flagmom

Thanks in advance for the advice that I am looking forward to using as my husband and I plan our dream trip. It is my first trip overseas and I ask for your patience if I have too many questions. I will try to keep them specific, and in separate posts. Here is a summary of what we have so far, in case it helps you in your answers. My husband and I (both 60) will be arriving at Heathrow on May 28 and staying in London for 8 nights. Then we will take the train to Paris for 2 nights and Bayeux for 2 nights in order to see the D-Day beach where my father-in-law landed. (June 5-8) Our next destination is Glasgow where we will be taking a 10-day coach tour with CIE tours of Scotland and Ireland (June 12-22) We would like to travel to Glasgow by train via Lincoln and York.
When the coach tour ends in Dublin, we plan to take the ferry across to northern Wales. We fly home from Manchester on June 26.
We have a list of the places we want to visit in and around London (probably way too much for 7 days!!) and I know about the 2 for 1 offers with the rail ticket. For the London part, I mostly need advice about handling the specifics of transportation, and which places to go on which days. I'm particularly concerned that the Queen's Diamond Jubilee festivities and 4-day banking holiday will cause some places to close early, or will make transportation arrangements difficult. I welcome any insider tips for dealing with that.
So far in London, I have the following days planned, not necessarily in this order:
1. Tower of London, St. Paul's, cross the river and walk along south bank, maybe boat to Greenwich
2. Hampton Court Palace; see something in London in the late afternoon/evening
3. Westminster Abbey (maybe with London Walks), Buckingham Palace, Royal Mews, Churchill War Rooms, and anything else in that area
4. I really want to visit the Cotswolds but am concerned that I couldn't keep the pace on the London Walks trip there. Considering an all day coach tour of Cotswolds (Bibury and others) and Stratford-on-Avon. Opinions?
5. Windsor Castle
P.S. Forgot to say that we are staying at Millenium Bailey's right across from Gloucester Rd. tube station.

flanneruk

1. "Queen's Diamond Jubilee festivities and 4-day banking holiday will cause some places to close early, or will make transportation arrangements difficult."

Why? London's built for big celebrations. The Silver and Golden Jubilees caused no serious disruption. The Diamond won't either.

2. "Considering an all day coach tour of Cotswolds (Bibury and others) and Stratford-on-Avon"
All in the same day? Fuggedaboutit. Seriously

You'll see a lot of the inside of a bus. The only thing worth seeing in Stratford is a professionally staged play: the only thing worth doing in the Cotswolds is walking our incomparable network of footpaths.

On a bus tour that claims to do all the things you're describing, you'll merely be allowed be get off the bus to peer at one of those Must Sees ill-informed visitors are forever asking about. Oh: and you'll discover how the area got a (totally undeserved) reputation for being choked with tourists.

Bibury is a vacuous photo opportunity that perfectly epitomises the phrase "there's no there there". Google the place, select "images" and you'll see far, far better pics than you'll ever take, far cheaper and with far less hassle than going on an overpacked bus trip.

For someone as young as you it's total nonsense to pretend "I couldn't keep the pace on the London Walks trip there". If you're disabled, just get a train to Stratford from London to see an RSC production. If you're a normal 60 year old, you're a disgrace to your generation to mouth such self-destructive gibberish. Get a train to Charlbury, do the eight mile walk to Woodstock, get the bus to Oxford connecting with the train back to London and you'll see as much of the Cotswolds as you need.

BigRuss

There's no 2for1 for Windsor, but we rec'd a 3GBP per ticket discount on entry for Windsor by purchasing a voucher at Waterloo with our ticket to Windsor & Eton Riverside (I think - there are two Windsor stations, one for the train from Paddington via Slough, one for the Waterloo train). The voucher meant we could go to the ticketholder line for entry - which was worth about 30-45 minutes considering the ticket-buyer lines that stretched down the street.

What's the itinerary for June 9-12? If it's visiting Lincoln and York, that means you need to go from Bayeux to Paris to St. Pancras to Lincoln - that's a bit of a day on the rails.

flagmom

BigRuss, thanks for your information. I am concerned about the trip from Bayeux to Lincoln via Paris and London; someone had suggested the ferries from Normandy to England, but I didn't think that would be any quicker. I welcome any suggestions you have for me.

jent103

Regarding the London Walks tour, I took their trip to Oxford and the Cotswolds a couple of years ago. Unless you need to use a cane or anything like that, I think you'd be fine. Parts were walking, but never at a breakneck pace. No hiking. The tour guide himself was probably in his sixties, as were several people on the tour. You won't see all of the Cotswolds, of course, and I'm sure flanner's right that walking is a better way to see the area, but for me it was a good way to get a quick taste of an area that's a little harder than others to visit via public transport.

texasbookworm

A couple tiny bits of info: I wouldn't try to stick Greenwich on that day. Several hours at the Tower, then walk across the Tower Bridge and along the South Bank to the Millenium Bridge over to St. Paul's and go in--that's pretty much a full day and nothing to be rushed.

And as far as when to go--just remember you can't go INTO Westminster Abbey or St. Paul's to sightsee on Sundays (can worship there of course).

