UK Planning
Apr 2nd, 2011, 02:39 AM
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UK Planning
Hello! My sister and I are planning a two week trip to include England and Scotland. Our plans right now are as follows:
Day 1--arrive and see British Museum and Library, stay in London.
Day 2--Stay in London, go see Jane Austen house in Chawton/Hampshire area, we'd like to do more stuff that day, is it possible to do Windsor and Chawton? How far apart are they, what do you recommend to pull that off? Ideally get back in London in time to see at least one major London site.
Day 3--Stay in London, Churchill War Rooms, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Jewel Tower, Buckingham, Handel House,
Day 4--Stay in London, St. Paul's, Tower of London, Shakespear's Globe.
In addition we'd like to see the Wimbledon tour and Kew Gardens in this time frame.
Day 5--we will still be in London, planning on attending at service at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, we are debating whether to still stay in London or go to our next destination. We're kind of flexible at this point, and could use the time to see the stuff that we missed in the above list.
Day 6--we want to see the main sites in Bath
Day 7--stay in Bath, do a Stonehege/etc. tour
Day 8--go to Blenheim Palace (suggestions on the best way to get there from Bath?)
Day 9--leave Bath....this is where it gets complicated. Ideally, we want to go to York and see the following from York, but I'm not sure if it's possible or not. We want to see Chatsworth, Bronte House, and Beatrix Potter sites, and the main York sites. All on days, 9, 10, and 11. We really need suggestions on how to pull it off. Or if it's better for us to stay one night in one of the towns close to one of those places, then head to York.
Day 12, leave York and head to Edinburgh
Day 13, do a Highlands Tour
Day 14, do the main Edinburgh stuff
Day 15, leave to go home.
Main things to note are: We are not using a car, we will be using either trains or buses. Actually would love suggestions on whether or not to get a bus pass or an brit rail pass, and the best way to handle transportation issues. Does the above plan sound plausible or are we planning on too much stuff to do? The more I think about it, I'm thinking we should skip the Beatrix Potter sites, and focus on something closer to York.
In London, we are hoping to arrive from Gatwick and have a B&B close to Victoria Station. Is that a good location for the stuff we want to do?
Is an oyster card or travel card better for our plans?
Thank you so much for your time and response!
Day 1--arrive and see British Museum and Library, stay in London.
Day 2--Stay in London, go see Jane Austen house in Chawton/Hampshire area, we'd like to do more stuff that day, is it possible to do Windsor and Chawton? How far apart are they, what do you recommend to pull that off? Ideally get back in London in time to see at least one major London site.
Day 3--Stay in London, Churchill War Rooms, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Jewel Tower, Buckingham, Handel House,
Day 4--Stay in London, St. Paul's, Tower of London, Shakespear's Globe.
In addition we'd like to see the Wimbledon tour and Kew Gardens in this time frame.
Day 5--we will still be in London, planning on attending at service at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, we are debating whether to still stay in London or go to our next destination. We're kind of flexible at this point, and could use the time to see the stuff that we missed in the above list.
Day 6--we want to see the main sites in Bath
Day 7--stay in Bath, do a Stonehege/etc. tour
Day 8--go to Blenheim Palace (suggestions on the best way to get there from Bath?)
Day 9--leave Bath....this is where it gets complicated. Ideally, we want to go to York and see the following from York, but I'm not sure if it's possible or not. We want to see Chatsworth, Bronte House, and Beatrix Potter sites, and the main York sites. All on days, 9, 10, and 11. We really need suggestions on how to pull it off. Or if it's better for us to stay one night in one of the towns close to one of those places, then head to York.
Day 12, leave York and head to Edinburgh
Day 13, do a Highlands Tour
Day 14, do the main Edinburgh stuff
Day 15, leave to go home.
Main things to note are: We are not using a car, we will be using either trains or buses. Actually would love suggestions on whether or not to get a bus pass or an brit rail pass, and the best way to handle transportation issues. Does the above plan sound plausible or are we planning on too much stuff to do? The more I think about it, I'm thinking we should skip the Beatrix Potter sites, and focus on something closer to York.
In London, we are hoping to arrive from Gatwick and have a B&B close to Victoria Station. Is that a good location for the stuff we want to do?
Is an oyster card or travel card better for our plans?
Thank you so much for your time and response!
Apr 2nd, 2011, 04:32 AM
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Sorry but you're trying to squeeze in <i>far</i> too much into the time you have available.
Day 1: You don't say where you're coming from but if you're arriving after a long haul flight, you'll be tired and jet-lagged by the time you reach your hotel. A walk around in the fresh air is much better than tackling a large indoor museum.
Day 2: Simply won't work. To get to the Jane Austen house in Chawton, you need to take a train (approx 1:10 h duration) from London Waterloo to Alton, then get on a local bus, then walk. Windsor and Chawton are nowhere near each other and require journeys on completely different train lines out of London to reach, so are incompatible as destinations on the same day. Taking in other major sites in London on the same day will be tricky as both Windson and Chawton are minimum 1/2 day trips on their own.
