five family members, myself, my two daughters and my two teenage granddaughters will be arriving from Paris by train Saturday afternoon. I have booked two nights at a London hotel with a plan of renting a car on Monday and driving to Manchester - arriving Tuesday evening. We fly home out of Manchester on Wednesday morning. Two of us have visited London before so wanted to have the girls experience the London Eye, the boat trip on the Thames and see a few sites. We thought we could experience a bit more outside of London on Monday and Tuesday as we drive to Manchester. Can anyone give us any suggestions for this short time. Stonehenge has been mentioned, but believe this is not on the way. Suggestions will be very much appreciated.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32700 posts
No, Stonehenge is exactly the opposite direction.
You'll need a BIG car for 5 adult sized people and luggage.
What time of year?
Be sure to check in early enough in Paris.
Posted by
OP
Binghamton
21 posts
time is the last weekend in July, and I did not think that Stonehenge would work. So what could we plan for an overnight between London and Manchester?
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
Your plan has a few issues:
You only have a full day in London plus whatever is left of Saturday afternoon. The good news is that you will gain an hour arriving from Paris. Renting a car in London isn't a good idea. As has already been stated, you will not be able to get 5 adults plus luggage in a standard car, so you will need a people carrier. Driving in central London is not recommended, so you would all have to get the train to Luton airport, Watford or some such place out of London to avoid the traffic. That will be costly and take an hour or more.
Most days, London to Manchester will take c 5 hours driving. It is a dull route. I drive this regularly when visiting my parents and I am struggling to think of why this would be driven when the far more relaxing train could do the journey in less than half the time. If you had a week, it would make more sense, but I fear it will just feel like a disappointing end to the holiday.
You will have to be in Manchester the night before your flight, so I would spend more time in London and get the train to Manchester on Tuesday evening. Book 12 weeks out for the best prices.
If you do have to drive, I would suggest staying in Rutland - a mini Cotswolds but without all the tourists - chocolate box cottages and historical towns such as Stamford. It's about half way. You will then have a mix of city and countryside.
Stonehenge is in completely the wrong direction.
Posted by
OP
Binghamton
21 posts
We have opted for an extra night in London and train to Manchester. Thank you for all your suggestions. Nancy