Hi Peter,

We just came back from Solvang which is inland about 28 miles from Santa Barbara. We stayed there from Friday to Monday, driving up to Hearst Castle on Sunday, lunching in Morro Bay on the way back.

We plan on going back as Hearst Castle has 5 or 6 wonderful tours and we want to see them all. Next time we will stay in Pismo Beach or Monterey. We also plan on doing the whale watching tour so we will plan our trip accordingly.

We would have liked to have had one or two more days up there, (we reside in Southern California), to enjoy the beaches and to spend a day at Cachuma Lake. Chumash Indian Casino is about 3 miles from Solvang, San Ynez Valley museum is about 4 miles, and Cachuma Lake is 13 miles.

Well thanks again for all the knowledgeable advice, I really am trying to take it all onboard, but with just 2 weeks it will inevitably have to be a compromise.

The posts are causing another rethink of the itinerary. When we have something sorted I will post as a separate thread.

Cheers
Peter
UK