>>Jane Bloody Austen. Grrrr. Grrrr.<<

My work here is done.

Lee Ann

At the risk of prompting more Grr's , I thought I'd mention that Bath is a good destination for a Jane Austen fan. (There is a Jane Austen Centre,) It is a beautiful city and would be a nice place for an overnight trip
http://www.visitbath.co.uk/site/home

Have you considered a trip to a castle? I think Warwick Castle outside stratford is the be-all end-all of castles -- appeals to both boys (all kinds of crossbows, dungeons, parapets etc) and girls (they have Tussauds waxworks mock-ups of actual Royal Family weekends from 1900 there!)

We did a train to Stratford, afernoon at Warwick castle, evening performance at Shakespear theatre,stayed at a cheap B & B, took bus next day to Bath-- fabulous FREE Mayor's tour (starts outside city Hall 9 am), stayed overnight, train back to London.

Lots of good advice here. With 9 days I would not consider Edinburgh. You'd need at least two nights to make that journey worth it. It's four hours to Edinburgh, it makes more sense to do a daytrip to Paris! Not that I'm trying to give you more crazy ideas! With 9 days I'd either plan on two single day trips or one overnight. Places for daytrips that I'd recommend are Bath, Stonehenge, Cambridge, Hampton Court, Windsor or Greenwich. We did Bath and Stonehenge in one day via coach tour. York is also doable in a very long day if you leave early and return late. You could also overnight there. Bath would also be a fun place to overnight. Our favorite overnight trip out of London was up in Warwickshire. We left early for Stratford and spent the entire day there, then spent the night in a charming B&B in Stratford, then headed to Warwick Castle the next morning and returned to London in the early evening after a full day at Warwick Castle. Have a great trip!

I thought I'd mention that Bath is a good destination for a Jane Austen fan. >>>>


Grrr. Froth. Grrr. Twitch. Grrr.....

>>>>they have Tussauds waxworks mock-ups of actual Royal Family weekends from 1900 there!) >>>>

One of those waxworks is my great great uncle. This is as close to famous as I get.

And I thought Lloyd George knew your father...

And I thought Lloyd George knew your father...

And my father knew Lloyd George.

you've probably already seen this thread ("London Dayz( but in case you haven't it has some great info
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35129469

We did a daytrip from London to Oxford/Blenheim. In my opinion, this is best done by taking the "Oxford Tube" bus around 7ish, which will put you in Oxford before you can even leave London on a cheap day return train ticket (can't buy those for a departure time earlier than 9:30). When you arrive at the Gloucester Green bus station in Oxford, you simply step over a few spaces to the 20 or 20A bus which goes to Woodstock and stops right outside the palace gates. You get to see what is the finest non-royal residence in the UK in the morning, then you can tour Oxford in the afternoon.

Hi needsnow--
You've gotten a lot of great advice so far. Just wanted to add that you might want to check out this thread on saving in London (and the rest of England). There are a ton of good tips there.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35118693

Hmm.. I seem to have hit a nerve by mentioning Jane Austen - a little cliche I admit, but it's not such a bad thing for a teenage girl (my daughter)to love Jane Austen (at least she's reading), but I won't mention it anymore for fear of turning off all you people who are giving me such good advice -thanks to all for being so generous with your time.

Chol. asked where we are staying in South London- it is a neighborhood called Peckham Rye - and from what I hear very far from the thick of things - and kind of dodgy at night. Just to get into the city each day will be pricey, so we need to plan really well. I am happy to get tips on budget traveling and links to these great websites - they have been very helpful. I am a bit overwhelmed - there is so much information and so many choices.

Sam's recommendation of Warwickshire sounds really great and doable. As does "twk's" of Oxford/Blenheim. Obviously I'll need to come back to England again and again in order to do every great thing I've read.

