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Feedback on a modified 2-3 week itinerary for England? We modified to 16/17 days.

Using a modified Rick Steve's 3 week itinerary by Car - I've scaled it down somewhat. 
Day 1:  Arrive in London, take train to Bath (sleep in Bath)
Day 2:  Bath (sleep in Bath) - explore Bath
Day 3:  Pick up car? or take minibus: visit Stonehenge and Salisbury (sleep in Bath)
Day 4:  (get car on Day 4?) Oxford, to the Cotswolds in the evening (sleep in Chipping Campden or?)
Day 5:  Explore the Cotswolds (sleep in Chipping Campden or?)
Day 6:  Explore Liverpool - Cavern club  (sleep in Liverpool)
Day 7: Beatles tours (Lennon/McCarthy homes, museum,); Liverpool (sleep in Liverpool)
Day 8:  To the Lake District, visiting the South Lake District en route to Keswick (sleep in Keswick area)
Day 9:  Explore the North Lake District; hike an easy/moderate trail (sleep in Keswick)
Day 10:  Hadrian's Wall, then to Durham or York (sleep in Durham or York)
Day 11:  North Yorkshire, drop car in York (sleep in York)
Day 12:  Morning train to London (sleep in London)
Day 13:  London (sleep in London)
Day 14:  London (sleep in London)
Day 15:  Day trips: Windsor, Cambridge, Brighton, or Canterbury/Dover (sleep in London)
Day 16:  London or another day trip (sleep in London) and fly home.on Day 17?

Our wants/questions are:

  We are 4 active retired adults (2 couples) planning a trip to England in early September, 2025. Right now we plan to fly in and out of Heathrow. Our two must sees are London and Liverpool, but we have several other 'wants'. We think we'll end our tour in London, rather than start there. Our big question is - what kind of transportation should we use? Train, bus, driver, rent a car, a combination of each?

We're planning on landing at Heathrow and traveling to Bath (via train or bus?) where we would stay for 2-3 nights and do day-trips to Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, and maybe Oxford, and maybe somewhere else. (via bus/train/private tour/private driver, or rent a car?) Then on to the Cotswolds area. Our next "base" would be Liverpool, where we'd spend another 2-3 nights, depending on how long it takes to travel there (via train/ bus, or rent a car?) We'll do the must-do Beatles stops and tours, including the National Trust John & Paul homes tour, and maybe some WWII historic sites as well. (walking around?) We don't think we'd need a car there, though. Then, ideally we'd travel to the Lakes District, and hopefully visit Hadrian's Wall. We may go on to York and then travel back to London by train and spend our last 4-5 nights there.

Is this too aggressive?  Should we plan on 3 nights vs 2 nights at each location? (or a mix). I realize we may need to compromise. Any feedback / input on preferred modes of transportation around these places will be much appreciated. Thank you!

Posted by
8618 posts

We did four weeks driving in England and S. Wales.
Bath is great, loved The Brooks Guesthouse and the Scallop Shell Restaurant (best fish and chips ever).
You don't want to drive to Oxford, parking is outside the city, suggest taking the train to Oxford, then rent a car and drive to SE England sites.
We did the Cotswolds staying in Chipping Campden at the Volunteer Inn using it was a base to see the Cotswolds, Oxford, Blenheim Palace and Stratford Upon Avon.
Liverpool, we were not wowed by that city, did enjoy going to North Wales.
The Lake District is great for hiking. by our favorite place in the North of England was York, we did three nights there. The Minster Hotel is great, has parking and is at a great location.

Posted by
8918 posts

Just one very brief comment for tonight. Earlier I was updating IWM records relating to Central Liverpool, and did a quick search out of interest.
Just in the short distance across Pier Head between the Cruise Terminal and the Museum of Liverpool there are 43 war memorials- including ones to American, Canadian, Polish, Dutch, Norwegian and Belgian Armed Forces as well as the Chinese Merchant Seamen who served in WW2. Also a FEPOW and Arctic Convoy memorials.
I can't do a sub filter to see how many relate to which war but a lot in a very small area of the city.
To really understand the effects of the bombing on Liverpool Docks you really have to go to the other side (the Wirral side) of the River Mersey.
But you don't really have time for much of that.

This is all a bit whistlestop- two days in the whole Lake District (made more complicated if you decide to drive as is far too common, rather than do the sensible thing and use public transit), one day for the whole of North Yorkshire and little or no time in York. Quite an interesting itinerary. If it suits you then that's fine but some rationalisation may be better. The thing is there isn't an easy or popular way to trim this.

