We are a family of 4 travelling to London and looking for some ideas on a 9-day trip. We want to spend only a couple of days in London, and make it to Bath and Stonehenge. Beyond that, we would
We are a family of 4 travelling to London and looking for some ideas on a 9-day trip. We want to spend only a couple of days in London, and make it to Bath and Stonehenge. Beyond that, we would like to enjoy the English countryside and take a step back in time. Any suggestions, please?
I am looking for suggestions that one could take 4-5 days and get a "flavor" of the offers you describe. Of course we would like to see some things in the medieval feel, which i had assumed cathedrals, etc. The other part would be as you described as very small, quaint villages, etc. We are planning ~4 days between London/Bath/Stonehenge. The balance of the 9 days seeing the countryside. We dont need to see everything, so a couple of suggested locations, and trying to minimize lengthy travel is our goal. Yes a short trip but we are doing what we can. And have a 12 and 14 year boys in tow........thanks!
For 2 beautiful cathedrals head back the way you came, near Stonehenge, and visit Salisbury. Great cathedral, great old town center. And same goes for Winchester. Be sure and make time for an evensong service, nothing like it. The sound that those buildings were made for. Otherworldly. http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/visitor.php http://winchester-cathedral.org.uk/visit-us/
To the south and between Salisbury and Winchester is the New Forest. Like stepping back in time. Swing down and take a beautiful drive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Forest
If I haven't hit on things that appeal, have a look on the National Trust website, one of several organizations (I think the best) that manages historic sites all over the country: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
The Lake District in springtime is well worth a look. The lambs on the hillsides, Dove Cottage - special history of Beatrix Potter and Wordsworth. B&B in Windemere. Brings back beautiful, wonderful memories.
You are after my heart .. the Cotswold area is one of my favorite parts of the country .. you are in some of the prettiest country and sights abound within easy driving distance .. think about driving through villages called Burton on water and Upper and Lower Slaughter!
Send me an email and I will send you more indepth thoughts don.brown@brownchild.com
How old are the youngers and what kind of things are you interested in -- Oxford Blenheim etc are all easy and charming drives from any base .. there are pricey inns and charming farm B&Bs and even pub accomodations .. cute shops and restaurants .. and the word charm is NEVER overused!
As you are visiting the south of England you might like to drive along the coast to Portsmouth after leaving Stonehenge & Bath. It has a great naval dockyard with nearly all of the oldest boats in the world located there including Lord Nelson's HMS Victory which you can tour. Charles Dickens birth home is also in Portsmouth.
As you drive through the Hampshire downs you will be able to pass through many villages. Wickham Square for example dates back to the 16th century. Try the old Kings Head pub in the center for lunch. Further along the coast you can visit Brighton and walk through all of the cobbled lanes where there are a variety of shops old & new.
The Lake district is quite a drive whereas if you keep south you will also be near either Gatwick or Heathrow airports. Also remember gas prices are much higher in the UK so keeping south maybe best on such a short trip. Enjoy your visit.
Here is the first 7 days of our trip itinerary: just relax and do what you can. We put pubs, history, theatre and Harry Potter into the mix:
Arrival Day - take 1/2 day guided London tour, plus walk toTemple Church - in "Da Vinci Code," Knights Templar Pub @ 95 Chancery Lane, Holborn, (maybe evening river cruise or the "Eye") two night London stay @ Grange Holborn Day 2 - Tower of London (early or late because of crowds), Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese @ Wine Office Court off 145 Fleet St. or other pub (Cittie of Yorke, Old Bank of England, Seven Stars Pub or the Market Porter near London Bridge),West End Show - "Billy Elliot" Day 2 - Stonehenge, Great Hall @ Winchester (see "King Arthur’s Round Table"), Salisbury, Lacock (the interior of the Abbey was in Harry Potter), Villa Magdala stay - 2 nights,Lots of shopping & eateries in Salisbury, Lacock- Sign of the Angel or The George Inn Day 3 - Bath City Walking Tour, Roman Baths, The Abbey, Museum of Costume (The Moon & Sixpence for dinner) Day 4 - The Cotswolds ("Slaughters", "Stow-on-the-Wold"-Eagle & Child, "Broadway"- Lygon Arms, "Dursley" -Old Spot Inn), Burton on Water & Warwick Castle ("War-ick" or "Wahr-ik") tour.Dannah Country House stay Day 5 - Chatsworth House (Duke of Devonshire's home), York walking tour, York Minster, Treasurer's House& the Slaughters.Eat lunch @ The Brasserie.Hazelwood Castle stay Day 6 -Castle Howard, Rievauix Abbey "Ree-voh", Hadrian's Wall @ Housesteads Fort.Eshott Hall stay Day 7 -Alnwick Castle (exterior scenes from Harry Potter movies, ie. first flying lessons in 1st movie)
I don't think one could say with any accuracy that Avebury is the "same" as Stonehenge. I like it better but with the stones in a larger area and the village in the middle the effect is hardly the same. What's lovely about it is not the sameness but the fact that you can touch the stones and walk amid the circles to your hearts content and without the crowds.
