England on our own, assistance please - 30 days by train, bus & e-bike

In principal the 'best' departure point from the Lake District is Manchester. However I have looked at this time and time again for SEA (living in the Lake District) and I just can't make it work.
Time and time again I come back to Heathrow or Edinburgh, which is frustrating. The issue is one of connections in the UK for a non stop to SEA- the times and needing to allow buffer time between train and plane at MAN means the hurdle is too big. LHR simply works out smoother, but EDI is as close by train as is MAN.
I'm a BA person to SEA as they are consistently the best value by some margin from the UK (even better than Icelandair) - the equation may be different on a US carrier. The dear wish was to be able to use Alaskan but they have priced themselves too high.

Leeds Castle is best on a Saturday when the direct bus 510 runs from Maidstone, but on a weekday Nu-Venture 13 and 14 run from Maidstone to a close by stop on Penfold Hill- admittedly the timetable is on the thin side.
From Canterbury Rye and Hastings are easy- train changing at Ashford, Battle you could do the same route changing again at Hastings, or the other part of the circle- Canterbury West to Tonbridge/Tonbridge to Battle. On the way don't forget Tonbridge Castle- https://www.tonbridgecastle.org/
Bus is also fairly easy, if it takes longer- change at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells.

To Portsmouth the non London route is train changing at Tonbridge and Guildford. To Salisbury then probably the slow train to Waterloo East, then downstairs to Waterloo is the easiest, although you could take the Portsmouth route as far as Guildford, change for Woking then the Salisbury train, but that feels fiddly and time consuming.

For me from Salisbury to Oxford the route is Salisbury to Basingstoke/Basingstoke to Oxford, likewise from Portsmouth- 2 trains change at Basingstoke.

Bolting on East Anglia between Oxford and York feels a bit clunky. That would fit better between London and Canterbury IMO.
To cover Norwich, Sandringham (train to Kings Lynn then bus), Norwich and Stamford I think Ely is a better place to stay, or even Kings Lynn- use the fast bus route Kings Lynn to Norwich, and (in the other direction) Peterborough Railway Station. (for trains to York and Stamford).

From York another easy day or half day trip is Selby for Selby Abbey (train or a choice of two bus routes). It is one of Yorkshire's missed places- unlike the better known Abbeys one not in ruins, with a lot of history (some American, I'll drop in as a teaser).

The one fly in the ointment is Stourhead, as that is tough to reach by public transport. Potentially that is even a day trip from London (1 hour 45 Paddington to Castle Cary) if you can organise transport the last 15 miles from Castle Cary.

If you are short of days Bath is the obvious one to cut out, as going from Oxford to Warwick then York flows a lot better, then adding Bath in the middle.

Stuart. Thanks so much for this.

To avoid the “clunky” part as you put it, how about the following sequence …

• London
• Cambridge/East Anglia
• York
• Lake Dist.
• Stratford
• Cotswolds
• Salisbury
• Sussex Kent
• London, fly away

If that, Blenheim from Cotswolds? Or better as day trip from London in the first week?

The other lights that you shed on Tonbridge Castle, Ely or King’s Lynn as a base, and Selby Abbey are appreciated. I’ll look into those

I’ll also look at Stourhead from London … or maybe that is just too much to tack on?

Another confusion factor to sort - later - is that air fares look better between Edinburgh and Seattle, at the cost of having to fly through Vancouver BC or a variety of US gateway cities.

Most important, as you’re an Englishman familiar with travels in your own country, how does this itinerary seem to you in general? 14 months to departure, so this is very early. And plan as I may, I always aim to leave a little free play for the unexpected busker or side trip or festival.

To me that is a good methodical circle.

And don't forget there is the direct and fairly frequent bus #1 and #2 from Stratford on Avon to Moreton-in-Marsh. I'm never sure whether to suggest Warwick in place of Stratford on Avon. It's that bit easier to get to (and that bit less touristy), but if you want to see a play at Stratford then the last bus back to Warwick (on what is a good service) is at around 2230 which is probably a bit tight.

So it's an option.

