We will arrive in London on October 1, at 11:30AM from the States. Our flight leaves Heathrow October 10.
Our interests are the Cotswolds, the Bath area, York, and some time in London for the Churchill museum among other things.
Windsor is also of interest! Might you help with an itinerary that makes sense.
Should we train to Bath then rent a car; perhaps leaving it in York and taking a train back into London?
How many days and where?
All input appreciated; time is approaching and we have nothing yet booked except flights!
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
7556 posts
I would start your trip in London and do your sightseeing for the city at the beginning. Then take the train to Bath, and rent a car (I'm assuming you want the car to get around in the Cotswolds). But I would drop the rental car off in Bath as well, and take the train to York. You certainly won't need a car in York and it can be difficult to find parking there.
Once you are done in York, you could take a train to Windsor and spend the last couple of nights there, as it is very close to Heathrow, although the train will probably route you through London first.
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
550 posts
You might take the train to York and stay for 2-3 nights. Then train to Bath and stay 2-3 nights. While there try the Mad Max small group tour of the Cotswolds. Then train back to London. Windsor is easily accessible by public transit. I'd suggest making reservations for hotels and the MadMax tour ASAP. I'm suggesting trains rather than a rental car simply because the train is easy and comfortable. The trip between York and Bath will take a while and you will need to change trains once. I think this is probably a better option than trying to drive a standard transmission car on unfamiliar roads, all on the left side of the road.
Posted by
Buckinghamshire
127 posts
9 days is not a long time. Going from Bath to York will, in itself, take the best part of a day. Similarly, the Cotswolds is an area that will take time to get around.
Much as I love York and think it’s a great place, I wonder if you’d be better off dropping it this time.
Posted by
Western NY, USA
150 posts
9 days is not a long time. Going from Bath to York will, in itself, take the best part of a day. Similarly, the Cotswolds is an area that will take time to get around. Much as I love York and think it’s a great place, I wonder if you’d be better off dropping it this time.
I agree. In fact you will only have 7 full days, Oct 2 - Oct 8, assuming that you'll spend part of the 9th returning toward the airport. The Churchill sights (War Rooms & Museum) will take half a day. Windsor a full day, counting travel. And there's so much more in London that you could easily spend a couple more days there.
Personally we liked York more than Bath, but I suspect most people feel the opposite, and nothing against Bath; it's quite nice. But given your time frame Bath makes more sense due to travel time. The Cotswolds are worthwhile. We're headed to London, Oxford, and Cotswolds next week.
Having done "see all we can" trips in the past, we've decided to take a little more time to enjoy where we go rather than rush through more places.