Snowdonia and Cotswolds
Jun 29th, 2004, 05:26 AM
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Snowdonia and Cotswolds
Hello, We plan to spend our 10 day August UK trip staying in London for the first 5 days and touring the countryside for the next 5 days. After my previous post I have narrowed down the countryside to Northern Wales and Ctoswolds. I still need help in fine tuning my itinerary.
Tentative itinerary:
Day 1: Tube to LHR from Central London to LHR and drive to North Wales
Day 2: Snowdonia National Park
Day 3: Drive to Castles and then drive to Cotswolds in the evening
Day 4: Tour Cotswolds
Day 5: Warwick castle
Day 6: Drive to Gatwick to catch afternoon flight.
Does this sound doable? What are reasonable driving times from London -> Snowdonia and Snowdonia -> Cotswolds?
I would like suggestions for decent B&Bs in North Wales (near the Snowdonia National Park) and Cotswolds (close to Warwick) which cost about 100GBP total for all of us.
Thanks for all the help!
Tentative itinerary:
Day 1: Tube to LHR from Central London to LHR and drive to North Wales
Day 2: Snowdonia National Park
Day 3: Drive to Castles and then drive to Cotswolds in the evening
Day 4: Tour Cotswolds
Day 5: Warwick castle
Day 6: Drive to Gatwick to catch afternoon flight.
Does this sound doable? What are reasonable driving times from London -> Snowdonia and Snowdonia -> Cotswolds?
I would like suggestions for decent B&Bs in North Wales (near the Snowdonia National Park) and Cotswolds (close to Warwick) which cost about 100GBP total for all of us.
Thanks for all the help!
Jun 29th, 2004, 07:16 AM
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We haven't stayed there yet, but we are booked at Sygun Fawr Country House in Beddgelert (within Snowdonia Park) for August. It has excellent reviews from Good Britain Guide 2003, Rough Guide to Wales 2003, AA B&B Guide, and Smoothhound. If you are staying on a Tuesday, the restaurant (Good Britain says "informal atmosphere ... varied, imaginative menu"
is closed. I believe their family room is within the price you requested. Their website is www.sygunfawr.co.uk. Good luck!
is closed. I believe their family room is within the price you requested. Their website is www.sygunfawr.co.uk. Good luck!
Jun 29th, 2004, 07:17 AM
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Oh my, jand, I am planning a trip that is so similar - 5 days in London and 5 in Wales. I have gotten good recommendations for places in Betws-y-Coed (don't ask me how to pronounce it) adjacent to Snowdonia.
I am also flying into Heathrow and out of Gatwick. Where will you stay for the last night? Gatwick doesn't seem all that convenient to get to from the west.
I am also flying into Heathrow and out of Gatwick. Where will you stay for the last night? Gatwick doesn't seem all that convenient to get to from the west.
Jun 29th, 2004, 07:51 AM
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patg, I have a tentative booking in Holiday Inn near Gatwick for the last night. Have not decided though. Flutist, thanks for the suggestion but Sygun Fawr seems to be booked out for my dates 
I did not realize that reservations have to be made so early.
Any other suggestions please? Hotels are fine too.
I did not realize that reservations have to be made so early.Any other suggestions please? Hotels are fine too.
Jun 29th, 2004, 08:48 AM
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It's not in Snowdonia Park, but another B&B that we considered is a place called Hafoty, which are farmhouse cottages. They're supposedly family friendly (a main house, some self-catering) outside of Caernarfon. It has a website.
Jun 29th, 2004, 08:52 AM
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Recommendation for B&B in Betws-Y-Coed: Ty Gwyn, we loved it!
I will say that when we drove from B-Y-C to the Cotswolds we left in the morning and didn't arrive until about 5:30 pm. I doubt you will be able to get much castle touring in on the same day.
I will say that when we drove from B-Y-C to the Cotswolds we left in the morning and didn't arrive until about 5:30 pm. I doubt you will be able to get much castle touring in on the same day.
Jun 29th, 2004, 11:33 AM
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Pretty much all English "how long will the road journey take?" questions are virtually unanswerable.
Heathrow to BYC is about 220 miles. The RAC site says this will take 4 hr 20. Possibly. The 30 miles from the M40/M42 junction to the M6/M54 can take from 20 mins early on a Sunday to 90 mins plus in rush hours, periods of construction (almost permanent in this area) or during holiday weekends. I've never managed the 70-odd miles of the A5 after the M54 in less than 2.5 hrs.
Depending on all sorts of things, LHR-BYC is probably 4-6.5 hours.
Your problem is that, almost whatever you do, you have to pass through or round the Birmingham area each way.