Blenheim is often done from London via Oxford as a day trip, but don't forget it can be done from M-i-M by using Hanborough Station instead and walking in on the estate carriage drive (as well as via Oxford). That makes it easy to pop in to see Winston Churchill's grave at Bladon- just up the road from Hanborough Station. At weekends there is also a seasonal bus from Hanborough Station to Blenheim (or has been historically).

I'm wondering how overloaded London is- your core activities are 3, maybe 4 days. Add on Hampton Court, Greenwich and Bletchley Park (all of which are days in their own right) and you are maxed out in my opinion. So doing Blenheim or Stourhead from London means maxing sacrificing something else.

What I'm wondering is renting a car for the day at Salisbury- it's 45 minutes drive each way to Stourhead (or train to Warminster, then the 11 mile taxi ride) then drive the car to wherever in Sussex and off rent it there. Possibly keep it for the Leeds Castle day as well to make it a bit easier. Enterprise are probably the best bet for that.

I agree with Stuart once again.

Nigel,

No alternatives or other suggestions?

There’s a film called The Mystery of Picasso. He must have painted on glass and the film is largely shot from ‘behind the canvas.’ He keeps changing his mind, starting and restarting and revising. Often making improvements. Often not.

An allegory for most planning.

fred, I'm going to throw another place into the mix here. You can take it or leave it if you like, but I know you like to bike and you obviously enjoy the outdoors, so I would suggest visiting The Peak District. I think it's one of the most beautiful places in England, and it is much less crowded than a lot of the more touristed places, like the Lake District, Yorkshire, and so on. You will mostly find hikers and bikers there, because everyone from the UK who loves the outdoors heads there.

It has some really interesting small towns, like Hardington, Bakewell, Eyam, Buxton and Tideswell. It has Chatsworth House, which is a phenomenal mansion to visit. I stayed in the small town of Castleton, which is right next to Winnats Pass, a limestone gorge with very steep cliffs and a narrow valley. As you drive through the pass, you are surrounded by towering limestone walls covered with green that rise dramatically on either side of you. It’s really awe-inspiring, and I could see it from my room at the pub (and later hiked up it). It was so lush and yet very rugged. It's also home to Peveril Castle, ruins that sit at the top of a very high hill that you can hike up to.

And as small as Castleton was, there was a decent selection of restaurants, cafes, pubs and hotels. It was a good base as most places were fairly close to it (the Peak is a relatively small area compared to others).

Anyway, I obviously loved the Peak District. It's honestly one of my favorite areas of England, and I've been all over, except the southeast, which I hope to rectify next year. 😊

Mardee, thanks.

More to study and consider. From what I’ve seen so far, I’m not sure that it would work cycle-wise. Like you, we will want to avoid too many hills (we are in our 70s) and what I’ve seen so far leads me toward cycling in the Cotswolds and Keswick/Ambleside.

But I can look towards variants in the East Anglia and Yorkshire regions with the Peak District in the mix, though that looks like a mere 6 night stretch.

Choices, choices. Like the tulip fields vs. the UW Arboretum and campus for your Seattle planning. BTW, you can walk the trail through Foster Island and along the Marsh Trail, then across the Mountlake Bridge to go between the Arboretum and the campus.

I really like the look of the Skedaddle tours in the Lake District, especially there using the HF houses as bases. That immediately gets you out of the tourist throng- with both the Monk Coniston and Portinscale HF houses being great properties, in splendid locations.

While I couldn't cycle to save my life the itineraries are really very well thought out (refreshingly different) and take you to beautiful places beyond the very tightly confined usual tourist bubble (as well as some of the usual tourist hot spots). It is almost 'wow' reading them.

While both have a lot to commend them the Monk Coniston one just edges it for me by a very narrow margin, but the Portinscale one is also so good. It is very nice that the trips are full board (I assume a packed lunch each day).

With full board you certainly don't need it, but later this month (March 2026) the restaurant at Bassenthwaite Lake Railway Station is starting an afternoon tea bus trip, where you eat on the double decker bus. A first for the area. If the afternoon tea is at all similar to what you get on the Orient Express train at the station that should be an extraordinary experience. The normal afternoon tea is an absolute feast- a hymn to the local produce.

