London Countryside
 

We are taking 2 week car trip around england. For those of you who live there or have traveled extensively, please let me know if I am missing a must see. We want to see as much as possible. We have been to London before so we don't need to stay there as long. Also are there better areas to spend the nights than what we have listed. We are flying into London and out of Manchester. <BR>London: 4 Nights including day trips to the<BR>following:<BR>Hampton Court<BR>Leeds Castle/Canterbury<BR>Greenwich<BR>Windsor (on the way to Oxford if we go in that<BR>direction)<BR><BR>Somerset&amp; Wiltshire - 3 nights<BR>Bath<BR>Stonehenge/Avebury<BR>Glastonbury (King Arthur)<BR>Salisbury (Cathedral)<BR><BR>Cotswolds - 2/3 nights<BR>Warwick Castle<BR>Blenheim Palace (woodstock, near Oxford)<BR>Stow on the wold (cute towns)<BR>Broadway (cute towns)<BR>Bilbury (cute towns)<BR><BR>North Wales - 2 nights (I will cut this out if it<BR>doesn't work with the itinerary)<BR>Ruthin Castle &amp; Midieval Banquet (sounded like fun)<BR>King Edwards Castle circle:<BR>1. Caernarfon<BR>2. Conwy<BR>3. Harlech<BR>4. Beaumaris<BR><BR>Any recommendations on accommodations in those areas? All suggestions are welcome. <BR><BR>

Hi buglady,<BR><BR>I'll start the ball rolling. First, I've found the website britainexpress.com chock full of good information on almost everything.<BR><BR>Next, I really have more questions than answers :) Why are you staying in London for 4 nights yet planning 3 day trips while you're there? Or am I misreading? <BR><BR>Its' unclear which towns you're planning to stay in. What are your interests (gardens, castles, stately homes, shopping) and what budget do you have for hotels? Would you rather stay in quaint villages or towns with shops and restaurants. For example, Bibury is a charming village with a trout farm. I have stayed in the Swan Hotel (which I think owns the trout farm) and it's lovely (swanhotel.co.uk) but it's become expensive and there's not much to do or see in the evening except have dinner in the hotel (which is very good). Conversely, Woodstock, which I also love, is more &quot;buzzy&quot; with pubs, restaurants, shops etc. &amp; has several hotels. Stow-on-Wold is another &quot;buzzy&quot; town. I also like Burford. So before I ramble on too much, maybe give us some more input.<BR><BR><BR><BR>

I agree w/ mclaurie -- why stay in London at all if you are not spending any time there?<BR><BR>All of your stops and day groupings (except the London bit) are totally doable.<BR><BR>If you don't plan on seeing anything much in London why not stay the first 2 nights in Windsor. Visit Windsor and HCP and then on the third day head SW into Wiltshire to Salisbury, on to Bath and the rest of your itinerary. This would save you a LOT of money since accomodations in London cost more than anywhere else in the country. You can easily find great B&amp;Bs all over for a 1/3 the cost of anyplace in London. Plus you would have more time for both the Cotswolds and Wales. <BR><BR>You would miss Leeds Castle - but except for the grounds it is not that fantastic anyway. Blenheim and Warwick are grander by far. And the gardens at Hidecote manor, Blenheim, Bodnant etc would help make up for missing the grounds at Leeds.

Just to be sure that you know this, do NOT try to drive into London.<BR><BR>Really.<BR><BR>I have driven in Rome. I have driven in Manhattan. I drive all the time in LA. I drove in San Francisco. I've driven in Tunisia and on the autobahn in Germany. I've driven in Dublin and in Tasmania. But there are two places I would never drive: Tokyo and London.<BR><BR>First, assuming you are coming from the U.S. or some other right-side of the road country, driving on the left is tricky -- especially in a city. (In the countryside, or even on a freeway, there is lots of room for error.)<BR><BR>Second, traffic in London is insane. So is the street system, which involves many one-way routes, strange little alleys, and road routes which are sometimes based on the location of a (now underground) river in 1404.<BR><BR>Third, parking in London is insane and expensive.<BR><BR>Fourth, London has just instituted an extensive set of regulations meant to reduce traffic in the city. As I understand it, you are expected to pay for vehicular access, based on a series of permits. I don't know how this works with rental cars, but I don't think you want to spend any part of your trip trying to work out how these work.<BR><BR>So, I agree with the comments above. Given the number of day trips you hope to make out of London, it doesn't seem that staying in London is that important to you. Why not stay outside - in Windsor or something and make a day trip or two into London using public transport. Hotels outside of the city will likely have plenty of parking.<BR><BR>Alternatively, don't pick up your car right away. Go from the airport into London for a couple of days, then go back to the airport to pick up the car (Or check if you can pick up the car in London when you're ready to leave and return it to the airport at the end. If all you want to do is get OUT of the city, it shouldn't be too bad a drive.)<BR><BR>

