Ancestralvoices,

I really appreciate some of the reasoning behind your choices. I have visited several places because they were mentioned in books I liked and many others because some artist I like lived and walked there. You feel such connections.

Sassafrass,

thank you for saying that. and you are right when you say that we feel such connections. So very very true. You seem like a wonderfully sensitive soul.

Texasbookworm----that was the most informative trip report I've ever read. It actually made me feel like I was on the journey with you and your family. It was so informative that I have bookmarked it so that I may refer back to it for more information as I plan this trip. Of course, NOW I'm suddenly interested in venturing up to North Wales from Chester....

ohhh decisions decisions... Such a fun dilemma!

L

Thanks; if you want to read another LONG report by me (no tag team until near the end DH pitches in) you can read what we did in 2008 in our 2 week stay in London taking 5 day trips by bus and train. That was a wonderful choice for us that time, although being willing to drive does add lots of flexibility and lengthens the possible range. But you might find some other ideas for specific sites here. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-day-trips.cfm

(If I ever talk DH into another trip, we would definitely go back for more of Wales!)

Hi,

I just found this thread and see that you are dropping the west country...oh, nooo...

but I do agree that you need to trim somewhere, and approve whole-heartedly of the plan to see Shropshire etc, and slend longer in the lakes and the Dales.

and I agree that you shouldn't under-estimate the time it'll take you to get places - plus by the end of your holiday, some British children will be on school summer holiday so the traffic will increase, and prices will go up and availability will go down.

good luck and have a great trip.

Each trip depends on the individual. i like slow travel, for in depth study/enjoyment.I suggest you try Windsor then onto Oxford then onto more of the Cotswold as a see as you go venture. Head for York and the glorious surrounding country then wend your way back to London via the coastal towns.
moonrise

Nice itinerary and a refreshing change from the ones I often see on here.

I think someone has already mentioned the BHP but you can also get 2 for 1 passes (mainly London sites i.e. London Eye, Tower of London etc) free with train tickets.

Texasbookworm---Wow, I get to spend yet another evening of virtual traveling with you and your DH? As soon as I finish this---I will be reading it! By the way, please let him know how much we readers appreciate his detailed star ratings for the B and B's you visited, and for his detailed camera, auto, and GPS descriptions and advice. Also, was it also he who learned and explained the apparently complex shower procedure in one or two of your B and B's? I will absolutely remember "the cord"!

annhig---thanks for the heads up about the children being off school and on holiday at the time of my visit. Will keep that in mind(and will really watch my driving).

moonrise---I once covered a lot of ground in The Netherlands and Belgium in a rather short time, and this allowed me to pick favorite spots to return to for more leisurely/in depth visiting. It was a 2 days in Friesland, 2 days in South Limburg etc sort of thing, and then I returned, getting to know 3 regions rather intimately(a small Frisian village called Hindeloopen is my favorite part of this world--stayed in this one village for 10 days). I like traveling both slowly and quickly(was born under a mutable sign). I lived in Luxembourg for a semester in college and the time over there allowed for both methods of travel. Thanks for your suggestions. I like the "see as you go" venture you suggested for the Cotswolds.

Hastobe_Katt --2 for 1 passes free with train tickets? I was not aware of this. You mean I purchase them with the train tickets? Even if I get the train tickets months in advance? Thanks a lot I will check into this!

"<i>You mean I purchase them with the train tickets? </i>"

They aren't 2 for 1 included w/ a train ticket. They are vouchers you pre-print that get you 2 for 1 at lots of sites if you show them a train ticket good for the same day. It's a promotion to encourage train travel into London by leisure travelers. But any ticket that has the national rail logo qualifies. Even tube tickets if purchased at a train station.

Explained here: http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/attrac...or1london.aspx

Oh - meant to add --- I don't recall if you mentioned you will be w/ someone else. (I got the idea you were traveling solo)

If you are on your own, you can't use the 2 for 1's

But you CAN use the Great British Heritage Pass. Not totally useful in London but terrific everywhere else.

http://www.britishheritagepass.com/

Thanks Janisj for the info. I will be traveling with a companion who has never been to the UK.

OK -- then the 2 for 1's work great for the London area, and the GBHP saves a ton of £££ in the other regions.

Between the two schemes you can save more than 50% maybe even 70% if you hit a lot of properties in the Cotswolds/Bath/Yorkshire etc.

The GBHP covers all National Trust, English Heritage, etc. plus hundreds of privately owned sites (biggies like Blenheim Palace, Castle Howard, Warwick Castle, Chatsworth and so on).

It depends what you are planning to see but, if you are mainly going to NT properties, and doing London sites on 2 for 1, it may also be worth considering buying a year's membership to the National Trust. Most stately homes / castles not in private ownership are owned by NT rather than English Heritage.

For comparison a 15 day BHP is £85 per person whereas a year's membership of the National Trust costs £79.50 for a couple (English Heritage is £77).

The websites to (compare):
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-index.htm
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/
http://www.britishheritagepass.com/Welcome

You might find this useful as well to track down cheap tickets etc:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/?tab=16&dd

Just to add to what Janisj said re the 2 for 1. You don't have to use the rail tickets but they have to be valid for the day you want to visit. (Both of you must have a rail ticket btw). So, if you buy two single rail tickets (say from a central London station to Marylebone (for Madame Tussauds) the rail tickets are about £2 each but the entry to Madame Tussauds is £25.54. So less the £4 for the cost of the rail tickets and you have saved £21.54. National Express buses do a similar offer: http://www.nationalexpress.com/coach/Offers/2for1.cfm

Btw I would check about the underground because I read somewhere that it doesn't apply for underground tickets - but I may be wrong.

The link in my previous post gives lots of info on cheap theatre (e.g. Blood Brothers in West end for £15) deals etc as well as ways to get the cheapest rail tickets so worth a browse. It's an independent consumer website so not affiliated to any company. The information changes all the time as new deals are released so worth going back to as your holiday approaches.

"<i>Btw I would check about the underground because I read somewhere that it doesn't apply for underground tickets - but I may be wrong.</i>"

Daily and weekly travelcards -- if bought in a <u>train station</u> come in a paper format (not an oyster card) and have the rail logo printed on them. They work just like train tickets when using the 2 for 1's.

The reason I suggested the GBHP instead of the National Trust pass is because it covers LOTS more. It costs more up front but has the potential for much more savings. Yes, the NT has many wonderful properties, but EH controls places like most of the sites along Hadrian's Wall, Stonehenge, Castlerigg stone circle, Hailes Abbey, etc. The NT is wonderful - I've belonged to the National Trust and Royal Oak off and on for 30+ years but for many visitors the GBHP gets more bang for the buck.

That's why I said it depends where she is planning to go. We are also NT members and have been for many years. We joined EH (in 1991 to visit Osborne House) and then never used it again as it has so few places to visit. We cancelled our membership a few years back. The BHP is good as it picks up private places plus many of the London attractions that are neither NT nor EH. However, I got the impression that she will be doing a lot of walking / visiting of coast and countryside etc rather than the usual 'tick list' places. In which case her visits to places via BHP may be interspersed with days when she isn't using the pass...meaning it's not so economical.

Oops, sorry Laurence - I inadvertently referred to you as a 'she' - my apologies!!

Thank you both---this is great information!

She/he---on forums like this I suppose we are all kind of genderless! We're all human, though--(aren't we?).

Thanks again!

L