Day 3: back and forth all across central London all day.
Day 4: as Day 3 but even worse as Wimbledon and Kew are out in the suburbs so you have to factor in additional travelling time - London is an immense city.
...
Day 7: Bath is not a natural base from which to see Stonehenge - most people do the trip via Salisbury (which is a good place to visit in its own right). I've no idea if you can even do a tour from Bath to Stonehenge - it's a good 80 mile round trip.
...
Days 13/14: There is more than enough to see in Edinburgh to fill a week or more, but you want to go all the way there just to spend 1 day? A day trip to the highlands will be no more than a blur seen from a bus window. To really see this area requies several days (and ideally you're own transportation).
I'd really recommend you get a map, a good guide-book and try to be more realistic about what you can see in a 2 week trip.
Day 1: You don't say where you're coming from but if you're arriving after a long haul flight, you'll be tired and jet-lagged by the time you reach your hotel. A walk around in the fresh air is much better than tackling a large indoor museum.
Day 2: Simply won't work. To get to the Jane Austen house in Chawton, you need to take a train (approx 1:10 h duration) from London Waterloo to Alton, then get on a local bus, then walk. Windsor and Chawton are nowhere near each other and require journeys on completely different train lines out of London to reach, so are incompatible as destinations on the same day. Taking in other major sites in London on the same day will be tricky as both Windson and Chawton are minimum 1/2 day trips on their own.
Day 3: back and forth all across central London all day.
Day 4: as Day 3 but even worse as Wimbledon and Kew are out in the suburbs so you have to factor in additional travelling time - London is an immense city.
...
Day 7: Bath is not a natural base from which to see Stonehenge - most people do the trip via Salisbury (which is a good place to visit in its own right). I've no idea if you can even do a tour from Bath to Stonehenge - it's a good 80 mile round trip.
...
Days 13/14: There is more than enough to see in Edinburgh to fill a week or more, but you want to go all the way there just to spend 1 day? A day trip to the highlands will be no more than a blur seen from a bus window. To really see this area requies several days (and ideally you're own transportation).
I'd really recommend you get a map, a good guide-book and try to be more realistic about what you can see in a 2 week trip.
Apr 2nd, 2011, 04:51 AM
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You may or may not get lots of negative responses; listen to what people say; it is YOUR trip and you know, maybe, what you are capable of handling per day BUT:
Yes, you have way too much planned for London. You need to scale back considerably and/or add some time there. It is huge and takes big chunks of time to get from place to place.
1.When do you actually plan to arrive AT YOUR ROOMS (2-3 hours after your planned air arrival)? You probably don't have as much time as you think. And going INSIDE to a museum is not best plan. Use whatever remaining time you have probably to walk around OUTSIDE--Big Ben, Westminster area, up to Trafalgar Square and/or over to outside of Buckingham Palace.
2.No knowledge of your plans for second day but seriously doubt you can do that. Maybe Windsor and a London site.
3.Start at the Abbey, then do the British Museum and Library in the afternoon perhaps.
4. Start at the Tower, then St. Paul's in the afternoon.
For the Globe, if you want to see a performance, check now. If you just want to go by, you could do the Tower, walk over the Tower bridge, along the Southbank, by the Globe, over the Milinneum Bridge to St. Paul's. If you want a tour, you'll have to figure out that timing. (allow about 3 hours for Tower and about 2 for St. Paul's--note the last time St. Paul's allows tourists in)
5.Yes, stay in London and see what you've missed probably.
I don't have much imput on rest of plan except you can't do it all. I'd think Bath, then York, then Edinburgh would maybe be sorta doable if you rush. Travel time eats up ?halfaday? at a time. Are you then leaving from Edinburgh?
No, you can't go to Chatsworth very easily without a car. We did it. It was very difficult. We trained from London to a nearby town, caught a bus, walked, spent several glorious hours, barely got seats on a very crowded-and-last-one-of-the-day little bus back to the train station, rode train back to London. It was well worth it, but it was a special "quest" that my husband helped me accomplish and I'd never want to try it again. Others may give different, updated, or more helpful advice. Sorry, it was a highlight of my 2008 trip, but I'd never try it again.
You will need the Oyster card--that IS a travel card. There is the complication of perhaps getting paper travel cards (instead of the plastic Oyster card which "holds" travel card values OR monetary values) so as to use 2for1 vouchers (but of your sites, I THINK the Tower may be the only one accepting said vouchers)
We used a BritRailFlex 4day pass and LOVED it because the flexibility it afforded was perfect. You might look into their consecutive pass. It is more costly than buying advance tickets, but it was worth it for us not to have to plan a schedule so rigidly. You will have to plan days you travel so you can get to cities you want and make room reservations, but with a pass you won't have to stress about making a particular time.