One way of speeding things up northbound (which the route-planning sites seem to ignore) is to take the M6 Toll rather than the M6 at the M42/M6 intersection, and to stay on it to Junction T8. Take the A460 which crosses the M6 at Junction 11 and continue to meet the M54 at Junction 1. This eliminates one congestion point, and reduces your worst case drive to about 5.5 hours
Your question about driving times to the Cotswolds, I'm afraid, really is unanswerable. The Cotswolds cover a large expanse of Central England and we can't possibly guess which bit you're driving to.
The RAC site estimates 3 hr 20 for the 150 miles from BYC to Broadway, but delays at the M5/M6 can add an hour to this. A different bit of the Cotswolds would involve a quite different route from BYC.
Heathrow to BYC is about 220 miles. The RAC site says this will take 4 hr 20. Possibly. The 30 miles from the M40/M42 junction to the M6/M54 can take from 20 mins early on a Sunday to 90 mins plus in rush hours, periods of construction (almost permanent in this area) or during holiday weekends. I've never managed the 70-odd miles of the A5 after the M54 in less than 2.5 hrs.
Depending on all sorts of things, LHR-BYC is probably 4-6.5 hours.
Your problem is that, almost whatever you do, you have to pass through or round the Birmingham area each way.
One way of speeding things up northbound (which the route-planning sites seem to ignore) is to take the M6 Toll rather than the M6 at the M42/M6 intersection, and to stay on it to Junction T8. Take the A460 which crosses the M6 at Junction 11 and continue to meet the M54 at Junction 1. This eliminates one congestion point, and reduces your worst case drive to about 5.5 hours
Your question about driving times to the Cotswolds, I'm afraid, really is unanswerable. The Cotswolds cover a large expanse of Central England and we can't possibly guess which bit you're driving to.
The RAC site estimates 3 hr 20 for the 150 miles from BYC to Broadway, but delays at the M5/M6 can add an hour to this. A different bit of the Cotswolds would involve a quite different route from BYC.
Jun 30th, 2004, 12:03 AM
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1. Is Shipston actually in the Cotswolds? It's certainly a long way from most of the area (see www.cotswoldsaonb.com/map.htm). This isn't just pedantry: Cotswold buildings are made from the local oolitic limestone, which is coloured grey through honey. Slightly south of Shipston, the dominant rock turns into a reddish ironstone, so buildings have a redder, browner hue.
Probably looks pleasing to most visitors. But it's the same colour as the sandstone and brick most of industrial England is made from, so to us the colour often has a very urban association, and the ironstone belt in the south Midlands really doesn't feel Cotswoldy. Still lots of thatch and ceilings you bump your head on, though.
2. Let me introduce you to the www.rac.co.uk for journey times. It'll probably say 3 hrs for the BYC-Shipston journey.
3. But sites' predictions aren't the important thing. What really matters is how long it might take given normal congestion. On any journey that involves going round Birmingham, I would add 50% to the websites' prediction for planning purposes, then feel jolly pleased if I did it in the time the site said.
4. If you're aiming for the NE Cotswolds, or their immediate fringe (like Warwick or S-o-S), take the route that goes north and east of Birmingham, and follow the M6 toll route in reverse. It'll be a lot less vulnerable to congestion.
Heading for the SW Cotswolds, you have to stay west of Bham, and there's really no way of avoiding the main congestion (though there is a route through the middle of Wolverhampton that I swear by, but it is pretty tricky).
So you need to plan for congestion. Keep your radio on, make sure the traffic report thingy is activated and that you know how to turn it off (check before leaving the hire place), and make sure you have a proper, detailed, road atlas before getting into any car in the UK, ever.
Probably looks pleasing to most visitors. But it's the same colour as the sandstone and brick most of industrial England is made from, so to us the colour often has a very urban association, and the ironstone belt in the south Midlands really doesn't feel Cotswoldy. Still lots of thatch and ceilings you bump your head on, though.
2. Let me introduce you to the www.rac.co.uk for journey times. It'll probably say 3 hrs for the BYC-Shipston journey.
3. But sites' predictions aren't the important thing. What really matters is how long it might take given normal congestion. On any journey that involves going round Birmingham, I would add 50% to the websites' prediction for planning purposes, then feel jolly pleased if I did it in the time the site said.
4. If you're aiming for the NE Cotswolds, or their immediate fringe (like Warwick or S-o-S), take the route that goes north and east of Birmingham, and follow the M6 toll route in reverse. It'll be a lot less vulnerable to congestion.
Heading for the SW Cotswolds, you have to stay west of Bham, and there's really no way of avoiding the main congestion (though there is a route through the middle of Wolverhampton that I swear by, but it is pretty tricky).
So you need to plan for congestion. Keep your radio on, make sure the traffic report thingy is activated and that you know how to turn it off (check before leaving the hire place), and make sure you have a proper, detailed, road atlas before getting into any car in the UK, ever.
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