England base/s for 6 days (part 2)...need final nudge! Please...
 

I have already posted a thread a while ago ...but now that our tours have been cancelled, daughter and I are on our lonesome in England and need to finalise our itinerary
Here's what we have so far:
Jan 20: arrive Heathrow 6am...booked in at Premier Inn Leicester Square for 7 nights but havent paid yet so can be cancelled
we plan to do all manner of things LONDON ...and may even venture out to CANTERBURY COTSWOLDS BATH as day trips from our base in London

Now... we have ...5 more nights ( sat 1st feb is already booked back in London)
Mon 27 Jan ( our tour through England was supposed to start then ) til Saturday 1st Feb to fill in

At first I thought itd be nice to base ourselves in YORK for say 3 days (catch train from London) then catch train maybe to BRISTOL for another 2 nights before returning late afternoon Saturday 1st Feb to meet husband in London ( just for the night cos we three are then flying to Dublin the next day at around 2pm )

but ive just hung up from chatting to a travel agent who suggested maybe using LEEDS as a base instead of Bristol ( cos Bristol is fairly close to London and anything like Bath can be done from our base in London...right?)

I dont know whether to base ourselves in York or just do trips from Leeds out to York and wherever else people recommend?

WE WONT BE HIRING A CAR ...so the moors and dales and lakes district are out I guess and it's winter anyway..

So basically...do i extend our stay in Leicester Sq London to incorporate tours/ independent traint trips to Bath, Cotswolds, Oxford..etc
and then move somewhere to the north to access YORK ( definitely want to see it )

OR do i divide up the remaining 6 days/ 5 nights - 3 and 2 between Leeds and somewhere else?

The idea is to really minimise lugging our baggage on trains....

oooooh...Im leaning towards London and Leeds now...say 9 in London and the rest in Leeds?
Is there a nicer town than Leeds to stay in but one that still has good fast train access to the tourist hubs? ( we love history )

Thanks so much ..any advice would be very much appreciated...I have to start booking accommodation this week I think!
Cheers
Lanejohann

Most visitors would prefer to stay in York rather than Leeds.

But if you prefer big cities with a Victorian centre rather then a smaller city with a mediaeval one, then Leeds might suit you better. It certainly has good transport links.

Leeds has some great shopping, (take money), good restaurants and fine museums. Knowing it as I do I'd find fun things to do for a couple of days there.

York is an easy train trip and a day's entertainment.

Train to Manchester offers another day's fun while theart galleries of Wakefield (I still struggle to write that) are world class. (the hepworth and the yorkshire sculpture park) can be accessed by train and bus.

http://www.transportdirect.info/Web2...epeatingloop=Y tells you how to get around.

On top of these obvious ones there is Saltaire (world Unesco site) and Hebdon Bridge for the hippy chick.

The Marriott in Leeds is the most obvious large US style hotel, and "42 the calls" the best boutique (means expensive) both more or less in the centre though 42 is about 10 mins walk to the station.

Hope that helps, come back if you need more

sorry "Hebden Bridge"

Leeds isn't a town, it's a huge industrial city - I think it's the second largest city outside London. It's a lively, buzzy place which I like very much (I work right in the city centre) but personally I would not advise you to stay there if it's a choice between Leeds and York.
If you want to see York why not stay in York? I don't see what you'd gain by staying in Leeds. Both cities have very good train links.
There's absolutely loads to see in York, it's walkable and compact and it's also very beautiful.
By the way, Bristol is 120 miles from London - not 'close' in my book.
Only you can decide what you want to do, but here's a suggestion.
Take the train from Kings Cross to York (less than 2 hours). Stay in York for 2 or 3 nights. Then take the train from York to Edinburgh. Spend a couple of nights in Edinburgh. Then train back - the East Coast line is pretty regular and reliable. It's also very scenic when you go through Northumberland. Or you could go up to Edinburgh first, and do the York days on your return journey.

