We have a car.....We will be visiting in late October and the weekend we want to see Bath the prices are really high so we thought of staying close by would work.
Chippenham and Bristol have good prices. We will be coming from Cornwall. After Bath, we are going to Cardiff.
Any suggestion would be nice.
Thanks
Samantha
Bristol is a fairly big city, Chippenham is a small town. If you have the hotel address put the postcode into Google Maps and see whether it is conveniently located or middle of nowhere. Especially the Bristol hotel. Don't say Filton.........
My Mom just said she thinks she prefers small towns when we travel if they have some charm. Off to look closely at Chippenham
Chippenham is a smallish town whilst Bristol is a city - with many traffic jams. Check the location of any planned hotel and that it has free parking. If staying in Chippenham, you might be better off taking a train into Bath. Normally, the trains are every 30 minutes. Check at www.nationalrail.co.uk (Pay at the station on the day for a return ticket). Now click this link:> https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.478212,-2.1711607,13.33z/data=!5m1!1e1
Can you see Castle Combe on the map? This is a very quaint village NW of Chippenham and well worth the drive. (Click and drag yellow man to see it on street view - not the racing circuit but the village down the hill).
At the top of the map is the M4. It takes about 1 hour 20 minutes to drive from Chippenham to Cardiff - given a clear run. Try and avoid Newport at 3pm to 6pm as this is where it jams up to get through a tunnel.
oooh I've seen photos of Castle Combe, it is indeed very beautiful.
You should also be aware that about a 30 minute drive east of Chippenham is the Avebury stone circle - see map - far east.https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4500392,-1.986847,11844m/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e1
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/avebury/
http://www.cotswolds.info/places/castle-combe.shtml
You may also be interested in visiting Lacock - which is 3 miles S of Chippenham.http://www.cotswolds.info/places/lacock.shtml
beofre you get too carried away with Castle Combe (or any other old village) from photos and Streetview - those double yellow lines along the sides of the roads mean you can't park there!
I used Bristol as my base but agree that it is a bit awkward. Its points of interest are mostly a good distance from the train station. I side-tripped to Wells and Cardiff as well as to Bath. I believe Steve sort of encourages a visit to the waterfron area of Cardiff (don't remember what it's called). I was disappointed, considering the time it takes to get there. It's a newly developed festival marketplace kind of area. I didn't think it was worth the time.
I loved the Museum of East Asian Art in Bath.
I found a great B&B in Bath for a reasonable amount. We are going to Cardiff as well. Bristol is about as far away from Bath as Cardiff. Why not just stay in Cardiff and take the train to Bath?
That is not accurate. Bath is about 15 minutes by rail from Bristol. It takes over an hour to reach Bath from Cardiff. By car, viamichelin estimates 35 minutes vs. 1 hr. 25 min.
Bristol is also better positioned for visiting Wells, Bradford-on-Avon or Salisbury.
Chippenham has train service to Bath that is as quick as the high-speed link from Bristol Temple Meads. But as a town of 20,000, Chippenham is easier to get around on foot, especially its compact centre only a few blocks from the train station. It is definitely worth taking the train rather than driving because Bath's parking is tight and sometimes street access is restricted. Parking in a satellite lot with a bus shuttle to the centre will work but takes longer than the train stopping right in the heart of Bath. With a car out of Chippenham you have access to the scenic Cotswolds if you choose to explore the countryside.
I will make another suggestion: I see that you have asked about staying in Premier Inn’s. There is a Premier Inn on the east side of Newport - just off the M4 at Langstone = the bit that keeps jamming up.http://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/wales/gwent/newport/newport-wales-m4-j24.html
Now, it would be possible for you to come up from Cornwall, leave the M5 for the M49 after crossing the Avonmouth bridge (west side of Bristol), then over the estuary on the M4 bridge with this Premier Inn being only about 15 minutes from the bridge. So, this location would be quicker and easier for you to reach than going to Chippenham and it has free parking outside. Now, this location could be used for you to visit Cardiff and Bath. Bath is around a 45 minute drive or you could drive to nearby Severn Tunnel Junction, park the car and catch a train into Bath. (If driving, leave M4 for A46 and I would suggest you follow the signs for the Park & Ride = where you park the car and take a shuttle bus into Bath - when (if) you sit on the bus, you will soon realise why this is sound advice.
The Premier Inn at Langstone is also well placed for the beautiful Wye Valley with Chepstow Castle being about 20 minutes to the east and Tintern Abbey just a short distance up the A466 to the north.
The A449 expressway goes NNE from Langstone - take this to Raglan and then A40 via Crickhowell into the Brecon Beacons National Park. (See Raglan Castle on return - should you do this). Go down a coal mine (free) at Big Pit , Blaenavon, is also easily doable. Newport, itself, is a dump = avoid.
http://cadw.gov.wales/daysout/tinternabbey/?lang=en
http://www.breconbeacons.org
http://www.visitmonmouthshire.com/?AskRedirect=true
Another lovely town very close to Bath is Bradford On Avon. Quiet, yet close enough to go into Bath for sightseeing.https://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationRentals-g209965-Reviews-Bradford_on_Avon_Wiltshire_England-Vacation_Rentals.html
Personally, if you want to see Bath, I would stay in Bath. Shop around for a reasonable hotel or apartment price there. Keep looking. Bath is expensive. Sometimes you just have to pay a bit more, but if you're only staying there one night or two, the hit to your budget couldn't be that bad. Being walking distance to the sights you want to see has its benefits, which outweigh the savings of staying way outside of town.
Check The Ayrlington, where we stayed when we were there. We thought it was a good value.
http://ayrlington.com/
Rick has many good suggestions in his England guidebook.
www.haringtonshotel.co.uk
www.threeabbeygreen.com
Royal York Travelodge; www.travelodge.co.uk
Some of these have very good (budget) prices.
We stayed at Beechfield House which is in Melksham. I would highly recommend it. You need a car but it is pretty convenient to everything.
Great ideas here......I'm looking at them all. Thank you so much.
Yet another option is to do a London Walks day trip out to Bath while you are staying in London. You meet your guide at the train station, board the train, spend the day in Bath being guided around, then train back to London with your guide.
Yes, I know you may be driving not far from Bath when you have your car, but you will have your trip to Bath "done/crossed off the list" if you do the London Walks trip, thus making it unnecessary to spend the night there. No need to worry about booking a hotel--one less hotel to book for your trip. A less expensive way to "do" Bath. http://www.walks.com/our-walks/bath-england-at-its-best
From their website: "We'll be back in London at approximately 6.15 pm."
This gives you time in the evening back in London to do some sightseeing or to go to the theatre.
