Itinerary - England
 

Hi all,

I'm in the rough planning stage of my June-July 2014 solo trip to England. I have two sets of friends there I will be visiting along the way. I'm planning to return to some literary places I visited in the north in 1988 during an English Literature Summer School. I've never really spent time in the south.

Fly into Manchester - train to York 2 nights
Train to Alnwick -- 2 nights (visiting friends here)
Train back to York, pick up car. (may need another overnight here)
Drive to Keswick, Lake District; stop at Rievaulx Abbey on the way 3 nights
Drive to Haworth (Bronte Parsonage-- and walk up to Top Wiithens) 2 nights
Drive to Bakewell (Peaks District) 3 nights (one day visiting with friend; the other touring Hathersage area, Haddon Hall and Chatsworth)
Drive to Stowe-on-the-Wold -- 3 nights (walk from village to village, and also spend a day driving around the Cotswolds)
Drive to Bath 2 nights
Drive to Dorchester - 1 night -- Thomas Hardy houses
Drive to Alton --3 nights- Jane Austen House and places she visited; Highclere Castle

Fly from Heathrow to Dublin, where I pick up an Ireland tour

I would appreciate feedback from those of you familiar with these areas; this will also my first time renting a car abroad.

wow that is one of the best itineraries I've ever seen - York is great but it is compact tourist-wise - can walk to all its many sites in a few minutes from one another - don't miss a ramble on top of the town walls. Really sweet itinerary IMO.

Thanks, PalenQ. I've been to York, and have walked around the town wall. I wasn't even going to include it this trip, then decided I should.

Mostly good -- nice amount of time in most places. But a fair bit of to-ing and fro-ing in the first half Not quite sure why you are splitting your time in York. As it is you are doing York > Northumberland > York > Cumbria > Yorkshire > and onward.

This could be arranged more effectively - Have you considered flying into EDI or GLA and starting out in w/ Alnwick at the beginning. Then the Lakes > York/Yorkshire > the Peaks . . . .

You could collect a car in Newcastle or Penrith.

Thanks so much, Janisj. This is why I posted on Fodor's. Hadn't thought of this possibility. I only added Alnwick this morning, after I heard back from my friends there (they hosted the Summer School in 1988). Now that I've checked the map, I see that this makes a lot more sense than the original plan I posted above. I'll check on getting an automatic car in Newcastle.

I'm also considering dropping Ireland and saving it for another trip. I don't have time constraints. It's just sounding a little long, and I may be ready to return home after Alton. I'll give it some thought. If I don't do Ireland, I may add a night or two in New Forest, while I'm in the vicinity. Just a thought. I've never been there.

Thumbs up to the New Forest idea. I had two nights there this past July and wish I'd had more time.
Not sure of your budget but can highly recommend the small hotel we stayed at in Brockenhurst called The Pig. Really lovely, like being in your own country house. Good food and nice staff too.

raincitygirl: I was up late last night looking at New Forest links, and did see The Pig. What a coincidence; I will look into it! Thanks so much!

Hi Susan001,

Glad to see that you have recovered from your great trip to France and are now plotting your jaunt to the UK with emphasis on literary sites.

I will be following with interest…

I'd much prefer a couple of days in the New Forest iover a rushed trek to Ireland . . .

latedaytraveler: Nice to hear from you! Oh, yes, isn't planning half the fun? I'll post a revised itinerary soon.

janisj: I tend to agree. I've never been to Ireland, and have been longing to see the Cliffs of Moher, but I suppose it can wait. I'll give this some thought.

If you're starting in Alnwick it would make more sense to fly into Newcastle

Rievaulx isn't on the way from York to Keswick, you'll be doing a detour.
Rievaulx is lovely but there are other ruined abbeys in the area - was there a specific reason for going there?

Yes - Newcastle makes sense for Alnwick - but isn't a portal from the States if that is where you are flying from.

sofarsogood: Thanks for the suggestion. This makes sense and I'm looking into it.

Morgana: National Geographic Traveler featured it once on their cover. I've been wanting to see it ever since. Yes, I know it's a detour from York, but I'm tweaking my itinerary as we speak. I may be coming from the direction of Newcastle.

janisj: If I book with British Air they will fly me into Heathrow, and from there to Newcastle. This will be the case whether I fly to Edinburgh or Manchester, as there are no nonstop flights to any of these three towns from Los Angeles.

flying from LA to Ncle you have the option of BA (change at Heathrow) KLM (change at AMS) or Air France (change at CDG).

All three airlines fly to several UK regional airports via their respective hubs. Just use kayak.com to see your options/times/prices. You don't have to use BA - Schipol is an easy airport to transfer at

Aer Lingus also flies via Dublin into Ncl

If you can get to Newcastle for a good price - then that is what I'd do.

Thanks so much sofarsogood. I'll look into these options!

Thanks, janisj. It does look like the best option.

Revised Itinerary:

Fly into Newcastle -- sleep at airport hotel.
Train to Alnwick - stay 2 nights there with friends
Train back to Newcastle, pick up car.
Drive a short distance to Durham - stay 1 night (I think my first time out with a car in UK should be a short drive).
Keswick - 2 nights
York - 2 nights (stop at Rievaulx Abbey on the way)
Haworth - 2 nights (visit Bronte Parsonage, walk to Top Withins)
Bakewell - 3 nights (visit friend; tour Hathersage, Chatsworth, Haddon Hall)
Cotswolds - 3 nights
Bath - 2 nights (visit Lacock, Castle Coomb, Stonehenge, Avebury)
Dorchester - 1 night (visit 2 Hardy homes)
Alton - 3 nights (Jane Austen places, and Highclere Castle)
New Forest -- 2 nights

I haven't decided whether I will keep or cancel the tour of Ireland which starts in Dublin. I could fly cheaply to Dublin from Heathrow and let someone else drive. But this would make a very long trip. If I decide to keep Ireland, I may drop New Forest and one other stop (York? - I've been there).

HI Susan001,

Still following your planning and salivating at all of those literary stops. Wow! I would be particulary interested in Hardy Country.

In Bath, I would recommend the HOLBURNE MUSEUM, a former hotel at the end of Great Pulteny Street. It’s one of those smaller museums that I enjoy so much – loaded with lovely Gainsborough portraits of the swells that inhabited Jane Austen’s world. Also fabulous china services of the period.

Have you been to Bath before?

Hi - your itinerary sounds really good! You might know this already, but I just wanted to note that there is no train station in Alnwick; the closest is Alnmouth. I visited last year and took a bus from Alnmouth and it was very easy. You could also take a cab I am sure, or maybe your friends will come to pick you up.