I am trying to put together a draft itinerary for a trip to England. Would it be OK to combine a trip to Hever and Hampton castles in the same day? We would leave London, drive to Hever, and then drive over to Hampton and spend the night somewhere near there. Too rushed?

I will be traveling with my 11 & 13 y.o. boys, so they are not going to want to explore every room in great detail. I am looking forward to doing the mazes with them and seeing the interior of the castles, but again, not a lingering type tour once inside.

The short answer is no. i'm assuming you mean Hever Castle in Kent,and Hampton Court. both are full day trips, by the time you've got there, parked, eaten, etc.etc. There are other lovely interesting places to visit near Hever which would fil up the day ie pretty villages like Chiddingstone, which has its own castle and great pub. or follow a footpath and go for a walk! Hampton Court is huge and needs a day to get the most from it, and driving between them would be hellish to try to do in a day and see them as well. Don't do it!!!

We have been to Hever Castle and pretty much spend the entire day there. Likewise for Hampton Court. I can't imagine it would be any fun driving from one to the other so I'd plan on seeing some other sights in the area of Hever Castle and leaving Hampton Court for a separate visit.

Hever Castle and Hampton Court Palace (I assume that is what you mean by &quot;Hampton castle&quot; ) are only about 30 miles apart - but it could easily be a 90 minute drive. And the drive from central London to Hever could be even longer. It would be a <b>VERY</b> difficult day.

You can very easily easily do Hampton Court Palace as a 1/2 day trip from London by train and/or boat. Absolutely no reason to drive there if you are staying in London. And going to HCP and not &quot;lingering&quot; would be a real waste.

Don't know how long you will be in London but here is what I'd do (assuming you have the time)

- Day trip to HCP from central London.
- then for your out-of-town excursion - take the train to Gatwick, pick up a rental car and visit Hever and some of the other great castles in Kent/East Sussex. Say overnight in S. Kent. The next day visit Dover Castle - the kids would LOVE it. Drop the car in Dover and take the train back to London.

we were all posting at the same time - but the same result

Not far from Hever Castle is Knole, a huge country house well worth a visit.

I completely agree that this is not a good plan, far too rushed.

If I am not mistaken, the drive between these 2 locations would involve a lot of time on M25. Maybe I was there on the wrong days, but it both times I drove the M25 traffic was a nightmare and it took forever to get from one place to another.

You said you are driving from London and spending the night somewhere near either Hever or Hampton Court? What's your plan after that? If London is to be your base, then there's no need to rent a car, just use the train to get there and back.

If your plan is to leave London and drive around the countryside for a few days, then it's best to pick up the car somewhere outside the city so you will not be driving around central London. Driving there is no easy chore, to say the least, especially for someone who's not from London.

You're right janisj, I was still drafting my post as yours and all others appeared. Great minds!!

P_M: is it because we are all brilliant - or is it a secret plot

I will agree that everyone on this thread is brilliant.

As for everyone on this board....well....let's not go there.

Let me join the choir here.

We did a day trip to Hever Castle from London two summers ago, with our 10 year old daughter. It was a great day! The castle is small but interesting, especially the info on the wives of Henry VIII. There was also an exhibit on medieval torture instruments-- don't know if your boys would like that... we didn't!

The gardens at Hever Castle are extensive and absolutely beautiful. Our daughter loved feeding ducks, doing the three mazes (one has water features, as I recall), and exploring the gardens.

Maybe you could visit Hever and have a secondary destination within 30-45 minutes if time allows. Check www.mappy.com for driving distances (add some extra to the times given, as everything does take longer than you would think).

Kathy

I guess that means Henry VIII couldn't do it in a day either when visiting Anne Bolelyn!

;-)

Thank you, all. Two separate days it is!

