Judy

Hello All, I finagled week's trip from husband to the UK..... 298$ round trip from Atlanta to London March 12-19. I want to go to York very much for 2 or 3 days. My husband had mentioned maybe going to Wales too??? Is this doable? I think he would prefer not to drive, instead do the trains. We have been to London twice, and did the day trips, Bath, Hampton Court etc. <BR> I want to see Warwick castle and maybe Leeds, or should I just concentrate on one area? Help?????? I have never been so indecisive before. He just gave me the AOK for a trip, and now I am befuddled(which is nothing new &gt;g&lt;? UK enthusuasts or wannabees, please advise. Judy ;-/ <BR>ps, Thanks Sandie(from York) for your input.

kitty

Congrats on the trip. You'll hae a blast. <BR> <BR>I highly recommend the Four Seasons Hotel in York. We stayed there in June and it was our favorite B&B of the trip. The owners were the nicest we had and the house was lovely. It is a flat 5 to 7 minute walk to the Minster and is right across the street from an exclusive boarding school (don't worry it is very, very quiet. You will ocassionally see kids but not much). The breakfast was great and the rooms were very clean. <BR> <BR>Leeds looks close and should be doable. I haven't been there so can't offer any info. Warwick looks far away and it just depends on where you want to go after. We did Warwick Castle and did enjoy it a lot. It was a day our for us from London. <BR> <BR>I would recommend going to Edinburgh from York. It is about a two hour trip from York and would certainly be worth several days. If you go I highly recommend the Castle View Guest House for a great location, nice rooms, and good breakfast. <BR> <BR>We passed through Durham on the way to Edinburgh and I would like to stop there sometime. The cathedral looked stunning and I've heard it's a nice town. <BR> <BR>We only went to Cardiff which is in south Wales. We liked it but it isn't easy getting from York to Cardiff. <BR> <BR>We had a two week trip that started in Bath (we went to Cardiff and Salisbury from there), London (day trip to Warwick), York, and Edinburgh. <BR> <BR>We took trains the whole time and never had any problems. <BR> <BR>Good luck. <BR>

Judy

Thanks Kitty for your input esp. the B&B tip! We were just in Edinburgh in August, so we will focus somewhere else this trip. I love their trains, and I think that is the way to go too! <BR> Did you enjoy Cardiff? My husband is part Welsh, therefore the interest there. Maybe we will save that trip for another time &gt;g&lt;! <BR> Judy ;-) <BR>

Dave

<BR>Judy, <BR> <BR>I suspect you mean Leeds Castle, not Leeds City, right? If so, be aware that the two are nowhere near each other. <BR> <BR>Leeds Castle is near Maidstone, SE of London - a significant journey from York. <BR> <BR>In North Wales, Conwy makes a good base for traveling by rail. It's on the main line from Chester to Holyhead, with a spectacular castle and walled medieval town. <BR> <BR>If you decide on South Wales, don't miss Caerphilly Castle, about 30 minutes north of Cardiff by rail. One of the most impressive "military" castles I've seen.

Judy

Dave: Oh that Leed's Castle! Whew, I am all mixed up! I need to go to the Library today and do research! <BR> I tentatively am planning to fly into London, train to York, York 3 days, train to for ???? for 2 days and then one night in London(for play Mamma Mia and planes). <BR> Now if I can figure where???? to go fro 2 days! <BR> Judy <BR>

joe

judy, <BR>i went to university in leeds a few years . it is a very nice city, worth a stop for a day. there is really nice architecture and great shopping there. however, i must admit that york wins the contest hands down. lovely city with incredible architecture and an amazing minster. <BR> <BR>i would suggest not trying to attach wales onto this trip, especially if travelling by train. even by auto it is a ride, and better left for another trip, when you can go to wales and the west country and the cotswolds. <BR> <BR>for this trip, i recommend staying in the area of york to get a really great feel of the north of england. stay in york and go to harrogate (lovely little town worth a day visit), go to leeds for the day, walk on the moors, go to scarborough and filey (eastern coastal towns near york that just exude 'ye olde english seaside resort town'). also go up to durham for the day and see the cathedral. <BR> <BR>regarding leeds castle, it is indeed NOT in leeds and is in fact in the southeast of the country (southeast of london). well worth a visit, but on another trip, when you're closer to london! <BR>hope that this helps <BR>joe

John

I would echo Joe on how to use a couple of days in the north - <BR> <BR>Harrogate is a very pleasant spa town, beautiful gardens in the center, have lunch at Betty's on the main square - famous for teas, good food, James Herriott associations. Somewhat formal, but fitting for Harrogate. Knaresborough, a stop on the short train ride between York and Harrogate, offers a wonderful stroll along the river, and a nice open market in the town square on Wednesdays. <BR> <BR>The second day, head north to Durham, takes about 40 min. on the train. The old town, castle, and especially the cathedral - best in Britain IMO, maybe Europe - are absolutely worth the trip. <BR> <BR>If the weather's decent (iffy in mid March) you might see if you can hop a tour to Fountains Abbey, or a day trip through the Yorkshire Dales, if you don't want to rent a car. Both are convenient to York and offer some wonderful rural views and a feel for this wonderful part of England. <BR> <BR>I agree Wales is too far for the short time, especially given how hard east-west travel is across Britain. <BR> <BR>Have a great time!

Mavis

Why not go to Whitby from York for the two days? Perhaps you could even rent a car for two days from there and see some of the North Yorkshire Moors. If you are a fan of Heartbeat it is filmed in Goathland, not too far fr. Whitby, there is also a great steam railway you can travel on. Or take train to Chester or Shrewsbury - they are both interesting cities that are worth exploring on foot (as is Lincoln).

kitty

Yes, we did enjoy Cardiff though we were only there for one day. We did the Castle and went out to the Museum of Welsh Life. This was a very interesting outdoor museum where they have taken houses from all over Wales and reassembled them at the the museum. You get to see intesting houses from all different time periods along with a small village and a church. <BR> <BR>I would like to go back to Wales again sometime and spend more time. I hear that northern Wales is particularly lovely. Oh well, too much country, too little time.....

