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-   -   Enland Itinerary/Thornbury Castle (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/enland-itinerary-thornbury-castle-404593/)

Jenn Feb 28th, 2004 07:06 AM

Enland Itinerary/Thornbury Castle
 
I am just beginning to plan my family trip to England. How does this sound? 3 full days and nights in London -then rent a car at Heathrow and head into the country. First stop Blenheim for 1/2 day -then on to Bath. 2 nights and 1 full day in Bath. Next day ? I REALLY want to stay over at Thornbury Castle for 1 night. It looks great - and I think 1 night in a true castle I just cannot miss. Is this a good location for a day trip to Warwick Castle? My son really wants to see Warwick. How far would it be? After this part of our trip - we are off to Paris for 4 days via the tunnel. How does this sound ? Please help!

ron Feb 28th, 2004 08:37 AM

To answer your specific question, Thornbury is not a terribly convenient location to visit Warwick. It's about 75 miles, 1h 45m each way, so you will be spending 3.5 to 4 hours that day crossing the Cotswolds twice.

If you do stay in Thornbury, you may want to consider flying BA from Bristol to Paris. It sounds a whole lot easier than driving a couple of hours to London, returning your car, getting to Waterloo station and taking the train.

Underhill Feb 28th, 2004 08:52 AM

We had lunch at Thornbury Castle some years back, before it began taking overnight guests. The meal was wonderful, as is the setting. Since Warwick Castle some distance away, why not go to nearby Berkeley Castle instead? That's the one where poor King Edward II was so nastily murdered, and the castle is full of medieval atmosphere. You can see the cell where the murder took place and a singularly unpleasant oubliette.

Jenn Feb 28th, 2004 10:11 AM

Ok - So what can you suggest that we can
visit around Thornbury Castle. Is it close to any good attractions? How long
would the trip be from Bath to Thornbury? And would it be worth a day
of relaxation and exploration at the Castle ?
Thanks for the help.

Underhill Feb 28th, 2004 11:15 AM

Seeing Warwick Castle can be done in under 2 hours. It's quite massive and gives you a real sense of what living in a fortified castle would have been like--and it's still inhabited by the family.

Farther north in the same general area is Gloucester, whose magnificent cathedral cloisters were some of the scenery for the Harry Potter films. The cathedral itself is stunning.


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