First Time to England - Itinerary Help!
 

My husband and I are planning our first trip to England (first trip to Europe actually!) and I would love some help with our itinerary! We are planning on going end of May 2020/early June 2020. A bit about us - we are both in our mid-twenties and our interests include outdoor activities, food, historical sights (not huge on museums, but I love touring homes, estates, etc.), and I also love royal history. We would prefer not to hire a car. Since it's so far in advance, our dates are pretty flexible, but we are looking at 12 or 13 nights. We will most likely fly out of Nashville or Atlanta on a Friday night and land in Heathrow on Saturday morning. Here's what I have so far:

Saturday - land in Heathrow early AM, Regent's Park, Camden Market, maybe the British Museum if we are feeling up to it and have some time

Sunday – take a train to Royal Tunbridge Wells or East Grinstead to visit Ashdown Forest, and possibly Groombridge Place (I’m a huge Winnie the Pooh and Pride and Prejudice fan). We could switch this day around, but Groombridge Place is only open on weekends, bank holidays, and school holidays so I’m trying to keep that in mind.

Monday – Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard (I know a lot of people say it’s not worth it, but I’ve always wanted to see it), Churchill War Rooms, explore some parks and/or London neighborhoods (Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, St. James’s Park, Notting Hill, Chinatown?)

Tuesday – Tower of London, walk across Tower Bridge, Borough Market, St. Paul’s Cathedral

Wednesday – Walk by Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey tour, afternoon tea, explore other London areas (would love some ideas here)

Thursday – Windsor Castle, train to Moreton-in-Marsh, take a taxi to Stow-on-the-Wold probably?

Friday – explore Cotswolds towns (Bourton-on-the-water, Upper and Lower Slaughters, Stow-on-the-Wold)

Saturday – more time in the Cotswolds?

Then we will have Sunday through Thursday (flying out late Thursday most likely)

I would love some ideas on what to do with the rest of our trip! I’ve looked into York, the Jurassic Coast, the Lake District… We would love to go somewhere on the coast, but I don’t know if it would take up too much travel time?

Also feel free to tweak the London and Cotswolds part of our itinerary! I definitely want to make sure we aren’t too rushed and have enough time at each place. I appreciate the help!

You'l have a great trip . . . Just quick notes right now to get you thinking/reconsidering..

• Don't plan on anything substantial on your arrival Saturday. Especially not the British Museum or that sort of thing. Even with say a 9AM arrival at LHR you won't get to you hotel until at least noon. Depending on where you end up staying -- pick a nearby park or a walk along the river something like that -- fresh air is the biggest help for jet lag.

• Day trips are fine -- absolutely. But I would not plan on taking train trips out of town until you've been in town a couple of days. Otherwise you get off an over night flight and immediately the next morning you are traveling again.

• There isn't as much going on at Borough Market on Tuesdays -- later in the week is better.

• Your Thursday plan doesn't work at all. Windsor and the Cotswolds would only fit together if one is driving. By train - nope. the journey between Windsor and Moreton in marsh would take 2 hours and that doesn't include getting to Windsor or touring the Castle / town.

I'll post more later.

Hey this is an excellent Itinerary, and I think you're travelling to the UK at the right time. As well as the obvious spots in London you should check out the following places too.
1) Heron Tower - Located next to Liverpool Street - It's probably the best free view of London you can get. It's home to a couple of very nice (but expensive) restaurants called Sushi Samba and Duck and Waffle, but you can just go up for a drink (which is what I would do) if you just want to check out the view
2) Borough Market is ok, but Camden Market is more fun with more going on to be honest. The London History and Science museums are a must too - and they're free!
3) The rest of your trip looks good. Lake District - Check out Lake Windermere. It's gorgeous
4) Consider Edinburgh too if you're going as far as York - So much history, great food and whiskey tasting (if you like that sort of thing)

If it's your first trip to Europe there's no knowing how you'll do with jetlag or fatigue. You're young, which helps, but I might offer an alternative plan, just for you to consider. Fortunately you've got lots of time to plan.

