jamikins

Is there a reason for bus over train to Oxford?

London Walks does an excellent tour of Stonehenge and Salisbury. They provide all the transportation (train then bus to the stones), a walking tour of the stones. Then transport back to Salisbury and time to eat or shop. Then a walking tour of the cathedral and the magna carta there...then back to London. We always send guests on this tour and they love it.

janisj

>>Will the Churchill War Rooms be closed? <<

No -- it is the Imperial War Museum that is closed during your stay. It has been partial closed for quite some time for refurbishment but now it is closing completely til the summer reopening and commemoration of the start of WWII

Here is the Oxford Tube (not a tube but the name of an express bus from central London)

http://www.oxfordtube.com/londontube.aspx . . . And I see it has a stop at Notting Hill Gate tube station so even MORE convenient.

Tulips

Maybe Charlie & the Chocolate Factory? My 15-year old enjoyed that. I wouldn't advice Book of Mormon if you have an 11-year old with you.

I've seen the Oxford bus at Notting Hill Gate, very convenient indeed.

PalenQ

teens will love the London Dungeon, one of the most popular London attractions - one of the very top paid attractions in spite of its steep price but one place teens will love.

http://www.thedungeons.com/london/en/

ksbeem

No particular reason for bus over train to Oxford, except variety. Just researching all options.

nytraveler

Um. maybe I'm missing something here - but aren;t 17 year olds about to start college? People are talking about them in the same breath as the 11 year old - as if they are little kids and not adults.

As for weather - yes, chilly with some rain (not REALLY cold - or it would be snow) but I have been in Feb when the temps were in the 50s.

If you can rent a car the Stonhenge/Oxford deal would work out much better. We prefer Oxford for the museums - esp Ashmolean - over Cambridge. Both are pretty in nice weather - not so much in midwinter.

janisj

The London dungeon ?!?

No, heck no!

Unless you run out of EVERYTHING else to do in and around the city.

historytraveler

You can easily do both Salisbury/Stonehenge via train and bus and Oxford by bus (about 70 minutes) just not both on the same day.

PalenQ

And Salisbury and its great cathedral should not be missed - a short walk from the Salisbury train station. Salisbury also has a nice pedestrian shopping street and neat walks along a small stream south of town into the cow pastures from which the artist who painted the cathedral's visage from here so many times often set up his easel (Constable I think but could be Turner or even someone else).

But do not miss Salisbury and also Old Sarnum on the edge of town - as historic in its own way as Stonehhenge.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/d...ies/old-sarum/

The bus to and from Stonehenge I believe passes by Old Sarum - a bout a mile north of Salisbury's centre.

alanRow

<i>(Constable I think but could be Turner or even someone else).</i>

Constable - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sa...nds_c.1825.jpg

Turner - http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/...he-east-d00668

alanRow

<i>What's February like, weatherwise? </i>

Grey, damp, miserable is a good bet - but don't be surprised at anything else, UK weather shifts at the speed of a pubescent teenager with ADHD after drinking too much coffee

<i>We're thinking of going to Cambridge for the day</i>

Pick a day that isn't "Grey, damp, miserable" in London as Cambridge is likely to be even greyer, damper and more miserable - complete with a wind that will cut your soul out of you.

<i>If you had to pick one play or musical to see right now, what would it be? </i>

War Horse, Billy Elliot, Matilda.

stokebailey

I bet you would all love One Man Two Guvnors at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. (Once you settle in and realize you can understand the accents.) It's on till March. I'd love to see it again.

www.onemantwoguvnors.com/

alanRow, don't let flanner see your weather forcast, or he'll think you're part of the anti-UK propaganda machine.

ksbeem

Thanks for all the suggestions.

We are not daunted by weather -- we visited Avignon in February 2010 and experienced the Mistral. But we loved it, especially how uncrowded everything was. I like to visit places at less popular times. Plus our kids always have a break around President's Day.

PalenQ

Grey, damp, miserable is a good bet - but don't be surprised at anything else,>

Yes indeedy - one February not long ago the weather for my 10 day stay was perfect, for the season - daffodils and flowers were blooming in all the parks - temps in high 50s and sunny - better than some summer days I have experienced in London.

And during that time London was hopping - it was during the time when French and German schools have long breaks and German and French school groups and families were everywhere - London was really busy which also surprised me - I mean really busy!

janisj

London is <i>always</i> really busy . . .

historytraveler

Regarding Salisbury, the view from which Constable painted the cathedral is known as the Water Meadows. There is a short walk through the meadows along the Town Path to the Old Mill. I don't think Turner painted the cathedral from this perspective, but I may be wrong. It's a short walk but very pleasant. You do not follow a stream. One is more likely to see sheep rather than cows in the meadows, and I've even seen llamas. Constable has cattle in his paintings, but I think he was partial to cows.

If visiting the cathedral I'd recommend the Tower Tour. An excellent option for the entire family. The Cathedral Close has much more to offer than the pedestrian shopping street.

PalenQ

London is always really busy . . .>

Well I've been there several times in January and it was not nearly as busy as during those vacation times for Germans and French - though I guess I should say busier than normal in the off-season?

historytraveler

Not sure London even has an off-season anymore. As janisj said,"it's always ... busy" sometimes it's just busier than others. Now 15 or 20 years ago, it would've been different. No longer.

Southam

Ask the 17-year-olds to research the plays in the West End. Start by insisting that any show which has played Broadway and may creak into any fair-sized American city on a bus-and-truck tour be downgraded. Instead, look for a distinctly English comedy, or even a Shakespeare production.
And yes, at 17 the pair is likely to be sold a pint in at least half the pubs. Help them by treating them like the adults they are, at least in Europe. The youngest is welcome in pubs too and with luck will find a dog to pet.
Active stuff, like whatever double-decker buses Mayor Boris Johnson has kept running, or the cruise down-river to Greenwich and the flood barrier, may hold the youthful attentions. And the London area has plenty of war museums and relics. Also relics, but still kicking, are any places connected with the Beatles and other music of the Swinging 60s.

stokebailey

>>Start by insisting that any show which has played Broadway and may creak into any fair-sized American city on a bus-and-truck tour be downgraded. Instead, look for a distinctly English comedy, or even a Shakespeare production.<<

Yes! (except my candidate, 1Man2Guv, which played Broadway for a short time to rave reviews.)