risajs

Hi. My husband and I would like to plan a 2-week vacation next summer. We would like to see the countryside as well as some of the more "touristy" attractions of either the UK or the Bavarian Alps regions. I would also consider a holocaust tour, but would need additional distractions and diversions during the trip so as to avoid emotional collapse.

We have Hilton points to burn in the larger cities, but would also like to see the countryside and stay in B&B or pub-type accommodations. I'm primarily looking for bucolic scenery with enough interesting stops and attractions to not get bored.

My problem is that I have no conceptualization of how much time to allot per place and how much of a region can be comfortably experienced in a 2-week driving jaunt. If we do the UK, I would skip London (will do that intensely when the kids are just a little older) and would love to see the surrounding areas and even Scotland and/or Wales. I don't know how feasible this is, however.

Any suggestions and thoughts would be appreciated. Thank-you,
Risa

brookwood

This suggestion will be contrary to your Hilton points. But if you have them to burn, why not London? There is no other place like it for historical sites and the London stage.

Now for my suggestion. If you want the countryside with sheep, mountains, and small towns, then Wales is where I recommend.

I also feel like I can recommend a tour company: http://www.backroadstouring.co.uk/

I have taken two mini tours with them of Wales and enjoyed both of them very much. You stay in smaller towns and small hotels or guest houses, with breakfast each morning.

The up side of Backroads is that you do indeed travel the backroads, roads so narrow that if two cars meet, one has to back up. Your fee includes dinner each night as well as admission to several attractions along the way.

The groups are small. Last summer, we rode with a total of 6 people. This summer, the group was smaller actually.
The maximum size is about 12 people, and the guests have some input as to what sites are to be visited that day.

Despite the small numbers, Backroads rarely cancels a tour.

The downside is that the cost per person is a little more than with the big tour groups. But I felt that the small size of the group was actually a plus.

janis

You may not know -- but there are several wonderful Hiltons in the UK countryside.

In scotland for instance, the Craigendarroch Hilton is a FABULOUS place on the river Dee in Ballater. This is a gorgeous part of Scotland and is right next to Balmoral Castle.

There is another beautiful Hilton property in Dunkeld which is a lovely village in Central Scotland -- not too far from Stirling.

So if you aren't interested in London -- don't go there. Two weeks in Scotland, or one week in Scotland and another week in Northern/central England would be a terrific family trip.

Don't take a tour. I don't see any benefit for a family - they cost more and you don't have any flexibility. Driving outside of the cities is not hard at all - especially in rural Scotland.

If it were me - I'd go to Scotland and wait for your future London visit to see some of England.

risajs

Wow, this board is fast paced! Thanks for such prompt replies!

My husband and I will be travelling sans children this trip. That's why we are putting off spending time in London.

Sounds like we could see a fair amount of England and/or Scotland and Wales during our 2-weeks and get the countryside as well as the prominent sites AND still make good use of the Hilton points.

Thanks for the pointers.
Risa

TuckH

We've made 4 separate 3-week jaunts (as you call them) in the UK, without getting into London (did that on our fifth trip), each time focusing on a different region, each with "bucolic scenery", staying in B&B's and we never got bored! Britain has such a wealth of attractions that you can't go wrong no matter what. My suggestion is to do research and then pick a specific region - Cornwall, Scotland, Wales, Kent, Devon/Dorset, whatever - and not try to cover too much ground, wasting valuable time on the Motorways.

BTW last year we spent 3 weeks or so in the Bavarian/Austrian Alps and loved it.

aggiemom

I ditto everyone's wonderful suggestions! I've seen much of the English countryside - so beautiful- and much of German countryside and Bavaria is especially beautiful.

We did an 8 night trip in England in 2003 - rented a house in Henley-on-Thames (the Thames was literally at our back door) and took day trips basically to Bath area and across to Kent area with a day trip to London. Would have liked much more time but we take what we can get!

For Bavaria, in May of this year I only took train trips (stayed in Munich 3 days) and then a day trip to Salzburg/Lake District - not to be missed. And again, you have the bucolic sites you yearn for.

I don't see how you can go wrong with either area. Have a great trip.

brookwood

I had 3 weeks this past trip and split the time between Switzerland and the UK.
Gatwick to Geneve is an easy commute, and cheap via EasyJet. I understand that British Midlands is a good low cost airline as well.

If you were to fly into Geneve, there is a Swiss Federal Railways station in the airport complex that will provide connections to all of Switzerland.

My favorite spot in Switzerland is the Lauterbrunnen Valley. There are cows and sheep all over in those mountain pastures.