It's really only me that gets the ab-dabs about Jane Bloody Austen. I'm from winchester and was made to read those god-awful books at school. They are alright for sensitive girls but no good for spotty boys with raging hormones. I used to dance on her grave when we were dragged to services in the Cathedral. Serve the daft bint right.

Peckham Rye is indeed dodgy in parts (in fact it's downright horrid in parts) but it does have some nicer bits (this is relative to the rest of Peckham).

I wouldn't let your teens out on their own at night. They'll get targetted. It's not a great place to be young i'm afraid.

It's not "expensive" to travel in. A weekly travel card for everything you're likely to want to see is £27 for adults.

There's a cracking museum nearby - the Horniman.

http://www.horniman.ac.uk/

I'd skip Edinburgh. Was there during August 6 yrs ago. It's too far for a one day trip, and there are soooo many other wonderful places that are closer.

I prefer Cambridge to Oxford, for whta that's worth. The kids would love punting on the river, by the "backs" of teh universities. Your family can relax while one of the local guys "drives " the canoe.

My dtr at age 15 loved Ceremony of the Keys at Tower of London. I read about it right here on Fodors!! Is it worth the additonal night time trip to the Tower? YES!!! You get tix from Her Majesty's office of something or other. Google for info.

If you go to Greenwich, skip the Tube; take the boat along the Thames. It leaves often, from Westminster Pier if i recall correctly.

Re: the Tube, i noticed the "Mind the Gap" messge is recorded by several different people now, depending on the Tube line. Your kids and you will get a kick out of it, and you can buy them "Mind the Gap" tee shirts that those in the know will smile at, while others wonder about that gap!! Only in London!!!!.

As mentioned in another response, dont forget the public busses as transport within the city. Nothing beats the front seat on top! I've lived in, and visited London many times, and still get a thrill when that seat is empty!

Yes to Covent Garden, as NY Traveler writes.!!! Was there a few days ago. Street performers (acrobat) magicians, opera singers, etc. Old fashioned market (Jubilee) and newer poshe stores. Again, the kids will love it.

Expect visitor crowds in August. But, as a born and bred NYer, i'd say that London is much LESS frenetic than NYC. And as writiten above by Carolyn, there are amazingly grogeous parks and expanses of green throughout the city to stroll though or sit in when you need a break.

If you're near the SW area of Hyde Park, check out the orangerie at Kensington Palace for an "oficial" afternon tea. Much less $, and at least as atmospheric (but less food) as the famous hotel teas like the ones at the Ritz.

if you want ot go to a London Theater show, do NOT buy tix from the theater. there are LOADS of discount booths nr Leicester Sq which sell tix for same-day performance, with tix at half-price. We saw "Grease" last week, 5th row Orchestra, for half the theater's price.

Have a great time. I just returned and oh, how i love London, and the towns and villages of England that I've seen! There's something about the place and the people there that always feels welcoming!

Needsnow, since you will be in London in August....consider a tour of Buckingham Palace! We did the tour last year and my teen still talks about it! Along with the tower of London and the British museum, THAT was the highlight for her! We managed a side trip to the Cotswolds which was really fun too and even got in some horseback riding!

NE - the Cotswolds and horse back riding sound great for us. Who did you use for the horses? Was it a certain outfit, can you make a recommendation?

And Chol., I forgive you your visceral reaction to Jane Bloody A. - understandable considering what you've had to hear your whole life. My son and husband leave the house when my daughter and I watch another of those JA film adaptations. Must be a girl thing. When you mentioned in your last post the weekly travel card for 27 pounds, is that the same as an OysterCard I hear everyone talking about? Someone warned me against the weekly passes and steered me toward OysterCards.
CaliNurse - thanks for the tips about Cambridge and having tea outside of Hyde Park, and for the theatre advice too.Would love to be able to do all that.
I'm officially over Edinburgh this trip - obviously not a good choice at this time. Can anyone recommend a nice place to stay in Bath or the Cotswolds? we don't require luxury - no spas or fancy hair products - just nice people, clean, and local flavor.