Meant to add - London to York, and then York to Edinburgh are both direct train journeys without changes, so you won't be lugging your cases around too much!
I worked in Glasgow from Monday to Thursday each week a few years back and would catch the train up from York each Monday morning, back again Thurs afternoon throughout the winter. Never had a problem with winter weather although of course no one can guarantee what each winter will bring!
If you stay in York I'd also recommend a trip to Durham (again a quick, easy and direct train journey)

oh youre all too fabulous! thank you for all that input...
now while youve been responding..ive been mulling over it all
and heres another idea....
what if
instead of leaving london...daughter and i stay put (im pretty sure the hotel can extend our stay for another week)
that way we dont have to pack up all our gear ( this is a 6week trip which includes singapore on the way home so theres an assortment of essentials weather-wise)
so ..we stay in london...and decide the night before what to do..
advantages...just having a base; playing it by ear

disadvantages..could be expensive...all the to-ing and fro-ing on trains and staying in the london hotel is about 260 AUD per night ( probably more by the time i book the second week)
my daughter is somewhat prone to the odd migraine which wipes out half the day for her when she does get one...the advantage of having a base is that we can see how we all feel before committing to a whole day out...just a precaution


so any opinions>>>
the travel agent did mention that there is an organised daytrip from london to york...11hour day you leave at 630...aabout 230 AUD pp...so theres one option...or we just catch the train and do the independent thing

staying in london...we have the opportunity to travel to so many destinations
and then theres no panic if we happen to miss out on something one day...therell be time the next..

or if york is just too far for a one-dayer...then maybe we could just go there on the thursday and return on saturday...

york is a must -see...if you think that it is not possible to do it from london then we will uproot ourselves and book accommodation

we would prefer medieval towns by the way...
not so much into art galleries and wont be shopping too much for clothes ( baggage restrictions on aer lingus)
we are watching loads of british history documentaries and definitely leaning towards the roman - norman-tudor- james II- charles I times so far...
( fingers crossed we may even get to bayeux in france this trip to see the tapestry! )
okay...over to you folks for any opinions
thanks!

Beware travel agents suggesting expensive tours. They are only after the commission they get.

Stay in York, don't rush it as a daytrip from London. The money you save not doing an expensive rushed tour will pay for the hotel in York.

okay...mjdh...im thinking hard...about to ring and book accommodation
im hearing you...460aud for the tour for daughter and me will indeed buy plenty of accommodation in York...but there are the train tickets as well to consider...have no idea how much these are..
money isnt the entire focus..as long as we dont start falling into the 'ridiculous' basket, im not too worried
im thinking about the time and hassle it is to pack up...get to the train station...haul our luggage...get there...haul our luggage/ catch cab ...settle into hotel or at least dump luggage then set out again...
repeat that a few times and it does eat into your sight-seeing
as opposed to rush out and leave your luggage and just do daytrips...with or without an organised tour

what if we just caught a train from london up to york by ourselves..say one of the earlier ones...spent the day..and returned to london on an 8pm (or something around that time..getting back to our hotel by 10 30pm)

what are your thoughts>? still too rushed?

I have no idea what an Australian dollar is worth but 460 is a big number. Only you know if that is 'ridiculous' or not.

You get cheaper train tickets by booking about three months in advance. Use the train operators website to book (East Coast) and pick the tickets up at a machine before you travel. If you look at dates a couple of months in advance of now you will have an idea of what it will cost.

For me, York would be too far for a day trip from London, but then I like to take my time in a place. And there is a lot to see in York.

Can't believe how much that organised day trip to York is! My eyes are watering.
Yes, it's easily done as a day trip - living in North Yorkshire we do it the other way round and come down to London for the day. It will get dark reasonably early but just do your York outside things first.
There's lots to do in York but you are clearly a planner, so just work out what your priorities are and you'll get a really good taste of the city.

Train to York or Leeds is very easy and if booked early (unchangeable) the price is pretty good.