M. Hall

Dear Judy <BR>My husband and myself lived in York, England. I absolutely loved it! It is so beautiful! The city itself is small enough to walk around, but there is enough there to keep you busy. they have boat ride/tours on the river also. They have walking tours, through the city. I think they meet at the art museum, and are free. Also ghost walks. the minster is worth a visit. Take advantage of one of the comp. guides. They are incredibly informed. For dining, I would recom. The Blue Bicycle. Need to book ahead. 34 Fossgate , 01904 673990, or Cafe Concerto, very near to the Minster. 21 High Petergate, 01904 610478. <BR> <BR>I agree, that Whitby and Scarborough are worth a visit. Beautiful seaside villages. Can drive there in about 1-1 1/2 hours from York. We did it on the weekends, when the sun was shining! If you like fish and chips, the "best" in the area are supposedly at The Magpie Cafe, on Pier Rd. they always had a huge line waiting! Not sure myself, as the day we went, their fryer broke!!! The drive through the dales are beautiful. Harrogate is also wonderful. Only about 40 min drive from York, same for Leeds. <BR>have fun! <BR>M. Hall

Neil

If the Cathedral cities interest you, I would certainly add Durham, north of York, easy by train. I'd go to Lincoln, south of York, (changing trains at Newark). Durham Cathedral is one of the most popular buildings in Britain (it was voted favourite in a recent poll), but to my mind Lincoln is even better (it was once the tallest building in Europe but is a probably the greatest Gothic building in Britain) and the old city on the hill is charming, with historical remnants from Roman times onwards; the castle has one of the only original copies of Magna Charta.

Dave

I also liked Lincoln very much. The cathedral is truly spectacular, inside and out, and can really be appreciated fully by viewing from the castle walls. The nearby Bishop's palace (mostly ruined) and castle (mostly modernized) are also worth a look, and the area from the cathedral down Steep Hill towards the river is a good slice of medieval townscape. (The only downside to Lincoln is that the street named Steep Hill is very aptly named <BR> <BR>Dave

Judy

Hello all, and thanks so very much for all your help! I went to the Library, and picked up 7 books on Britain, including a Brit Rail book. <BR>Looking at all the options, cost, ease etc, I decided to wait for a flight to Manchester. <BR> The train round trip from London, was priced at 135$ per person, thus making it more feasible to fly directly into Manchester instead of London(though I do love my London). <BR> York, Castle Howard, Durham, Whitby, Harrowgate Lincoln, are all on my "to do" list. Maybe we should just base ourselves in York with various day trips from there. Or do Whitby? Lincoln? Scarborough? So many places, so little time..... <BR>Kitty: I looked up the Four Seasons B&B and it looks delightful, and seems affordable. <BR> You lovely people are so generous with your time and knowledge, and I truly appreciate all the advice. Judy

Judy

Second to Durham,try a walking tour in the univesity. <BR> <BR>If you have time for Wales,in mid- March,the spring bulbs in world famous Bonant Garden(to me ,one of the most beautiful)in North Wales shall be fully blooming.It is off the main rail line LLandodno Junction(not far from Chester),and then bus #25. <BR> <BR>I always ask for supersaver train ticket, it is much cheaper.

Roger

Judy, have you checked into a Britrail pass? The 8 day pass is $265 which can be used on the Heathrow Express train to Paddington. If you used York as a base you could easily train to Scotland and other areas around York on day trips. You could also use London as a base and use the pass to go to wales and York.

kitty

I also highly recommend the Britrail pass. We used the 15 day pass this summer and really enjoyed using it. No standing in lines to buy tickets. We just showed up and hopped on whatever train we wanted. I had researched the train schedules before we left via the internet and had typed out the schedules that applied to our itenerary. If we wanted to leave around 9:00 I would fine about four times around 9:00 am and create my own train schedule. Worked out great. <BR> <BR>Also, the Four Seasons Hotel was wonderful. The Roe's were wonderful hosts.

Thallia_uk

Hello from England! <BR>Do try Chester! - it's beautiful, very historical (another walled Roman city), has something for every interest, and has been my home town for many years. It's a 2-3 hours by hire car or coach, but well worth it. Chester is also a good stopeover en route to Wales. <BR>Enjoy your trip! <BR>Thallia

PamR

If you base in York (a very interesting city, by the way) you could take a trip to Haworth, where the Bronte parsonage is. That is, assuming you're interested in the Brontes. We got there on a combination of trains and buses, which the tourist office could help you with. This is a very atmospheric town and near the Yorkshire moors. You can see the inspiration for Cathy and Heathcliff's rambles. But don't be like us and call it "Hay-worth." No one will know what you mean. They pronounce it "How-worth" ;-)

Janine

Hi Judy <BR> <BR>I was trying to post a reply to you, and my computer died so I will try again. I'm going to make two suggestions. <BR> <BR>Of course, it depends what your interests are, but I would firstly suggest the Peak District around Derbyshire. The countryside is lovely, there are plenty of quaint little towns, and a highlight is Chatsworth House - one of the finest stately homes in the country. <BR> <BR>The second option is the Lakes District for some really beautiful scenery. <BR> <BR>Either of these is doable from York. However I would recommend hiring a car. Stick to the back roads, and take your time. Personally, I wouldn't bother trying to go any further afield than either of these areas. There is plenty to see in one week in the North.