I’m in the midst of working out some of the details for my upcoming trip with my mom to Canterbury, Dover, London, and Paris Here’s what I have planned for the Canterbury and Dover part and would love your input.<BR><BR>Friday: Arrive at Gatwick early that morning, pick up the rental car and drive to Canterbury (already have hotel reservations for 2 nights), tour around Canterbury/<BR>Saturday: Visit St. Margaret’s bay, Dover Castle, and Leeds Castle (I’m afraid this might be too much in one day, even if we get a really early start). <BR>Sunday: Visit Hever Castle and then return the car to Gatwick and head into London. <BR><BR>What do y’all think of this itinerary, is there something we should take out, change around or add? Thanks for your help! <BR>Tammy<BR>

I think your Saturday is ambitious. Perhaps you could do Leeds on your way to Canterbury, but there is just no way you are going to get it all done on one day.<BR><BR>Dover Castle is awesome - and it will take the better part of a day. Be sure to take a tour of the war tunnels.<BR><BR>Many will probably disagree with me but I wasn't overly impressed with Canterbury. The Cathedral is worth a visit but as for the rest of the city...<BR><BR>Another neat castle near Dover is Deal Castle (in Deal). <BR><BR>I have a travelogue of my trip to Dover/Canterbury posted on my website at www.appleberryroad.com that you might find help. Look under the UK2001 link.<BR><BR>Have fun,<BR>jpm

I agree with jpm. Other than a fairly quick visit to the cathedral in Canterbury, I found it not be very exciting. We had originally planned to go there for the day, but by about 11:00 felt we had done all we wanted to do in Canterbury, so took a train on to Dover. Spent the rest of the day in Dover, and didn't have time for the war tunnels, which we returned to do a few years later. I'd allow most of the day at Dover or perhaps allow time at the end of the day for a drive to Rye, or another pretty coastal town. I would think you could do both Leeds Castle and Canterbury on the same day.

Leeds castles graounds are magnificent -- but the interior is really the least interesting of all the many castles in Kent. I would think about just doing the gardens/grounds on your way to Canterbury and then cover Canterbury that afternoon. <BR><BR>Then you have a full day for a loop through Walmer, Deal and Dover Castles. If you got an eraly start you could do all three in one (very full) day. Deal is fascinating and Walmer is beautiful and has a lot of connections to the Queen Mother. The grounds are out of this world. And Dover of course should not be missed.<BR><BR>These 3 castles are within a few miles of each other and an easy drive.

Janis,<BR><BR>That is exactly the loop we took last year. It does make for a full fun-filled day. We ended our day by taking an evening ferry to Calais for Dinner (RT walkon ticket was only &pound;8 or so).<BR><BR>JPM

Thanks for the great advice. I was afraid that visiting Leeds, Dover and St. Margaret's Bay would be too much for one day. I like the idea of stopping off at Leeds on the way to Canterbury. That would be a great way to relax a bit after the long flight. <BR><BR>On another note, can you purchase the Heritage Pass at the Gatwick Airport? One web site I remember visiting listed Heathrow but not Gatwick. I'd rather wait and purchase it once in the UK instead of here in the states.

Thanks for the great advice. I was afraid that visiting Leeds, Dover and St. Margaret's Bay would be too much for one day. I like the idea of stopping off at Leeds on the way to Canterbury. That would be a great way to relax a bit after the long flight. Hopefully we can also visit Deal and Walmer. <BR><BR>On another note, can you purchase the Heritage Pass at the Gatwick Airport? One web site I remember visiting listed Heathrow but not Gatwick. I'd rather wait and purchase it once in the UK instead of here in the states. <BR><BR>Thanks again!

I'd like to mention something no one else has and that is to be VERY careful driving after flying all night and most likely getting little/no sleep. Jetlag and driving don't make for a good combination. Sorry to sound so glum but we were told on two different occasions by car rental folks in the UK that the majority of accidents happen near the a/p and involve tourists who just got off a plane and hopped behind the wheel thinking they felt just fine. We've always arranged not to drive the first day and prefer to stay near the a/p when renting a car, for the first night. As others said don't overload your days, figure that you won't/can't see everything (or may find you are not that interested once you get there!)