Hi buglady59, Friends and I spent seven nights at the B&amp;B Fern Cottage, Monkton Farleigh, in Wiltshire, and visited towns from mid Cotswolds to Lyme Regis in the south, to Exmoor in the west, houses and gardens (Heritage Pass), Stonehenge, Amesbury, Wells, Glastonbury, Bath, Bradford-on-Avon, to name a few. Wonderful central location in a tiny village/w pub. They've a website if you'd like to take a look: http://www.accomodata.co.uk/230798.htm<BR><BR>From there we moved on to Wingrave to visit Warwick, Oxford, and other houses. <BR>Have a great time. J.<BR>

Thanks for the idea about Windsor. That might be better. We want to spend a couple of nights in London to see a play and get re-aquainted with the city. Basically I am a castle buff and love scenic areas since I am also a photographer by hobby. We don't plan on doing much in the evenings so quiet is fine. We want quaint towns and shopping is always fun. I am traveling with my husband and parents who are in their 70's. We really want to get a feel for the countryside. We want to stay in B'B's but don't have any locations in mind except for Bath. Thanks for all your info so far, it is really helping.

Hi Buglady.<BR>As you appear to love castles, you really should visit Cardiff.<BR>This is the Capital City of Wales and has a large castle in the City center.<BR>Nearby is Caerphilly Castle and the smaller Castle Coch (Welsh for Red Castle) is nestled in the forests North of Cardiff.<BR>Cardiff is about 40 miles from Bath.<BR>You do appear to be fairly centrally located for the cotswolds, Blenheim etc, but in my humble opinion, I would not set too much time asside for stonehenge, just pay it a visit for an hour as you pass through to say you have been there.It really is quite dull.<BR>You do however seem to be covering a huge amount of Mid and North wales.<BR>Beaumaris is on Anglesea there is a castle there but that's about all.<BR>I tried getting a meal at 10pm on a saturday night when I was there a few years ago and every thing was closed..lol<BR>The roads in North wales are mainly small country roads which do get quite heavily congested, this will slow you down, especially if a tractor decides to get out on to the road.<BR>So North Wales is lovely but you will spend quite a lot of time in the car travelling. Whilst in the Central England you are fairly close to the areas you want to go.<BR>I would suggest dropping North Wales for another time and taking in South Wales instead, you can see Mid Wales en route to Manchester for your flight.<BR>Your choice of Broadway is great, check out the Christmas shop right at the top end of the High street.<BR><BR>Have fun<BR><BR>Muck<BR><BR>

Hello,<BR>Agree absolutely with folk who say stay outside of London. For sure. Otherwise - your itinerary is fine. But as always, so many visitors are fixated on the south of the country. You could skip all those twee villages (altho Bath and Blenheim are 4 star places) and go north to Yorkshire - York, easily the equal of Bath. Coastline - Whitby - fantastic countryside - moors - small villages - country pubs - green in the lowlands and bleak in the uplands.<BR><BR>Wonderful and as close to Manchester Airport as North Wales.<BR><BR>If you don't do it this visit - keep it in mind for next time!!<BR><BR>

I agree with Alice13 that the north has much to offer, and Manchester is near to York, Bronte country and Bakewell and the Peak district. However, if you are coming into London, I would first get a train down to Brighton (50 minutes) for cheaper accomodation and avoid the Bedlam of traffic in the London. Hire a car there and spend a couple of days on the coast. Brighton itself has a royal Palace, and is within half an hour of the Seven sisters white cliffs, and also in close proximity to both the south downs hills and, in terms of castles, Leeds, Bodiam, Lewes, Hastings and Battle. From here, follow the coast West into Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire, and avoid wasting time in traffic on the London orbital.<BR>

