Please help 21 day driving tour Wales & Southern England Sept 2017
Jul 17th, 2017, 08:35 AM
#21
OK -- not bad but there is no train from LHR to Winchester. You will have either 2 or 3 connections. First you will have to travel in towards London, getting off at Hayes, then back west to Reading, then on to Winchester either directly or with a change at Basingstoke.
re South Wales -- since you have 4 nights I'd do 2 and 2. Two nights in/near Cardiff or Chepstow and visiting Cardiff, Chepstow Castle, Tintern Abbey and the Brecon Beacons. Then 2 nights out west in Pembrokeshire - St Davids is lovely, or possibly Fishguard.
re South Wales -- since you have 4 nights I'd do 2 and 2. Two nights in/near Cardiff or Chepstow and visiting Cardiff, Chepstow Castle, Tintern Abbey and the Brecon Beacons. Then 2 nights out west in Pembrokeshire - St Davids is lovely, or possibly Fishguard.
Jul 18th, 2017, 03:21 AM
#22
"OK -- not bad but there is no train from LHR to Winchester. You will have either 2 or 3 connections. First you will have to travel in towards London, getting off at Hayes, then back west to Reading, then on to Winchester either directly or with a change at Basingstoke."
JJ - turns out that there is the National Express bus 203 from LHR to Southsea stops at Winchester, takes 1 hour, 35 mins.
http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx
wilkie - sorry that the DoC is outside your budget. There are a lot of B&Bs in Plymouth - perhaps try one of them?
"Cornwall west north - 3 nights Falmouth, Penzance, St Ives? all looks good which would you suggest for a quiet base with easy car access"
Hard choice, they are all lovely. Partly it depends what you want to do - if garden visiting /boat trips are your thing, for for Falmouth. If you want easy access to the far South West PZ or St Ives would be your thing, though PZ would be my preference as access and parking is a lot better than in St Ives. In the end it may come down to what accommodation you can get in either place.
May I make a general comment about your plans? you are in danger of having a lot of 2 night stays, which IME can be quite tiring after a while. It can be better to go for a "one night stand" followed by 3 nights, in order to avoid endless 2 nighters. Just a thought.
JJ - turns out that there is the National Express bus 203 from LHR to Southsea stops at Winchester, takes 1 hour, 35 mins.
http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx
wilkie - sorry that the DoC is outside your budget. There are a lot of B&Bs in Plymouth - perhaps try one of them?
"Cornwall west north - 3 nights Falmouth, Penzance, St Ives? all looks good which would you suggest for a quiet base with easy car access"
Hard choice, they are all lovely. Partly it depends what you want to do - if garden visiting /boat trips are your thing, for for Falmouth. If you want easy access to the far South West PZ or St Ives would be your thing, though PZ would be my preference as access and parking is a lot better than in St Ives. In the end it may come down to what accommodation you can get in either place.
May I make a general comment about your plans? you are in danger of having a lot of 2 night stays, which IME can be quite tiring after a while. It can be better to go for a "one night stand" followed by 3 nights, in order to avoid endless 2 nighters. Just a thought.
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Jul 18th, 2017, 03:20 PM
#23
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Thank you janisj for your suggestion in Wales, St Davids looks wonderful. Can you tell me more about what we should see in the Brecon Beacons?
annhigs your suggestions are very helpful & I agree the 2 nighters might be a bit much, I will re consider some of these. I wonder if our budget is too low, I was hoping we could get accommodations in the smaller towns in B&Bs or 3 star hotels etc for about 60 to 90 pounds per room per night & we were not planning to pre-book much of the lodging except at the beginning & in London. Do you think this is realistic? Do you think we should be booking in advance? We thought that being September, it might be easier to just wing it.
Thanks again for all your help, we are feeling much better about this trip.
annhigs your suggestions are very helpful & I agree the 2 nighters might be a bit much, I will re consider some of these. I wonder if our budget is too low, I was hoping we could get accommodations in the smaller towns in B&Bs or 3 star hotels etc for about 60 to 90 pounds per room per night & we were not planning to pre-book much of the lodging except at the beginning & in London. Do you think this is realistic? Do you think we should be booking in advance? We thought that being September, it might be easier to just wing it.
Thanks again for all your help, we are feeling much better about this trip.
Jul 18th, 2017, 04:31 PM
#24
In popular areas I'd plan on £75-£100 per night double. Sometimes you'll luck out and find cheaper.
The Brecon Beacons National Park is primarily dramatic scenery
Take look at some of these to get an Idea. https://www.google.com/search?q=brec...w=1241&bih=568
Tintern and Chepstow would take about half a day (they are less than 6 miles apart. and driving through the park en route to the west.
annhig -- great info re the Coach to Winchester. Much easier than the trains.