If that is too touristy, there are high mountain retreats like Kiental that sees few American tourists. From Kiental, there is a steep road that leads to Griesalp. The road going up inclines to 28% in spots. I let the Post Bus take me up, but I was amazed to see construction trucks driving up and down the road. The upbound ones had full loads of building materials. Griesalp may be isolated, but there was considerable building going on.

The waterfalls along that route are very spectacular.

Italyforme

I'm fortunate to live in Central UK, so can decide whether to visit North, South, East or West going without having to long a journey (unlike Northerners heading South and vice versa), and like previous posters have said there is alot of beautiful countryside and some very quaint villages, both the peak district and lake district have breathtaking views, and the freshair is invigorating . Heres a website you may find interesting, and give you more of an insight of places you'd like to visit.

http://www.visitbritain.com/default.aspx

m_kingdom2

Do Germany if you're going to forget London. The rest of the UK pales into insignificance in comparison. Germany is far more interesting - many more major cities of merit. That said, if you're after just pretty scenery then why not go to Spain and sit on a beach if you have no desire to do anything cultural? It'll be more fun than driving in the rain.

ira

Hi ris,

If you visit London for a short while this trip, you will be much better prepared when you take the kids to London.

janis

You can safely ignore m_kingdom. m_k lives in London and loathes anything that doesn't have a chi chi designer label - and finds the British countryside especially hateful. Must have had a painful experience as a child

If you want to know which cafe in central London you are likely to see the most "in" fashions - he's your man. But if you want info about lovely villages or Scottish scenery - uh-uh.

Italyforme

What a very negative attitude m-kingdom has got about the rest of the UK, has he even ventured out of London and seen the rest of the UK. My brother lived in London for years and when he and his biker friends used to come back to the Midlands his friends always commented on how lovely the British Countryside was and how different it was to the hustle and bustle of London, also the friendliness that they encountered, where people actually had time to talk to them.
Germany and Austria are certainly places to see very beautiful and definately clean, no smog like in London, if you can manage to fit any of those at the start or end of your journey, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

julia_t

Gloucestershire, while it has more than its fair share of visitors to it's "touristy" attractions (being at the southwest side of The Cotswolds, is a beautiful county elsewhere. Travel further north and west to Herefordshire and particularly the rarely mentioned and underestimated Shropshire - a true jewel in England's crown. Someone else mentioned Wales, and the Border Country is certainly stunning. Wherever else you go, try to factor in a day/night in Ludlow, Shropshire. A beautiful medieval town, ruined castle that is nevertheless most impressive in its situation on the cliff, the river Teme tumbling fast below. Ludlow is also renowned for its' restaurants; until recently it had 3 of the highest rated in the country - but Shaun Hill (a top British chef) has left the Merchant House now I believe. But that still leave you 2 great places to eat (Hibiscus and Mr Underhill's).

Ludlow is a little "touristy", but compared to the Cotswold towns like Stow and Bourton it is still unspoilt.

Try typing the words "tourist information" followed by the name of any town in the UK you might like to know about into google, and you will get a wealth of links about that town.

m_kingdom2

I've toured all over the UK, a couple of decades ago it was charming, now, it's pay carparks everywhere, awful food unless you want to spend a fortune. It's not a cheap exercise, and the weather isn't so hot. The Isle of Man I adore, but in a couple of decades it might also go the same way.

ragdoll

Beware that if you plan to travel to Germany between June 9 and July 9, 2006, the major cities will be filled with World Cup patrons. It is unlikely that you will be able to use Hilton points as most of the big hotels in these cities are already booked. You may want to check out the match schedules and plan your travel accordingly.
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/index.html

EmptyNest

I absolutely loved Scottland and N. England. York was my favorite despite the fact that it was cold and raining. Scotland was also cold but so beautiful I would gladly freeze in August again.

Michael

The Michelin Green Guides usually have suggestions for touring programmes. For example, their Germany guidebooks offers 8 different possible tours, ranging from 7 to 11 days.

Mimar

Just came across this thread while searching for info on the English Lake District.

We did a Munich-Salzburg-Bavaria-Romantic Road-Rhine trip awhile back. If you want to see the Alps, why not Switzerland? If you want to see beautiful German countryside, we loved the Moselle River. But I think the English countryside would be best for your two weeks. There's so much to see in a small area. We've only driven England in spring but it was very beautiful. Highlights: the Cotswolds, the South Downs, the area around Bath. (We don't know northern England--yet.)

We organized our trips around themes: gardens, Roman ruins, riverside living, the Arts and Crafts Movement. Look at guidebooks with lots of pictures and think about what you're interested in.

Also last trip we bought a Great British Heritage Pass. It added a lot to the trip as we visited many places we might otherwise have missed.