Think about moving London to the end, rather than the beginning of your trip. My reason for suggesting this is simply that London is so intense, and involves so much moving around, that doing it while you're a bit groggy or unaccustomed to looking to the right before crossing a street means it can be quite stressful. Or even hazardous - once when I was living in Britain I met a friend from the US who was visiting in London. On our first walkabout, he looked the wrong way and stepped in front of a red bus, and all I saw was him cartwheeling through the air. Fortunately he was unharmed (!) and the only casualty was the bus driver's knickers ;).

What if you started in Windsor instead? It's very close to Heathrow, and while it will be full of visitors, they mainly go away at night. It's an extremely walkable town, with numerous parks including the royal ones, the river, Eton... as well as plenty of nice pubs and restaurants, decent hotels that tend to be a little cheaper than in central London, and plenty of "OMG I'm in England" moments. From the train station (Windsor & Eton Central) you can get to Oxford, Reading, Bath, Stroud (in the Costwolds) etc. in less than two hours. You could even do a day trip or two with a base in Windsor; you'll have plenty of daylight after all.

Then head into London for the rest of your time. By now you'll be able to race around the city, seeing sights, with no energy falloff issues (if you had any in the first place.)

Just a thought,anyway.

I'd still assume day one is going to be a mixture of brain mush/culture shock and just getting to understand how stuff works. I would plan to visit lots of gardens, stretch the day into the evening with drinks outside and maybe even eat outside. If you end up inside you are in danger of giving up.

I would try walking in the Cotswolds. There are thousands of miles of legal paths all over the country and really there is nothing like starting in hotel1 and walking via a pub to hotel 2. The hotel will get a taxi to ship your luggage (and charge you for the pleasure), but it is a great way to travel. You can buy maps or go on the "Ordnance" map site (yes that is its name) or use https://footpathmaps.com/ to plan the walk.

BTW you are unlikely to find "whiskey" in Scotland (it's whisky).

>>BTW you are unlikely to find "whiskey" in Scotland (it's whisky).<<. ;)

Also not sure what is meant by the 'London History museum'. Could mean the Natural History (which is next door to at also mentioned Science) OR possibly the Museum of London.

LNE: I've now had a chance to read the rest of your plan. I assume you are also flying out of London - right? If so I take a page from Gardyloo's ideas but change it even more. I would place all your London time at the end of the trip (you need to be there the evening before flying out anyway).

You say 'mid 20's -- are one or both of you 25+ yo? That makes a difference re cost of rental cars. Having a car in the Cotswolds is a definite advantage.

You could spend the first night or even 2 nights in Windsor. Recover from the jet lag, walk in the wonderful Great Park, visit the Castle. Then collect a car and drive into the Cotswolds and stay 2 nights. Then a long drive up to the Lakes (Say Chipping Campden to Windermere is typically a 4.5 to 5 hour drive via motorways or you could take a more scenic 2 days to drive it and stay somewhere like Chester en route. Then 2 nights in the Lakes. Drop the car in Manchester and take the train down to London for the rest of you time.

janisj: Thank you for your tips and wisdom! :) I originally thought about doing Windsor at the beginning, and after reading everyone's advice, I'll switch our itinerary around and do London at the end. It would be nice to start our trip closer to the airport! We can really fly out of anywhere, but London may be a bit cheaper. We are both 25+, I'll try to convince my husband to drive on the wrong side of the road ;) Would you recommend the Lake District over other areas along the coast?

Binge_travelling: Thank you for the recommendations! We've already scoped out some food we want to try in Camden Market and Borough Market, so I'm hoping we will have time for both!

Gardyloo: Super helpful tips, thank you! I definitely don't want to step in front of any buses :) I'm definitely going to start off in Windsor now after reading everyone's comments.

bilboburgler: Thank you! I would like to spend our first day outside as much as possible. I threw in the British Museum on the first day as a strong maybe. We would love to do a lot of walking in the Cotswolds. Do you recommend any particular towns?