You can do a York day visit but the cheaper tickets tend to be post 9ish which limits the day but you can dine on the train on the way back

Migraine, does she eat vegimite? Its uk equiv. helps me.

dollar AUD is about US dollar. 460 sounds high

You might find this thread interesting too.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...r-not-york.cfm

yes it is a lot for the two of us to have an organised tour london - york..
(460AUD is about 257 GBP or 420 USD at the moment
...
but when youre on holidays..mum and daughter..theres a different budget altogether..
theres the 'convenience factor' that has to be built in lol
thats why tours...something that we never do with OH ...might be good for this leg of the trip
we will see
in the meantime..ive extended our stay in London to 12 nights..and will start tweaking it..

will research exactly what we need to see in York ...maybe we could leave london on the Thursday...leave the bulky bags at the hotel( they might mind them for us,seeing as we are coming back on the saturday night) and just pack overnight bags...have to check with the hotel directly i guess

thanks again everyone !

Well of course it's entirely your business how you spend your money but I'd be thinking of all the other things I could do with that amount!
I promise you, York is an absolute doddle for independent travellers. The train station is very close to the city centre - you'll be off that train and into the heart of the city in moments.
Loads of places to stay - even a Hotel slap bang next to the station called the Royal York.
Google and print off a map of the centre - there are plenty of good ones - and away you go.

Like Morgana, I've no idea what your money is worth.

But York is supremely walkable, its station is almost in the middle of everything, and much of what's worth doing is free. For an English speaker, it's probably the most pointless place on earth to need any kind of guide or package for.

Booking now, it's about £25 return on the train, plus the cost of the tube to Kings Cross to get on it. Leave it till the day you go, and that £25 can easily turn into ~£250 on a weekday if you get a train early enough for a full day's sightseeing.

Do stay in York. We've left bags at London hotels several times and traveled light to York and to Edinburgh. We were last in York late October 2011 for 2 nights and could have easily had another day.

We can recommend the Hazelwood York B & B just outside the walls and an easy walk to the Minster, the Shambles, etc.

IMHO York is about 5 times more interesting than Leeds. I would split time between London (and day trips - but do remember the very early dark) and York (with a day trip or two from there). I wouldn;t miss Hadrian's wall - but I think you wold need a car to make that work from york.

Morgana's right. It would be easy to get to York and to get around, as it's not very big but with lots to do. I would not try to see Hadrian's Wall from there, as it is quite a ways south and would be very hard to see without a car (and even with a car it is not easy).

Hadrian's Wall is over 100 miles north of York - I wouldn't be thinking about trying to see it with your time constraints.

Work to Edinburgh in one day with a long stop at Hardian's Wall and IMHO it was well worth it - based on our fascination with all things Roman. If not interested - there are many other places to see within an hour or so from York if you elect to spend several nights there.

nyt - by public transport? If so, details, please.

The main train station in York is close and easy--you could easily get yourselves to York and stay for a couple days. A day trip to York is WAY too fast. We just spent four days in York (and I've been before) and loved it. York has everything and it's all so close, very easy without a car.

thanks again for all your input folks ( and yes we do eat vegemite, bilboburgler..ill pass on that info to her..thank you!)
i rang our hotel in leicester sq last night and confirmed that they will hold our big bags no problem while we go to york
so im thinking we go up for two nights

the train is cheap if we book it soon as you all point out..so if we get our act together we should be able to buy the tickets here next week

so...should we go up in the evening say on wednesday and have two full days and part of saturday in the area>
?
we have to be back ...remember...to meet OH in London late saturday afternoon...so we could catch an afternoon train back

id like to see the countryside by day but...that would cut into a londond sightseeing day if we leave during the daylight hours...should we sacrifice the saturday as a travelling day and leave earlier on the saturday or stay as long as we can in the york area>

im thinking we walk around york itself on the thursday and then maybe do a bus trip somewhere out a bit...on the friday...any recommendations? or is there enough to do in york for two and a half days?

if we leave london around 8pm on the wed night..is that too late for two females to be travelling? i suppose the trains are pretty full anyway no>?
we might as well leave London earlier...we would have to stop our activity in the afternoon anyway to go back to pick up our overnight bags from the hotel in leicester sq and then get back to the station..it will be peak hour...if we do that
...is that a problem?
any opinions >
? thanks so much

Lots to do in York but I'd maybe take the train and explore Durham as well.
Or hire a car and tour the north York moors.
Bus travel exists depending where you want to go but can be slow and patchy. Depends what interests you - Whitby? Castle Howard? Rievaulx ?
Perfectly safe to travel after 8pm.

