Car vs. Rail & Itinerary Questions for 7 people in UK 2016

For your relaxing train travel, Edinburgh to York, York to London consider buying a £30 Friends and Family Railcard at a station in the UK. Your family qualifies as a unit and you'll save significantly to recoup the benefit of the card and then some. You can buy your train tickets online ahead of time as soon as they go on sale for July and choose the option that SAYS you have this Railcard (even though you don't have it yet). The discount will be factored in to your ticket prices. Just buy the card at a manned station prior to taking your first journey.

http://www.familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk
Group size: At least one named cardholder and at least one child must be travelling to enable discounted tickets to be used. The maximum group size is up to four adults (aged 16 years and over) including the named cardholder(s), and four children (aged 5-15 years).

If you have been to Bath before you might consider taking a night away from here, even though it is your jet lag city, in order to add a night to London at the end. Other wise it seems like you have a pretty doable route planned for your big group.

Others may be able to respond to the quandary of smallish roads in the Cotswold and Lake District and a 7 passenger van VS 2 rental cars.

Sounds like a great family trip.

I would consider picking up cars (two cars are probably easier to find than a van, and at the same price) in Bath and dropping them in Edinburgh, after taking a scenic route to get there. From Edinburgh to York and York to London, you can take direct, fast trains.

Train tickets are cheapest when dates and times are locked in about two months before the travel date. A Family Rail Card can get you extra ticket discounts for the group with kids. Or, a BritRail Pass for three days of unrestricted train travel within a month costs $280 per adult and one child aged 5-15 travels free with each adult. The trip from Heathrow to Bath could be one of your rail pass travel days, valid on the Heathrow Express to London Paddington station, then change there for trains to Bath. See all three options described at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/britain-rail-passes.

We choose to NOT drive in the UK. We really LOVE to travel by train there (and the occasional bus/coach). Strictly personal preference, but I would skip Bath and the Cotswolds. If you can, fly into Edinburgh. Then spend 2 or at most, 3 days there. Train to Aviemore (a small village in the Cairngorm mountains) for 2 days, then train to Inverness for 3 days. Train to York and spend 2 days, then train to London. Pick a good base in London and plan to do 2- 4 day trips by train from there. You could easily do any of these Bath, Cardiff Wales, Canterbury and /or Dover, Winchester, Brighton, Oxford or Cambridge, Stratford-upon-Avon, Windsor (1/2 to a full day).

Practice seeing what E to Y, Y to L tickets by picking a date 2 months out or 90 days out I can't remember which.

http://m.buytickets.virgintrains.co.uk/buy/plan_journey_extended;jsessionid=8FE55E9DCF93D00FE582DAC966702309

Choose a journey, your passengers with their ages and the Railcard. I think you'll find a much better price than the BritRail pass at $280 per adult for 3 journeys. Our sons family bought tickets in advance and the Railcard last summer and only paid £40 TOTAL (plus £30 for the Railcard) for all 4 of them for an E to L journey. They are 2 adults and 2 kids.

For instance, I checked a date in November and I can see prices as low as £68 to a high of £289 TOTAL for the 8 of you to travel from Edinburgh to York!

I don't quite get the big push that Rick gives Bath as the panacea for jetlag.

If 'twere me I'd chuck Bath, spend a couple more days in London, and then head out to Heathrow or Oxford (probably Heathrow) for the car or cars.

The roads, and even the lanes in the Cotswolds are not ridiculous, and being together is fun (unless one of the teens is a moper and then you just tie them to the roof). If tractors and trucks can get down the lanes maybe you and the giant vehicle (don't say van - a van has no windows and is what Bob the Builder has his tools in) can manage too. Just pick parking spots carefully.

"(don't say van - a van has no windows and is what Bob the Builder has his tools in)"

Absolutely:
http://www.cmcauk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/van2-1024x498.jpg

I'd definitely take the train between London and York/Edinburgh. I'd also be tempted to land in London, spend a couple days, and then take the train to Edinburgh and then work your way back down to York and then to London, or some other arrangement. (I personally would not take a coach between London and Edinburgh, or drive it myself, but that's just me. Save time and hassle and take the train.)

I'd cut days from Bath and/or the Cotswolds, for more days in London. If you want to spend time in London, spend time in London.

If you really want my opinion, well, I'd either spend the entire time in London, or I'd split it between London and Scotland, possibly stopping in York.

I would also, if you haven't purchased plane tickets, take a very close look at the cost of the open-jaw tickets versus in and out of London and would probably, even if it were more expensive, fly open-jaw in order to eliminate traveling back and forth.

