Thanks so much janisj. You've been such a great resource. I actually was wondering about Bath (and Durham and York) for driving, as this is my first time out on wheels in the UK. I have no problem staying in a village nearby, and just going in for day trip via park/ride as you suggested earlier. It's a tough call. Bath House looks so nice. But I did find another in the beautiful village of Castle Coomb, and I might choose that instead. Can you give me an idea of where to find a park/ride lot?

In York I'd look for a B&B outside the city walls - most will have off street parking. The whole city is walkable so no need to drive in the very center. You could just leave the car and walk into the city (or take a bus)

I've been to/through Durham a few times but always on the train. My guess is staying in the outskirts or a nearby village would be easiest.

Here is info about the park & ride lots in Bath http://visitbath.co.uk/travel-and-ma...-park-and-ride

They are all easy to find. To see the exact locations on a map simply type the post codes on google and the map will pop up.

janisj: Thanks so much for the link! The B & B I'm considering (listed in Karen Brown's guide) is the Castle Inn in Castle Coomb:

http://www.castle-inn.info

Or else I'll brave the roads to Bath, park at Bath House and leave the car for the duration of my stay, and walk places.

Thanks for the feedback about Durham and York. Yes, I'm looking at a B & B in York just outside the walls.

I think there are a myriad of B&B's outside York's walls, but we loved the one we stayed in--Number 34. So if you haven't settled on one and want a suggestion, I can heartily recommend it. http://www.number34york.co.uk/

Thanks, texasbookworm. I'll look into it! Another highly recommended one is Abbeyfields.

Ooh - the Castle Inn looks lovely (It is Castle <u>Combe</u> BTW)

Here is another one to check out. http://www.pickwickfarm.co.uk It is in Corsham and a bit closer/more convenient to Bath.

Thanks, janisj. I'll consider this. The B & B in Bath just wrote saying they wouldn't recommend I drive in the UK! Much to think about. Thanks also for the spelling of Castle Combe. I'm usually a bit more careful.

>>The B & B in Bath just wrote saying they wouldn't recommend I drive in the UK! Much to think about. <<

Wow - Just Wow! What pansies they must be

I wouldn't pay that any mind. That is plain silly (except perhaps getting to <i>their</i> location. As I said it isn't very straightforward/easy by car)

That is strange susan! Not knowing you and your driving skills of course I can't say for sure, but I see you are from L.A.
Personally, I think if you can drive there you can drive in the U.K. as long as you can adapt quickly to being on the other side of the road and the fact that streets tend to be narrower.

Renting a small car helps.

Perhaps the person at the B and B has had guests from overseas who couldn't cope with the driving.

What helped us as well as having the GPS was looking at the routes on proper maps and having a really good idea of where we were going beforehand. Which was a good thing when the GPS quit working at one point.

janisj: "That is plain silly (except perhaps getting to their location." LOL! I'm leaning towards park and ride and make Bath a day trip. I'm also thinking of taking the train to Durham (or else skip it) and pick up the car after.

raincitygirl: Yes, I often say to myself when driving around West L.A. (something I try to avoid), "if I can drive here, I can drive anywhere!" Thanks for your feedback about GPS and maps. I agree the comment most likely came from guests they've had.

Some great advice above. If you go into Durham you basically need to park in one of the multi-storey car parks around the old city and then walk in. It can get a little confusing as they have managed to stuff a early middle ages city on top of a volcanic plug and many of the paths/steps are steep and twisting. Just plug away and keep looking for the spire as that gives you a clue where you are.

susan, some of my most nerve-wracking moments were during my first L.A. driving experience but I had a nice sense of accomplishment at the end of it.

I see you are also going to Avebury. My friend and I went there in July, the stones there are amazing and you can walk amongst them; you start seeing them as you approach the village.
We also went to see Avebury Manor which was fantastic, really enjoyable. My friend had seen the show The Manor Reborn about its restoration and seeing it was top of her "to see" list.

billoburgler: Thanks for your feedback on Durham. I've just now (before reading this) decided to skip Durham in favor of an extra night in the Lake District (2 in Keswick - 2 on lake Windemere), or perhaps a night in the Dales.

raincitygirl: Thanks for the information on Avebury and Avebury Manor. Will keep this in mind.

I wouldn't stay in Alton - it's rather characterless imo. Have a look at nice little towns like Stockbridge or Alresford.

Nonconformist: I planned to stay at a highly recommended b & b in Alton because it is in walking distance to Jane Austen's house in Chawton.

Susan001, your trip is firming up nicely. What great suggestions you are getting.

You wrote about Hebden Bridge : “Sylvia Plath's gravestone (back then, it was a loose rock with her name on it; the headstone had been vandalized so many times because some people didn't want to see the name Hughes on it).”

I enjoyed Morgana’s link to “A Dark Water – Remembering Sylvia Plath in Hebden Bridge” which includes a photo of Sylvia’s present headstone. However, her last name “Hughes” still bears evidence of attempts to erase it. I guess some super feminists continue to hate Ted Hughes with abandon. The highs and lows of their relationship are duly recorded in the poetry of each. From my view, neither would be easy to live with.

Will continue to follow your planning….

I hadn't noticed the headstone but you are right, it does bear evidence of erasing the surname.
We are reading Birthday Letters as one of our Book Group choices next year. Mad Girl's Love Song is also on my to read list. Think another trip to Hebden Bridge is on the cards for me!

Raincity,I am glad that I am not the only one who likes a proper map! I need to visualize things and once I have seen it on a map I can usually get right on the route to my destination.

Susan, I'm sorry to read you're skipping Durham. The cathedral there is one of my favorites, and I really like the town. Especially the walk along the river, with the cathedral and castle looking just as it did hundreds of years ago.

We drove to Durham as a daytrip and parked in an underground parking garage, the Prince Bishops (disappointingly an ordinary, non-luxe parking garage). We used Rick Steves' directions and it was easy-peasy. Just took an elevator up to the old town!

I, too, wouldn't spend a night at a Newcastle airport hotel -- unless it's more convenient to take the train from there rather than in-town.

Ah, so many places to go, so much to see. Especially for us anglophile, literature lovers.

Hello, everyone: I have decided to add a stop (and subtract New Forest). I'm currently booked at a lovely seaside hotel in Daphne DuMaurier's town, Fowey in Cornwall, where I will stay 2 nights. Fowey was the inspiration behind Rebecca, a novel I taught to high school seniors many years.

latedaytraveler: Thanks for your post. It's been fun planning this trip, and having a car is already so freeing, except when you consider getting into places like Bath. I've decided to commute to Bath from Castle Combe, and use the "park and ride" service. That will give me one full day there. On the other day from the same B & B in CC I will viist Lacock, Stonehenge and Avebury. Yes, I noticed that Hughes looked different from the rest of the type. Back in '88 it was explained to us that the feminists would not let it go! All it said was "Sylvia" in those days, and it was just a broken piece propped up.

Irishface: thanks for the reminder about a physical map!

Mimar: I will consider stopping in Durham before I head east to the Lake District. That will make it a very long day, but your post is having me rethink this. Thank you.