Greg, while I do often book ahead and price is certainly an issue, doing so has nothing to do with data and everything to do with my feeling that where I stay is an important part of my experience and I look for accommodations that contribute to that. So, as long as they aren't beyond my budget by too far, I want particular places I find after a lot of looking, and book them as soon as I can.

We all find different things fun, so if price trends are your thing, great, no criticism here whatever.

"...changing plans on the fly... on a long linear itinerary it is harder."

I disagree. Are we having fun? No? Move on. Do we have time for Suchandsuch Castle (it IS on our itinerary)? Maybe, but I'd rather arrive early for a leisurely dinner in Bath. Yes, save it for next time.

We aren't prisoners of our plans.

Much good advice here; so wise to be planning so far in advance.

We found that interactive map estimates for driving times needed to be DOUBLED. Mostly, it was 1.5 to 1.75 times what the website-map estimate was, but by allowing twice as long, we had more wiggle room.

Either no one said or I missed it above--remember that checking in and out and parking and all that takes HOURS each day, so your initial plan really looks undoable. I mean, you could maybe technically drive from spot/city to spot/city and sleep each night, but no time to actually SEE anything. Which also takes hours--parking, tickets, finding it, souvenirs, maybe crowds. Etc., etc.

Believe me, I KNOW the desire to see it all! But after 6 trips to the UK, I've learned to scale back.

Driving has distinct advantages, but most of your list can actually be seen via train travel. Once DH and I camped out in London for 2 weeks, took 5 day trips, and had a blast. Not having to pack and unpack every day was great.

Another time we did a loop, with each night in a different spot. Also great, but we had pretty short drives each day.

Anyway, did you consider using London as a base? There's a train to Salisbury from where you catch a bus to Stonehenge--easy day trip to see those 2 things. Winchester (wonderful) and Brighton (which I would NOT make much effort to see, but that's just my opinion) are doable.

A car would be great to have in Dover and to get to Bodiam (DEFINITELY worth it) and then on to Bath.


Maybe you could cut down some driving time, stay in London more, and use train trips from London. Been a while since I've compared costs, but for time and ease and avoiding all the room moving, you might consider this.

I am definitely a pre-book kind of person--I like to know that at the end of a day I have a place to sleep!

I really hadn't thought about doing day trips to Salisbury and Stonehenge from London. But it is nice to have a car at ones disposal.

When I looked at a map I tried to find a driving route that once I had the rental car I could try to plot out a viable trip and tick off some of the places on my list-- I like the idea of having a base and then doing day trips from there. Could you suggest some bases that would be practical for some of these sights as day trips?

Janisj--Hermitage is not on my list as I was thinking of the Hermitage Castle in Scotland....planning this trip is certainly leading to major headaches!! Sorry for the error.

OK -- that explains things ;)

(I've been to both - but couldn't really see a reason for Hermitage [the village] ). Hermitage is very near the Village where the Duchess of Cambridge grew up.

As for bases -- yes there are some. But you will likely have to ditch a place or few. Somewhere in the Salisbury/Devizes/Marlborough triangle could serve a a base for Salisbury, Stonehenge, Winchester, Avebury and Bath. Stay there 4 nights and you could tick off all of these.

Someplace w/i a 10 mile circle of Ashford would be a good base for Dover, Deal, Walmer, Canterbury, and all of Kent and much of East Sussex (even Brighton if you must). But there is a LOT to see in this general area - easily a week's worth - like Hever, Chartwell, Sissinghurst, Rye and a TON of other places.

Windsor is a VERY easy day trip from London by train.

Your mention of it being nice having a car at one's disposal is true in many circumstances but not all. I would certainly consider day trips from London as an option. It would help in making things easier for you. You could always spend a night or two enroute. For example travel to Salisbury spend the afternoon, stay overnight and head to Stonehenge the next day returning to Salusbury for the night, then catch train to Bath etc. You could easily include Winchester too making a trip of 3/4/5 days without having to drive at all. Consider going by train when there are easy and frequent connections and renting a car when necessary.

I would also eliminate Brighton unless you have some special reason for visiting. Cambridge and Windsor are easy day trips from London.

If going by train to all the places historytraveleer outlines and I agree trains are best if just wanting to go to those places - you have enough trains in SE England to take a good look at the Days Out of London Railpass which covers all those trains even to Bath and also includes a return ticket on airport express trains to London's major airport - hop any train anytime - no off-peak requirements - leave as early as you want, etc.

For lots on British trains and that pass or other passes check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Compare prices at www.nationalrail.co.uk to see if regular tickets are better - but flexibility to return from day trips is key to me as I never know how long I may want to spend in say Oxford so do not want to lock myself into some specific time and date as many discounted tickets I believe -not sure - do - read the conditions of use on National Rail site. You can easily book individual tickets there too if they are a better deal.

Ah…those roundabouts. Glad you've experienced them. Once my husband and I were trying to reach Bath…… finally he said…. to hell with it… and we went to Wells. Thank goodness, probably would have missed it otherwise. It's only 20 miles from Bath and well worth the time if you can squeeze it in.

Have added Wells to my to do list as it looks marvelous-- is it possible to get there from Bath without a car??

From Bath, you could take a small group tour with Mad Max Tours that includes Wells. They have several other itineraries as well that include some lovely areas without the hassle of driving. We also took a tour of the Cotswolds with Lion Tours from Bath and greatly enjoyed it. I'd provide links if I were more proficient on this tiny tablet, but a quick Google search will turn up the websites.

I believe there are easy bus connections between Bath and Wells - hopefully someone can chime in with more info.

I didn't make it clear above, but we took the Mad Max tour that included Wells, Glastonbury and the Cheddar Gorge. Wells was the highlight - it's just gorgeous.

Here is a link to a TR that you may find interesting or even useful. We covered some of the same ground that you mention. Much though is different but since our trip was shorter than yours, this itinerary might give you some ideas for branching out.

BTW, many of our best meals were in Pubs.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...endangered.cfm

Every time I see old UK threads w/ Cholmondley_Warner posts - just makes me sad. But your report is still wonderful . . .

basingstoke2--thanks for the TR--got some good suggestions from it.