Hope you have a great trip!

Thank you all for your responses. I was hoping to hear from you, Nigel, since I've felt like a stalker these past months reading all of the great transportation tips. I will definitely check out the websites posted for the long train rides.

My take aways are:
1. Cut down the time in Bath to gain that in London
2. Again cut down the time in Chipping Campden to open up additional time in Inverness or Aviemore areas.
3. Use a combination of rail and car (family pass sounds great! I was not aware that this could be a option)
4. Cotwolds for the large people mover (aka van) may not be impossible.
5. Strap all teen agers to the roof (haha - just kidding).

Anything I've missed? What about Keswick / Lake district area - enough time, too much?

Thanks, Cheryl

What an amazing trip!

My British son in law doesn't even like driving in Britain, at least on the motorways (yet he's a cyclist so not a coward). The stress would not be worth it to me. The roadways in general don't strike me as terribly pleasant…lots of traffic! I'd stick to trains, buses, and taxis. And, it's quite a burden to put on the driver, IMO. The kids can move around on trains and feel independent and not cooped up with you, and vice versa. You have a lot of teenagers to deal with…some false freedom for them might be nice. LOL. Best regardless, maybe you are braver than I would be about driving.

I see you are going up to Chester and Keswick. Would the kids be more interested in Liverpool than Bath? And I'd, personally, drop Chipping Camden in exchange for the Scottish Highlands as you already have some quiet, cutesy places. Liverpool also has a Georgian section, besides having the museums and waterfront, and, of course, all the Beatles' history. But, take what I say or anyone says with a grain of salt, as only you know the personality and interests of the people involved. Have a great trip. Wray

You asked specifically about Keswick so I'll chime in about that aspect of your trip.
Two full days will be enough to get a feel for the Lake District but you won't have enough time to see everything. Depending on your interests and your short time there, as well as the fact that you have the pre-teen/teens along, and the fact that no one in your group sounds elderly (smile) I would suggest hitting some of these highlights.
Walk from Keswick down to Derwentwater and take one of the beautiful old wooden launches to the dock at the base of the Catbells (a small mountain with an AMAZING view from the top), hike up and then down the other end and catch another launch back to the beach in town. It's a lovely ride around the lake and an invigorating hike. Grab a picnic lunch from Bryson's, right on the main square in Keswick, and have lunch at the top.
Go out to the small village of Buttermere and perhaps take a walk around the lake starting from the gravel parking area at the north end of the lake. This will take just a few hours and the scenery is breathtaking - have tea in Buttermere at one of the classic Lakeland hotels (The Fish) or one of the other couple of places in the village.
If you are into literature, visit John Ruskin's home out near Coniston overlooking Coniston Water. Visit Wordsworth's Dove Cottage just next to Grasmere (crowded but for good reason!), or Beatrix Potter's farm, Hilltop, out in Sawrey - again, crowded but for good reason. Beatrix Potter was instrumental in preserving the rural nature of the Lakes - she bought up many, many farms in the area to keep it as you see it today. Watch the movie "Miss Potter" if you're interested - a bit dramatized but you'll get the idea!
Grasmere has a unique and oh so tiny gingerbread shop (Grasmere Gingerbread) in an old cottage that is a bit of a pilgrimage spot for enthusiasts. You either love their gingerbread or you hate it...with a very cold milk it's divine - IMHO of course. The town is uber-touristy but lovely.
Drive up to Castlerigg Stone Circle on the hill just east of town - one of the oldest stone circles in England and set in a stunning spot with views for days...a great place for sunrise or sunset.
Sunset on the grassy knoll in the park just near the boat launch on Derwentwater is one of the most beautiful anywhere. Sit amongst the sheep and enjoy the view over the lake as the sun sets.
There are hundreds more places I could recommend but with two days, selecting a few of these things will give you a great feel for the area.
The last thing I will say is that if you have a large van then driving in the Lakes may be a bit of a white knuckle experience. Many of the rural roads are lined on both sides by stone walls that can close in quite tightly in places. If you encounter a bus or truck it's a bit tricky! Maybe consider taking the public bus out to Buttermere, Sawrey, or Coniston if you choose to visit these places. The public bus system in the lakes is excellent and designed to get you just about everywhere.
You can easily get all of the information you need at the Moot Hall on the main square in Keswick - excellent tourist office.
If you can add a day or two to the area there is lots more to see - it really is the quintessential British countryside.

Thank you for all of the advice!