6 day driving tour in January in England

We visited Oxford and spend 4 weeks in England and Wales in October. I suggest Blenheim Palace, the Cotswolds, Stratford upon Avon and Warwick as possible places to visit. Farther north, you might consider North Wales and Conway. Also, Chester has a lot of Roman History. The traffic around Birmingham and Manchester will be a challenge.

I'd be sure to hit the Cotswolds since you'll have a car. That area is tough to cover via public transportation. I ended up taking a one-day van tour (which was good, but not a flexible option). If the weather isn't conducive to rural walking, one full day in the Cotswolds might be enough time, assuming that you don't get lost. The towns are quite small, so you can see a lot of them in one day.

The other places mentioned so far can be reached on a future trip by public transportation, so don't feel that you have to try to cram everything in. Just pick a few spots and wander vaguely northward.

Conwy is very small. I liked the train trip from Conwy south to Blaenau Ffestiniog but don't know whether the drive would be equally picturesque or OK in January (weather seems like it could be an issue). Weather aside, to get a good look at northern Wales would require a substantial part of the time you have available, just so you know. Rick gives some coverage to this area in his guide book. I'm just not sure about January...

Chester is a very pretty town. You can easily fill a day there, just walking the wall, seeing the cathedral and wandering.

The small town of Ludlow has lots of historic half-timbered buildings. It's foodie-ville now, and lodgings will probably be more costly than expected. I wouldn't be surprised if it's hard to find a bed at the last minute, even in January.

I didn't get to Shrewsbury, but I believe it is also known for its half-timbered architecture.

If you have an interest in WW II history, the Bletchley Park code-breaking center (just south of Milton Keynes) is not far from the Oxford-Liverpool route. But a comprehensive visit there takes close to a full day--perhaps not a good use of your car since you can get to Bletchley by rail and then just a pleasant walk on a later trip.

I liked Oxford a lot, though obviously it's not a place where the car will be of benefit, so you might want to leave it for a later trip. Paying for a rental car and parking it in Oxford for 1-1/2 or 2 days is probably not a fiscally prudent decision. But I liked both the Ashmolean and Pitt-Rivers Museums (great if the weather is grim), and walking around the colleges is nice if it's pleasant. The tourist office runs walking tours, and there are others available, though I have no idea about the January schedule. When I visited in August, a fair number of the colleges' opening hours were limited to the afternoon, though some were open all day.

I can't comment on Liverpool since I haven't been there.

Sorry, Emma. We don't do the cathedral = city bit, so I always forget about that. Chester is such a nice, relaxed place to visit (despite a lot of tourists); I can't help thinking of it as a "town".

I second the suggestion to allow some time to enjoy Liverpool. We visited the Beatles Experience museum, took the Magical Mystery Tour bus and used our bus tickets for free entry to the rebuilt Cavern Club, then had a late afternoon snack from the "Anytime At All" menu at the Hard Day's Night Hotel. Totally fab!

Driving into Liverpool is a bit stressful as the M6 Motorway requires you to sort of circle the city to the north before heading in, westward on the M62. When the Motorway ends you'll be on Edge Lane, A5080. Follow it into the city center or to your rental car dropoff location.

thank you for your replies. Just to let you know we have 2 days in Liverpool after we drop the car off. My main concern is the weather in January.I know no one can predict the winter weather but just trying to gauge would the roads be icy around the Lakes district or would it be better to head towards Devon as the possibility of snow and ice would be less.

I too like Chester which is so very close to Liverpool. We visited Liverpool for the first time the beginning of September. We loved the museums there - they are excellent and also the Beatles venues. The weather was absolutely awful. We stayed at the Premier Inn on Duke Street - close walk to the museums and once there we could be inside. So glad we finally made it to Liverpool. We did not have a car while there.

Flo

Would love to give you some tips as my husband is English and I spend alot of time there. But you tell us nothing about what your interests are! Someone suggested Blenheim Palace, but how do we know you like old, grand buildings!? Tell us what you are interested in, and we can give you some tips!

Also -get travel insurance! It could very well be close to blizzard weather (or it could be in the 60's) so if you plan on booking places in advance get travel insurance in case you need to stay in one place during a snow storm....

Susan
Expat living in Ireland

Flo,

Yesterday, Nov 30, there was a snowstorm in England. My friend in Ampleforth said driving from York to her house was very sketchy -- so as mentioned, be sure to get travel insurance and be prepared for changes if the weather turns sour for your trip!!

Susan
ExPat in Ireland