Driving miss daisy's through England
 

Help!! I am coming in on a trip to the Uk...but I am stepping in on plans already started that can't be changed....and I am tagged to fill in the holes.
Here is what we have so far..
Day 1: Arrive p.m. London
Day 2: Train to Paris
Day 3: Paris / Return to London
Day 4 - 13: ?
Day 14: Cambridge
Day 15: Fly out of Manchester

Somewhere between days 4 through 13 We have to be in York. Can anyone help me with the inbetween?? I have read and re-read take it slow...We can do car and train...
Any suggestions on where to go? How long? Drive or train?
please please

hi b'

is what you have already posted written in stone? If possible, I think I'd try to spend longer in Paris, before returning to London.

how about this:

Day 2-5 Paris

day 6 - back to London. stay til

Day 10 - train to York

Day 13 - train to Cambs

regards, ann

solid stone. nonrefundable, no-nuthin' can be changed for Eurostar tickets. I have been reading like crazy trying to make this as fun and as seemless as possible...but I think I've almost read too much. I've read that if "it" says it will take 4 hours to drive between two points, you must nearly double that...and I've also read that it would be a shame to only see England by train. So I was thinking....
Day 2 London - Paris (train)
Day 3 Paris - London (train)
Day 4 London
Day 5 London - York (train)
Day 6 York
Day 7 York - Kendal (car)
Day 8 Kendal - Stoke on Trent (car)
Day 9 Stoke - Bath (car)
Day 10 Bath (car)
Day 11 Bath - Oxford (car)
Day 12 Oxford - Cambridge
Day 13 Cambridge
Day 14 Cambridge - Manchester for flight next day

Sound too much? Too tricky? Too naive? P.S. What are the "Cambs?"

I think annhig was referring to Cambridge.

To better help - when will this trip take place? Is it your first trip to the UK? If not, have you only been to London or to other parts? Are you interested mostly in scenery or in architecture, history, hiking, etc? I think your current plan sounds reasonable (though I've never driven in the UK and am not sure about driving times, and am also unfamiliar with Stoke on Trent). However, if this is your first trip, I personally would spend more time in London and cut out one of the other destinations.

Yes, this is our first trip! This was supposed to be a trip for my friend, her husband and their 2 daughters (One is staying in UK to attend school - we'll be leaving her in Cambridge at the end of the trip) But due to unfortunate circumstances her husband can't go - so I've been asked to step in! Absolutely exciting - but they have no clue...no plans and said they'd pay my way if I do the planning. I've been to Ireland 1/2 dozen times and driven there..but not to the England. And to make matters so much more exciting..... we leave on the 18th of August!!! Only 1 hotel (Paris) booked so far!! (I haven't left my computer for 8 hours!!) I just want to be sure that I do "right" by everyone. They are great people, good humored, and should do great...but I don't want to wear everyone out with too much in too little time.
ALSO-I don't see a whole lot to "Stoke-on-Trent" either..but thought I should stop between Kendal and Bath...

hope I'm making sense.

OK, that helps! First off, though I haven't driven in England I have ridden with a lot of people, and I have driven in Ireland. I think if you've driven in Ireland, driving in England should be NO problem. But you didn't seem too concerned about that.

Especially with two more-or-less-college-age girls (I'm assuming), I would really stay longer in London. Right now you only have one full day there! Staying longer also removes one of your hotel changes, and I think would help make the trip more relaxing (since that seems to be a concern). I would personally cut out York, but that's because I love the Lake District. I think one of those makes the most sense to cut out.

If you do keep in the Kendal-Bath trip: Stoke-on-Trent may be perfectly lovely, I don't know. Other possibilities to look at - maybe Chester? I've spent an afternoon there and it was a nice town to walk around, see the cathedral, etc. One more out-of-the-way possibility would be Chesterfield, which is close to Chatsworth (inspiration for Pemberley in Pride & Prejudice) - might be fun for Austen fans. Or you could find a town more on the way in the Peak District. Others here will be much more help than I can be with that, but just some ideas to think about.

Thank YOU! I so appreciate any ideas/encouragement/etc.! I do agree that we should add a day to London, and we can't avoid York - because they must see school and drop off her belongings.

