LAKE DISTRICT OR YORK IN MARCH?
 

Hi we are a couple from India and have our return tickets booked to and from London

The tentative tour itenarary is as follows-:
1. 29TH FEB LONDON
2. 1ST MAR LONDON
3. 2ND MAR OXFORD WITH SHOPPING(DAY TRIP)
4. 3RD MAR LONDON
5. 4TH MAR EDINBURGH/GASGLOW
6. 5TH MAR EDINBURGH
7. 6TH MAR EDINBURGH
8. 7TH MAR LAKE DISTRICT/YORK
9. 8TH MAR (LAKE DISTRICT)/(MANCHESTER/LIVERPOOL)
10. 9TH MAR MANCHESTER/LIVERPOOL
11. 10TH MAR LONDON/ (MANCHESTER/ LIVERPOOL)
12. 11TH MAR LONDON
13. 12TH MAR LONDON
14. 13TH MAR – DEPARTURE TO INDIA

Please advice as-

We are going to self drive from edinburgh. In your opinion which destination as mentioned in Point-8 is a better place to be in this weather(Lake district/York)? If any , Will one night be sufficient in both the places or we should we have a couple of them (Point-9).

Confused amongst staying at Manchester/Liverpool , although quite near to each other , but still wanted to take a suggestion (Point no.10) and how many nights is comfortable ?

Please advice !

York itself needs a full day for a visit, if you want to get out and see the daffodils (which are amazing) or visit any abbey ruin/see the lambs etc then you need another day, so min is 2 nights. I'd not risk the weather in March in the lake district (clue in the name).

Staying in Man/Liv. I might stay across the water from Liverpool and take the ferry in to visit but not with the time allowance you have. Maybe Rubicon or Flanner will be along, but I'd prefer central Manchester.

http://www.merseyferries.co.uk/Pages/default.aspx

i think that like many who are new to the UK, you are underestimating the amount of time it will take to get from place to place, and what there is to see when you get there.

Personally, I would concentrate on York and Yorkshire [much of which you can visit as day trips from York if the weather is nice] and forget the Lakes [as Bilbo says likely to be wet] Liverpool and Manchester, which when all is said and done, are still just big cities.

York and the surrounding countryside are unique and are, after all, what I suspect you have really come all this way to see.

I'm sure this will give you lots of ideas:

http://www.visityork.org/?AskRedirect=true

You might be lucky and get really nice weather in the Lake District or it could be cold, wet and windy. And there isn't a lot of inside activities as the Lake District is mainly about scenery.

I second Annhig's suggestion of York. York is a lot more flexible. BUT BE WARNED it's a 200 mile drive and is going to take you 4+ hours to drive plus any stops.

York is a wonderful walled Medieval city. The daffodils along the walls will be at their best and the Museum Gardess with the ruined St Mary's Abbey are always nice.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/garden...ork/index.html
The Minster is a stunning building too.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...ter/index.html

If you want scenery, the North York Moors are on the doorstep and are very attractive. In March, the wild daffodils in Farndale may also be in bloom (they are later than the garden ones).
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/garden...ale/index.html

There are also some wonderful ruined abbeys like Rievaulx
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...ulx/index.html

There are also some wonderful ruined abbeys like Rievaulx
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/church...ulx/index.html

Another vote for York. The Lake District has stunning scenery, but so has Yorkshire.
If the weather is foul, there's plenty to do indoors in York

If you decide to go the York/Yorkshire route, you could take a train from Edinburgh to York. Just rent a car for the couple of days that you want to do day trips. Return the car in York and take another train to London.

We visited Yorkshire last summer & really enjoyed it. I'm already planning a second trip to the area!