London's opportunities are nearly inexhaustible. If you've never been there (or even if you have been there once or twice), it's hard to understand why you'd spend only a couple of days there.
I get the impression that you haven't picked up a guide book or done any research -- but rather jumped online and sought help from random responders.
Frankly, I'd suggest sticking mostly to London as your base for exploration, and add a few day trips. These might easily be done independently by train or bus, or perhaps go with a "Days Out" guide from London Walks, which also offers wonderful themed guided walks in London.
Here's a whole batch of London possibilities that even young teenage boys might enjoy: Sir John Soane's Museum; a performance at the Shakespeare Globe Theater; the War Museum; a Jack the Ripper Walk of the East End; afternoon Vespers at St. Paul's; the Changing of the Guard; Tower of London.
Take your day trips: Bath; Stonehenge/Salisbury; go to Windsor Castle; Oxford or Cambridge.
London just has SO much -- why spend so much time driving around place to place, packing and unpacking, checking in and out?
You may want to check out the website www.daysoutguide.co.uk- they have a 2 for 1 specials. When my daughter and I went to London, we were able to save on visiting the Tower of London and few other places, if I remember also on Winston Churhills underground museum. There are many free museums as well, so don't forget to check some of those out- the V & A is a great one. Vespers in St Pauls is really special. Enjoy your planning and have a great trip.
We were 2 adults with two young adult kids driving around England for 2 weeks. It's a gorgeous country with more rolling hills, stone fences, and sheep, than you can imagine. We drove to Stonehenge first, then Cotswold area, Bath, Stratford Upon Avon, up to York, over to Whitby, Durham, the nothern area of Hadrian's wall, and over to the Lake District for a few days. We ended our trip by driving to Norwich for a couple of days, then back to London for 4 days. Lots of castles & churches. It was a great itinerary, and the only downside was that we couldn't spend more time to see Wales, and the southern coasts. Driving was tricky for those of us who drive on the 'correct' side of the car/road, and getting used to round-abouts, but it can be done (keep the car in 'the center' of the road). Although gas is expensive, the cars get very good mileage. Only two complaints: the beds were all too soft (we stayed mostly at B&B's), and we didn't care much for the food. Have a great time!
Everyone's ideas are great but we have made trips to York, by train only a little over 2 hours away. Full of history and York Minster is lovely and the National Railway Museum is a great place to visit. There is a lot of history in York. Also Dover is a great place to visit. The castle is full of history and something not to miss while there are the secret wartime tunnels. We were quite ambitious as we stopped in Canterbury after visiting Dover, another great city to visit. Canterbury Cathedral is beautiful! Best idea is to get a tour book, Rick Steves has very informative books as well as Frommers.
I have a great love of the sotuh of England myself; hop a train to Penzance and explore Cornwall. Also heading to the north to Lincolnshire and Yorkshire would be good. I's also agree Bath is worth a visit.
Please realize that journeys take longer in England, especially if you take the minor roads, which contain the picturesque villages and stately homes. A castle that we visited a while ago which would be fun for the kids is Warwick, which has set exhibits of people in former times in various settings which include the smells (!) piped into the stables, dungeons etc. Many other stately homes have special exhibits for visitors and they are well worth seeing. You should check out the National Trust website.
Having traveled all over England I think all suggestions made are certainly worth while, especially those by Jyphoto. We found the Cotswolds to be wonderful and a walk back in time with the many villages in and around that area. We also found Public walkways...paths, to be very nice in Lower Slaughter where you can go across properties owned by farmers etcetera. Bath is nice for seeing history of the Romans. Sadly, Stonehenge is fenced off due to people damaging the stones...a shame as now you can only see it from a distance. If you are traveling via car, take advantage of staying in Farmhouse B&B's as the people are very nice and gnereally it is less expensive than hotels. You may find it to your advantage to find a place where you can stay for a couple of nights and use that to venture out to various places of interest...Enjoy England..
Oh wow! I agree with Boomer48. I try to get to London every 1-2 years & always take a coach or train to other places for the day. Have been doing this about 17 yrs. after spending 3 months in Cambridge on a study abroad trip. And I am not close to seeing everything in London or the surrounding area. Have been to Cotwalds, Windemere but one never tires of the beautiful country side.
Much, much too often, the North is ignored, although you did have one post from someone who went to York and Durham. The Yorkshire dales are the England of imagination; the Yorkshire moors are Jane Austen country. The North is NOT THE SAME as the south,any more than it is in the U.S. It's more old-fashioned, closer to the older, traditional English roots. Maybe this is why the southern English love to go north for their summer holidays. York, Helmsley, Durham, the Lakes District are all marvelous. And to get from one to another you'll drive through tiny villages in the Dales-- you can eat Wensleydale cheese in Wensleydale and Cumberland sausage in Cumbria!
The Lake District in springtime is well worth a look. The lambs on the hillsides, Dove Cottage - special history of Beatrix Potter and Wordsworth. B&B in Windemere. Brings back beautiful, wonderful memories. Posted by Suzette070
And....there is a terrific stone circle there too—Castlerigg
