Judyrem

We would like to go back to the UK in April/May for 2 weeks.
I would like to do Wells ,Galstonbury ,Bath, Exeter. Devon area with someplace closer to LHR for the journey back to LHR.
I was thinking about a self catering in Bath for 5 days. Is it hard to do day trips from there?
I think we will not do London this time(sigh).
I am looking at my GBH pass map and figuring out what to do from there.
I thought about Highclere (of course ), but nothing seems to be close by.
What say you UK experts?

janisj

Running late for an appt. (CPA - taxes ) but just one quick comment. Highclere isn't far from Avebury which is great if you haven't been. And there are other neolithic sites in the area.

annhig

judy,

Bath should make an excellent centre for day-tripping - not only Bristol [by rail, obviously] but Wells, Bradford upon avon, Cheddar, and probably some other places I can't think of at the moment.

sounds like a great trip.

Judyrem

I so glad I heard from you both!
I was hoping you would help!!!!
I am still not sure how long and where.
The last day our flight leaves at 3 from LHR.
Do you think it is too far to drive to Bath on arrival day?

BTW,

I saw this in Bath:


http://www.hideaways.co.uk/holiday-c...ey-street-H496

flanneruk

Bath is an AWFUL place for daytripping from.

It simply isn't designed for cars - especially cars belonging to people who aren't full time residents, and the likelihood of single-handedly doubling Bath's civic income from fines you didn't know you were incurring is close to 100%.

It's got surprisingly excellent railway connections for provincial England (probably only Birmingham has direct trains to so many places). But of the places you've cited, that won't get you to Wells, Glastonbury (though I THINK there's a direct bus: check at www.transportdirect.info)) or anywhere in Devon apart from Exeter and a few other railheads .

You can find adequateish B&Bs in Bath's dull, car-friendlier suburbs. Or, possibly, the odd nice hotel with free parking well outside the camera-intensive centre. But if you need a car to get round, you'll struggle to stay in a nice honeycoloured Georgian gaff in central Bath.

flanneruk

"Do you think it is too far to drive to Bath on arrival day?"

After a sleep-deprived overnight flight, on a road where everyone else drives an average of 85 mph on the side of the road you're unfamiliar with? And when there's excellent nonstop buses or even more frequent trains taking less time to do the same journey?

If that's acceptable (or sensible, or legal) in your country, you're collectively more insane than even I thought.

flanneruk

OK, partly take it back about the Great Pultney St flat. But ensure you can actually get to and from it painlessly and finelessly. Something I rarely manage in Bath

And don't hire the car till after a proper night's sleep.

janisj

I agree w/ flanner . . . Bath is really a great place to visit/stay. But it isn't a great place to day trip <i>from</i>

Parking is a bee-atch, and driving can be worse. However staying in a <i>Bath-area</i> village is a good option. Day tripping into Bath (convenient park-and-ride lots) is much easier than day tripping from Bath - especially since few centrally located B&Bs have parking.

Look in places outside of the Bath/Bradford on Avon corridor.

Like here in Corsham http://www.pickwickfarm.co.uk/

or in Farmborough http://www.schoolcottages.co.uk/

Norton St Philip http://www.atthemanor.co.uk/

Those sorts of villages -- convenient for day tripping in to Bath and convenient to get everywhere else.

Judyrem

Flanner, don't hold back, tell me what you really think ;-).
LOL
I am just getting ideas here.
We are fortunately flying business class this time and hopefully he will be able to sleep a bit. He did drive to Stowe on the Wold, but regretted it.
But I was also thinking of staying in Windsor for one night after landing.
Thanks janis for the links.
Anymore ideas about Devon, Exeter?

janisj

staying the first night in Windsor is a very good idea. Then you can easily drive on to the 'Bath area' the next day. Enroute you can visit Highclere (though it is not open between April 15 and May 6 so may not fit your plans) and Avebury.

