private driver in Cornwall for her stay here - I'll try to find the details and come back to you.

here we are:

http://www.cornishtours.co.uk

we have no personal experience of his services but the TA reviews are good and the website mentions all the sorts of things we'd expect it to.

That is fabulous re the airfare reduction . . . now the extra ££ for drivers/tours will basically be free ;)

Re the 2 nights in Bath -- no to worry. Bath is small (at least the bits that a visitor would see) and you can see a LOT in the nearly 2 days you'll have there.

Hi again,
We booked 2 nights in Penzance at a B & B, and booked a full day tour with cornishtours, but they weren't available the days we're there, so we have to take a day away from London to take the tour.

Now how do we get to London on a Sunday night? We could wait till Monday morning, but then we need to stay an extra night in Cornwall. It might be cheaper than staying 3 nights in London. Wow! The prices, plus tax for tiny rooms!

We want to go to the Tower of London, the Eye, walk a bit. Can anyone suggest a reasonable priced hotel, b & b, etc. with the tube close by to get to those sites? Thought a budget of $200, including tax, would be sufficient for a nice budget hotel, but guess not.

Anyone stayed at The Sanctuary House Hotel? Looks nice, don't know about the area, but it's close to $300, with taxes, and no breakfast.

$200 = approx £140 so you should be able to find a place -- check Premier Inns and Travelodge -- travelodge is a bit more down market, but both chains have several modern, clean properties in central locations. No charm but totally serviceable.

$300 = about £210 and that would open up your possibilities a LOT.

Sanctuary House is in a really terrific location. Short walks to Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Palace, Trafalgar Sq/National Gallery, two nearby tube stations, the southbank/Eye, the parks, Horseguards, Cabinet War Rooms, etc etc . . .

Now how do we get to London on a Sunday night? We could wait till Monday morning, but then we need to stay an extra night in Cornwall. It might be cheaper than staying 3 nights in London.>>

Flybe fly from Newquay to LGW both Sunday evenings and Monday mornings:

https://www.flybe.com/web-app/index.html

the train will get you back to London in about 6 hours and you could get the sleeper for about £170 [that's not each!] :

https://www.thetrainline.com/buytick...%20After/2/0//

[i put in next Sunday as a dummy booking and came up with a joint fare of £169]

OK you get to London at stupid o'clock but you could have breakfast when you get there and you save the cost of a night's accommodation in London.

Nevada, I'll chime in on London. I like to stay in Bloomsbury, usually at The Celtic or other small homey hotels with breakfast rooms. Clean, friendly, chance to chat with other travelers. TripAdvisor.com lists them under "B&Bs and Inns." I have found their reviews to average out to a good indicator of quality. Or look in the neighborhoods Big Russ mentions above.

Boy, do we need help! Dear husband booked our rooms, but how to get to each location?

Manchester to Keswick for 7 nights - DH found a train that will take us to Penrith, get a bus to Keswick and a taxi to the B & B. Good thing we checked with this B & B, they had a death in the family and didn't have our reservation. Dates were available and it turned out okay.

How to get to Bath for two nights from Keswick?

We will be two senior couples, is Friends and Family Pass a good option for trains?

Bath to the Cotswolds for 7 nights. Found a tour we could take and for a price they will drop us off in Stow on the Wold. Haven't checked with them if the date is possible. Train might be cheaper though and a taxi to the cottage.

Stow to Penzance for 3 nights. Is there a train somewhere close to take us to Penzance?

Penzance to London by train. It is so confusing trying to find answers on web for my almost 77 year old brain. Have 3 nights in London.

Take train to Gatwick airport home.

Do we need a England travel agent to help us? DH says he can do all himself, but I'm getting nervous.

I thought for the price for 2 couples we might find tour guide/drivers we could use, instead of changing trains, buses, etc., but they are mostly out of London. We were really spoiled our trip to Romania/Bulgaria, where we had a driver/guide and a Mercedes van, but then this is England!!

>>Do we need a England travel agent to help us?<<

No

>> is Friends and Family Pass a good option for trains?<<

Look at/compare the Friends and Family and Two Together railcards

http://www.twotogether-railcard.co.uk

Penrith to Bath is a 5 to 6 hour journey w/ 2 or 3 changes.

The very nearest train station to Stow on the Wold is Kingham -- about 2 hours from Bath w/ a change at Reading. But Moreton in Marsh would be better because it is a bigger town w/ buses and taxis to Stow. About a 10 minute longer train journey.

From Moreton In Marsh to Penzance is about a 6 hour journey - again w/ a change in Reading.

Penzance to London is 5 to 5,5 hours w/ no changes.

London to Gatwick is easy peasy - 30 minutes.

>>I thought for the price for 2 couples we might find tour guide/drivers we could use, instead of changing trains, buses, etc.<<

Your problem is the places you booked are hundreds of miles apart - finding a driver guide to cover all that would be next to impossible and if you found one he would cost a FORTUNE. Hiring local drivers to just tour you around the local areas would be much easier.