Help us decide which!

Am considering a couple days in the Cotswolds perhaps
including Warwick before heading to a few days
in Northern Wales. Had considered
doing Blenheim on the way to the Cotswolds, first!

But just realized I suppose we could instead head from Stansted Airport to Chatsworth House...
and perhaps some other Peak District highlights...
and *then* over to Conwy (north Wales)...
then, on down a bit to Snowdownia (as planned regardless)
then over & back through the Cotswolds!

Could potentially inlude either Windsor or Blenheim
at the end, too, but not likely both. And definitely not all 3-4 mentioned here!
Opinions? Please share!


Crazy? Is Chatsworth the better one to include


if we can only include one? Just curious.


Thanks so much!

Ps. We only have 5 days in total for this trip,
hence our limitations. Thanks!

I haven't been to Chatsworth, but I have been to Blenheim and Windsor.The highlight of Blenheim was wondering around the outside and remembering scenes from Brannagh's Hamlet.

Windsor I am planning on visiting again this summer. It is a great tour and I appreciate the work that was done after the fire. Windsor also has my favorite work of art, the Princess Charlotte memorial in St. Georges Chapel. That is the main reason I am going back and also to see the town of Windsor. I gave it a miss last time.

Windsor is certainly the most significant of all English Castles because it is the Queen's working residence. The building and the rooms are most impressive. In any case, it is a must-see.

Blenheim is - different. Some love it, others despise it. It is an ecclectic mixture of different architectural styles and the Winston Churchill exhibition is not everybody's taste but the grounds are beautiful.

Warwick is the epitome of a medieval castle but has been disneyfied. Believe it or not, it now belongs to the Madame Tussaud's company and they have many wax figures inside. The grand hall and the building are interesting and if you are able to ignore somewhat of the circus and carnival atmosphere, you might enjoy the day.

Sorry, I haven't been to Chatsworth.

I've been to Warwick and Chatsworth so can only comment on them.

Warwick is as traveller1959 described it; I thoroughly enjoyed it when there with my DD on an EF tour. It's so well-preserved and lovely and has a deep history. BUT it is "disneyfied" in a sense.

Chatsworth has a particular draw for me, partly for its connections with Austen and partly from the fascinating Paxton history/connection. As a house, it doesn't do much for me. There are significant art works abounding. But the grounds, the history, the gardens, the fountains, the views--ahhhh. It's still a family home and a farm--and a tourist destination. I found our long day there to be completely delightful (and we were one of the few who figured out how to get there from London using public transportation which was an effort--but worth it!)

So you might have to decide what appeals to you--history, authenticity, grounds, architecture, literature/cinema connections, etc. And pick. I'd return to either of these happily--but I'd love to see Windsor or Blenheim.

Warwick has been owned by Madame Tussaud's group for nearly 30 years. It is not "disney-fied". There are some exhibits (that can be easily ignored) - but the the wax figures mentioned might give you a wrong impression. The figures are in the family quarters upstairs (that were closed to the public prior to Tussaud's taking over). They have used photos taken during the Edwardian era of actual weekend outings at the Castle including the Prince of Wales/Edward VII, and other famous people of the era. The photos are displayed in many rooms and the wax figures reproduce the scene. They are amazing.

I had been to Warwick several times when it was still family owned and was heart broken when I heard Tussauds were taking over. But to my surprise, the first time I returned after that - this was back in the early 80's - I was amazed at the improvement. They obviously had the money to maintain things better and the family quarters display was amazing. If anything I like it more now. But, yes there are some exhibits I'd skip - but they are easy to spot.

There are no "animatronics" or stuff like that. The Castle state rooms, inner ward, grounds/gardens, and the family quarters are worth a visit for sure.

My concern is whichever route you are considering - you are covering a lot of territory in 5 days if you are starting from Stansted. Getting from Stansted to the west/Cotswolds is a bear no matter which route you drive. And up to the Peak District will be a long haul. Stansted to the Peaks/Chatsworth to North Wales to the Cotswolds/Warwick/Blenheim to Windsor would be about 10 days worth.

You really need to decide if you want to see the Peaks/N Wales - OR - N Wales/Cotswolds - OR - the Peaks/Cotswolds. Pick two - not three areas.

I love Chatsworth - but I'd personally do N Wales/Warwick/Blenheim/the Cotswolds. If you are ending up in London - you can easily do Windsor as a 1/2 day trip from the city.

My vote goes to Chatsworth, partly because the grounds are so beautiful.

We did all the things you're contemplating, but we spent 12 full days in England and Wales, so we were able to space them out a bit.

Mr. Pickle enjoyed Blenheim, but I didn't; the gardens were nice, but the house is over the top huge and ostentatious.

We enjoyed Warwick, and spent most of a day there. In addition to the wax figures janisj mentioned, there is also a "Kingmaker" display elsewhere in the castle which was quite good.

We both loved Chatsworth; the house is lovely and IMO still manages to feel like a home despite being a tourist attraction, and the grounds are outstanding.

Conwy Castle is great, but I think you'd be spending most of your time in the car if you really want to fit all this into five days!

Lee Ann

You're really mixing apples and oranges.

Windsor Castle is a fortress that is almost a thousand years old, a center of the British monarchy, and has many things to see and do. Warwick Castle is also a military fortress, but newer - started in the 11th Century but expanded many times since then - and set up as a major tourist attraction (tours, scary dungeons, midevil performers etc). Blenheim Palace is just that - a huge luxuroius residence from the 17th cenury - not a fortress at all, but similar to the Chateaux of the Loire - and very interesting, esp for it's historical associations. chatsworth is just a large house, really visited just for it's history.

I think nytraveler "mis-describes" Warwick a tad.

'scary dungeons': The dungeon is an actual dungeon - not created by mme Tussauds for "scare factor". That is how prisoners were treated back then, and visitors have been venturing down into Warwick's dungeon for generations -- even the Prince of Wales did that 110 years ago. But they ARE opening a "dungeon experience" (not in the real dungeon but in the undercroft) this spring. That is one of the exhibitions one could easily skip IMO and sort of Madame "Tussaud-ish".

'midevil performers': Just about every stately home/castle has history days now and then w/ jousters and performers. That happens even at Chatsworth.

'tours': You wander around the castle on your own

As you can see from all the above opinions - <u>every</u> single place you want to visit is "worth" seeing. The problem is you only have about 1/2 the time needed to see all of them.

I thought I posted a reply yesterday,
but don't see it tonight.
Just wanted to thank everyone for their honest
feedback & advice. Won't try to cover them all!
Just have to decide which ones.