What is the English countryside like over the christmas holiday? worth a visit at that time of year of should I avoid it at that time of year?<BR>How much is the oneway chunnel between london and paris?<BR>thanks

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Where exactly were you thinking of going to in England. The English countryside is always beautiful (I am biased though!). It can look beautiful in Winter if the air is crisp and dry. The northern parts of the country (Lakes, Yorkshire) may get snow in December and occasionaly back roads may be closed, but the motorways and A roads are usually kept open and well gritted. In Southern England it is becoming rare to see snow in December, usually Jan/Feb are colder and then snow is more likely. In December it may of course be drizzly and grey. The country inns are always at their best in the winter, sipping hot chocolate infront of a large log fire, toasty and warm when it is cold outside. England doesn't really have any extremes of temperature, hence there is no reason not to visit in December. The shops will look lovely with their Christmas displays.<BR>The channel tunnel is always expensive, try their website for prices -:<BR>www.eurotunnel.com<BR>Another option which may be cheaper is the ferry, French or English<BR>www.posl.co.uk (P&O Stena Line a UK line, good quality reliable ferries)<BR>www.seafrance.com (try and get the new ferry "Rodin" it is faster and lovely, their other ferries are old and not so nice now, hence they are cheaper than their British counterparts POSL)<BR>The ferry crossing is about 1 hour on the Rodin and about 1 and a half hours on the other ferries. It is a beautiful journey on a clear day, but can be a little rough at times!<BR>Perhaps if you clarified exactly where you were thinking of going in England more people would reply.<BR><BR>Angela

Thanks Angela - thinking about the Cotswolds but am open to suggestions

The holidays are WONDERFUL in the UK. You can get snow in the cotswolds abut more likely not.<BR><BR>The days will be short (VERY) but the hot cider, roasted chestnuts, roaring fires make up for a lot. many of the major attractions (Blenheim, etc) are closed in the winter but thera are enough open to fill your time. None will be open Christmas and Boxing Days.<BR><BR>If you are staying a week, consider renting a cottage in any of the wonderful Cotswold cottages. Have special meals in the village pubs/restaurants and cook some meals in. In winter you can often rent cottages for "short breaks" of less than a full week, but Christmas week is an exception.<BR><BR>If you don't have a full week, then find a nice B&B that also does evening meals. bear in mind that some B&Bs are open over the holiday but a LOT do close up.