This is my first trip to London, and and I will probably be asking a lot of questions. I guess you all would recommend that while in London, we don't have a car, but then rent one when we want to leave? Do Hampton Court as a side trip from London? I have to examine a map further, but if Legoland is close to here, I guess it would make sense to spend an overnight nearby, and then head out to Stonehenge area. (How to get from airport to London? Are taxis super expensive? I know friends have told me they've taken public transit, but I'm not sure I'm up for dealing with all my luggage and my 2 kids all one a couple hours sleep (hopefully) on an overnight flight.

The tentative itinerary is 4 days London, Hever Castle, Hampton Court, Lego Land, Stonehenge and surrounding area (Avebury, Stourhead Gardens). The Cotswolds look nice, but looking at quaint cottages isn't going to do much for my kids (or my husband). Any family stuff to do around here? What about Nottingham area (about 2 hrs. north of London - worthwhile family stuff here? I don't have my travel stuff in front of me, but I remember writing something down about a castle and cave and Sherwood Forest?

Legoland is in Windsor. Not a good double w/ Hampton Court - nor w/ stonehenge really.

You can do Windsor and legoland easily as a day trip from London - again by train. No need to drive.

The main places you want to see are Hampton Court Palace, Legoland and Stonehenge -- plus Hever but I'll put that aside for now.

You should probably stay the whole 6 or 7 days in London and take 1 day trip to Windsor/Legoland and another 1/2 day or a bit more to HCP.

Now - about Hever. It is a lovely place. But it really is the odd man out. It is the opposite direction of everything else you want to visit. Doesn't really fit. It sounds like the main reason you want to go there is the maze. Well, w/ HCP plus legoland you really don't need Hever's maze for the kids.

Do 6 or 7 days in London w/ one trip to Windsor and one to HCP.

Then you can pick up a car and head out -- travel to Salisbury/Stonehenge/Stourhead and then wind your way up through the Cotswolds and north to Nottingham. As long as you take <u>at least 3 days, 2 nights</u> for the whole drive.

Meant to add - yes you do need to study some maps.

as for getting in to London from the airport -- which airport? Makes a difference. And where are you staying in London? Also can make a difference. And finally - what time of day do you arrive? Yep - makes a difference.

Hi P M - Was the M25 exceptionally busy when you were on it? Well, not for nothing is it fondly referred to as the world's biggest car park! It is utterly unpredictable, except that even at 3am it will be busy. We left the south-east nearly 10 years ago, and I still shudder to think about it. Only to be atempted by the very brave and very patient.

Hi. We are planning on going early July - next summer. The reason I am planning so early is b/c I am trying to fly with FF miles, so I have to call this July to try to secure seats. I need to draft an itinerary to plan on how many days we need to plan for the flights.

We have 10 days, so I could dedicate 3 days/2 nights to Cotswolds.

I was not planning to combine Legoland and hampton Court in one day, but thought if they were semi-nearby we could stay out that way to visit both.

I have no idea which airport we're flying into or where we will stay - I'm not at that part yet - but please - give me suggestions! Which airport is best?

The <b>best</b>airport is the one that gets you either the best fare, or where you FF tickets take you. Any London airport has several options for travel into London - but which mode to use depends partly on where you are staying, the time of day you arrive, etc.

So just get your tickets and after you have your hotel or apartment booked we can give you info on how to get there. So don't worry about that for months . . . . . .

I wouldn't recommend driving to outer London to stay over to visit HCP and Windsor/Legoland. Both are easy to reach by train from central London. No need to pack up and move for those to sites.

One thing you might consider though - do HCP as a day trip from London. Then the day you leave the city, go out to LHR and pick up your rental car. Drive the very short distance to Windsor. Visit the castle and legoland and then continue SW to Salisbury/Stonehenge.

Then you can continue your driving tour (possibly including Bath) up through the Cotswolds and on to the rest of your time in Nottingham.

Thanks, Janisj. What's a LHR? Your suggestions sound great - I will plan on doing many days trips from London.

Sorry . LHR = Heathrow (LGW = Gatwick)