I'm a "pack-it-in" trip planner myself, but you do need to be realistic about what is actually physically possible. I'm a big Austen fan too, so I understand the motives. But without a car (which I also understand!!) there are limitations. And you don't want to JUST see Austen stuff, esp. in London and York, so those take time too.
Re-think, get good maps, use googlemaps, look at the BritRail sites to get idea of train travel possibilities, continue to plan well. But don't plan too much per day or you will end up frustrated and too tired to enjoy.
Yes, you have way too much planned for London. You need to scale back considerably and/or add some time there. It is huge and takes big chunks of time to get from place to place.
1.When do you actually plan to arrive AT YOUR ROOMS (2-3 hours after your planned air arrival)? You probably don't have as much time as you think. And going INSIDE to a museum is not best plan. Use whatever remaining time you have probably to walk around OUTSIDE--Big Ben, Westminster area, up to Trafalgar Square and/or over to outside of Buckingham Palace.
2.No knowledge of your plans for second day but seriously doubt you can do that. Maybe Windsor and a London site.
3.Start at the Abbey, then do the British Museum and Library in the afternoon perhaps.
4. Start at the Tower, then St. Paul's in the afternoon.
For the Globe, if you want to see a performance, check now. If you just want to go by, you could do the Tower, walk over the Tower bridge, along the Southbank, by the Globe, over the Milinneum Bridge to St. Paul's. If you want a tour, you'll have to figure out that timing. (allow about 3 hours for Tower and about 2 for St. Paul's--note the last time St. Paul's allows tourists in)
5.Yes, stay in London and see what you've missed probably.
I don't have much imput on rest of plan except you can't do it all. I'd think Bath, then York, then Edinburgh would maybe be sorta doable if you rush. Travel time eats up ?halfaday? at a time. Are you then leaving from Edinburgh?
No, you can't go to Chatsworth very easily without a car. We did it. It was very difficult. We trained from London to a nearby town, caught a bus, walked, spent several glorious hours, barely got seats on a very crowded-and-last-one-of-the-day little bus back to the train station, rode train back to London. It was well worth it, but it was a special "quest" that my husband helped me accomplish and I'd never want to try it again. Others may give different, updated, or more helpful advice. Sorry, it was a highlight of my 2008 trip, but I'd never try it again.
You will need the Oyster card--that IS a travel card. There is the complication of perhaps getting paper travel cards (instead of the plastic Oyster card which "holds" travel card values OR monetary values) so as to use 2for1 vouchers (but of your sites, I THINK the Tower may be the only one accepting said vouchers)
We used a BritRailFlex 4day pass and LOVED it because the flexibility it afforded was perfect. You might look into their consecutive pass. It is more costly than buying advance tickets, but it was worth it for us not to have to plan a schedule so rigidly. You will have to plan days you travel so you can get to cities you want and make room reservations, but with a pass you won't have to stress about making a particular time.
I'm a "pack-it-in" trip planner myself, but you do need to be realistic about what is actually physically possible. I'm a big Austen fan too, so I understand the motives. But without a car (which I also understand!!) there are limitations. And you don't want to JUST see Austen stuff, esp. in London and York, so those take time too.
Re-think, get good maps, use googlemaps, look at the BritRail sites to get idea of train travel possibilities, continue to plan well. But don't plan too much per day or you will end up frustrated and too tired to enjoy.
Apr 2nd, 2011, 05:10 AM
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I would think that Blenheim would be much better from London than from Bath as it is fairly close to Oxford. I would think the travel connections from London would be easier.
As someone mentioned, Stonehenge is easier from Salisbury than Bath. Salisbury also has a wonderful cathedral. There are good train connections to Salisbury from London, so you might go down, get a bus tour to Stonehenge, wander into the cathedral, spend the night and then get an early start the next day for Bath.
As someone mentioned, Stonehenge is easier from Salisbury than Bath. Salisbury also has a wonderful cathedral. There are good train connections to Salisbury from London, so you might go down, get a bus tour to Stonehenge, wander into the cathedral, spend the night and then get an early start the next day for Bath.
Apr 2nd, 2011, 05:12 AM
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Just thinking of all the sights outside of York. Would you consider renting a car in York for a couple of days? You could more easily take in the sights outside of the city as well as some wonderful scenery. Just a thought.
Apr 2nd, 2011, 05:27 AM
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You might enjoy a book I read recently, A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith by Lori Smith
It talks about some of the places you want to see from the perspective of a Jane Austen fan.
It seems to me you are trying to do too much in 2 weeks especially without a car
It talks about some of the places you want to see from the perspective of a Jane Austen fan.
It seems to me you are trying to do too much in 2 weeks especially without a car
Apr 2nd, 2011, 05:39 AM
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Days 9 to 12 are a huge problem and personally I don't think you should even consider them ALL even if you had a car.
1)Chatsworth is in Derbyshire, sorry don't know nearest station or how you would get there by train from York.
