gretchengary

My husband and I would like to visit the English countryside without driving. We would like to stay 3 nights in 3 different towns. Any suggestions on how to do that?

TimS

Traveling by coach (bus) will be cheaper than the train and will take you to more "out-of-the-way" places. Visit www.nationalexpress.com and click on Coachcards and Offers. Your best choice may be the Tourist Trail Pass. You can go anywhere and hop on and off as often as you wish. On the other hand, if you know in advance exactly where you want to go, point-to-point tickets will probably be cheaper than a pass.

jon

My sisters and I did a similar trip 3 years ago, and we did it by train. We bought a 4-day Britrail flexipass for the trains (we bought this before we left US), and it was wonderful to have the flexibility to go wherever we wanted. The train system is fantastic and goes just about anywhere. Granted, when you get to a small town, transportation might be a little limited. But you can always walk. We did this with 1 backpack or totebag each, since we were in a different town each night. It is possible to pack light and be able to travel freely in the countryside. I would highly recommend the train pass as a great way to see the countryside and get to where you want to go. As a note, we did know where we were stopping each night, so before we bought the pass, we just made sure the train went to each town. It's very simple.

jmw

Hi Gretchen, Some time ago two knowledgeable posters, Ben Haines and "JC" passed along a lot of good information. Try a search for English gardens, or Ben Haines. Like you, I'm really interested in the subject of public transport in Britain. Hope to read more as you continue your research. J.

jmw

p.s. I can offer one suggestion. Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire is an absolutely lovely town with a train station. You might investigate it as a possibility for one of your 3-nighters -- There must be a way to investigate its daytrip 'connections'.

GeoffHamer

I would suggest researching carefully where you go. Some places can be reached easily by train and others are easier by bus, but even small towns usually have at least an hourly bus service. I prefer to stay in bigger towns that have a good choice of pubs and restaurants, and then to make day trips to smaller places. I'm sure that if you specify which towns, villages or areas interest you, someone can suggest the easiest way to go.

JudyC

It is easy to travel around countryside by public transportation. I usually take train for long distance travel, then take bus to tour locally. But,unless you would like to do long distance trip everyday (years ago, I did a trip-London,York,Harrrowgate,Edinburgh.) it is not necessary cheaper to buy Britrail Pass. Point to point tciket is often better priced.

Perhpas it would be much more enjoyable to pick one area(such as East Anglia,Devon,Lake District,Peak disrict,Cornwall, Wales(not England)...),then choose several towns to visit.

Most major towns (on train routes)in each area have extensive bus network. The bus company usually offer Day Rover-a good bargain for unlimited touring the area. However, please remember the schedule usually much reduced during weekend.

BrimhamRocks

JudyC, when you say Harrrowgate, do you mean Harrogate?

I live just a few miles from Harrogate. It's where Agatha Christie was found, suffering from apparent memory loss, when she mysteriously disappeared for eleven days in December 1926.

JudyC

Yes,it's Harrogate,my typo mistake.

Harrogate is a lovely town, I enjoyed the concert at Valley Gardens and tea at Betty's very much.

BrimhamRocks

There's also a Betty's in the city of York, which is about a 20-30 minute drive (depending on the weather/ traffic, as usual!) from Harrogate.