PalenQ

Listen to annhig who lives in the area and forget what janis and flanner say - Bath can be a great base!

annhig

well, Pal, i have never tried staying in Bath and using it as a base for touring; perhaps jj and/or flanner have.

i was coming at it from the angle that it is very much a hub which could give good access to a number of different places, which has a variety of attractions in its own right, and being a city, a fair number of decent restaurants to eat in, which is what I always look for.

another tactic is to stay in a smaller place, perhaps in a country house hotel, and use that as a base, though that tends to bore me after a while, as i would prefer to be wandering round a city in the evening, even if the shops are shut. perhaps that comes from living in the country!

so the OP will just have to decide which approach she prefers.

indy_dad

We did a 3-day visit outside of Bath and saw Stonehenge, Avebury, Glastonbury and Wells. Details and photos in my TR/blog (blog link is towards the bottom of the TR).

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ay-weekend.cfm

We stayed outside Bath in Bradford-upon-Avon; actually outside of that in the country. The price was right but I'm not sure I'd recommend it (nerve racking blind single track road). However, I can confirm that it was easy to get into Bath. I think the fringe lot by the Cricket field was &pound;15/day and was a short walk into city. A bit pricey but we saved well more than that on our B&B over the August bank holiday weekend. Cheaper options for parking may exist but ours was certainly convenient.

Hope that helps.

Judyrem

Indy dad, thanks for the info! Good report!

Annhig, I am with you in the city thing.
We stayed in York and loved the walking around at night, trying new restaurants etc. TRaffic was not that bad.
I am leaning towards the self catering with the DESIGNATED parking spot...a must have for my DH.

Now I am in the second part of planning. I thought I wanted to stay in Exeter, but have since changed my mind....
where else? Plymouth?
I want something really interesting for 3/4 days.

Itinerary: for 14 nights
Windsor-1 night
Bath-5 nights
Somwheres near Devon?Cornwal? 3/4 nights
Then something around 2/3 hours from LHR for our afternoon flight.

PalenQ

http://www.stmichaelsmount.co.uk/

How about St Michael's Mount - built by the same order of monks I think at the much more famous Mont Saint-Michel in France and built on an island that at times is part of the mainland and at high tide an island - as the original Mont Saint-Michel once was but is now almost always high and dry.

Anyway the English St Miohael's Mount is in a very pretty area - Penzance makes a neat old town to stay in. If into walking then there are many nice walks in the lovely country around Penzance - Land's End area.

Judyrem

Pal, that looks great!
We did see Mont St Michel in France.
I will have to give this more thought.,,so many places so little time, sigh.
I just don't want my DH to drive too far/much.

Also, we have decided to spend 6 days in Bath....WITH a designated parking space.

annhig

it all depends how far from Bath you are prepared to travel, judy.

Bath to Marazion [where St. michael's mount is] is about 210 miles and 3 1/2 to 4 hours drive - i just checked on viamichelin.co.uk.

my preferred place to stay in Cornwall is Falmouth - you have the advantage of a super position, loads of boat-trips, lovely gardens near-by, and easy access to the far west including Penzance and the mount. accommodations of every sort are available - from tiny B&Bs to 4 star hotels on the beach. you would certainly fill your 3-4 days, and more.

however if you want a shorter drive, Lynton & Lynmouth along the north devon coast are also very nice, and again you would find plenty to engage you in that area.

returning to London from Cornwall , you could simply return the car at Truro Railway station, and hop on the train!

don't hesitate to come back with any qs, will you? I'm always happy to plug cornwall.

PalenQ

Falmouth to me was one of the nicest most romantic seaside towns I have been to - If i recall an imposing fortress-like castle brooding over the town and sea.

annhig

If i recall an imposing fortress-like castle brooding over the town and sea.>>

that's Pendennis Castle, Pal, one of the fortresses built by Henry VIII. there is a little one down on the shore that is called Little Dennis - my kids used to love going down there, and sitting in one of the windows looking out to sea. across the channel that leads up to Truro, [which has the strange name of Carrick Roads] there is t. Mawes Castle - built to protect the harbour from the other side.

why did it need protecting? because it's allegedly the 2nd deepest natural harbour in the world, and at the time the castles were built, the deepest, Sydney, was unknown to Europe.

Judyrem

I am really thinking about Falmouth Pal and Annhig.

Remember Annhig, those are paltry distances compared to the US. ;-)
I don't think he minds driving in the UK if it is on decent roads.
Are the roads 4 lanes to Falmouth?

I was thinking 4 or 5 days in Falmouth, then spend 2 or 3 days in Salisbury...then head to Heathrow for our 3pm flight.