2) By Bronte house I assume you mean the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth? You can get there by public transport from York - think it would be a train to Leeds, then to Keightley then bus to Haworth. Would take several hours as you'd have to link up your public transport. Depends how much you want to go. By car you could do it in 90 mins.
3) Beatrix Potter sites - assume you mean Lake District - again not sure how you would get there from York but it's the other side of the country, and you'd have to get a train to Windermere I assume as your nearest station. No idea how you would then travel to Hilltop etc.
When would you get to see York?
York itself is pedestrian friendly, and you could get to see Castle Howard by bus (not Sundays or Bank Holidays) from the city.
http://www.castlehoward.co.uk/House-...Transport.html
1)Chatsworth is in Derbyshire, sorry don't know nearest station or how you would get there by train from York.
2) By Bronte house I assume you mean the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth? You can get there by public transport from York - think it would be a train to Leeds, then to Keightley then bus to Haworth. Would take several hours as you'd have to link up your public transport. Depends how much you want to go. By car you could do it in 90 mins.
3) Beatrix Potter sites - assume you mean Lake District - again not sure how you would get there from York but it's the other side of the country, and you'd have to get a train to Windermere I assume as your nearest station. No idea how you would then travel to Hilltop etc.
When would you get to see York?
York itself is pedestrian friendly, and you could get to see Castle Howard by bus (not Sundays or Bank Holidays) from the city.
http://www.castlehoward.co.uk/House-...Transport.html
Apr 2nd, 2011, 05:44 AM
#9
OK-- you will get tons of response but simply put: Much of your plan would be difficult w/ a car - and impossible by public transport.
I'm not suggesting you hire a car (outside of London of course) - I AM suggesting you need to re-think the whole itinerary.
Even w/ a car what you want to see is a good three weeks worth.
Bath is not a base for Blenheim
York is not a base for Chatsworth, Hill top (Beatrix Potter's House) or the Bronte Parsonage.
The places you want to see in London are spread over a HUGE area and would require 7-10 days because of distances/travel time. Chawton is not in (nor very near) London so you could squeeze it in as a day trip from the city but it would take the <u>entire</u> day.
There are many other specific issues/problems -- but instead of piling on more, I suggest you really need to sit down w/ a map of the UK, and start over . . .
I'm not suggesting you hire a car (outside of London of course) - I AM suggesting you need to re-think the whole itinerary.
Even w/ a car what you want to see is a good three weeks worth.
Bath is not a base for Blenheim
York is not a base for Chatsworth, Hill top (Beatrix Potter's House) or the Bronte Parsonage.
The places you want to see in London are spread over a HUGE area and would require 7-10 days because of distances/travel time. Chawton is not in (nor very near) London so you could squeeze it in as a day trip from the city but it would take the <u>entire</u> day.
There are many other specific issues/problems -- but instead of piling on more, I suggest you really need to sit down w/ a map of the UK, and start over . . .
Apr 2nd, 2011, 06:06 AM
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What Janis said. Too many places, not enough time.
If you go to the websites for the places you want to visit, detailed instructions about arriving by public transportation are supplied. For example, the website for Chawton House (http://www.jane-austens-house-museum...tting_here.htm) tells you how to arrive by train and bus.
You're going to need to cut down the number of places you see or increase your time considerably.
When you get your itinerary more manageable, you might look into the Great British Heritage Pass. It gives you admission to all National Trust, National Trust for Scotland, and English Heritage properties: www.britishheritagepass.com
If you go to the websites for the places you want to visit, detailed instructions about arriving by public transportation are supplied. For example, the website for Chawton House (http://www.jane-austens-house-museum...tting_here.htm) tells you how to arrive by train and bus.
You're going to need to cut down the number of places you see or increase your time considerably.
When you get your itinerary more manageable, you might look into the Great British Heritage Pass. It gives you admission to all National Trust, National Trust for Scotland, and English Heritage properties: www.britishheritagepass.com
Apr 2nd, 2011, 12:09 PM
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Thank you so much for all of your replies! My sister and I both appreciate the time and advice given. I'll respond to specifics in another post, but I wanted to let you know a couple of other things. One, sorry for not giving more details on things, looking back I realize I'm a little vague. Two, I am flying from the US to London and my sister, who's been in Spain for the last several months, will be meeting me there. Three, neither of us are comfortable with the idea of driving a car outside the US. I won't even drive in my own "downtown" city here at home. 
Three, after reading the responses, we've decided to skip Chawton. (question to all the Jane Austen fans...is that okay? my impression is that the museum might be on the smaller side?) We are also skipping the Beatrix Potter idea.
Also, we have purchased a 3 day London pass and a 7 day Great Britain Heritage Pass. Thank you again for your time and I'll be posting more later!
Three, after reading the responses, we've decided to skip Chawton. (question to all the Jane Austen fans...is that okay? my impression is that the museum might be on the smaller side?) We are also skipping the Beatrix Potter idea.
