Margo

Carolyn--I agree about doing a garden tour of the UK. I say "UK" because some of the most spectacular gardens are in Wales, ie. Bodnant Gardens, and Scotland ie. Inverewe Garden. I took an organized tour several years ago that concentrated on gardens of Southern England, my favorite at that time was Stourhead (it was May and the Rhodies were in bloom). Since then, I and a friend have rented a car for two weeks in May (about ten trips or so) and visited most areas of the UK one area at a time, such as Cornwall.

So I was going to suggest to Raven01 that if she or her Mother had an interest in gardening, and since they were planning to travel in May, that they might select a tour that includes the Chelsea Flower Show which occurs towards the end of May. Of course they could arrange to visit the show on their own by purchasing tickets on the web. Now that is a real British experience!

Margo

rogeruktm

Cholmondry is flat out wrong about the train taking all day. It take two hours each way from London. He/she mentioned that Canterbury is much closer, well it takes 1 1/2 hour by train. Wincester is closer, but having been there, the place offers little. York on the other hand has so much to offer that there is no comparison.

lennyba

We spent a day in York last year en route from London to Edinburgh. I would have been happier spending a night there, but it worked out fine and we saw everything we wanted to. I don't think a day trip from London is silly - just take the first train in the morning and plan your time wisely. It's an easy walk from the station to the sights.

Raven01

Using the great advice from this board, I've talked with my mother about narrowing down her specific requests.

We have a new schedule, in this order:

Edinburgh: 2 days (including arrival)
York: 2 days
London: 4 days (possible side trip to Hampton Court Palace or something else close)
Paris: 3 days

We'd fly open jaw into Edinburgh and out of Paris, and would most likely use the Chunnel from London to Paris. We definitely want to visit cities other than London, but are looking for a more relaxed pace than my previous posts (and schedules) allowed.

Comments? We are thinking of delaying our trip from May 09 to September 09, but money is a concern -- if one time would be cheaper/warmer than others, than that is a consideration. While I realize English weather is iffy at best (at least it was during my year long study abroad on the Southern coast), my hot-natured mother will roast in June without air conditioning!

janisj

Your new plan is soooooo much better

Don't make your choice based on potential weather. May can be glorious - or not. Sept can be glorious - or not.

Both months are outside of the main tourist season so not much difference in either costs or crowds.

If it were me - I <i>might</i> prefer May just because I slightly prefer spring flowers to fall ones. But there really is nothing much in it. Just pick whichever one fit your schedule best

stevelyon

I would definitely stay the night in York - there is too much to see - I lived there for three years and even though I'm only an hour away I always stay the night and still find loads to see. I would think about Chester v Cardiff; North Wales is beautiful - that said I have never been to South Wales and would love to go to the coast there but that might be stretching you too far.
Good luck

janisj

stevelyon: Raven01 has moved on from the original plan. see her post @ Date: 02/15/2008, 09:11 p.m. w/ the new itinerary.

crazychick

I have seen a few comments about not going to Cardiff if you want to see Wales proper etc etc. I also undersatnd about picking Cardiff as it is is an easy train ride from Padington to Cardiff just over 2hours. Now it depends on why people want to go to Wales. Some want to see castles, some want to see the scenic coast or as Tom Jones would sing &quot;The Green Green Grass of Home&quot;.
Cardiff has a Castle, Cearphilly castle is just outside and can be done on a short bus ride. There is there is St Fagans the Welsh museum of life. All the normal things you would expect to see in a Capital city that is very compact. You could also take a bus out to the Breacon Becons for some of that green green grass of home. Cardiff is near the coast so you could go for a trip up the coast if you had time. Now if your reason for coming to Wales was just for the senic coast then there is the option of maybe not getting off at Cardiff but staying on the train and getting off at swansea. You could then get a bus to the Gower coast.
You do not have much time. Now this is not just because I live in Cardiff if I was going to South wales via trains and needed to be in Cardiff airport to fly to Paris I would skip York and stick with just the idea of London Cardiff Paris.
Yes there are lots of fantastic places with, what some might say better castles in Wales, outside of South Wales, but to do it proper you need a car and a few more days.
So you would then have to skip say Paris and consider what noe847 says train to Cardiff for a few days and the hire a car to see more of Wales.

crazychick

Just spotted the revised plan and Wales has now been cut out. This new one seems to flow better.

Mimar

I like your new itinerary. And I'd stick to May. The English countryside is so beautiful in the spring, and the days are longer, which is good for maximizing your sightseeing.

Once you settle your dates, get all your train tickets as soon as possible, both in the UK and Eurostar. You will save significant amounts of money. You can buy your tickets online and pick them up at the stations.