Planning Our Trip--Suggestions From People In The Know?

My husband and I are planning our trip to England for the end of April next year.  We'll probably only have a week because of work restraints, so it'll be a case of see everything we can, in case it really is the "once in a lifetime chance". It may be possible to stretch it to 10 days, but with my husband's job, I'm not sure.  I'm sure we'll fly into/out of London, although sometimes I see some good deals on flights in and out of Manchester.

So, I sort of see it as a big circle.  Start out in London for a couple of days, hit some highlights (which is disappointing), then maybe take a train to The Cotswold area, I'd love to see some of the beautiful little villages and cottages, Oxford, Stratford upon Avon and Anne Hathaway's cottage,  and I know that I want to go to Yorkshire, I want to see the Dales, the James Herriot museum in Thirsk, go to Whitby to see the Abbey.  And, I haven't even mentioned Stonehenge!

I'd like to stay in B & B's, at least outside of London.  I want to meet "normal" people, not just people that are cleaning my rooms and in a hurry, doing a job (know what I mean?)

I realize that it's not much time, it's a flying trip, but it's also better than never going at all.  Any suggestions for an itinerary? Any other suggestions for me?  I enjoy history and architecture.  I'm also looking forward to the gorgeous countryside.  My husband will do whatever I want!! 

Thanks for your help!  Like I said, I'm trying to start putting things together...

Nora 

Good morning Nora

What a wonderful idea indeed !

I would say that few countries compare to the charms of England when it comes to Spring and if like me, you have a special fondness for daffodils, you will find many places esquisitely in bloom at the time of trip in the UK.

I have not been to Stonehenge or the Dales yet, but I have visited both Bath, York and Stratford upon Avon and the Cotslwolds in Springtime and these places will truly delight your senses.

The architecture of Bath is something that no picture or magazine can prepare you for as one as to see it to appreciate its magnificence.

The idea of staying in B&B's is great as you will be able to connect with "real people and not automats.

Enjoy planning your trip !

Karim

Nora: Too much to see . . . too little time! It’s tough to make a decision about which places in England to visit and which ones will have to be skipped. It sounds like your plans are pretty ambitious for a visit of a week to ten days, which is perfectly understandable--you want to take in as much as possible in the shortest amount of time in case this is the only trip you will be able to make to England. The problem you are facing (and frankly, the one we all face as tourists in England) is one of distance--the places you want to visit are quite a ways from each other. The question you have to ask yourself is how much of that time do you want to spend traveling without opportunity to stop along the way.

It sounds like you plan to travel by train. I would highly recommend renting a car instead. Driving in England allows you so much more flexibility and it isn't very difficult to get used to driving on the left side of the road. True, petrol is not cheap there, but the rental cars that I have driven have all delivered very good gas mileage--and train travel in the UK is not a cheap proposition any more.

I generally rent cottages for a week or two at a time and spoke-out into the surrounding area, which is ideal in regions like the various areas of Yorkshire or the Cotswolds since there is so much to see and do in these regions. Many cottage rental sites offer shorter 2-3 day "short breaks" if you don't want to spend too much time in one area. Don't get me wrong, B&B's are a very nice for accommodation as well, but renting a cottage means that you will have full kitchen facilities allowing you to eat in as opposed to eating at a pub or restaurant every night (sometimes very pricey in certain regions). 

I used to try to visit as many places as I could in a day during my early days of traveling in England (first trip--1970), which generally left me exhausted and frustrated that I had to rush through each site. In my mind, it is better to focus on visiting fewer sites and allowing time to savor each one. True, you won't see as much, but I can pretty much guarantee that your trip will be far more satisfying (and restful) in the end.

As far as airports are concerned, I prefer to fly into Manchester if I am going to be spending time in the Midlands region or North. Heathrow and Gatwick are fine for trips to the Southeast or Southwest, but traffic around these airports can be daunting. Also, driving on the M-roads ringing London is generally fraught with delays. And never, ever drive in London!

Just my two cents!

Thanks for the advice, Rob and Karim.  I'm very nervous about renting a car, and I definitely would NOT drive in London.  I've driven in Chicago once, and that was enough big city driving for me.  Add that to being on the left side of the road and strange traffic signs and it's a recipe for disaster.  I thought that train travel would be the most efficient, but I do have concerns about how to get to the places I want to see once I'm in the actual town/area.  

I would like to rent a cottage, that sounds like a great idea, and would like to save money by eating in sometimes.

Maybe something a little more central and take day trips?  We don't have a problem driving 2 or 3 hours to get somewhere, as where we live now is at least an hour from EVERYTHING!

I know that it's a lot to try to cram in, but like I said, we have so little time.  

Unless that lottery ticket comes through for us, then we'll have all the time in the world! (and I'll be house shopping on my trip!   )

Nora 

Nora Jean:  How are your travel plans progressing?

Rob, 

Thanks for asking!  I've been looking at B & B's. Found a couple (through this site, too!) that look interesting.  Actually, they all look interesting, but whether they are right for us?  Not necessarily.  

We plan to travel the last week of March, due to pricing differences, plus I plan to avoid London during the Royal Wedding.  Yikes!

But, even if we just stay in uninteresting hotels, it'll still be fun! 

I'd like to suggest this B&B, which is owned by some very old friends of mine, Chris and Angie Orssich:

http://www.mayfieldbandb.com/index.html

The thatched 15th century B&B, a fabulous place to stay, is in north Wiltshire, not far south of Marlborough. Access to the Cotswolds, Oxford, Bath, Winchester, Salisbury (and nearby Stonehenge) is very easy from Mayfield. And Chris and Angie are wonderful hosts! I've stayed at Mayfield a number of times over the years and it is of the highest standard. 

Hello everyone, I haven't updated on my plans for awhile, but we have been tweaking them here and there.  Our travel dates are now March 25-April 3.  Hopefully it won't be too cold, but that's what we've got to work with, so there it is.  The weather is pretty variable here at that time, so I figure we might as well be in England and be wet and cold as be in Illinois and be wet and cold!

We have decided to cut out visiting the Cotswolds and Oxford in the interest of spending more time in London and York.  We plan to arrive in London on a Saturday morning and explore the city until Wednesday, then take a train to York. While we're in London, I want to go to the theatre (notice how well I spelled that!) to see "The Wizard of Oz" (with Michael Crawford as The Wizard!)  We'll explore York (I'm looking forward to walking the city walls!) and then rent a car to explore the Dales and go to Thirsk to the Herriot museum.  

Then on Saturday, the 2nd, we'll take the train back to London for one last day (or evening).   I'm sad that we are skipping out on seeing anything, but I think we were trying to cram too much into one visit.  Hopefully someday I'll get back and get to see Oxford and those wonderful little Cotswold villages.

I appreciate all the advice that I've gotten here (thanks, Rob!) and will gladly take more.

Nora 

Nora.....Oxford, the Cotswolds and Yorkshire will be enough in a week! Don't believe me? Then wait until you get here and you will soon be saying why, oh why didn't I listen to what they had to say? Rob pretty well sums it up!

Either way, good luck and nice to think you can continue to support POE by booking your accommodation safely online through the site.