Also, we have purchased a 3 day London pass and a 7 day Great Britain Heritage Pass. Thank you again for your time and I'll be posting more later!
Apr 2nd, 2011, 02:30 PM
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Our new itinerary: (later I will be starting other threads with more details for each city)
Days 1-4/arrive in London and see major attractions, including Windsor. (we arrive in London in the morning, and I hope that by 1 pm to be able to head out to see some things and then be back at our hotel for an early night to get some sleep to get an early start the next day)
Day 5/attend a service at Metropolitan Tabernacle. Afterwards, head back to our hotel, get our luggage, then get a metro to Paddington Station, and take a train to Bath. Hopefully Arrive in Bath sometime that evening. (between 6-8pm is my goal)
Day 6/see the major Bath attractions.
Day 7/ take a tour to see Stonehenge, etc.
http://www.madmax.abel.co.uk/ is the tour we will be doing, it covers several sites, and although we discussed the Salisbury Cathedral idea, we actually like this idea better since we will be seeing a couple of churches in London.
Day 8/see Blenheim Palace, according to their website, they are 1.5 hour away from Bath. I’m assuming that’s by train, but I still need to work the details of it out better.
Day 9/leave early from Bath to go to Chesterfield, which is where Chatsworth is. We are seriously considering doing a major “splurge” here and spending the night on one of the cheaper hotel properties on the Chatsworth estate. We’d have the afternoon to tour the house and then spend one night there, and head to York next. (plus, it just sounds amazingly fun to spend the night on “Pemberley” property!)
Day 10/leave for York, get settled in our hotel and spend the day seeing major sites in the city of York
Day 11/take a train/bus to get to the Bronte Parsonage and spend the day there and other nearby scenery.
Day 12/leave from York to Edinburgh, approximately 3 hours, I think. Spend the day seeing possibly one thing in Edinburgh and relaxing.
Day 13/ Go on a Highlands tour http://www.timberbush-tours.co.uk/ed...loch_ness.html True, I’m sure it will be something of a “blur” but we are both excited about the tour as we can at least see the Loch Ness, and enjoy, albeit “quickly” some of the Northern Highland scenery of Scotland.
Day 14/ see some of the top sites in Edinburgh
Day 15/leave from the Edinburgh airport to go home.
My sister and I both like to try to pack in as much as possible; we usually can get through sites fairly quickly. Although we are trying to give ourselves enough time to enjoy everything and not be too exhausted…not that from our schedule it looks like it. Thank you again for your time, I’ll probably have some more specific questions later on in other posts. The main thing that worries me at this point, is trying to figure out the details of train/bus transportation and determining the best type of “rail pass” to get.
Days 1-4/arrive in London and see major attractions, including Windsor. (we arrive in London in the morning, and I hope that by 1 pm to be able to head out to see some things and then be back at our hotel for an early night to get some sleep to get an early start the next day)
Day 5/attend a service at Metropolitan Tabernacle. Afterwards, head back to our hotel, get our luggage, then get a metro to Paddington Station, and take a train to Bath. Hopefully Arrive in Bath sometime that evening. (between 6-8pm is my goal)
Day 6/see the major Bath attractions.
Day 7/ take a tour to see Stonehenge, etc.
http://www.madmax.abel.co.uk/ is the tour we will be doing, it covers several sites, and although we discussed the Salisbury Cathedral idea, we actually like this idea better since we will be seeing a couple of churches in London.
Day 8/see Blenheim Palace, according to their website, they are 1.5 hour away from Bath. I’m assuming that’s by train, but I still need to work the details of it out better.
Day 9/leave early from Bath to go to Chesterfield, which is where Chatsworth is. We are seriously considering doing a major “splurge” here and spending the night on one of the cheaper hotel properties on the Chatsworth estate. We’d have the afternoon to tour the house and then spend one night there, and head to York next. (plus, it just sounds amazingly fun to spend the night on “Pemberley” property!)
Day 10/leave for York, get settled in our hotel and spend the day seeing major sites in the city of York
Day 11/take a train/bus to get to the Bronte Parsonage and spend the day there and other nearby scenery.
Day 12/leave from York to Edinburgh, approximately 3 hours, I think. Spend the day seeing possibly one thing in Edinburgh and relaxing.
Day 13/ Go on a Highlands tour http://www.timberbush-tours.co.uk/ed...loch_ness.html True, I’m sure it will be something of a “blur” but we are both excited about the tour as we can at least see the Loch Ness, and enjoy, albeit “quickly” some of the Northern Highland scenery of Scotland.
Day 14/ see some of the top sites in Edinburgh
Day 15/leave from the Edinburgh airport to go home.
My sister and I both like to try to pack in as much as possible; we usually can get through sites fairly quickly. Although we are trying to give ourselves enough time to enjoy everything and not be too exhausted…not that from our schedule it looks like it.
Thank you again for your time, I’ll probably have some more specific questions later on in other posts. The main thing that worries me at this point, is trying to figure out the details of train/bus transportation and determining the best type of “rail pass” to get.
