england / wales drive or pulbic transportation

We have been to Europe five times. On our third visit we returned to London so we could visit Portsmouth, York and the Yorkshire Dales. Did all of that by bus and train. Except when we got to York we had a rental car reserved for our trip to the Dales. When we went to pick it up the staff were so excited as they had reserved the biggest Saab sedan for us! It was absolutely terrifying to manage this huge vehicle on the little one lane roads in the Dales! We asked ourselves what would Rick do? We parked it at our first B&B and spent 3 days hiking in the Dales!! It was the highlight of the trip. Then drove early in the morning to Hawes, parked it at our B&B again and spent another 3 days hiking! We had to fold in the side mirrors to get down the alley to our B&B! In hindsight we regretted renting it and it was very stressful. Keep in mind that a roundabout in a small village is just a large white dot painted in the middle of the intersection with maybe 5-6 roads entering/exiting! We have a town near us with 7 roundabouts and are used to them, but driving around them on the left was surreal! With research after we returned home we found we could have done the entire Dales trip by bus and train! My husband is a retired LEO who has pursuit vehicle training and he said he would never do it again!! We loved the Yorkshire Dales and long to go back some day using the bus like the locals do!

This comes up a lot, but there really is no need to be nervous about driving on the left or narrow lanes. Being on what for you is the wrong side is just a question of familiarisation. After a couple of days it will feel natural, but it is a good idea to plan your first route to be as much as possible on motorways and dual carriageways. That way, you get used to being on the other side of the car and the road while avoiding complicted junctions. Also, don't imagine that all the roads in the UK are narrow country lanes. There are some, but you don't have to use them. Remember too that drivers here are used to pulling over to let people pass on narrow roads, so it isn't a game of chicken, everyone observes common courtesy. Yes, public transport is generally good here, but it doesn't go everywhere and isn't always convenient. Hire a car, insist on an automatic if that helps, and explore the countryside.

I would beware of route finders that are most likely to tell you to go from Chepstow to Conwy via the motorways of the Midlands. You may well be on motorways (interstates) but this is a long way round, less scenic and congestion is likely - especially near Birmingham.

If it were me, I would leave Chepstow & take the B4235 towards Usk - where I would join the A449 expressway going N (towards Monmouth) to leave at next junction for Raglan - loop around roundabout on A40 & visit castle. After Raglan Castle - you have to turn left on exiting drive but then loop back to the westbound A40 to Abergavenny > Crickhowell > A479 (see TRETOWER COURT) - head toward Talgarth & then follow A470 all the way up through the middle of Wales to Conway. (This is a scenic route).
Consider staying near Porthmadog if you wish to shorten this long trip. (Don't forget that Wales & Scotland have a separate forums. You might wish to check out the Wales forum). The above assumes that you have already driven up the A466 in the lower Wye Valley to Tintern. Now look at this map:>https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.6681178,-2.693743,13z/data=!5m1!1e1

Can you see the village of St.Arvans? If you take the first left after leaving the village - going N on A466 - you will see a minor road marked WYNDCLIFF. If you drive up this for about 3 minutes you will come to a parking area. Park-up and follow track up hill through the woods. After about 15 minutes, it levels off - walk to the right to see a wonderful view over the Wye Valley from Eagles Nest lookout. (If you click & drag the map northward towards Monmouth, you will see ‘Area of outstanding Natural Beauty’ written. Here you will find the YAT ROCK VIEWPOINT). I suggest you drag the yellow man onto the map to see the street view to get an idea of what the roads are like. Do this in the different areas you are likely to visit.

If going by train from Chepstow to Conwy, the best way to go is west to Newport where you can change for direct trains to Conwy. www.nationalrail.co.uk
http://cadw.gov.wales/daysout/raglancastle/?lang=en

If visiting Raglan Castle & intending to take A40 W to Abergavenny, you must leave castle - turn left onto A40 and then left into Groesenon Road before turning R to get onto westbound A40. It is confusing - see >https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.7687893,-2.842549,791m/data=!3m1!1e3

(You can learn a lot from maps like this - especially trying to get familiar with the places you might have difficulty).

Thank you all for your thoughtful replies! James - you're detailed info is great! I am aware of the Wales forum (I've read every post:) Still undecided, but your input is helpful!

Drive it! :) Just go a bit slower than you normally would. It isn't hard, just odd the first day or so- then it gets really normal and fun. The drive to Wales isn't too bad, I did the same drive from Wales to the cotswolds last near. Not much traffic.