ElleKay

Here is my two-week Great Britain Itinerary. I know it's exhausting, but... I just want to know what veteran travellers think.

(We have an 8-Day BritRail Pass... which we've definitely made the most of)

Day 1 - London (Bus Tour, Westminster Abbey)
Day 2 - London (Britsh Museum, Tate Britain & National Gallery)
Day 3 - London (Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, Museum of London)
Day 4 - London (Kensington Area)
Day 5 - 1/2 day at Hampton Court Palace
Day 6 - Warwick
Day 7 - Salisbury & Stonehenge
Day 8 - York (overnight)
Day 9 - Edinburgh (return to London that night)
Day 10 - 1/2 day at Windsor Castle
Day 11 - Bath
Day 12 - Dover
Day 13 - Wales
Day 14 - London (Wallace Collection & Madame Tussaud's)

(Before we return to Gatwick on Day 15, we hope to walk around Westminster & Trafalgar Sq. one more time)

Well... is it awful? Is it wonderful? What does everyone think?

elaine

Hi
I don't know all your interests and preferences, but I'll say what mine are.

I'd spend more time in London, giving up at least two of your days away.
Your day 3 sounds too museum-packed to me, and both the Tower and the Museum of London are good for a few hours each. I personally love museums but have a tolerance level of about 2 hours before I need fresh air or at least fresh coffee. So, I'd do the Tower one morning and do something less demanding of attention in the afternoon--shopping a theatre matinee, Kensington, something else.

I think you will find that your half day at Hampton Court will really be 2/3 of a day by the time you go back and forth. So maybe that afternoon upon return to London stroll around Kensington. I don't know what you planned to do in that area, but an afternoon stroll in Kensington or Chelsea or Bloomsbury or Covent Garden (or a visit to a smaller museum like the Courtauld Inst or the National Portrait Gallery) might work. Or you could stop in Kew Gardens for a couple of hours.

Also remember that several museums, the Nat'al Gallery is just one, have at least one late evening of admission each week, which helps with breaking up the schedule.

I have a file on London; if you'd like to see it, email me at
[email protected]

janis

Well - not "awful" - but sorta close.

Not counting Hampton Court Palace (which is really in outer London) you are traveling outside of the city 8 straight days. Now, 2 of those are the 2 days you have set for York/Edinburgh. But still - you are really not spending much time actually IN London. That is great if thats what you want to do. BUT - accomodations in London are twice as expensive as most other places. So if you want to see so much out of London - get out of London.

For instance staying 3 days in a B&B near Bath would let you see Salisbury/Stonehenge/Bath/S. Wales w/o having to go back to London every night.

janis

I was posting at the same time as elaine. I totally agree w/ her that I'd spend more time IN London - but my point was IF you insist on that many trips you really should get out of the city.

Anonymous

Unless you have some compelling reason to stay in London (free room?), it makes no sense at all to go out-and-back so often. As janis pointed out, you're backtracking an awful lot in your separate trips to Salisbury, Bath, and Wales. You won't get to see much of Wales in a day trip from London, but you could see plenty in a day trip from Bath! I recommend that you get out a map and plot all these destinations on it, then prepare an itinerary that isn't so London-focused.

starspinners

I know it's very tempting to make good use of your BritRail Pass and to visit as many places as possible. And every place on your list is wonderful to visit.
However have you factored in how many hours you will spend sitting on trains for 8 consecutive day trips? Take a look at some train schedules and you can get an idea of the amount of travel time involved to get from place to place.
I don't think you will be able to give Edinburgh justice by traveling there from York in the morning ( that's a 2 hour train trip) and then returning to London that same day ( that's a 4 hour trip.)
I've actually traveled London-Cardiff-London as a day trip, ( was meeting a friend) but I had been there before when I had more time to spend.

elaine

As we're 'talking' here, others have made excelent suggestions.
I don't know if you have hotel constraints or not that require a London stay, but otherwise, take a train to Bath, and stay over a day or two, and from there you can train or bus or take an organized bus tour to Wales. From London, there are also bus tours that combine Bath and Stonehenge and possibly also Salisbury into one busy day, but that's a short time in Bath.

Spending not even a whole day in E'burgh seems pointless to me.
I have daytripped to York which is closer to London, and I still only had about 6 real sightseeing hours in York.
It wasn't bad for a first visit, but Edinburgh would require more than that I feel.

I know you have an investment in your rail passes, but you also have an investment in the vacation as whole. I wouldn't let the value of the rail pass dictate how many trips I make, or the logistics of my days. That much time on trains, even IF all goes smoothly, is too much time imo.

rkkwan

Like Elaine and others have said, you need more than just an overnight in York for York & Edinburgh. If you have to do it, take an early train to York, then late train to Edinburgh and overnight there. Spend the next whole day there and return late to London.

And if you insist on doing all those day trips, spread it over the whole trip, and leave some London days in between - get a more expensive 8 non-consecutive day Flexipass. You don't want to go to the train station every single day for 8 days straight.

You may also want to do Bath and Wales as a 2-day trip, and overnight out there, instead of travelling back to London. Or Bath/Salisbury as a 2-day trip.

And skip Dover.

Charley1965

It sounds too way too much to me. I don't understand the Wales/Dover days? You cannot see the beauty of Wales in one day and there is no reason to go to Dover unless you are crossing the Channel?? One day in Edinburgh is not enough either. I think you are travelling too far! Just stay near London and maybe travel to Warwick or Stratford upon Avon for a couple of days. I think this itinerary is too ambitious.