Are we missing out by not going south to Brighton/coast area or North to York? We now are going to skip London altogether and have a total of 13nights. Do we need 3 nights in Bath and surrounding area? 3 nights in Cotswolds? Should we skip Wales in favor of another area? Can we combine these two areas by staying in one centralize B&amp;B? While we would love to see it all, we obviously can't but don't want to miss anything grand.<BR>Thanks so much for your input as I am investigating all of your wonderful suggestions.

I sympathize, as we have faced this same dilemma. We have now gone to the UK perhaps 8 or more times in order to see it all. We spent several days in Wales once and we did enjoy it, however compared to your other places I would probably skip it this time. (Unless there is a big draw; ours was a visit to Dylan Thomas's area.) I would also stay 3 days at least in the Cotswolds. Such a lovely area. You might lower your Bath stay to 2 days, however there is a great deal to see there. The city of Bath itself is delightful. In fact, a friend of mine who frequently goes to England bases in Bath, not London, and when she wants to see theatre or other London sights she just takes day trips on the train from Bath. The north of England is quite different. We are hooked on the Lake District and have gone there several times. If you're fond of Wordsworth and the Romantic Poets, you may want to consider that. Also, as others have said York and the nearby moors are well worth a visit. If you like the Brontes and the idea of atmospheric moors, you might want to go there. That said, visiting the north will add a lot of time to your itinerary, and you may want to limit your driving so you can see more sights in the south. These days we are more likely to pick an area to explore for 2 weeks, rather than drive all over. Good luck and have a fabulous time.

Of course we can nitpick your itinerary till it hurts, but I do think a northern and eastern bent might be rewarding, due to your Manchester departure, and especially the impressive density of tourists in places like the Cotswolds and Shakespeare country.

Especially for car itineraries, I think Yorkshire is hard to beat. It has everything - moors, stony villages, ancient towns and cathedrals, all that. Add Hadrian's wall, Durham, Alnwick and Bamburgh as an easy two-day extension and you've got more cathedrals and castles covered too, as well as the Romans.

If you want thatchy-roofy Olde English villages, consider Suffolk instead of the Cotswolds. Much less crowded, and, if you base yourself somewhere near Cambridge, not out of the question for day forays into London on various high speed trains. (Plus you can leave the car where it is, thus adding years to your life expectancy.) Approach East Anglia via Lincolnshire and see a couple more wonderful churches if you want. One bonus is that the east side of the island often has better weather than the west.

Consider the Automobile Assn. for reliable if conservative lodging leads - www.theaa.com.

Hope this isn't too confusing; you'll have a great time regardless of your itinerary.

I tried to post 3 times but it apparently was while Fodors was tinkering. In the meantime Pam and gardyloo posted good suggestions.

Of course you will be &quot;missing out&quot; since you do not have unlimited time. No matter where you go you will miss hundreds of wonderful places. That is just an unfortunate fact of life. So don't even try to see everything. Yorkshire and the North are wonderful - but so are the Cotswolds, and Wales and many other places. I did not mention Yorkshire because your post didn't say anything about wanting to go that far north and you seemed to want to concentrate on the areas around Bath and Wales.

Bath itself does not require 3 days - BUT the area around it -- Salisbury, Avebury, Stonehenge, Wells, Glastonbury, maybe Cheddar and Lyme Regis could fill 3 weeks let alone 3 days.

Brighton is in the opposite direction of everything else you want to visit so you should probably skip it on this trip.

If Yorkshire sounds like someplace you'd like to visit, a reasonable itinerary would be Windsor (1 day or maybe 2 if you want to go into London one day/evening) &gt; Bath (2 or 3 days) &gt; the Cotswolds (3 or 4 days) &gt; North Wales (2 to 4 days) &gt; Yorkshire (3 or 4 days) &gt; Manchester to fly home

Personally, I loved North Wales and would not advise you to skip it.