The Brecon Beacons National Park is primarily dramatic scenery
Take look at some of these to get an Idea. https://www.google.com/search?q=brec...w=1241&bih=568
Tintern and Chepstow would take about half a day (they are less than 6 miles apart. and driving through the park en route to the west.
annhig -- great info re the Coach to Winchester. Much easier than the trains.
Jul 19th, 2017, 03:13 AM
#25
I wonder if our budget is too low, I was hoping we could get accommodations in the smaller towns in B&Bs or 3 star hotels etc for about 60 to 90 pounds per room per night & we were not planning to pre-book much of the lodging except at the beginning & in London>>
I know that the DoC is about £80 a night if you're lucky to get an standard double - you'll be lucky to do much better than that in the surrounding B&Bs and guest houses and IME the £5-10 you save is not really worth it for possibly having to park on the street or lug your bags up 3 flights of stairs. I've stayed in much of the accommodation in Plymouth and trust me, it doesn't get much better value than the DoC. Also by booking in advance, you are likely to get the best rates and greatest choice of accommodation.
Also whilst September is a "shoulder" month, it is very popular with travellers who don't have school age kids in tow so the best places will probably be quite full. One place that I would definitely book would be Fowey - there is a limited amount of accommodation there, and it is very popular. PZ, OTOH has loads of B&Bs so you would be very unlucky not to find one you liked. IIWY, I would have a look at places you are likely to want to stay and see what is available at the moment for your dates, and what it costs. That will probably give you a better idea of what your budget should be and whether you think you're going to need to book.
The Brecons are lovely. We used to drive across them when DS was at Lampeter uni and if we were lucky, we would see red kites flying quite close to us. We never stayed there but somewhere like these might appeal, on the gorgeous river Usk:
https://www.hawthornstalybont.co.uk
http://www.talybont.com/page3/page3.html
[I did a google map search for B&Bs on the Brecon Beacons]
They are quite reasonable too.
this one is slightly dearer but more up market [all ensuite rooms]:
http://www.thelodgebreconbandb.co.uk/accommodation/
JJ - I was pleasantly surprised about the bus too. It never occurred to me til I had a look at googlemaps to see how else the OP might do the journey.
I know that the DoC is about £80 a night if you're lucky to get an standard double - you'll be lucky to do much better than that in the surrounding B&Bs and guest houses and IME the £5-10 you save is not really worth it for possibly having to park on the street or lug your bags up 3 flights of stairs. I've stayed in much of the accommodation in Plymouth and trust me, it doesn't get much better value than the DoC. Also by booking in advance, you are likely to get the best rates and greatest choice of accommodation.
Also whilst September is a "shoulder" month, it is very popular with travellers who don't have school age kids in tow so the best places will probably be quite full. One place that I would definitely book would be Fowey - there is a limited amount of accommodation there, and it is very popular. PZ, OTOH has loads of B&Bs so you would be very unlucky not to find one you liked. IIWY, I would have a look at places you are likely to want to stay and see what is available at the moment for your dates, and what it costs. That will probably give you a better idea of what your budget should be and whether you think you're going to need to book.
The Brecons are lovely. We used to drive across them when DS was at Lampeter uni and if we were lucky, we would see red kites flying quite close to us. We never stayed there but somewhere like these might appeal, on the gorgeous river Usk:
https://www.hawthornstalybont.co.uk
http://www.talybont.com/page3/page3.html
[I did a google map search for B&Bs on the Brecon Beacons]
They are quite reasonable too.
this one is slightly dearer but more up market [all ensuite rooms]:
http://www.thelodgebreconbandb.co.uk/accommodation/
JJ - I was pleasantly surprised about the bus too. It never occurred to me til I had a look at googlemaps to see how else the OP might do the journey.
Jul 22nd, 2017, 11:46 AM
#27
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Thanks again for the suggestions..I have booked the Duke of Corwall for 2 nights, it turned out that the rate I was looking at was for 2 nights, so actually quite a good deal, the hotel looks very cool, anything that we must see in that area? We have booked our first 3 nights in guest accommodations at the University of Winchester at 58 Pounds a night, not sure how that will work out but it does look OK. Thanks janisj & annhigs for the info on the Brecon Beacons, we are definitely looking forward to seeing them & perhaps staying if we can.. PalenQ did you stay in St David's?
We are busy trying to map a scenic route, so if anyone has any thoughts that would be great. We are thinking about spending the last week or less in London & maybe doing some day trips to Dover& Brighton any thoughts on renting an apartment or maybe spending 2 or 3 nights just outside of Londen for the day trips, we were thinking it might be less expensive than staying in Londen the whole time.
