Our 9-day trip to London is coming together, finally, thanks to all the brilliant and generous Fodorites.
As mentioned before we will be taking two nights away from London to travel to Stonehenge and Bath - overnight in Bath (at The Manor House) and then the next day on to Stratford and Warwick. We plan to stay overnight either in Stratford or Warwick, or someplace in between, but of course at this late date accommodations are hard to come by anyway, and harder to come by at a price we can afford.

At this point I know, we need to grab whatever we can find (the date is for August 6) - but if you had your druthers, given your experience with the area, would you recommend staying either in Stratford or in Warwick or someplace in between? Based on ease of travel to both, ease of getting into sights, perhaps there is a lovely area in between that shouldn't be missed, etc.
Any advice and experiences would be appreciated.

Stratford and Warwick are only about 15 miles apart, if I remember correctly, so it doesn't make a lot of difference which you choose, IMO.

We stayed at the YHA in Alveston, just outside Stratford.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/5olyjc

Lee Ann

That YHA looks great! Thanks so much. Is it clean and comfortable? Can you comment on the breakfast served and the bathroom facilities?
I have already emailed them from your link with questions about availability.

I was asking about either Stratford or Warwick because I know from other posts that driving into both, and finding parking, can be a real hassle - and if one place was less a hassle than another..say if we could find lodging in Warwick close enough to walk to the castle, and then drive into Stratford, as parking there would not be so bad.. then lodging in Warwick close to the castle would be the way to go.
That kind of thing.

Warwick an Stratfortd are less than 8 miles apart. There are no town in between.

Since you'll need car parking, I'd suggest a B&B like one of these (if they have space available)

http://www.rosemaryharley.go-plus.net/
http://www.churchfarmstratford.co.uk/
http://www.croftguesthouse.co.uk/
http://www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk/bridgend.htm
http://www.whitchurchfarm.co.uk/

Driving into Warwick is not an issue - just follow the signs for the Castle - there is a large car park right there.

And driving into Stratford isn't really much of an issue either - again, follow signs to long stay car parks and avoid driving into the very center. I usually park in the lots next to the Tourist information Center as shown on this map.

http://www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk/soamapl.htm

Thanks Janisj-

So any place we stay then would be central to both areas.

I have sent emails to all of the links you sent checking on availability - I must have sent hundreds in all to others I've found on my own.
The problem here I guess is that we are only staying one night, so more often than not the proprietors write back saying they are booked.

I'm not worrying though - I think we have some time and that something will come through, affordable and clean. Kids and husband want a farmstay but I am more open to any place at all - even the youth hostel that the previous poster suggested.

http://www.theemsley.co.uk/ We stayed at Emsley Guest House in Stratford and would recommend it. They are the nicest couple to stay with. There is garage parking at no additinal cost.

We have also stayed at Shakespeare's View b&b which is between Warwick and Stratford.
http://www.shakespeares.view.btinternet.co.uk/

Leamington Spa is between them i think or anyway a nice old spa town - Warwick is tiny - Stratford is heavily touristed - Leamington Spa is a nice ole English town - i've stayed there before.

&quot;<i>Warwick is tiny </i>&quot; Huh? I'd think the population of Warwick is at least 125,000 - probably more.

The center of the town where the castle is is not large and is very walkable - but Warwick is a pretty large city.

yes, Pal,

Leamington IS nice - i used to get taken there by my grandparents so we could go to the Leamington Fancy Bakery [i kid you not] and buy their lovely cakes for tea.

Kenilworth is also interesting [has its own castle, which I think was &quot;one of the ruins that Cromwell knocked about a bit, or was it Henry V111?], and there are a number of pretty villages - Brinklow, and Church Lawford, to name but 2.

while we're in the area, no-one on this forum ever mentions Coventry as a place to visit. Whilst not the most beautiful destination, it has a rich heritage of medieval buildings, bicycle and car manufacture, and the imposing &quot;new&quot; cathedral juxtaposed with the old which was &quot;coventrated&quot; in the blitz.

regards, ann

Yes, the YHA was very clean (all the YHA hostels we stayed in were quite nice. We had a double ensuite room with a comfortable queen-size bed. The bathroom was tiny but worked well for us - that's Mr. Pickle and me, Americans in our mid-40s.

Breakfast was cold meats, hard cooked eggs, hot sausages, fruit, yogurt, and breads. Everything was fresh and tasted good.

Lee Ann

Well yes i were talking about Warwick around the castle - nothing there much - boring.

Just for the geographic and demographic record:

the population of Warwick is about 25,000,

while Warwick is the county town for Warwickshire, it is not a city and is not even the largest town in the county (which would be Nuneaton), and

Leamington Spa is not between Sratford upon Avon and Warwick; one would have to go through Warwick to get to Stratford from Leamington.

As a matter of opinion rather than fact, Warwick beyond the castle is far from boring. The collegiate church of St. Mary and it's stunning Beauchamp chapel would be worth a special visit even if there was no castle. The Lord Leycester hospital, the beautiful situation along the Avon river and the 21 locks on the Grand Union canal that raise the canal 150 feet from the Avon valley to the Birmingham plateau only adds to the attraction.

(I see while I was fact checking this submission, Roger made the population point that I made above.)

Janis, according to Warwick's web site the population is 25,434. This is not meant to sling mud, but to clarify.

Wikipedia says the same

jj was only off by 100,000

at least we know she does not paste and cut!

We stayed at the Best Western Salford Hall Hotel which is located in a little village just outside of Stratford Upon Avon called Abbots Salford. It is a restored Tudor Manor and was quite a lovely place.

If you Google Salford Hall Hotel, England you should find a couple of links.

All the best to you!

At the 2001 census the population was 25,000 ish. It has grown quite a bit since then.

PQ - I've been to Warwick more times than you could count. (At one time bought a Jensen-Healey from Donald Healey of Austin Healey fame and visited his garage maybe every 4 or 5 weeks for years.) The center is not boring by ANY means.

janis - that i will not contest as you certainly know Warwick far better than i - i should not have said boring from a fleeting dash thru it to get to the castle - just seemed like not much there

But i've really never been in an English town whose centre is boring, at least during business hours.

Just to add a spanner to the works, we stayed at Wilmcote, which is about three miles from Stratford. It is a small village, where Mary Arden's house is located, and has two pubs and a village shop. You can take the train from there into Stratford, so don't have to worry about parking, and it is handy to the A46 and Warwick.

I love Stratford - but not in tourist season. I wasn't that crazy about Warwick, but believe, from janisj's previous comments, that I didn't do the place justice.

Here's a suggested B&amp;B in Wilmcote:
http://www.stratfordbandb.co.uk/

Thanks to all who've responded, and thanks too for giving me a sense of Warwick and what lies beyond, and within. Wish we had time to see and do everything.

I have emailed enquiries to all the places suggested - kind of like casting a wide net. Let's see what comes back and affordable for us.
It may be that the hostel wins out.
Will report when we get a bite.