Apr 2nd, 2011, 03:34 PM
#13
"<i>Day 8/see Blenheim Palace, according to their website, they are 1.5 hour away from Bath. I’m assuming that’s by train, . . </i>"
Nope -- that is by car -- and pushing things a bit at that.
To get to Blenheim from Bath by public transport you'd take a train to Oxford, walk from the train station to the bus station, take a local bus to Woodstock,walk to the Palace,walk back to the bus stop, bus into Oxford, walk to the train station, and then train to Bath. The train from Bath to Oxford alone takes between 1:10 and 1:40 each way.
Too bad about the London Pass but that is water under the bridge at this point. The Great British Heritage Pass is a good deal though . . .
Nope -- that is by car -- and pushing things a bit at that.
To get to Blenheim from Bath by public transport you'd take a train to Oxford, walk from the train station to the bus station, take a local bus to Woodstock,walk to the Palace,walk back to the bus stop, bus into Oxford, walk to the train station, and then train to Bath. The train from Bath to Oxford alone takes between 1:10 and 1:40 each way.
Too bad about the London Pass but that is water under the bridge at this point. The Great British Heritage Pass is a good deal though . . .
Apr 2nd, 2011, 06:28 PM
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Chatsworth is not "in" or even really near Chesterfield--if you want to read how we trekked there, you can click on my name and read my 2008 trip report (which also tells how we used the BritRailFlex Pass) Good luck. Some tried to talk us out of going there, so I won't try to talk you OUT of it, but you really need to understand how difficult and time consuming it is, and what you are going to do if you miss a bus--they aren't frequent like buses in a city. And stuff goes wrong. Just do your homework super extensively.
Yes, forget about trying to get your money's worth out of the London Pass. You won't unless you run around like maniacs. Just see a couple major things a day (Much of what is on the Pass deserves a pass or is really free anyway, as I recall). But as janisj says, the GBHP IS a good deal.
Don't look at site websites for transport info--they will be optimistic. Get real, good paper maps AND try something like google maps or the Britrail sites and plug in "dummy" itineraries. When you get a time from place to place, kinda double it to account for getting to the station, waiting, delays, getting from station to ? It's NOT just the travel time on a vehicle from start to stop. It takes a long time to travel. Which is why people suggest limiting sites. (We successfully, after 4 nights in London, stayed in 9 different spots on 9 nights, and saw what we wanted to see for the most part during the day, so moving around can work, but you need to be very realistic. We were driving so it was different.)
Yes, forget about trying to get your money's worth out of the London Pass. You won't unless you run around like maniacs. Just see a couple major things a day (Much of what is on the Pass deserves a pass or is really free anyway, as I recall). But as janisj says, the GBHP IS a good deal.
Don't look at site websites for transport info--they will be optimistic. Get real, good paper maps AND try something like google maps or the Britrail sites and plug in "dummy" itineraries. When you get a time from place to place, kinda double it to account for getting to the station, waiting, delays, getting from station to ? It's NOT just the travel time on a vehicle from start to stop. It takes a long time to travel. Which is why people suggest limiting sites. (We successfully, after 4 nights in London, stayed in 9 different spots on 9 nights, and saw what we wanted to see for the most part during the day, so moving around can work, but you need to be very realistic. We were driving so it was different.)
Apr 2nd, 2011, 06:28 PM
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Chatsworth is not "in" or even really near Chesterfield--if you want to read how we trekked there, you can click on my name and read my 2008 trip report (which also tells how we used the BritRailFlex Pass) Good luck. Some tried to talk us out of going there, so I won't try to talk you OUT of it, but you really need to understand how difficult and time consuming it is, and what you are going to do if you miss a bus--they aren't frequent like buses in a city. And stuff goes wrong. Just do your homework super extensively.
Yes, forget about trying to get your money's worth out of the London Pass. You won't unless you run around like maniacs. Just see a couple major things a day (Much of what is on the Pass deserves a pass or is really free anyway, as I recall). But as janisj says, the GBHP IS a good deal.
Don't look at site websites for transport info--they will be optimistic. Get real, good paper maps AND try something like google maps or the Britrail sites and plug in "dummy" itineraries. When you get a time from place to place, kinda double it to account for getting to the station, waiting, delays, getting from station to ? It's NOT just the travel time on a vehicle from start to stop. It takes a long time to travel. Which is why people suggest limiting sites. (We successfully, after 4 nights in London, stayed in 9 different spots on 9 nights, and saw what we wanted to see for the most part during the day, so moving around can work, but you need to be very realistic. We were driving so it was different.)
Yes, forget about trying to get your money's worth out of the London Pass. You won't unless you run around like maniacs. Just see a couple major things a day (Much of what is on the Pass deserves a pass or is really free anyway, as I recall). But as janisj says, the GBHP IS a good deal.
