janisj

OK - now that we know you won't be a danger to yourself or others . . . What I'd do is collect a car AT Heathrow and drive to Avebury and Stonehenge and stay 2 nights somewhere in Somerset (Wells/Glastonbury or some nearby village. Then drive to Bath and drop the car. Spend the last 1.5 days in Bath car-less and then finish up w/ an evening train to London. This will give you 1.5 days for Stonehenge and rural Somerset, and 1.5 days of Bath.

The disadvantage is an extra checking in/out but the advantage is a more efficient use of time and no need for back tracking. On such a short visit, efficient is important . . .

mimi67

I like it janisj
Thanks

Mimar

Won't apply to the OP but for others reading this thread: There are buses/coaches to Bath from Terminals 4 and 5 but these go via Bristol and take twice the time. Direct buses to Bath leave from the Central Bus Station (near terminals 1, 2 and 3) and take 2 hours and maybe a bit more.

PalenQ

I like janis' plan too - a variation could have you going from Stonehenge - Avebury then thru the fabled Cotswold Hills then going via Leamington Spa to end the car portion in Bath

janisj

LHR > the Cotswolds > <i>Leamington Spa</i> > Bath? Uh uh.

Now, if you DO want to see the Cotswolds - a variation to my earlier suggestion would be: Do Avebury/Stonehenge then stay somewhere like Burford (instead of in Somerset), then drive down to Bath, drop the car, stay over and train to London.

Just depends on if you want to see Wells/Glastonbury/Somerset or Cotswold villages. About the same driving/'hassle-less-ness'

PalenQ

the highlight of the Cotswolds to me were the Slaughters - Upper and Lower - old wool towns - there is a wonderful footpath between them, going thru pastures and woodlands. I'd stay in a larger wool town but don't miss the Slaughters!

annhig

Pal - have you been at the paint stripper again, old chap?

Leamington Spa is nowhere near the route from the Cotswolds to Bath - it's near Coventry.

But I do agree that the Slaughters are lovely, if you can get there when the world and his wife haven't had the same idea.

janisj

PQ: neither Slaughter is a 'town'

(Hey - you can be pedantic about trains so what's good for the goose is good for the gander)

mimi67

Thanks again for comments
Having discovered Dartmoor in my search, our travels will be a little different. After a restful 3 hour flight from Iceland, we're picking up a car in Heathrow on Sunday traveling to Aveburg where we'll explore the area to include Locock and possibly Castle Combe before settling in for the night somewhere near Stonehenge. This brings us to Monday and after a tour of Stonehenge its off to Salisbury to include the Cathedral and Old Sarum. We'll motor through Dorset(an area I'm still checking out). I'm also checking if we want a shore route or head to Exeter. In either case, we want to be close to Dartmoor Monday evening. Tuesday will be spent exploring the park with a trip through Glastonbury and Wells before settling in Bath for Tuesday evening where I found a nice guest house right off A-367 and with free parking. It'll be a 5-10 minute walk to the center of Bath. Thursday we'll have time for more sites in Bath before getting the car back to the airport mid afternoon to begin our 3 night stay in London.
That's the frame work and there is work ahead to check out driving time and sights we want to visit. I found a 2 mile Riverside Walk for Lacock and will check on the availability of others. I am checking out all the National Trust sites that fall on our route.
I'll check other forum notes concerning Dartmoor.
And will share the itinerary once completed.
Again, any and all comments are welcome to sites to visit along the way. I've found such nice houses to rent and will present the idea to borrow the grand kids again to bring them over for a week or two if this works out to be a pleasant experience.

janisj

>>In either case, we want to be close to Dartmoor Monday evening. Tuesday will be spent exploring the park with a trip through Glastonbury and Wells before settling in Bath for Tuesday evening<<

Whoa . That is a LOT for one day. Just Exeter into and around Dartmoor back up to Wells/Glastonbury to Bath would easily be 5.5-6 hours 'behind the wheel' time w/o any stops. Dartmoor is terrific -- but the roads are very narrow and very slow. Then Wells and Glastonbury are worth a couple of hours each. This would really be a 2 day trip.

janisj

Meant to add -- Lacock and Castle Combe are much closer to Bath than to Stonehenge/Salisbury.

I'd consider Avebury/Stonehenge/Salisbury the first day, then head SW through Dorset towards Dartmoor. Then up through Glastonbury/Wells to Bath. Visit Lacock/Castle Combe from Bath.


Or . . . another variation - you'd have time to stop in Wells/Glastonbury enroute from Salisbury to Exeter.

mimi67

janisj: I like your suggestion and I am also concerned about the distance and cutting the time in Dartmoor. I'd wanted to go directly to Stonehenge after picking up the car at the airport. Our arrival from Iceland is at 11 am, at best putting us in a car rental and being on our way by 1 pm (?)

At that, the last entry to Stonehenge is at 3 pm. It seemed too rushed given one never knows about flight delays from Iceland. If we don't need to purchase a reserved ticket I could play it by ear and if the timing looks favorable go ahead and pick up your suggestion and visit Stonehenge first moving on to Salisbury and Dorset on that first day. We could give Dartmoor Tuesday and work toward Bath though Glastonbury and Wells. Our Thursday ride back to London could include Lacock, Castle Combe and Avebury.

I just don't want a time to HAVE to be at Stonehenge, especially if we get tied up with a delayed flight, delays at the rental place, or my getting adjusted to the driving. I'll check their web site again about the requirement for reserved timed tickets.
Thanks for sticking with this trip planning. It will be making choices given our limited time.

annhig

mimi, I think the plan to head to Salisbury on the day you land is a good one; it won't matter when you get there, and it's a beautiful place to spend your first night in England. Then it's a very short drive [less than 30 mins] to Stonehenge which could be your first stop in the morning.

then head west towards Dartmoor.

janisj

I'd do what Annhig suggests. First I'd to Avebury after collecting the car at LHR then down to Salisbury for the evening. Then first thing in the AM go to Stonehenge -- it is less than 10 miles and about 15-20 mins.

I might check out Inner Access ( special access before opening time) http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/c...jan-sept14.pdf That link only mentions booking through Sept but AFAIK they do offer it year round. Might be worth e-mailing English Heritage,

maitaitom

If you can take the Tower Tour at Salisbury Cathedral, I highly recommend it. One of our England highlights.

mimi67

Thanks: The possibility of the Inner Access being available in Oct is very exciting and would change our itinerary! Having a car is an advantage enabling one to do it.
My friend and I are easy going and we may just forget about Dartmoor this visit. We want to relax and there really sounds like enough to see and appreciated in a smaller radius between Stonehenge, Salisbury, Bath and Aveburg. We could "hang around" making the inner access a possibility.
I will email as suggested. And will check out the tower as suggested.