Great plan,
York is my favorite city in England. Suggest staying at the Minster Hotel, walking distance from the north gate.
Don't miss the Minster (Cathedral), walk the ancient walls, do some museums including the National Railway Museum.

Stratford Upon Avon is wonderful, do the Shakespeare tour starting at the home of his birth. Need one full day for that.
Bath and Salisbury. are great, as is Winchester.
Wales is worth some time as well. Cornwall and Devon are great, but you need a week to do Cornwall and Devon and another week for South Wales.

Didn't mention Canterbury.

By the way I forgot to say that you can book a through 'rail' ticket from Kings Lynn (or Wisbech) to any LNER destination using the bus to Peterborough as your first leg.
This is on Advance and flexible fares. Such fares also get the normal railcard discount.

This is because the Excel bus is also a sort of rail replacement bus for a long closed rail line.

It is even possible to book London Kings Cross to Kings Lynn via Peterborough then bus, as opposed to the direct train!!

If you got a printed national rail timetable book the route is Table 26A.

The same is true of the Whitby to York Coastliner bus- book a through ticket to any LNER station north or south of York - Table 26G

There are quite a few largely unknown examples of this round the country.

Ha Ha, fred, yes, that is true. There are hills there, which I wasn't thinking of, and I should have given that I tend to avoid them, lol. Well, wherever you choose, you really can't go wrong. England is such a beautiful country, and I love visiting there. I'm hoping to go for 6-8 weeks in 2027 if possible, although I would probably add Scotland into the mix there.

By the way, since you like gardens and hope to see some, you might be interested in the National Garden Scheme if you haven't already been there. Also, there is their "Find a Garden" site, which can be very helpful in looking for gardens in places where you're staying.

And thank you for the additional advice! I am adding it to my ever-growing notes for Seattle!

York – 3 nights? Or just 2? Do we see anything in Yorkshire beyond the City of York (this is now up to 24 to 27 nights; 2 fewer if we skip Bath). Moors, Dales, coast, or castles would necessitate 3 nights.

Well, my opinion is not always that of others, but I found that two nights in York would be fine. That will give you a full day for visiting York. That said, there are a lot of places outside of York; especially in the North Yorkshire Moors that are pretty wonderful. There is the town of Whitby on the coast, and some lovely places like Helmsley, Hutton-le-Hole (with its wonderful open air Ryedale Folk Museum), Rievaulx Abbey, St Hilda's Church at Ellerburn. and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

I think St. Hilda's Church was my favorite place there. It is a tiny church that is almost 1200 years old and tucked away in an idyllic setting. Some parts of the church go back as far as 850 AD, and others were added in 1050. After I visited the church, I walked along a pleasant path in a beautiful setting in a wooded valley. There was a small stream running alongside and some old stone cottages nearby. The only sounds around were of birds chirping. I think that's one of my favorite things about North Yorkshire. Most people head for the Yorkshire Dales, but they miss the beauty and serenity of this wild and yet quaint area of England.

Anyway, I know you can't get everywhere, so I'm not trying to persuade you to change your plans. Just pointing out a few other places that you might consider. 😊 Regardless, there's so much to see in England that wherever you go, I'm sure that it will be a wonderful visit.

I really like the look of the Skedaddle tours in the Lake District, especially there using the HF houses as bases. That immediately gets you out of the tourist throng- with both the Monk Coniston and Portinscale HF houses being great properties, in splendid locations.

By the way I forgot to say that you can book a through 'rail' ticket from Kings Lynn (or Wisbech) to any LNER destination using the bus to Peterborough

My goodness, Stuart. I keep learning how much I don’t know.

You and Mardee and so many other participants on the forum who have real depth of experience in different areas amaze (and humble) me.

Geovagriffith. Thanks for mentioning Winchester. I will look further into it as we may well have a car then as we travel from the Cotswolds to Salisbury to somewhere in Sussex or Kent when we return to public transport. Winchester is on the way. And we do have Canterbury in our sights; see the initial post. My original thinking, when I looked at this in 2025, with 2026 travel in mind, was to include several days in Devon and Cornwall, but far SW England - and Bath and Edinburgh, Scotland - seem be be slipping off the page. One can’t do it all. Less is more.

