Hilda_Bell

We (4 adults) plan to travel from London in July for 12 days. Will hire a car and I am wondering if distance and time-wise it would be feasible. First to drive to Stonehenge (just for an hour as my husband wants to see the stones)and overnight at Bath. Then to Port Isaac in Cornwall for two days and then drive up to York and stay there (a friend as recommened Helmsley and Haworth) for three days. Then drive to Edinburgh; stay overnight and then catch the ferry to Aaran and stay two nights (the men want to golf there). We will drive down to Oxford and overnight there before catching our flight back to Canada.<BR><BR>Is all of this too ambitious? We really don't want to be rushed all that much. Any suggestions on what to do and where to stay, etc. would be appreciated. ...Hilda

ron

If I have it right, you are talking about 1 hour at Stonehenge, a half day in Bath, 1.5 days in Cornwall, 2 days in Yorkshire, a half day in Edinburgh and 1.5 days on Arran. So you will be spending 6 days at interesting places and 5 days driving. Certainly doable, but seems like too much travelling and not enough seeing. Assuming that Arran is the “must go to&quot; place, I would tend to dump Cornwall or York and add some time to the remaining places.

wojazz3

I agree that is way too much traveling. Since your plan is to generally head north, I would drop Cornwall, Bath and Stonehenge. At that time of year, Sonehenge will be a zoo. York is a good halfway point on the way to Edinburgh. Then spend a little more time in Scotland on the way to Arran. <BR><BR>I'm one of those who doesn't believe in raveling at blinding speeds. Your original plan is at a blinding speed.<BR><BR>Bill

janis

It looks like you have 3 threads going so I hope you find all of them. <BR><BR>Some major problems w/ your plans. Port Isaac is a fine place - but it is MILES and HOURS out of the way on your itinerary. Cornwall gets VERY crowded in summer and the roads are narrow and slow. It makes no sense to drive that far to just turn around and head back north. <BR><BR>You have days where you will be driving 8 or 9 hours. This is very tiring and does not allow you to see anything. Plus with 4 adults all on different bathroom schedules and with different needs, an 8 hour drive can easily stretch to 11 or more hours. I have a rule of thumb when traveling in the UK with more than 2 people (I usually do all or most of the driving) to limit total travel to less than 100 miles if sightseeing or 250 miles if moving from one region to another. Sometimes we have to break the 250 mile rule but it is always difficult.<BR><BR>Your day from Arran to Oxford will also be very long - more than 350 miles after a morning ferry.

Hilda_Bell

Thanks for that advice. Will scrap the idea of going to Cornwall. Any suggestions for an overnight stay en route to York from London? Didn't realize it was so far from Ardrossan to Oxford so will break that trip up as well.

bettyk

I always tell people to plot out their trip on a map first. Then, you can go to several of the great driving/map sites to calculate mileage and estimate driving times to see if your plan is doable. Some to try are mapblast.com and viamichelin.com. Good luck!

janis

bettyk has a good suggestion - but remember the times are geared to the &quot;average&quot; driver and average road conditions. You guys will not be average UK drivers - everything will be new and unfamiliar and you will probably drive slower.<BR><BR>So use the websites betty suggests - but add at least 15% to 20% to your drive times.

Hilda_Bell

Thanks Betty and Janis; I'll check out those web sites. My husband has a bit of a 'lead foot' but u are right - it will be unfamiliar. I just found out how to retrieve my 'replies' so I apologize for having several questions on the go! Hilda

Gavin

I find that driving in the UK is more stressfull than driving at home (Canada), especially at the start of the trip. I agree with the idea that one should limit time on the road per day more than might otherwise seem reasonable.

Hilda_Bell

Thanks for your input, Gavin. I drive in Toronto and find that stressful enough! Does anyone recommend a rental car company? Alamo seems to be the cheapest of the larger rental cos. We have reworked our itinerary to drive to Yorkshire from London. Any places that we should stop at either for a few hours or overnight?<BR><BR>Everyone's input is so very much appreciated.

