Best of England Tour

The walk up and down at St Michael's Mount is a bit difficult on a very uneven surface.

The Best of England doesn’t cover St Michael’s Mount altho the Villages of Southern England does.

If you go to the tour page and select itinerary there is an activity level rating for each day. I just looked back at it and it seems pretty faithful to my experience. One of the harder days is Hadrian’s Wall. Of course it’s outside and the ground is a little rough thru the archeological site. We had quite a lot of rain on that day which made it more difficult. The full day in Wales is listed as strenuous altho that day’s activities have changed some since I took it so I can’t comment on the terrain you might encounter there.

I generally want to be able to walk 4-6 miles easily before I do a Rick tour. I’m not sure what several miles is for you.

I did just do Scotland this summer and I felt it was one of the easier tours as far as activity level that I’ve done. I thought the Edinburgh day was the hardest day and perhaps more representative of more days on the Best of England tour. Of course others may have differing opinions. Guides change things a little so one tour may not be exactly like another.

I hope you decide this will work for you. It’s a fun tour. I learned so much from my guide and the sites we visited.

Thanks, Pam. I was looking for a little more info than the ratings in the itinerary, and your response is very helpful. I assume if Hadrian’s Wall or other walks are too much for me I can just skip them.

Have taken that tour and the one in Scotland. If you didn't have significant issues in Scotland, my sense is that you will be ok with the England tour.

Phil, I have done both tours. (Full disclosure: I loved the Scotland tour and did not really enjoy the England tour.) I have severe osteoarthritis in both knees so am keenly aware of stairs. The "flat land" walking on the two tours is about the same, and certainly manageable. There are some steep and/or uneven pathways at Bodnant gardens, the Vindolanda archeological site, the Castlerigg stone circle, and Hadrian's Wall. Just be careful and take your time. The biggest challenge on the Best of England tour are the stairs in the hotels RS uses. The hotels on our tour did not have elevators. Be sure and ask the office to assign you a room on the main floor at those hotels that offer that. (not all the hotels had rooms on the main floor) Even with that, there will be some difficulties. Most of the hotels have multiple stairs up from the street to get into the hotel. ( The Brooks Guesthouse in Bath has 16 steep steps up from the street and about that same number down to the breakfast room from the main floor.) The Crow Park hotel in Keswick had many steps up from the street and no hand railing. The alternative was to come in from the rear up a very steep alley. Best of luck in making your decision.

Also, keep in mind the same tour on different dates often uses different hotels. You might want to call the Tour office (they are always more than helpful) to inquire about hotels used on the particular tour dates you are interested in as those hotels may or may not have flights of stairs and/or elevators.

Sorry, I forgot which tour St Michael's Mount was on. I did both tours back-to-back.

The Brooks House in Bath is no longer used on the RS Tours. Instead it is the Henrietta House which has a short flight of stairs to the main floor and an elevator.

Hi Phil. I took the Best of England in 14 Days tour last spring. I was on the same tour as TravelingMom.
Waving hello to TravelingMom! :)
I did research ataxia, but I cannot know how difficult this tour would be for you.

We started the tour in Bath. Our group walked up the hill every day (for 3 days in a row) to the Royal Crescent, which was beautiful. However, on the second day, this fairly steep walk did something to my ankles. The entire group was yards ahead of me walking up the hill. My legs bothered me for the rest of the trip. It seemed I was trying so hard to keep up with the group, and I could not. This made me feel very bad and ashamed. Many people on this trip were younger than me and walked very, very quickly.

The walk around downtown Bath (away from the Royal Crescent) to see the town and Roman Baths did not bother me, as that was mostly flat and level.

The next destinations were pretty easy:
*Glastonbury is a ruined abbey with flat and level ground.
*Wells Cathedral was my favorite sight I have ever seen in England. You can walk flat and level from the bus, through the front courtyard and into the cathedral. Flat and level all on the ground floor of the cathedral. There is a long steep staircase to get to the Chapter House (room?) but you could skip that.
*The Cotswolds. Our hotel was easy to walk straight in the front door. The town Stow-On-The-Wold had good sidewalks, an easy walk around town to shops and cafes.

Now on to Wales:
*Conwy--hotel has some stairs up to the rooms. Straight off the coach and into the front door, however. Conwy is a lovely town with a lovely castle. Conwy Castle is not easily walked inside for anyone with disability. Very uneven stones, worn and dangerous stairs. So I would say, enjoy looking at the castle from outside.
Day trip to the sheep farm--steep walk up a gravel driveway to see some areas of the farm. You may wish to stay near the farmer's house and wait there to see the sheepdog demonstration.

Next, Lake District: Keswick:
You will most likely not be able to do the walk up a very steep and rocky mountain, Cat Bells. Our group walked up there and had a great view all around of the lakes. I stayed back in town and walked around mostly level ground to the shops and a pub, The Dog And Gun. Don't miss the pub! Great food!

Continued.

On to Hadrian's Wall.
We stopped in two places. The first was a gap in the wall, a walk uphill for a good view. I stayed on the bus, because of my legs, and because it was cold and extremely windy.
Then we stopped at Housesteads Roman Fort. This you will be able to do. A little hilly, but worth it.

York:
All flat and level. May be easy for you.
Keep an eye open for uneven pavement here and there on sidewalks (in London also!).

London:
Flat and level walking except for some stairs in some of the tube stations.
Tower of London--there may be a lot here you cannot do. The spiral staircases in turrets should be eyed with caution, and then you decide. Most areas on ground level are flat and level walking. Some cobblestones and uneven sidewalks and curbs.

I have tried to outline "trouble" areas for me. Perhaps that will help you know what the trip is really like.

We went on the first tour of the year. (Began April 15) I do not recommend that.
The northern parts of the trip (Keswick and Hadrian's Wall) we experienced bitterly cold temperatures and wind.
Don't know if the cold makes ataxia worse, but I know it does for some muscle problems.

I hope I have helped a little.

Thanks Rebecca, and everyone else. Great information and it sounds like I’ll be able to do most things on the tour. I think I’ll call the Rick Steves office and discuss it with them just to make sure.

You're welcome, Phil. Have a great trip. We loved this tour; it was chocked full of favorite sights and "Wow" moments.