There's already a lot of good advice here, just to add some thoughts:

-If you are looking for potential cycling routes, look at the National Trails, many of which include corresponding cycling routes: https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/
-For less travelled places in London, there is a whole thread you can see here for ideas: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/what-are-your-favorite-places-in-london-that-are-not-the-typical-tourist-destinations
-If you share your interests I can recommend specific "less travelled" places in London
-Public transportation through Kent is ok. If you're going somewhere with a railway station then it's easy. If it's somewhere that's only bus, you need to carefully check the timetables. Some buses are very infrequent or only run on certain days.
-Stourhead Gardens would be a very long day trip from London, I don't know if I'd try it.
-East Anglia is very flat so great for cycling. Of the places you mentioned, I'd pick Ely. I don't think there is much to do in Colchester.

I think the revised order you have makes a lot of sense. Good luck with your planning!

Cat

Thanks for your comments!

I’ll start with interests and your city of London. While I think we have already listed more than we can see anew in and near London (with 7 nights), I should recognize that I likely listed too many LARGE museums (Tate Britain, Greenwich & National Gallery listed - and Natural History is in my mind) and that there are likely small museums and galleries that merit consideration. My wife prefers small museums that we’ve visited in the past, such as the Mucha Museum in Prague, the Jacquemart-Andre in Paris and the Sir John Soane House, Wallace Collection and Kenwood House in London. I’ve listed many places we’ve previously seen in London.

Perhaps our favorite two hours in London before, aside from visiting different friends who no longer live in London, was two hours at The Old Bailey watching a little of two different trials. As I mentioned in the initial post, history and gardens/parks are an interest. We’re not big drinkers, though pubs where we could enjoy wine or hard cider along with some pub grub would be great.

Yes, I’ve seen the London Not Your Typical Sights post. TY for mentioning it; I’ve now bookmarked it.

I think you’re right that Ely makes sense as a place to visit and base other visits in E. Anglia.

I am also thinking that driving for about three of our nearly final days in England, from Moreton in Marsh to Salisbury (via Stourhead?) and from Salisbury/Stonehenge to Sussex or Kent (via Winchester? Portsmouth?) will allow us to visit some combination of Leed’s Castle, Hastings, Rye, Canterbury, Tonbridge Castle and Battle Abbey (not all), before we turn in the car and return to London for one final night before we fly home. No matter how good public transport may be in that southeast area, a car would allow us to make the most of limited time.

Where would you suggest that we stay for two nights? I was wondering about Tunbridge Wells or Tonbridge.

In the interests of fairness and for anyone else reading this thread the Peak District is an excellent area for cycling- it is way more than Castleton. The County has about 280 miles of cycle routes- https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/site-elements/documents/pdf/leisure/countryside/access/cycling/cycle-derbyshire-map.pdf

Decades ago a number of former railway lines were converted into cycleways, and there are all wonderfully scenic trips- I have walked them all a number of times. Being railways they are by definition easy gradients, and the cycle hire infrastructure is very much there.
Other options include Carsington Water, the Derwent Reservoirs (Derwent, Ladybower and Howden) [otherwise known as the Dambuster reservoirs- used for training by 617 squadron in WW2] and the Transpennine Trail [TPT]- https://www.transpenninetrail.org.uk/cyclists/
The TPT runs from Merseyside to Hornsea in East Yorkshire, using mainly easy routes such as canal towpaths, old railways etc. While you can pick it up elsewhere as Manchester slowly eases into the former Cheshire then Derbyshire, the Derbyshire section proper starts at Hadfield railway station, and comes up Longdendale on the Woodhead Pass route then on into South Yorkshire at Dunford Bridge. It also, interestingly, has a side route from Selby to York.
Longdendale is just wonderful- very different to the rail trails scenically.

My home village is now in Manchester, but used to be Cheshire. I've been struck several times recently when back 'home' at how much that part of the former Cheshire is distinctly more Derbyshire feeling than Cheshire (and certainly isn't Manchester)- to the extent that we have a Derbyshire Well Dressing Festival every year.

