Early Stages of planning and need help. Summer 2018

What time are you expecting to arrive at many of these places after 'driving in the evening'? I would expect after midnight in a number of cases.

Well, as I am in the early planning stages that is yet to be determined. I know several of the drives are 4+ hours. My husband's record for consecutive driving hours is 20.

My first advice is to do your driving each morning, right after breakfast. Navigating UK roadways after a full day of sightseeing will likely be stressful enough to take the fun out of the trip. Plus, driving in the evening would mean late arrival (and even later if you take a wrong turn), which won't endear you to innkeepers.

You've anticipated that folks on this forum will say you're trying to cover too many destinations in too few days, so I won't bother saying that. But really, Cornwall in less than 48 hours? Edinburgh in 1 day? Do you want to experience these places or just say you've been there? Edinburgh and Cornwall are your two most far-flung locations so I would say omit them.

As for arranging lodging for a party of 5, it shouldn't be difficult if you book ahead. The RS guide lists plenty of fine places to stay. Those that are most desirable get filled up farthest in advance, so plan accordingly.

Thanks for the helpful advice about driving in the morning. I will shift things around. As I have mulled the trip over in my mind today, Edinburgh got dropped. I would still love to try to fit in Cornwall, though.

Is there a way to consolidate stops? Can you stay in Oxford and day trip to Stratford for example?

Don't rely on trip estimators on mapping programs to knwo your driving time. It is often overly optimistic. Case in point will be Keswick to Stow-on-the-Wold...although it should only take about 4 hours in theory, sometimes the traffic getting in and out of the Lake District can be trying...you are also dealing with Manchester and Birmingham even if you are skirting the cities. You are trying to see too much with too much driving. I agree with the idea of driving in the morning rather than the evening, arriving when you are tired, still need to check in, and THEN trying to explore. Using the afternoons and evenings for sightseeing and exploring is better. If it were me, Edinburgh is the outlier here. A beautiful place but maybe save it for another trip and give yourself more time in the Lake district or Cornwall, both of which are extensive areas that deserve more than a few hours.

You don’t say where your cruise ship is docking. Surely that could be the start point of any road trip - even if it meant the people flying in joined the others at some place outside of London.

On Day 1 or 2, you should try and fit in >http://www.blenheimpalace.com as you are virtually passing the front door. (It takes half a day to visit this vast palace & grounds).

Cornwall is simply not worth it for 2 days as it takes most of the day to reach even eastern Cornwall. You are double backing on yourselves by starting in Oxford going N to York - which will be a boring drive - and then returning to Stow-on-the Wold - which is not that far from Oxford!

I would consider going to Wales as it has great scenery and is not such a long trip as say going to Cornwall. www.visitwales.com (See also post in the RS forum).

If you want reasonably priced lodgings with family rooms, try www.travelodge.co.uk or the bit more expensive http://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/home.html Note that downtown premises will not have parking - if with car, choose places out of town centres.

If you do go to the Lake District, you may like to know that you could still do a day tip by train to Edinburgh from Penrith. (Fastest trains can do it in 1 hour 30 minutes). See www.nationalrail.co.uk (Pre book specific trains about 11 weeks out for cheapest prices).

Twenty hours continual driving is nothing to brag about - it is dangerous to other road users, even if you don't care about yourselves. Please don't try that here!

I would cover these in a different order - have a night in London to get over jet lag, then take the train to York for 2 days i.e. 3 nights, then hire a car and drive to the Lake District for 3 nights. Drive to Stow for 3 nights (it will take 5+ hours for the drive and if you are unlucky with the traffic, 7 hours).

Either drop the car and take the train to London or drive back. You are still going to have the issue of getting 5 people with luggage from the station/ car hire place to your accommodation.

Cost - do some dummy train and car hire pricing - with 5 adults and luggage, you are going to need something larger than a standard car to all fit in and possibly a people carrier (we don't call them vans - that is a commercial vehicle with no windows). Your children could all buy 16-25 Railcards, saving them 1/3 on rail fares. Travel after 9.30 am for cheaper fares and book 11 weeks in advance.

Accommodation - your best option would be to rent properties rather than the more expensive hotel room options, where you would need at least 3 rooms. Airbnb is expensive in the UK, but booking.com and Trip Advisor rentals offer better value, often for the same property! If booking well in advance for the best prices, also consider the Premier Inn chain.

I planned our drive tour of the UK for October and will visit most of the places you plan to see.

