Castles and cathedrals

My brother and his wife and my husband and I want to make a trip to Merry old England this next year.  We would love to know if anyone knows of a travel agent or anything that deals with, I guess you'd call it a castle and cathedral tour?  We want to see as many castles and churches and things like that, historical buildings as we can in 2-3 weeks.  I for sure want to see the King Arthur castle area.  Oh and Shakespear's home and Jane Austen's home, and the like.  I sit and look at websites for long periods of time, loving the English countryside.  I'm not really keen on London or big cities,  I want to see the quaint old villages and the like.  Anyway, any help you could give me would be greatly appreciate.

Howdy from Texas,

Andrea

Hi Andrea, I, too, love the castles and cathedrals. I would recommend renting a car and the bravest one of you drive and then stop at every castle that you come to. We rented a car the last time we went and enjoyed stopping at every castle or ruin that we came to and spending as long as we wanted there. We found that the money was better spent on the car than on a tour which usually rushes you around. We spent a lot of time in small villages and quaint book stores in Hey on Wye. Don't miss Ely Cathedral. It takes your breath away. It is massive and beautiful in an ancient sort of way. Also, don't miss Hever Castle which is the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. It seems to be advertised very little and it is outstanding. And, it is only about 30 min. from London.  I am also from Texas but my heart is in England.

Judy

Judy,

I totally understand.  My heart is in England too.  I have a small library, about 35 hardbacks, that all deal with Queen Elizabeth the 1 , Anne Boelyn, Mary Queen of scots.  That is my love.  In fact my master's thesis which I start this coming year is going to be "Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II, Daughters of Second Sons".  Thank you so much for the information.  I was looking at England in relation to the size of Texas and I told my husband we could probably drive as many places  as we wanted in a 10 day span as it is not much larger than one of our counties. But I can't wait to go.  Thanks again.  What part of our great state are you from?  We are from the south, Corpus Christi.  We now live in Tyler.

Andrea

Hi Andrea,

The key is  not to  try to see too much in one trip and run yourself to death. Enjoy everything in one area and then plan a return trip next year. ha. And, yes, everything is about the size of our counties. You can cover almost all of England but if you rush around you will miss so much. Once you drive out of London, the driving part is much easier and the countryside is gorgeous. Is this your first trip? If so, you will find that their transportation system is excellent and you can go everywhere without a car if you choose to do that. We are neighbors as I live in Kaufman County. Love talking with you and enjoy watching you plan your trip.

Judy

Judy Carol is correct, try not to see too much. If you cram allot into one trip you will just brush the surface, and then when you come home your brain will be a muddle. My only suggestion is to pick an area of the country (depending on how much time and money you have) to start with, research it on the web, rent a car and enjoy, then plan another trip and another area.

Where you start is up to your own personal tastes or a blindfold and a pin.

One of the best castles I've ever been to is Warwick Castle, and you can easily spend a whole day there.

Hi Sue, Yes, I agree about Warwick. It is awesome. If you are bringing children, don't miss going there first as it will just captivate their interests and make them want to see more. A beautiful fairy tale castle is Leeds. It is a nice train ride from London about an hour (I think). And I think that everyone should also see Hampton Court Palace and Tower of London which are both right there in London. There is just so much to see that you could never see it all in one (or ten) trips. ha. We like to fly into London and then spend some time there before going on to Ireland. Warwick is one of those "Don't Miss" ones.

Judy

Andrea, I agree with Roy about the north of England. Two musts in Yorkshire are Rievaulx Abbey and Fountains Abbey. Rievaulx especially: best late in the afternoon: a very peaceful and tranquil place. As a contrast head for Whitby and its wonderful ruined abbey on the hill overlooking this seaside town.

Phil

HI Andrea  i muest agree a visit to york is a must for everyone  it has everything  what england was you have the minster which is a fantastic place on its own but there is so much to do and see in this great city.

but if you are down south hampton court is a must you can feel king henry presence what ever you do have a great trip all the best brian

There are so many castles and cathedrals to see. In Wales, there are hundreds, due to  the wars between England and Wales. Most are norman, but there is one in south Wales called Castle Coch, that suits the fairytail idea of casles down to the ground. It is well worth the visit.

I wish you all the best in your quest, and a very happy holiday in the UK.

Peter