Thank you all again for your great suggestions.
We are busy trying to map a scenic route, so if anyone has any thoughts that would be great. We are thinking about spending the last week or less in London & maybe doing some day trips to Dover& Brighton any thoughts on renting an apartment or maybe spending 2 or 3 nights just outside of Londen for the day trips, we were thinking it might be less expensive than staying in Londen the whole time.
Thank you all again for your great suggestions.
Jul 22nd, 2017, 12:07 PM
#28
I'd stay in London myself -- but then I try to visit London at least 2 or 3 times a year.
If you could flip your itinerary, doing London on the front end, you could stay in any of many self catering university apartments. Most are only offered through about the middle of Sept.
If you could flip your itinerary, doing London on the front end, you could stay in any of many self catering university apartments. Most are only offered through about the middle of Sept.
Jul 22nd, 2017, 12:55 PM
#30
"Is there a hotel or area of London that you like?"
For budget/moderately priced accommodations look at the various TraveLodges and Premier Inns. They are all over the city and some are very central.
Just about ANY neighborhood in central London is convenient - I've stayed in most. My very most-est favorite are Covent Garden, Bloomsbury, Pimlico, Sloane Square, parts of the South Bank, St Katherine's Marina, and parts of Fitzrovia.
For budget/moderately priced accommodations look at the various TraveLodges and Premier Inns. They are all over the city and some are very central.
Just about ANY neighborhood in central London is convenient - I've stayed in most. My very most-est favorite are Covent Garden, Bloomsbury, Pimlico, Sloane Square, parts of the South Bank, St Katherine's Marina, and parts of Fitzrovia.
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Jul 22nd, 2017, 01:47 PM
#31
Thanks again for the suggestions..I have booked the Duke of Cornwall for 2 nights, it turned out that the rate I was looking at was for 2 nights, so actually quite a good deal, the hotel looks very cool, anything that we must see in that area? >>
that's great, Wilkie, i hope you enjoy it. The lift alone is a collector's item, and there is a very nice bar too which does good meals as well as the restaurant which isn't bad, but don't have the risotto! However if you are feeling adventurous you can walk down towards the Barbican - from the rear of the hotel [the car park] walk uphill towards the Hoe and then across to the waterfront where there is a nice Spanish bar there that does good tapas. Further round you enter the Barbican itself where there are a lot of dining choices from fish and chips, to italian to indian food. Also the Plymouth Gin factory.
Go the other way from the hotel [you probably need to drive] you come to King William Yard where there are a lot of dining choices plus the little ferry you can get across to the Rame peninsular:
http://www.plymouthboattrips.co.uk/f...cremyll-ferry/
Longer day trips include:
1. The Garden House - drive north from Plymouth towards Tavistock. it's about 30 mins.
2. Buckland Abbey - NT - just round the corner from the Garden House.
3. Tavistock itself - a very attractive market town.
4. Dartmoor
5. Salcombe and/or Dartmouth; also Agatha Christie's house at Greenways. [NT]
If you need anything else, just ask.
that's great, Wilkie, i hope you enjoy it. The lift alone is a collector's item, and there is a very nice bar too which does good meals as well as the restaurant which isn't bad, but don't have the risotto! However if you are feeling adventurous you can walk down towards the Barbican - from the rear of the hotel [the car park] walk uphill towards the Hoe and then across to the waterfront where there is a nice Spanish bar there that does good tapas. Further round you enter the Barbican itself where there are a lot of dining choices from fish and chips, to italian to indian food. Also the Plymouth Gin factory.
Go the other way from the hotel [you probably need to drive] you come to King William Yard where there are a lot of dining choices plus the little ferry you can get across to the Rame peninsular:
http://www.plymouthboattrips.co.uk/f...cremyll-ferry/
Longer day trips include:
1. The Garden House - drive north from Plymouth towards Tavistock. it's about 30 mins.
2. Buckland Abbey - NT - just round the corner from the Garden House.
3. Tavistock itself - a very attractive market town.
4. Dartmoor
5. Salcombe and/or Dartmouth; also Agatha Christie's house at Greenways. [NT]
If you need anything else, just ask.
Jul 24th, 2017, 03:41 AM
#33
do you remember the lift, bilbo? I doubt that it's changed. it creaks and clatters its way between floors but it's never broken down on me yet!
or the plaque on the wall next to it which commemorates the dinner the Shackleton and his crew had there the night before they set off on their trip to the antarctic?
What, if you don't mind my asking, was your godfather's name?
or the plaque on the wall next to it which commemorates the dinner the Shackleton and his crew had there the night before they set off on their trip to the antarctic?
What, if you don't mind my asking, was your godfather's name?