Your plan is a very aggressive one, with way too much travel.

You plan to spend one night in Oxford and one in Stratford (on Avon?). That gives you a fraction of a day in both places. It can be done, but you are pushing it.

You plan two nights in York, with only one day to see the city, not enough. Your second day, you have to drive to Edinburgh, which is a haul.

Also, going to the Lake District for one night between Edinburgh and Stow! You will barely have time to drive around one morning.

Further, have you considered where you will park your vehicle in Oxford, Stratford on Avon, York, Edinburgh, etc.?

I have researched this and found for Oxford, parking is very limited and pricey. You may be stuck with parking on the park and ride lot outside the city. Have you accounted for time spend to get to and from your vehicle, with luggage?

If you drive into York and Edinburgh, suggest finding a B and B that provided free parking.

I recommend that you reduce the scope of your travels by eliminating Edinburgh and/or Cornwall. Spend more time in the places that you do visit.

Driving in England is fun, the countryside is wonderful, but you underestimate the amount of time to go from point to point.

Do a map quest for your longer rides to see how much time to plan for driving.

Also, you will need a large vehicle for five persons, plus luggage.

Thanks for the replies - cruise is in out of Copenhagen so no help for UK
Edinburgh has been dropped. Working on eliminating more
Price for 7 passenger "van" has been acquired; now I will compare with train.
Planned on B&B and or Premier, but will need two rooms I think at most hotels. Thanks for the AirBnb cost tip.
Thanks for the tip that Stratford.. and Stow... were so close together. - rethinking that
Looking at reversing the loop and starting in York.
Not bragging about the driving - it is what it is. He gets safety lectures from me all the time.

I knew I could count on this forum!

You are driving north, then back down south. You are using a lot of time by doing that.
I would suggest.....skipping Edinburgh leave it for your next trip, but if you don't.
Day 1...take train to Edinburgh or York if you decide to skip Edinburgh which would give you more time in York and the Lake District
Day 2...Edinburgh
Day 3....pick up car as early as you can and drive to York..it's at least a 4 hr drive if not longer arrive between 1-2pm
Day 4....York
Day 5....drive to Keswick
Day 6....Keswick
Day 7.....drive to Stow-on-the-Wold...at least a 4 hr drive...I strongly suggest seeing other villages along with Stow....like Bourton-on-the-Water, Broadway
Day 8....Cotswolds....I strongly suggest skipping going to Cornwall and spending more time in the Cotswolds...if you did this then
Day 9...Cotswolds
Day 10...Oxford and Stratford .....drop off car
Day 11...take train to London whatever time you want
Day 12, 13 and 14 ....London

You are really trying to do way too much!!!!

Too much moving around. Skip York, attractive as it is. Pick London and two other bases at most, one in the Cotswolds and one in Cornwall for five nights or so each. I'd even leave Cornwall for another trip, if possible.

Yup, family rooms are out. The kids are all adults for hotels.

Hotel rooms may have a double bed or two twin beds, but won't have what you get at home which is two kings in a big room. The doubles are often quite small too. Comfortable but small.

You will need to get a double or twins for the two of you, a twins for two of the kids, and somebody gets a single. Sometimes a very small single.

20 hours of driving isn't anything I'd brag about.

"Cornwall" is a bit vague. Unless you are leaving from Plymouth to London by train it will take absolutely ages. By road there are all sorts of potential delays that will make the journey to London very unpleasant. If you are down the peninsula expect slow heavy traffic until you get on the motorway.

Stow on the Wold to somewhere in Cornwall is quite a saga too.

I would drastically limit your scope of travel. You will enjoy and remember things much more if you slow down. I would limit yourself to Oxfordshire Cotswolds area and Cornwall and even consider cutting out London this time or at least see it first when you are all there. London is the least English part of England and we have never wished we had spent more time there on any of our trips, but we have regretted not having more time elsewhere in the UK. As Rick says- tell yourself you will return- and can see the other sights another time. We have traveled in the UK many times with 3 sons- at first when little children but now when about your kids ages and yes it is much more expensive now, and yes renting houses and apartments are the way to go which even more speaks to the need to slow down spending at least 2-3 nights in each accommodation. I would suggest a van which we did 2 years ago, but be ready to be really challenged by the extremely narrow roads especially in Cornwall. You could squeeze into a intermediate but only with barebones luggage and no expectation for happy campers while driving. Otherwise summer is wonderful in the UK. Happy travels!