Posted by
208 posts

Sounds like you are planning a very nice trip to the UK! Here are a few thoughts from me:

  • I definitely would take the train from Bath to Oxford, it's not worth dealing with a car
  • If you want to stay car-free, you can go from Oxford to Moreton-in-Marsh on the train and see the Cotswolds from there (there are buses to help you get around the area- so you could be based in e.g. Stow-on-the-Wold)- or rent a car from outside Oxford
  • If you want to condense Lake District/Hadrian's Wall/York- you could go from Liverpool to Carlisle (which is on the northern edge of Cumbria- not in the actual Lake District national park itself but still surrounded by similar scenery)- either by train or car- rather than Keswick. From there you can very easily both visit and walk Hadrian's Wall. The parts of the trail near Carlisle are definitely easy/moderate tho you won't see much of the actual wall. However, you'd be in very short driving distance of parts where you can see quite a bit of the wall- near the Roman Army Museum/Vindolanda/Housesteads. You can certainly walk that part of the trail too but I wouldn't consider it moderate! There are buses in this area if you want to stay car free (also taxi services). When you are ready to change location, you could then either drive or take the train from Carlisle to York.
  • I would spend a few days in York rather than trying to see much of the rest of North Yorkshire. It's a beautiful city with loads to do- National Railway Museum, York Minster, the Jorvik Viking Centre, walking the walls, ghost tours, etc.
  • There is so much to do in London, I don't know if I'd do a day trip. Windsor might be a good one since it's so close by and you can really visit in half a day.

I hope that was somewhat helpful, good luck getting your plans together!

Posted by
8918 posts

Carlisle (my local city) is not at it's best at the moment due to a lot of construction work. The Southern Gateway project is being constructed outside the Citadel and the redevelopment of the Greenmarket is well under way with a lot of disruption in the area.

I saw a video recently where someone was saying that Carlisle was the second York, and he was serious. There is a lot of interest in the city if you do a modicum of research beforehand, or speak to the very nice staff at the TIC.

There is a usually very well priced Ibis just down Botchergate (but avoid on a Friday and Saturday night when the area is party central), and a Travelodge in the old Telephone Exchange- I've stayed there before (since Covid) for as little as £20, when on a very early train out. Literally outside the Railway station front door is the Station Hotel (quite a nice place). Or to push the boat out a bit there is the grand old Crown and Mitre Hotel in the City Centre. Expensive is relative, the C and M is expensive by city standards but not by Edinburgh, London or even York standards.
And quite a few good B and B's in or very close to the City Centre.

The direct bus service to Keswick from Carlisle is being enhanced again in two weeks time. And there is even a Carlisle to Edinburgh bus through the Scottish Borders- a long but very scenic route.

No sensible person would drive from Carlisle to York if doing it as a direct journey.

Posted by
4747 posts

If you could stay longer, it would really help if you added another day each to London and York.

Posted by
484 posts

I would have a look at the Mad Max tours out of Bath. I think they do a day trip from Bath to the Cotswolds - ?which may be enough for you? Think trying to limit the amount of moving around/accommodations would help. Then maybe you could train it from Bath to Liverpool.

Just a word on the tours of Paul and John childhood homes. I've not yet managed to do this, despite having a brother who lives in the area. I think there are very few spots on these tours and I would suggest booking it as soon as you know your dates. My favourite trip in the area was to Another Place - by Antony Gormley at Crosby Beach. I went late afternoon one day in September when it was a bit drizzly and it was very atmospheric, gloomy and spooky

Edit to add. I've not looked at any previous Qs you have had, so this may have been covered already, but have you thought about 2-together railcards for each couple.

Posted by
15 posts

My husband and I were so glad to hear you're going to Liverpool to do the Beatles Tour through the National Trust. We're National Trust members and have been for years. Its an amazing organization to support especially if you love the history and natural areas of the UK like we do. It is so much less expensive as well to have an annual fee, we pay it through the American organization that was established by England's National Trust. Its called the The Royal Oak Foundation, out of NYC. But back to the tour... yes, you need to take care of booking your reservations now for the September date you want. It is always full and it is done so very well with an historian and a bus that takes you from different points that relate to Paul, John, George, and Ringo. It was one of the best half day tours we've ever been on, but we do adore "the lads". And I don't agree with what someone else here said about Liverpool. We stayed a couple of nights there and really enjoyed this wonderful city and its streets. Down on the waterfront is a wonderful museum to their ships and connection with the sea. As well as, an interesting museum dedicated by Yoko Ono to John Lennon. There's also a most unique and beautiful cathedral in Liverpool that you have to feast your eyes on, both inside and out!

Posted by
156 posts

Sounds like a wonderful trip!

Are you used to driving on the other side of the road? That can get tiresome on a trip this length. I agree with picking up the car after visiting Oxford and turning it in at York.

From Bath it is very easy to take the train (1 hour) to Salisbury and then at the Train station there is a bus (20 minutes) to Stonehenge. Visiting the Stonehenge Cathedral and wandering the cute town is very worthwhile.

We recently went on a trip to the Cotwolds and London, and our trip wasn't as hectic as yours, and we found by the time we got to London, are energy was somewhat depleted. We also had a few rainy days, so we didn't feel like being out and about so much. I wonder, if you might eliminate one of your destinations, to have some down time along the way. If you are high energy, and like to be on the go, you have a good plan, but it would be too much for us. Enjoy!