Please sign in to post.

6 days in England itinerary

I have just over 6 days to tour England in February and was wondering if the following itenerary is possible with a rental car except in London
2 days in London.
Day 3- explore Leeds castle, Canterbury and maybe Dover, and overnight in Canterbury.
Day 4- Explore Christchurch, Stonehenge, and overnight near Avebury.
Day 5 - Explore Avebury,and Bath, then overnight in Glastonbury.
Day 6 - Explore Glastonbury, head back to London. Stay overnight near Heathrow

Thank you for your suggestions!

Posted by
1604 posts

Day 3 is impossible as written, although I suspect that you mean Leeds castle rather than Leeds.

Posted by
31 posts

I wouldn’t waste any time in Glastonbury unless you really like dream catchers.

Posted by
2301 posts

On day 4 I am confused by Chrischurch. Do you mean Christ Church College in Oxford.

This all sounds very tiring to me. Driving on the side of the road not 2nd nature to you is stressful. If it were me, I'd take the train to Bath from London, stay a couple of days there and one of the days take a Mad Max tour (small van) and see Stonehenge, Avebury, Lacock, and Castle Combe all in one day.. I did this tour in 2022 from Bath and really enjoyed it. I saw so much, but didn't really feel rushed. You could also take the train from London to see Canterbury. IMHO you are trying to see too many places in a short time.

Posted by
10273 posts

I'm assuming on Day 4 that ChrisChurch is the town of Christchurch in Dorset, 3 hours drive from Canterbury and 1 hour from Stonehenge.
A lot of driving at a time of year when daylight hours are so short.

Posted by
2756 posts

That is an intensive itinerary and I’m not sure how long you will actually have to see anything. You also need to remember that in February, sunset is around 5pm and it will be dark by 6pm
.
Day 3 - completely unrealistic unless it is a tick list job.... Leeds Castle needs 2-3 hours to explore (especially as the car park and entrance is a half mile walk from the Castle itself.) Canterbury requires half a day. When you say Dover - does this mean Dover Castle - if so, the recommendation is to allow 3-4 hours for the castle. The town itself can be missed. AND that is before adding in driving times between the different places. Even missing Dover, you will still be struggling to see/do both Leeds Castle and Canterbury.

Day 4 - driving alone will take 4+ hours You could cut this back by leaving out Christchurch (Do you have a special reason for including that?) What are you expectations of Stonehenge -is it a view as you drive past (if so admire from the A303 as you drive past.) If you are planning to visit , then you need to allow 2-3 hours.

What is the attraction of Glastonbury?

Posted by
35556 posts

hi salsapriestess, welcome to the Forums

I don't want to discourage you, but I don't know your driving experience in England.

Are you aware of the driving conditions in February? Sunrise in Canterbury on the 6th of February will be at 7:25 and sunset at 4:54 pm, which sounds pretty good, but you should expect your headlights to be on probably at least 2 hours after sunrise and 2 or 3 hours before sunset because the sun is so low in the sky, and actually seeing the sun is so unlikely in February.

Also expect the roads to be continually wet, even if it hasn't rained for a few days - the sun is far too weak to dry the roads - so expect glare from oncoming headlights and from the road itself. That is also prime pothole creation time after the road has frozen and thawed and cracks open up - after years of austerity the roads are quite full of potholes, so if there is a puddle don't drive into it.

Where will you get the car after London? You're not planning to get it on landing and driving into London to park it for 2 days?

Since you are only spending two days (including arrival day?) in London can we assume that you have been here before? If so, welcome back!