Note that if you go up Wed night and return Sat that's three nights not two. I agree that Durham is worth a look, as is Hadrian's wall. Plenty to see in York as well. I'd add another night to York, you already had seven nights in London, and while there's always more to see there, no reason to short-change the north.

If you leave London at 8:00 in January you won't see anything from the train, but I guess that won't matter so much if you come back in the afternoon. Sunset on Jan 29 is 4:45 pm.

traveling on the 8pm is ok, the night train (sleeper if it still runs is another issue) but 8 is ok. You can use my earlier link to see bus routes that go say to Ripon.

The sleeper to Scotland is still running, and there's no reason to question its safety. However, the journey to York is far too short to make a sleeper sensible.

>>if we leave london around 8pm on the wed night..is that too late for two females to be travelling?<<

You will be totally safe no matter when you travel. (The sleeper is also totally safe -- but not really relevant for the two+ hour journey to York . . . )

Fellow Aussie here who's done something similar.

Absolutely don't be persuaded by travel agents to do day tours to other parts of UK from London. You spend all day on the bus and see very little, it's dark by 4.30. $460 for day trip to York? That's insane, but you've already found you can do it cheaper yourselves. Look into shorter tours out of York to the abbeys, Castle Howard, etc etc. Lot's to see in the area.

With 5 nights to play with, I'd absolutely leave London and make one or two bases further afield. York would be a great base and accommodation should be much cheaper than London - Do your own research for a B&B as opposed to touristy hotel recommended by a TA.

Personally I don't find packing up, checking out etc to be the big deal that some do. What if you don't like the hotel you've been booked into and you're stuck there for two weeks?

Personally, I wouldn't do the Cotswolds as a day trip from London and when I was researching, all the tours combined their so-called "Cotswolds" visit with Oxford or Bath, both worth at least a whole day in their own right. Basically it was a drive through.

Whatever you choose, it will be great and don't worry, you'll feel quite safe.

cant thank you enough...truly..this makes all those crinkles disappear and i know i just fuss so much about the unknown..dont know why really...have travelled a bit and everything works out usually and what you dont know youve missed remains just that !lol

ok
so im about to book accommodation in york
ill get the train tickets this week...some time after 5pm to york on the wednesday night which will give us two and 3/4 days
durham? havent researched this Morgana/ thursdaysd...ill have to have a look...but what do you like about this town?


as for the accommodation...we are going to be in B and bs all through ireland on the same trips..i dont know why but i think id rather have a hotel room for my daughter and myself in York
my friend recommende the Hilton in York ..what do you think?

Are there any hotels with pretty vistas? Dont want to be near raging pubs on that friday night but dont want to be on the outskirts
Are the hotels near the railway noisy?
We are spending between 139 and 169 pound for the hotel in london ( rate varies according to the night) so around that would be ok...dont want a hovel but dont need 5 star, either...
thanks again ... really youve all been so helpful!

Ok..just an update..cos i know youre all sleepless from not knowing lol
have decided on three nights in York..just bought advance purchase tickets from here in Sydney for an 8pm departure from Kings X
booked the Best Western Plus Dean Court in Duncombe Pl which is very central-88GBP per night which is pretty good..very happy with that

as for other travel...still dont know..might post my musings in another thread
cheerio and thanks for dropping by to see how im doing !

We stayed inn Dean Court years and years ago and really liked it. It's quite close to everything--particularly York Minster. However, it did have a pub--one of my memories of York is a truck noisily unloading barrels into the cellar early in the morning. But I wouldn't let that deter you as it is a really nice place.