Buglady59--

I have used this guidebook for travelling thru the English Countryside and it is TERRIFIC!!


Charming Small Hotel Guides : Britain
by Andrew Duncan (Editor), Chris Gill


It is full of small independent BnB's that you normally would not find and they are super reasonable- along with terrific inns ......I LIVE by this book....

I just returned from 2 weeks in England, visiting Warwick Castle, Stratford, Cotswolds, Bath and environs, and North Wales. It couldn't have been nicer. I had been everywhere except Wales and found it beautiful. I am so glad we didn't miss it! The tail end of this trip was over Easter weekend, so we did find some crowds, for example Betws-y-Coed, and would like to go again at a different time, but the beauty of it was worth it. Just my humble opinion. There were so many lambs everywhere and the spring blossoms on the trees, and the tulips--it was heavenly.

I am glad to see that several people mentioned Wells, between Bath and Glastonbury. It is my favorite cathedral! And I also love Glastonbury.
If you go to York, Rievaulx Abbey is an amazing ruin in an unbeatable location. It is an easy drive from York. North, if memory serves. Highly recommend it.

Don't miss Lincoln and Grantham area. Stop by my uncle Isaac Newtons home at Woolsthorpe Manor. A visit to the walled city of Chester is a must if you will be in Caernarfon. Its on the way.
Have a great Holiday.

What about the Shropshire area? My mom is wanting to go because of the books she has read about the area, but I haven't heard much about it. Anyone been there?

Thanks for all your suggestions.

Boy, your head must be reeling from all this good advice. All of the suggestions have merit, and it's hard for people who don't know you to really give you spot-on advice. The best we can do is tell you about the areas we have visited and give you some ideas about things we liked to see and do.

First, I agree with the advice about London. It's twice as expensive there as anywhere else, so why not spend the money you'll save and splurge on something else.

My advice would be to pick up car at Heathrow, then drive to cottage in Kent/Sussex area. There are so many things to see in such a concentrated area here that you won't have to travel far to see great things. And with your parents, it would probably be nice to have your own little home while you get over the jet lag.

While in Kent Sussex can see:
- Sissinghurst - home of Vita Sackville West, and with a beautiful garden. Perhaps see on the same day as Knole which was owned by her family and where she grew up. Amazing place with a room for every day of the year.
- Chartwell - Winston Churchill's home, can also see Penshurst Place and/or Hever on same day (both quite different and amazing castles).
- Canterbury - spend day there seeing sites, shopping, exploring cobbled lanes
- I agree with the comment about Leeds Castle, not really worth the bother
- Scotney Castle - amazing opportunity for photographs, combine with visit to Batemans' - the home of Rudyard Kipling
- Dover &amp; Walmer Castles - an immense castle with great World War II exhibits and a more intimate castle (Walmer) - both on English Channel
- leaves you with two days. May want to go to Rye, or just enjoy your cottage and surrounding villages

After the first week, basically take a week getting back to Manchester. Although both North and South Wales are great (I lean towards North because of the number of castles, but the South is nice, too), as is Yorkshire, we found, particularly in Yorkshire that you had to do a lot of driving to get to anything to really see. We loved the countryside, but after a few days we had enough of it. And the moors, unless you are a walker/hiker, weren't as interesting as we'd though they'd be. (Although the Bronte connection is a good reason for experiencing them - particularly the Parsonage in Haworth.)

I'd drive to Bath fr. Kent/Sussex, stopping to see Salisbury and Stonehenge if you must. Stourhead Gardens is also quite beautiful near Mere. Two days in Bath, then perhaps a few days in Cotswolds, Chipping Campden is a good location (we've stayed at The Honey Pot B&amp;B), then two days getting back to Manchester. You may want to enjoy the Potteries area on the way there.

Getting your car back to Manchester is much easier than getting out of Heathrow, so you don't need as much time for returning the vehicle. We always stay at The Travel Inn. Cheap and a short taxi ride fr. airport if you drop car off day before.

You'll probably find as you do more research and sift through things you like and don't that the perfect route will make itself clearer to you. The only thing to not to is try and see everything in one trip but savour the bits you do bite off.

Have a great time.