Are laundry facilities readily available in most towns and villages?

A couple years ago, while on a 3 week trip in England, my husband and I found a laundry facility in York (it may have been mentioned in Rick Steves' book). And the best part was we could drop our laundry off and they did the washing/drying, for a minimal fee, so we could sight see all day. We also make sure that we have many shirts, in addition to underwear, that we can wash out in the sink if need be. Take the risk; you will be happy not to be lugging around 4 weeks worth of clothes!

Yes, more prevalent than the US. Many of the locals do not always have their own washing machine and dryer. Ask your hotel for locations. Sometimes the smaller hotels, B&Bs will offer to do your laundry with the hotels laundry.

yes its a good idea to only take a week's worth of clothes

I wouldn't count on finding laundry facilities in villages - but ask at where you're staying and see what they say

I disagree that many locals do not have their own washing machine - launderettes are a lot less common than they were 30 years ago simply because most people do have their own machines

When I stayed in Keswick last year, there was one right down the street from our B&B that we used. However, they closed up shop at 5pm. So you can find them, you just need to make sure that you are there during regular working hours. I found that many of the businesses in England where we were at closed up shop at 5pm. Including the castles and museums.

The one change that I am making this year to Rick's packing list for ten days is that instead of bringing only 5 pairs of underwear/socks, I am bringing 10. I can always wear shirts and pants multiple times if I am unable to find a laundry or don't have the inclination to stop what I am doing to wash clothes.

I envy you being able to go to the UK for four weeks. How exciting!

I understand they are called launderettes in Britain.

What coins are needed for the machines?

I suggest that you don't actually need to know if there are launderettes in most towns and villages, what you need to know is if there is one or more in the towns and villages where you will want to do your laundry, or as suggested above, let somebody else do it.

If you share with us where those places are, Diane, we may be able to either have first hand knowledge or sources.

Towns yes. The smaller villages, perhaps. But that said, if you are willing to hand wash at least undergarments and socks, and can tolerate reusing outerwear, a once a week visit to a laundry facility is certainly possible. An alternative if staying multiple days at the same B&B with the possibility of your host offering a laundry service or allowing use of their laundry facilities.

We spent two weeks crossing England with only one layover day mid-journey at a small town. We were limited to one bag per person plus our day packs. Part of our layover day activity was watching clothing tumble in the washers and dryers. During rainy/wet days we would go through at least two pairs a socks a day. Hand washing and drying socks is pretty much mandatory unless you have the space to pack 14 pairs of socks. (Wool socks are bulky). Reusing outer garments works with clean undergarments next to one's skin and having a relatively clean set of undergarments for evening and house wear. If your outer garments get too muddy, having quick drying synthetics allow for overnight drying after a hand wash.

dd,

I wouldn't say there are "plenty of laundry facilities available", but there will usually be a few. The staff at your hotel will generally know if there are laundromats in the area. In some cases these will be a "service wash" facility where they do the laundry for you, and in other cases there will be self-serve facilities.

As Nigel mentioned, it would be helpful to know which places you'll be visiting as some of the group here may have personal knowledge on those locations.

Most people have their own washing machines here, which is why most launderettes have closed in the last 30 years. They are commoner in large city centres such as London, where more people live in small flats.

I live near Tunbridge Wells (population 104,000 in the Borough) and the town doesn't have a launderette.

Why spend half your holiday chasing down a launderette? Bring more clothes! I have recently returned from a 4 week trip and didn't dream of only taking enough clothes for 1 week, as with temperature differences, you have to be prepared for all eventualities. (We were staying in cottages with a washing machine too.)

I understand that British call also a laundromat a laundrette.

If you are staying in a town included in Rick's book, he often has laundry suggestions. If not, ask at your hotel. You may have to wait until the next town.

Launderettes may have short hours. We had some troubles in Peterborough. We had to drive to several to find one open. One closed Saturday afternoon. Sunday's are more difficult. But, our running around, trying to find these places in the middle of housing estates turned out to be a very interesting experience! This might not be the temporary local experience everyone is looking for, but I saved the crazy instructions we got with diagrams of 7 roundabouts to get to the 2nd launderette! And we found someone to do our laundry while we did our tourist thing. It all worked out, after a lot of confusion!

There must be some kind of business for them - a new launderette has just opened in my parents' high street. A lot seem to be more orientated these days to the service wash so it isn't so much people not having a home machine as not having the time.

It's nice to have someone else to do your laundry when you are on vacation. We have not done our own laundry in the UK and it has not been expensive. We would never pay a hotel in the US to do our laundry because it is ridiculously expensive.

We even had it done for free at a B&B in Northumberland ( we left a nice tip because we were happy to have it done and would have been happy to pay).

The worst thing that could happen is that you might have to wash things out in the sink for a day or two -- or wear something over again or buy something. The risk of bringing only one week's worth is not very big. I say, go for it!

Thank you so much for all the info on the launderette possibilities. Everyone has been super helpful and I really appreciate the feedback. Diane