My thoughts are: Should I rent a car in York and continue the rest of the trip by car? How long does it take to drive from York to Kendal really? And Kendal to Bath? can I do that in a day or is that nuts?

ANyone???

ok...how does this look?

Day 2 London - Paris (train)
Day 3 Paris - London (train)
Day 4 London
Day 5 London
Day 6 London - York (train)
Day 7 York (get car)
Day 8 York - Kendal - Bath(car)
Day 9 Kendal- Bath (car)
Day 10 Bath
Day 11 Bath - Oxford - Cambridge (car)
Day 12 Cambridge
Day 13 Cambridge
Day 14 Cambridge - Manchester for flight next day

Oh - I thought from your earlier post she was going to school in Cambridge, not York? Could you clarify that? If you don't need to go to Cambridge, I might cut either Kendal or Cambridge out, actually, since you do plan to go to Oxford already.

Wish I could help with the driving distances. Best I have is Google Maps; it says 2.25 hours from York to Kendal, and 4.25 hours from Kendal to Bath. So *if* that's right I don't even think you need an overnight. However, I would wait for more knowledgeable people than me to comment!

Just saw your new itinerary. I honestly don't think that 18 hours or so in the Lake District is worth getting up there (and I do love the lakes). You might have half a day on day you arrive, and the morning of the day you leave - not much time to do any hiking or anything else other than look at a lake. If the weather isn't good, you're up a proverbial creek.

If those are the places you decide on, I would go straight from York to Bath and then add a full day in Oxford.

ok...
one more time!


Day 2 London - Paris (train)
Day 3 Paris - London (train)
Day 4 London
Day 5 London
Day 6 London - York (train)
Day 7 York
Day 8 York - Bath(car)
Day 9 Bath (car)
Day 10 Bath - Oxford (car)
Day 11 Oxford - Cambridge (car)
Day 12 Cambridge
Day 13 Cambridge - Manchester for flight next day

Given where you you said you have to be and when, that looks OK to me. Others may pop in and add more suggestions. You might look into taking a more scenic route between York and Bath rather than the motorway.

Meant to add - a more scenic route through the Peak District.

I am unsure whether you need to stop in York or Cambridge!

With 14 days, I would cut Bath and add the time to London. You can do a day trip from London to Oxford, and another one to Bath. Try www.walks.com and see if any of their day tours stop there. Then you could do:

ay 2 London - Paris (train)
Day 3 Paris - London (train)
Day 4 London
Day 5 London
Day 6 London
Day 7 London
Day 8 London
Day 9 London - York (train
Day 10 York
Day 11 York - Cambridge (car)
Day 12 Cambridge
Day 13 Cambridge - Manchester for flight

Can't you fly into Paris, rather than arrive London but get the train to France less than 24 hrs later?

Or at the very least, have a couple of days in London before going overseas?

jamikins - I know, I'm still confused too! :) It looks like London Walks stops the Bath explorer day just before the OP gets there. However, <b>bsailors</b>, you could do Oxford and the Cotswolds as a day trip with London Walks, if you stay in London through that next Wednesday. I did that on my trip in June and quite enjoyed it - it's a quick overview, but a good one.

RM67 - it sounds like they already bought air and train tickets, so I assumed they weren't able to change them (or would have to pay exorbitant amounts of money to do so).

sorry, b - Cambs = Cambridge.

please don't try to shoe-horn Kendal and Bath into this trip. and Stoke on Trent? well it may yet find a path to the hearts of tourists everywhere but not yet a while.

if you want to drive from York to Cambridge, don't let me stop you; Lincoln would make a good stop for a night I think. [Chester is way off beam, being the other side of the country]. to allow for this, I would cut a day off London in jamikins' itinerary and add it to York. it's well worth a day to itself, and there are loads of lovely places in the vicinity.

that gives you this:

Day 2 London - Paris (train)
Day 3 Paris - London (train)
Day 4 London
Day 5 London
Day 6 London
Day 7 London
Day 8 London - York (train]
Day 9 York
Day 10 York - rent car to tour area and practice driving.
Day 11 York - Lincoln(car)
Day 12 Lincoln - Cambridge [car]
Day 13 Cambridge - Manchester for flight

Oh yes - please don't stop in Chester if you're driving from York to Cambridge! I only suggested that if you were going from Kendal to Bath.