Don't look at site websites for transport info--they will be optimistic. Get real, good paper maps AND try something like google maps or the Britrail sites and plug in "dummy" itineraries. When you get a time from place to place, kinda double it to account for getting to the station, waiting, delays, getting from station to ? It's NOT just the travel time on a vehicle from start to stop. It takes a long time to travel. Which is why people suggest limiting sites. (We successfully, after 4 nights in London, stayed in 9 different spots on 9 nights, and saw what we wanted to see for the most part during the day, so moving around can work, but you need to be very realistic. We were driving so it was different.)
Apr 2nd, 2011, 08:35 PM
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How's your budget? There are plenty of private drivers and I use them for clients all the time.
You may want to rethink skipping Chawton and possibly remaking a section of your trip, basing in Salisbury for a night.
You could train to Salisbury, from which there are bus and van trips to Stonehenge. You could also get from Salisbury, which is very nice, to Winchester, where JA is buried, and from there to Chawton, maybe using a driver or private tour.
You may want to rethink skipping Chawton and possibly remaking a section of your trip, basing in Salisbury for a night.
You could train to Salisbury, from which there are bus and van trips to Stonehenge. You could also get from Salisbury, which is very nice, to Winchester, where JA is buried, and from there to Chawton, maybe using a driver or private tour.
Apr 2nd, 2011, 09:18 PM
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"you'd take a train to Oxford, walk from the train station to the bus station,"
The buses to Woodstock go from right outside the railway station. However, they run only every half hour, tend to be timed so trains from Didcot (which is where passengers from Bath change) just miss them, take half an hour and for most people it's nearly 15 mins to walk from the stop at the palace gates to the inside of the ugliest building in Southern England.
So from Bath station, it's typically at the absolute minimum 2.5 hours to Blenheim by public transport but a great deal closer to 3. And obviously the same back again.
The buses to Woodstock go from right outside the railway station. However, they run only every half hour, tend to be timed so trains from Didcot (which is where passengers from Bath change) just miss them, take half an hour and for most people it's nearly 15 mins to walk from the stop at the palace gates to the inside of the ugliest building in Southern England.
So from Bath station, it's typically at the absolute minimum 2.5 hours to Blenheim by public transport but a great deal closer to 3. And obviously the same back again.
Apr 3rd, 2011, 01:07 AM
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<i>Three, after reading the responses, we've decided to skip Chawton. (question to all the Jane Austen fans...is that okay? my impression is that the museum might be on the smaller side?) </i>
Yes it's just the house she lived in for part of her life with about half a dozen small rooms with exhibits on display. Enthusiasts would find it very interesting but with your already packed itinerary it's not really feasible given the logistics to/from central London.
<i>Day 13/ Go on a Highlands tour http://www.timberbush-tours.co.uk/ed...loch_ness.html True, I’m sure it will be something of a “blur” but we are both excited about the tour as we can at least see the Loch Ness, and enjoy, albeit “quickly” some of the Northern Highland scenery of Scotland.</i>
I looked up this itinerary on the link you provided and almost choked on my morning coffee. Most people would take 3 or 4 days to take in this trip - it's literally a mad dash across the entire country in 10 1/2 hours (some of which will be in the dark depending on the time of year). You do realise that virtually all the attractions mentioned are just drive-by's? By the end of the day you'll probably never want to get on a coach tour ever again! It would be a bit like picking up a bus tour in downtown San Francisco, driving south through Monterey onto Big Sur, finishing up in Los Angeles and claiming you'd "seen" California.
If you really want to see some of the amazing Scottish countryside outside Edinburgh, why not take a slightly more sane tour to Perthshire or The trossahcs / Loch Lomond. Everyone's heard of Loch Ness BTW, but it's arguably not the most attractive scenic area to see and it is a long drag from Edinburgh.
Yes it's just the house she lived in for part of her life with about half a dozen small rooms with exhibits on display. Enthusiasts would find it very interesting but with your already packed itinerary it's not really feasible given the logistics to/from central London.
<i>Day 13/ Go on a Highlands tour http://www.timberbush-tours.co.uk/ed...loch_ness.html True, I’m sure it will be something of a “blur” but we are both excited about the tour as we can at least see the Loch Ness, and enjoy, albeit “quickly” some of the Northern Highland scenery of Scotland.</i>
I looked up this itinerary on the link you provided and almost choked on my morning coffee. Most people would take 3 or 4 days to take in this trip - it's literally a mad dash across the entire country in 10 1/2 hours (some of which will be in the dark depending on the time of year). You do realise that virtually all the attractions mentioned are just drive-by's? By the end of the day you'll probably never want to get on a coach tour ever again! It would be a bit like picking up a bus tour in downtown San Francisco, driving south through Monterey onto Big Sur, finishing up in Los Angeles and claiming you'd "seen" California.
