England in December and Holiday recommendations

In Bath, be sure and dine at The Scallop Shell, it has the best fish and chip in England.

Please don’t get off a plane in London and drive straight to York. It’s a bad enough drive when you are fully alert and not something to do whilst jet lagged. Take the train to York and have a few days there to get over jet lag, then hire a car. You are going to need 2 cars for 6 people plus luggage. York is a geographical outlier compared to the rest of your itinerary. However, December isn’t the time to visit the Cotswolds - no colour in the gardens, dark by 4pm and potentially wet and muddy.

With only 11 days, I would pick London plus ideally one and maximum two other bases. Visit Essex as a day trip from London.

There are numerous polls and competitions for the best fish and chips and the Scallop Shell never rates in any of these. Try the Golden Hind in Marylebone, London for a meal about half the price of the Scallop Shell.

Any recommendations for our trip?

If you are flying from Michigan and then going direct to York please give great consideration to letting somebody else take you there.

If you drive, especially such a long drive as to York (are you used to driving on the opposite side of the road) when you are tired after a very long flight and jetlag. It can be like driving drunk and is dangerous to you and other road users.

It is easy to get to York by train from London, and by coach from Heathrow.

Do you know that sunset in York is at 3:46, dawn just before 8:00? That's if the sky is clear (unlikely) so expect lights on in the morning and afternoon.

Check the forecast a day or two out so you're not surprised by weather.

Heathrow to York is almost a 4 hour drive and that’s if all goes well, no wrong turns, good weather, and no construction or heavy traffic along the route. If it was an hour’s drive, I’d say it’s possible, but I have to agree with Jennifer and Nigel that in this case it’s a destination to far.

Edited: Since you like UK TV shows, the building used as the restaurant in Pie in the Sky is at 64 High St, Hemel Hempstead. Also, the building used as Arkwright’s shop in Still Open All Hours is at 115 Lister Ave., Doncaster. Both are on the way towards York. A little more than an hour’s drive west northwest of York is Grassington where the new All Creatures Great and Small is partly filmed. Saint Wilfrid's Church Seen in the same series is in nearby Skipton as is Barden Bridge seen in the series opening.

If your grandfather was stationed in England, it’s possible parts of the base may still exist if you knew where it was. If you only have a station number from that time you can easily find the location online. A number of years ago I visited the now private Spanhoe airfield my father’s squadron was based out of during the war. Most of the airfield and a few of the buildings remain.

Thank you everyone for the prompt and helpful responses. Will take your advice on catching the train instead of driving to York. We don’t have public trains here so just used to driving (albeit not on the left side). Ok… scratch Cotswold off the list… nothing worth seeing in the winter. Thanks again for your time and insight.

If you book a hotel in the centre of York, you won't need a car as everything is walkable. Do try and include choral evensong in the Minster. It is a magical experience. There's loads to see and do to keep you occupied for the time there. You may enjoy the Georgian Christmas Experience at Fairfax House.

https://www.fairfaxhouse.co.uk/a-georgian-christmas/

The Treasurer's House will also be decorated for Christmas.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/treasurers-house-york/features/christmas-at-treasurers-house

Blenheim Palace can easily be done from Oxford. Again, Oxford will be fun in the run up to Christmas. You can catch a train from York to Oxford changing at Birmingham.

Catch a train from Oxford to Bath (change at Didcot Parkway). finally train Bath to London.

If you are using a lot of trains, a two together railcard will give considerable savings.
https://www.twotogether-railcard.co.uk/?_ga=2.186811240.1569314565.1662494292-756270071.1662494292.

Train fares will be cheapest bought on line before travelling .The cheapest prices are released about twelve weeks in advance.

Bath will be fun in early December if you decide to keep that in the mix. There are some Christmas Market activities that begin Nov 24 and run thru Dec 11.

https://visitbath.co.uk/whats-on/bath-christmas-market-p2988783

I'd also want about 5 nights/4 full days in London that time of year so not sure how the rest of your days will sort out.

Also be aware of Christmas at Kew Gardens. Tickets are already on sale so not sure if there is anything left for the time you'd be in London.

https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/christmas

There is also Hyde Park Wonderland which I've never been to so not sure if it's tacky carnival or festive fun, hahaha!!

https://hydeparkwinterwonderland.com/

I was born in Essex and I must admit I did have to look up Mountnessing area. I see it is near Brentwood/Ingatestone which can be reached by using the Liverpool street Station for trains stopping at Ingatestone towards Chelmsford. It would certainly be going off the beaten path. You would need a taxi to take you to the nearby village.
A quick search on booking.com brought up very few places nearby where I would want to stay. Chelmsford comes up, which I would not really recommend. (it's dreary in the summer let alone the winter). If Mountnessing is not a must-see on this trip, then I would probably skip it. It's out of the way. I think it would be best to narrow your trip to York, Bath, Oxford, and Highclere castle. Daylight hours are going to be limiting. Keep that in mind. I would also try to use public transportation whenever possible.
Margaret

In London:
Tour Parliament
Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park
Leicester Square Christmas Market
See a Panto
See Theatre
Christmas Tree in Trafalger Square
Christmas Lights Regent, Bond and Oxford Streets
Choral performances
Wander about Spitalfields Market ( if any vinyl
(LP’s ) collectors in your group go on a Friday)
Christmas at Kew Gardens (book in advance)
Ice Skate at Natural History Museum or at the Somerset House
Photo Ops at the Churchill Arms Pub
Walk along the Thames River and visit the outdoor food booths and Christmas market.

Call The Midwife exteriors were filmed at the Chatham Dock yards in Kent.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU for taking your time to post with your recommendations! Looked at all of the posts you shared and plan on taking you up on your recommendations...Fairfax house, Treasurers house, Kew gardes, Bath christmas markets...and will definitely keep in mind that nightfall comes early so we can make the most of the daylight hours. Also booking the two together railcards as we will be taking trains mostly thanks to the info provided in this forum. We think that is the safest and easiest way for us to travel. Us midwest Americans aren't used to public transportation....not to mention, we live in the Motor City. We drive everywhere :)

As a frequent traveler to London and who spent nearly 30 years as film and TV Location Manager and Scout in the megalopolis of LA you will love train travel. You will also enjoy the London Underground. Makes exploration of London easy.

If you desire off beat in London visit:
Try the Attendant restaurant in the Fitzrovia neighborhood. Former public toilet.
St Dunstans In The East
Crystal Park Dinosaurs
Alexander Fleming Museum
Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities
The Star Tavern in the Belgravia neighborhood. Its where the Great Train Robbery was planned.
Lastly see if tours for the Crossness Pumping Station are still occurring

Thank you Claudia for all of the off the beaten path recommendations.
For those of you from England, my sincerest condolences for the loss of your Queen 😢