At Hull Docks the TPT passes the Rotterdam ferry terminal, to connect into the Euro Velo network of routes- which take you all over Europe- up to Scandinavia and as far as the Black Sea and Greece.

You are most welcome!

If you enjoyed the Old Bailey, you might also enjoy the Royal Courts of Justice. The building is amazing, and you can just go and sit in on proceedings. You can also take a tour. Since these are civil, not criminal, cases, there are fewer restrictions (e.g. you can bring your phone in with you unlike Old Bailey). I also really recommend visiting the Inns of Court nearby- Inner and Middle Temple in particular. Temple Church is very special and historic, with its connection to the Knights Templar. And you can eat lunch in Middle Temple Hall, which is an experience in itself. For all of these you need to go during weekday business hours.

For a base in the southeast, I think Tunbridge Wells makes a lot of sense, especially if you have a car. I'm not a driver so can't say this for sure but as it's a London commuter town it should be much easier to manage a car in than somewhere like Canterbury with the old historic centre.

You've already got a lot of great places on your list for around Kent/Sussex, but I will propose two more: 1) Sissinghurst Castle Garden, former home of Vita Sackville-West and one of the nicest gardens in the Garden of England (Kent); 2) Bodiam Castle, a very scenic ruined castle not far from Battle (the outside is still intact, but the centre is empty, and you can walk around).

Mardee. Thanks for your mention of Chatsworth House, above. Did you make it to Haddon Hall, as well? https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/chatsworth-house-or-haddon-hall. Wasley’s response to your query a little over two years ago made Haddon Hall sound enchanting.

BTW, RS’ video clip of Stratford on Avon and Warwick Castle persuaded me to skip Warwick. So we can save one night in Stratford and add it to our stretch between Cambridge & Ely and York. :-)

Stuart, You make good points about manageable hills and routes in the Peak Dist. Still, I think we will cycle in the Lake Dist.

it sounds like you've decided against Warwick Castle? What about the video helped this decision? If you want a good castle, Kenilworth Castle is very close - ruins but famous and historically important.

Have you also decided against the old part of Warwick town, with St Mary's Church and tower?

Nigel, thanks.

Warwick Castle looks like it has been Disneyfied into a too-touristy attraction. Warwick’s own website shows kids on the grounds cloaked in costumes. I had not known of Chatsworth House until Mardee’s post and I started looking around more. I think it will be a great addition to our tour.

Other castles or stately homes, admittedly on the tourist trail, but that “look” to have retained their authenticity (on line, anyway) include Hampton Court and Blenheim, as well as Burghley House. All those are still on my tentative plan spreadsheet, as are the gardens at Stourhead. I’m not sure if we will have time to go to Sandringham. Bodiam Castle or Leed’s Castle, perhaps, while we’re in Kent?

LATE NOTE. - Arundel?

You may have noticed that our London list does not include Buckingham Palace or a day trip to Windsor Castle. You can’t do it all. Less is more.

Eliminating the Warwick Castle, reducing Stratford from three nights to two, and adding time for Chatsworth House and a night in the Peak District would likely take out Warwick town

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Here or DM.

Adding an idea for London. V & A East Storehouse. Newer museum, it literally is a storehouse that you walk through. Going for our second visit tomorrow, https://www.vam.ac.uk/east/storehouse/visit?srsltid=AfmBOoqqZvleWrxP_CL-sdKisz88SScZXIyge4Lr2kT9jJQ0hUJuEKsb

I love Chatsworth House and agree totally with Mardee's suggestion. Possibly the best stately home in the country.

Something to consider is you need to differentiate between castles (which are really military installations, and heavily fortified) with palaces/stately homes. This may help you decide what will interest you more. Bodiam Castle is a castle. Leeds Castle started as a castle but is now mostly a stately home. Hampton Court and Blenheim are stately homes. Arundel is mostly a castle but has some beautiful state rooms. If you are headed up to York you may also want to look at Castle Howard, which is a stately home.

Not a stately home, but a very impressive home, is Anne Hathaway's house (wife of William Shakespeare) which is on the outskirts of Stratford-upon-Avon and I wouldn't miss. It's one of the oldest homes in the country and a great example of wattle and daub construction.

Hampton Court and Blenheim are actually both palaces.