Lori, that is good advice and it's something that I've been a bit concerned about myself. Thanks!

Heritage Pass - At least until last June it was not available at Gatwick. I get one every trip to the UK - If I am arriving at LHR I get it then, if arriving elsewhere I usually purchase it ahead of in the States. It is available at some of the covered properties and Tourist Information - but not most so you should probably buy it before you leave.<BR><BR>Don't let Lori scare you too much - yes jet lag can be a problem, but you will not be driving a very long ways on your first day. Get your doctor to prescribe you a gentle sleep aid for the plane and you will be fine. As long as you can get 4+ hours of sleep and don't drink any alcohol on the plane you will be fine.

<BR>I agree with advice you've had. Driving is unsafe after a long flight. You're already booked in Canterbury, which indeed you can finish in a day --though if you look at it fully, including the church of St Thomas More's family, the ruins of the old Abbey, the town museum, Evensong, and music or a play at the Marlowe or Gulbenkian then you can easily enjoy two days.<BR><BR>So I'd book the car just from Canterbury to Canterbury. Arrived at Gatwick I'd take the South Central train to London Victoria, move to platform 3, and take the train 90 minutes to Canterbury East, snoozing most of the way. Then by taxi to the hotel, walk to the tourist office and plan out my stay. This would include a whole day in Dover Castle and St Margaret's Bay, and half a day at Leeds Castle. I'd skip Hever Castle, return the car, and take the train to London.<BR><BR>Ben Haines, London<BR>[email protected]<BR>

Tammy - I've done about the same routine as you have planned & it seems very doable the way you've got it. You should have enough steam left for a slow drive from LGW to Canterbury, then take a jet lag nap before exploring the cathedral. Leeds in the morning & Dover Castle in the afternoon is exactly what I did...more than 3 hrs at each place is too tiring. Sunday, stop at Chartwell (Churchill's home) before going to Hever....it's just 10 minutes from Hever & maybe the best place you'll visit. Don't pass up Hever...it's well worth the visit. As for the Heritage Pass, if you don't go to at least 5 places, it may not pay for itself....it doesn't cover much in London. Bon Voyage...

Thanks for the quick responses and suggestions! You've given me a lot to think about particularly regarding the rental car. Also, thanks for pointing out some other things that I have not much considered, Deal, Walmer, Rye, and Chartwell. I'll also be looking more into music or a play at the Marlowe or Gulbenkian. Thanks again, I can hardly wait!

Good. The site for the Marlowe is http://www.artsoutheast.co.uk/venue/...m?name=marlowe, and that for the Gulbenkian is http://www.ukc.ac.uk/gulbenkian/<BR><BR>Ben Haines<BR>

You can now buy the heritage pass at everyplace the heritage pass is accepted. I, too, buy one on everytrip to the UK as they are such a good bargain. I use to buy them in advance but there is no need to now...just wait till you get there. I know they sell them at Leeds, Dover, Deal,..etc.<BR><BR>Have fun.<BR><BR>John

Just wanted to clarify, that you can buy the heritage pass AT MOST places it is accepted, there must be some that don't sell it. But I am sure they sell it at Dover, Deal, and Leeds.

John - how recent is your info? The last I knew (6 months ago) the GBHP was only available at a few of the major sites. And they were not available at any airports except LHR and Glasgow.

Janis,<BR><BR>I found that they were availble at many places when I travelled to the UK in March, September, and October. I do not believe they are available at the airports but they are available at many of the places that accept them. <BR><BR>I know that they were being sold at Leeds, Dover, Deal, Stirling, etc. <BR><BR>I guess to be on the safe side you order them in advance, but you don't have too.<BR>

Thanks everyone for their replies. I'm just going to wait and by the pass once I get there. I was really surprised when I did a search and my question came up. I was beginning to wonder if the search function would ever be up to date!!! Thanks again.