If you go to Camden Market, do consider walking the Regent's Canal to Regent's Park. I did this a few days ago and it's great. You can go off trail at Primrose Hill (a great view of London can be had there) or you can continue on to Regent's Park. (there's a pavillion near the Hub sport's centre (watch the cricket going on everywhere around you), and one closer to York Bridge. (Regent's Bar and Kitchen)

https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/the-regents-park

Just about any town in the Cotswolds would be a good base - look especially at Burford, Chipping Campden, Stow-on-the-Wold, perhaps Broadway. All are larger villages/small towns that have multiple restaurants, pubs, accommodations, and are convenient for touring around . . . by car. If you want to do it by public transport -- then look at Moreton-in-Marsh or Charlbury which have train connections to London but then you'd have to rely on local buses to get around.

The Lake District is wonderful and very scenic. But I'd maybe consider North Yorkshire instead. You'd have the wonderful city of York, the amazing Dales, the Moors, and seaside towns like Whitby.

Mainly depends on if you want mostly hiking and great scenery (the Lakes) or really lovely Dales scenery plus York, abbey ruins, etc.

Public transport app for the UK https://www.traveline.info/

Even better, take a boat.

https://www.londonwaterbus.com/

Jason's Trip

menachem: I definitely want to visit Regent’s Park as the roses should be in full bloom while we are there!

janisj: Thank you for the recommendations! We would love hiking and beautiful scenery, but I would also like to see the coast of England as well. I’m trying to decide if we want to travel more North or South in the country!

bilboburgler: Thank you!

thursdaysd: That sounds wonderful!

Definitely chose Royal Tunbridge Wells over East Grinstead. The city is an old spa where royals and the rich flocked centuries ago - it has a parklike setting in certain areas and is really nice. The old well is still there and you can taste its not so tasty water.

Thanks, PalenQ. I don't anticipate really visiting those areas, the train stations closest to Ashdown Forest are located there.

A word about driving...if you are confident driver at home and don't get flustered in ordinary circumstances, you can do it. My first trip to Britain was when I was about 33. I found adapting to be quite easy. Concentrate on driving and have your partner do the navigating. You don't want to drive in large cities. A car is a liability there anyway. Start out in a small town or from the airport and drive out to the country. After a few minutes you'll "get it". You are constantly reminded that you are doing something different by your position in the car. Remember to order an automatic transmission if you can't drive standard. If you do drive standard it is exactly the same except you use your left hand to move the gear shift. Clutch, brakes and gas are the same. Don't drive right after landing on a flight that has changed time zones. Your plan to spend a day or two in Windsor will be perfect.

I don't want to push you to do something that is too uncomfortable for you, but, as I said, if either of you are the sort that actually like driving, you will do fine. Having a car opens up so many more possibilities. If you do decide to drive for part of your trip, make sure you are booking places have parking available and hopefully include it in the price.

PS. I am now in my seventies and still drive in Great Britain almost every year. (I have survived!!!)

Oxford could be a neat first days too -more to see and do than in Windsor - at least for folks that age -can go by train or bus from Heathrow. Cotswolds on doorstep.

>>can go by train or bus from Heathrow<<

There is no train from LHR to Oxford.

<can go by train or bus from Heathrow> - janis I did not say direct train but that you could go by train:

Not a direct train but you take Heathrow Connect to Harlington & Hayes

change there for trains to Slough

change at Slough for Oxford

takes 1 h 40 min - bus probably quicker but you can indeed go by train from Heathrow to Oxford.

Another viewpoint on the driving: For a first trip to England, my opinion is that there is so much to see where a car is unneeded that I don't know why you'd add one more thing to get acclimated to. Remember, thousands of college students backpack without a car and see a lot. I was one of them many years ago...

For a recent trip I wanted to see some places not easily done by train.
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My husband is a confident driver with good reflexes. It was hard on some country roads, not just what side of the road you are on, but the placement of the vehicle in the lane. On the passenger side of the car, the curbs were quite high on some of the highways, and it was important not to drift near the edge. My oldest, who has nerves of steel, sat up in front and would call out "edge" or "curb" regularly.

Roundabouts are also quite challenging.

When we turned in our vehicle, the staff spent quite a while inspecting the exterior of the vehicle, including at times with a flashlight, and particularly on that passenger side. He seemed surprised that we got back our full deposit. I guess other people don't have a guy willing to yell "curb."