Arrietty

Hilda, it sounds like your itinerary is getting down to manageable size. Just wanted to note that I strongly DON'T recommend Alamo. We've had more than one bad experience with them.<BR><BR>If you should overnight at Oxford, Sudley Priory Hotel outside the city in Horton-cum-Studley is a great place, a 15th-century priory turned hotel. <BR><BR>Enjoy your trip!

janis

Arrietty is talking about Studley (not Sudley) Priory. It is a WONDERFUL place. When I lived near Oxford I had my very first ever Pimms there (and many more during the next five years). But it is not near the direct route from London to York. <BR><BR>You really don't need to break the drive from London to York - unless you want to. You could leave London in the morning and be in by lunch time.

Heimdall

I agree with the last post - you can easily do London to York in one day, and there isn't all that much interesting until you get to Yorkshire, anyway. Probably the worst part of your journey will be getting out of London, so recommend you hire your car somewhere near the M25 orbital. But if you are going directly from Bath to York, you would be better off taking the M5, M6, &amp; M62 through Bristol, Birmingham, and Leeds rather than going back through London. Stopping at Stonehenge on the way to Bath is a good idea. An hour is about all you will need to see the stones.<BR><BR>UK schools break up for the summer around mid to late July, and the whole of August. Travelling before then should be especially pleasant. Have a wonderful trip.

Hilda_Bell

Thanks again. I did find Studley and the Priory Hotel looks just fabulous but probably a bit more than what we want to pay. We will plan to visit the town though. Maybe I'll have a Pimms! Thanks for the advice re drive from London to Yorkshire. We are going to give Stonehenge a miss and take your sage advice and drive right up to York. A friend recommended going to Whitby for wonderful scenery. Any comment? Also, does anyone have recommendations for a B&amp;B/small hotel in York? I found a car rental place via Smoothhound &quot;Holiday Autos&quot; so may try them instead of Alamo. Thx!

janis

Hilda_Bell: Sorry - I usually rent a cottage and stay a week when visiting Yorkshire so can't recommend a place but there are several fodorites who usually come through w/ York suggestions.<BR><BR>Whitby is great - the ruined Abbey and the harbor are worth a look around. Nearby is Robin Hood's Bay which is just wonderful. Also - the North Yorkshire Moors steam railway runs from Pickering to Grosmont near Whitby.

Hilda_Bell

Hi Janis,<BR><BR>A friend here just recommended Whiby and Robin Hood Bay so I've put them both on the list of musts to visit. Thanks so much. She also raved about Haworth and Helmsley - do you agree?

mari3

After an all night flight you COULD take the train to York that first day from London........and rent a car there in York. It is a wonderful town, or perhaps some other small town in beautiful Yorkshire. Then drive on to Edinburgh , and continue your trip to the parts of Scotland you want to visit.<BR>IF you have time you could make your way down through England to Oxford. It is SO interesting....then on into the airport to turn the car in.

RosemaryM

Hi Hilda,<BR>First off, York teems with small hotels and B &amp; Bs. I have stayed twice at Ascot House and found it comfortable.<BR>Haworth is great if you are a Bronte fan (Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights etc).The Bronte Parsonage Museum is terrific with lots of memorabilia of the whole Bronte family.<BR>Helmsley is also great. The castle ruins enclose an Elizabethan manor house. When we were there in 1992 we opened a large built in cupboard in a panelled hall to find a plastic spray bottle hand labelled &quot;Ye Olde Windowe Cleanere&quot;. Broke us up. If you go through Helmsley don't miss Rievaulx Abbey ruins - just so picturesque.<BR>Have a good time<BR>Rosemary

janis

Rosemary pretty much covered Haworth and Helmsley. Both are worth a visit -- IF you have time. You won't be able to see everything so you can decide after you are in Yorkshire.<BR><BR>If you do go to Rievaulx Abbey, also go up on the hill to Rievaulx Terrace. It is a park and classical temple up above the Abbey with beautiful views down on the Abbey grounds and across that part of Yorkshire.

Hilda_Bell

Thanks you all so much for your input.<BR>We will be in London for six days before driving up to York otherwise we would take the train.<BR><BR>The tips for Haworth and Helmsley are great - I do want to visit them both; it looks as though they could be one day trip. That wonderful AA site someone suggested tells me we can get to Haworth via Helmsley in 2 hr 23 min! Ah, so many places and just not enough time!