If you really want to see some of the amazing Scottish countryside outside Edinburgh, why not take a slightly more sane tour to Perthshire or The trossahcs / Loch Lomond. Everyone's heard of Loch Ness BTW, but it's arguably not the most attractive scenic area to see and it is a long drag from Edinburgh.
Apr 3rd, 2011, 03:22 AM
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Thanks all for the comments!
to texasbookworm...thank you for the information! I plan to read your report in detail.
I'm rethinking as suggested, and considering staying day 5 in London, Day 6 go to Blenheim, get back to London, grab our luggage, and then head to Bath, and spend nights 6, 7, 8, in Bath.
Not to disagree with all the expertise here, but at this point, I personally am finding us to be getting more of our money's worth out of the London Pass than the GB Heritage Pass. Although, we do plan on rushing around like maniacs to see stuff. My sister and I just spent two crazy days in Paris on March 10 and 11 this year in which we managed to see, the Lourve, Notre Dame, crypt, Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, take a 1 hour river cruise, see Versailles, the Pantheon, and go up the Eiffel Tower. (and yes, we were both exhausted by the end of the trip, but we had a blast) I am trying, although, maybe it doesn't appear this way, to have our London time not be quite as hectic as Paris was...but knowing us, we won't accomplish that and it will be just as crazy if not more so than Paris was. From comments made, and looking at London maps, I'm thinking London is a lot bigger and more spread out than Paris.
to tuscanlifeedit--our budget is so-so, I don't mind spending money on things to make our lives somewhat easier, but I like to try to save most of it for seeing sites, a driver is something we have slightly entertained, but not researched yet and I suspect more than we want to pay...but it may be something we look more into.
to flanneruk--just curious, are you saying Blenheim is not worth it? Somewhat surprised from what I've read it seems really neat, but maybe I'm missing something.
to Gordon_R--not quite sure how to respond yet, thank you for your thoughts. We both really want to do it, and I guess as for a long trip, I'm thinking we might enjoy some sitting time after running around for days on end. I however, did not quite think of the being dark issue.
Other note--I've been using Rick Steves 2011 and Fodors 2011 guidebooks to help research and plan this trip, and while they do have maps and I've been looking at them, I'm hoping when our Heritage Pass comes in that it will help some with the geography of things. I also keep experimenting with the BritRail website, my sister is actually the one that usually knows how to navigate the transportation issues a little better than me, so my plan is to do some groundwork on it, send her information, and between her and these forums, hopefully get a good idea of how to get from place to place.
Again, I do appreciate your time and thoughts! It's good to hear from people who have actually done some of this and know what I'm talking about. When I went to AAA this week, they had no way of helping me from point to point in the UK...so I'm very glad that this option is available!
to texasbookworm...thank you for the information! I plan to read your report in detail.
I'm rethinking as suggested, and considering staying day 5 in London, Day 6 go to Blenheim, get back to London, grab our luggage, and then head to Bath, and spend nights 6, 7, 8, in Bath.
Not to disagree with all the expertise here, but at this point, I personally am finding us to be getting more of our money's worth out of the London Pass than the GB Heritage Pass. Although, we do plan on rushing around like maniacs to see stuff.
My sister and I just spent two crazy days in Paris on March 10 and 11 this year in which we managed to see, the Lourve, Notre Dame, crypt, Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, take a 1 hour river cruise, see Versailles, the Pantheon, and go up the Eiffel Tower. (and yes, we were both exhausted by the end of the trip, but we had a blast) I am trying, although, maybe it doesn't appear this way, to have our London time not be quite as hectic as Paris was...but knowing us, we won't accomplish that and it will be just as crazy if not more so than Paris was. From comments made, and looking at London maps, I'm thinking London is a lot bigger and more spread out than Paris.to tuscanlifeedit--our budget is so-so, I don't mind spending money on things to make our lives somewhat easier, but I like to try to save most of it for seeing sites, a driver is something we have slightly entertained, but not researched yet and I suspect more than we want to pay...but it may be something we look more into.
to flanneruk--just curious, are you saying Blenheim is not worth it? Somewhat surprised from what I've read it seems really neat, but maybe I'm missing something.
to Gordon_R--not quite sure how to respond yet, thank you for your thoughts. We both really want to do it, and I guess as for a long trip, I'm thinking we might enjoy some sitting time after running around for days on end.
I however, did not quite think of the being dark issue.Other note--I've been using Rick Steves 2011 and Fodors 2011 guidebooks to help research and plan this trip, and while they do have maps and I've been looking at them, I'm hoping when our Heritage Pass comes in that it will help some with the geography of things. I also keep experimenting with the BritRail website, my sister is actually the one that usually knows how to navigate the transportation issues a little better than me, so my plan is to do some groundwork on it, send her information, and between her and these forums, hopefully get a good idea of how to get from place to place.
Again, I do appreciate your time and thoughts! It's good to hear from people who have actually done some of this and know what I'm talking about. When I went to AAA this week, they had no way of helping me from point to point in the UK...so I'm very glad that this option is available!