I wouldn't skip the British Museum (and the Imperial War Museum and many other museums are also wonderful). And as much as I've enjoyed our day trips from London, as much as you will be traveling around, I might just stay in London all your 7 days. Plenty to see. If you want a Cotswolds day, flanneruk's ideas are worth a look--or a London Walks day as jent103 says. Oxford alone is super easy to "do" via public transport, but further afield is different.

janisj

• For a day in the Cotswolds, either take the train to Charlbury and do a lovely walk - OR - do the London walks day trip. DO NOT (!) take a coach tour. Plain silly and waaaay too expensive. The Cotswolds are not a 'place to see'. They are a rural/village region to experience/enjoy. You simply can't 'do' the Cotswolds from inside a tour bus.

the London Walks day trip is a guided tour -- but they do it better/sensibly. Sometimes going to Minster Lovell or other tiny villages and including nice walks.

So one or the other - but not one of the big coach tours (Oxford/the Cotswolds/Stratford is insanity)

• Normandy to Glasgow via Lincoln/York is a schlepp. Must you do things in that order? If you flew into Paris, visited Normandy from your Paris base, Eurostar to London, 8 days later train to York. Then after a day/night in York, on to Glasgow.

• The prospect of a 10 day tour of 'Scotland & Ireland' is a bit fear inducing. 5 <i>whole</i> days to 'do' Scotland and maybe 4.5 days in Ireland - hope you enjoy looooong bus rides.

alanRow

"Must you do things in that order?"

D-Day events, so that will fixed. Unless there's a specific reason to visit Lincoln & York I'd just fly from Paris to Glasgow - you can do a day trip to York from Manchester

jamikins

Totally agree that unless you have some physical reason for not being able to keep up you will be absolutely fine on the London Walks day trip. Many people will be your age, so dont worry at all. Its a leisurely paced day with walk in the morning, time for lunch in a lovely pub or country bakery, and then a walk in the afternoon. We did one in the countryside in the morning, then went to a village for lunch, then did a walk through the village in the afternoon - it was delightful!

flagmom

All, thanks again for your help. I am locked into flying into London and home from Manchester due to frequent flyers. I could visit France for the first 4 days and then return to England for the rest of the time, if that made any difference date-wise, but I will still have to take the Eurostar there from London. My husband wants to visit Lincoln because that is our family name; he's been there, but wants me to see it. So we thought doing it on the way to Glasgow would make the most sense. Since we are flying home from Manchester, we could visit York as a day trip from there at the end of the trip, if that makes things smoother. I know it will probably be a schlepp either way Thanks for your continued help. All suggestions are welcome!!

nona1

The only bank holidays are June 4th and 5th, and it sounds like you will be in France then anyway?

Bank holidays don't slow much tourist stuff down - banks/offices/factories are shut but the majority of shops are open. All tourist 'things' are open as these are their main trading opportunities.

uncjat

I think that the 2 most underrated sights in London are the British Library with the collections of famous documents and writing (everything from the Magna Carta to a hand written Beatles' song) and the Imperial War Museum. The imperial War museum would be a perfect prelude and give some additional context for your visit to the D-Day beaches. Both are free (donation requested)!

Mimar

I think you really need to spend more time researching that leg from Normandy to Lincoln. There's a ferry from Caen to Portsmouth: www.brittany-ferries.co.uk. There are 2 train stations near the harbor in Portsmouth: Portsmouth Harbor and Portsmouth & Southsea. You could catch a train north. But from Portsmouth to Lincoln necessitates at least 2 changes of train, including a change of stations in London.

A poster from England might know about cheap flights, but I don't think there are a lot of airports in Normandy.

Mary24

I did the London Walks day trip to the Cotswolds with London Walks this year + I'm about the same age as you. I didn't find the walks at all difficult, the guide had clearly picked very easy walks and all - bar one which was very very short - seemed to be downhill. There were a lot of people older than me on the walk and no one seemed to be in difficulty. It was good that it was the whole day in the Cotswolds so we got round quite a lot of the villages. My opinion, it was a terrific day trip and I dont know how I could have done better to cover the area with just one day.
I also agree with the poster above that Stratford on Avon is a poor trip unless you are going to a play.

Ozarksbill

From an older guy, interesting about your D Day beaches trip where were earlier this year (see Cruising the Seine report). I take it you have info about where your relative actually landed...and did he survive? Of course you will visit the American cemetery. And the Bayeux Tapestry is a marvel not to miss...also liked the nearby cathedral.

As for your Britain touring, we have fond memories of trips there including Wales, Scotland and another time to Ireland. These were mostly with tour or study groups. But we did get to some family ancestral locations...outside Derby and Carlisle. And so much to see in London and vicinity. Others have commented on travel details.
Bill in Boston

BigRuss

Um, Portsmouth to Lincoln is worse than Mimar thought - the national rail site says minimum 3 changes. You're better off doing Lincoln as a long day trip from London (two hours or so on the train) than trying to get there (it's off the main trunk rail lines) from Bayeux.

annhig

I didn't find the walks at all difficult, the guide had clearly picked very easy walks and all - bar one which was very very short - seemed to be downhill.>>

lol - surely what goes down MUST come up!

flagmom

Thanks for all of the great advice regarding the London Walks tour of the Cotswolds, as well as the train information. I am studying the national rail site carefully as well as the seat61.com site and learning a lot. I'm sure I'll be back with more specific questions later!

Mary24

Annhig, on the London Walks tour the bus drops you off, you do a walk - downhill! - and then the bus is there to pick you up at the end.

annhig

Annhig, on the London Walks tour the bus drops you off, you do a walk - downhill! - and then the bus is there to pick you up at the end.>>

that's lucky! - and well-organised.