Blenheim Palace is a modernised in great part, with lots of Churchill and Wellington history and huge gardens and is that extremely rare construction - a private palace.

Hampton Court Palace was for many years the prime royal palace, starting with that very wannabe ladies' man and early anti-Catholic Henry VIII and much of the palace is kept as it was, and William and Mary lived there and made many changes including new fronts and gardens, and those are preserved too. The two very different styles work surprisingly well together in my opinion.

A real castle exceedingly easy to reach and visit is the Tower of London, complete with moat, keep, free Beefeater tours and former zoo.

About Warwick Castle, yes it has been made attractive to young people with a reconstructed trebuchet and other siege weaponry, reenactments of jousting and other court games, and allows what all British children adore - dressing up in costume.

It ain't cheap, but the owners have meticulously restored the castle to appear very much as it did hundreds of years ago; unlike Kenilworth it was never slighted and unlike Bridgnorth (Salop) it was never blown up.

So children oriented it is, but I'm not sure of Disneyfied - there are no rides that I am aware of.

I understood that Merlin Entertainments - the operator - was stepping away, but the website does not show this.

We lived Stratford and particularly liked Mary Arden’s Farm. We walked there, about a mile or so, from Stratford. We loved walking in the small orchards.
We also loved walking to the church where Shakespeare and family are buried. A lovely church right in the center of Stratford.
We saw a play, a kind of techno- version of Much Ado About Nothing. I could do without all the techno lighting and noise, but it was worth going to a play there.

Pin, Cat, Nigel and Mistmetoetravel. Thanks for some great ideas.

Nigel, the Tower is already part of our plan. We did not go there in 2010, but I still remember the Crown Jewels and Beefeaters from when I was an 8-year old back in 1960. Next year, I’ll better enjoy the Tower’s history, including the history of those imprisoned there, including the most likely innocent Henry Garnet who was swept up in the rush to tie leading Catholics to the Gunpowder Plot. What little knowledge he may have had of the plot, from the confessional, he most certainly was not a participant or an accomplice.

Mist…thanks for additional places so near to Stratford.

And so, I keep adding - and trimming - my spreadsheet of ideas. I may restore Warwick. I tried to add Bath, last night, but when I looked at travel issues I cut it again. Who knows, maybe I’ll add it back and scratch Stourhead.

BTW might any of you identify any historic houses open for visits with secret rooms where Garnet or other Catholic priests were hidden?

One of the easiest priest's holes to get to on this itinerary would be Speke Hall, just behind Liverpool Airport.

You could do that on the way to or from the Lake District- to the LD train York to Liverpool Lime Street, drop your luggage off there for a few hours at the Excess Baggage Company, then the airport express bus followed by about a 1 mile walk; thence Liverpool to the LD; (most hours it's a change at Wigan or Preston but there is a 1612 Liverpool to Glasgow which will put you on the last bus to Monk Coniston or an early evening bus to Portinscale Road End).

or the same exercise on the way from the LD to Stratford on Avon. There is an hourly Lime Street to Birmingham New Street train. In the morning there is an 0940 from Penrith/1003 from Oxenholme direct to Liverpool.

There’s another reasonably easy priest’s hole at Samlesbury Hall between Preston and Blackburn. The Hall is open every day except Monday and Saturday*. You could get a direct if slow train from York to Preston and take a bus or taxi to the hall.
* there are a few other days that the hall will be closed, I presume for private events.

Two comments about the biking:
My husband and I biked the Cotswolds when we were 60 (10 years ago) on regular bikes. We were in decent shape and had just finished a week biking in the Loire Valley. Thank goodness we did that first. The Cotswolds were very hilly and the self-guided instructions we had were pretty bad. Having said that, it was lovely anyway. But it’s hilly on busy roads…
My second comment is that we have a Saddle Skedaddle Keswick/Ambleside self-guided trip booked for this May on e-bikes. If you book with them, they will pick you up in Penrith and take you back there at the end. We are flying into Manchester then taking the train to Penrith. At the end we are taking the train from Penrith to Glasgow and flying home from there (via Heathrow, to Vancouver).

Thnx Lony

Good to learn x2!