Would appreciate comments / suggestions on our visit to England and Wales this fall.
We arrive Heathrow Sat. 9/21 at 10 AM and travel to Bath. Plan is to take the coach rather than the train.
Bath, Sat. 9/21 - Mon. 9/23. Mad Max tour to the Cotwolds on Mon. 9/23. Rent a car morning of Tues. 9/24 and drive to Cardiff.
Cardiff, Tues. & Wed. 9/24 & 25. Plan to visit St. Fagans.
Tenby, Thurs. & Fri. 9/26 & 27. Plan to visit St. David either from Tenby or on our drive to Aberystwyth.
Aberystwyth, Sat. 9/28.
Caernarfon, Sun. & Mon. 9/29 & 30. Either drive to Chester & drop car & train to York or drive to York and drop the car.
York, Tues. 10/1 - Thurs. 10/3. Day trip to Whitby & the Moors on Wed. 10/2. Train to London on Fri. 10/4
London, Fri. 10/4 - Thurs. 10/10
Fly home on Fri. 10/11 at 1 PM.
Hopefully we aren't biting off too much. Our time in London is pretty well figured out.
Will post on the Wales sites for suggestions on sites to visit as we travel north for Cardiff/Tenby.
Posted by
2599 posts
The M4 Motorway (like an Interstate) that links southern England with Bath can jam up at Newport due to a tunnel with only 2 lanes each way. Try & avoid at commuting times! If you are driving from Bath to Cardiff, you proceed N form Bath up the A46 to join the M4. You have a choice of 2 bridges (free) to cross the estuary into Wales. You might like to consider taking a detour & use the M48 bridge & come off at the first junction on the Welsh side. The A466 goes N and just a few miles up the Wye Valley is the ruin of TINTERN ABBEY - built in the 1100’s. You could then return back S to then re-join the M48 > M4 for Cardiff. Alternatively, use the A48 going W and detour into Caerwent to see the ruins of a roman town - you won’t see actual buildings - just mainly walls. Also consider going into Chepstow to see the Castle - car park in front of castle & it is worth the short walk to the river bridge for the view of the castle. Narrow streets with a 1 way system which can be confusing - zoom down on following map!
Alternatively, you could take the train from Bath to Cardiff. Direct trains every hour and takes just over 1 hour. If using a hire car, I would not book a city centre hotel due to parking issues and the road system is complicated for newbies due to bus lanes and other restrictions as well as any parking being expensive. So, with car, best to choose a hotel on the outskirts with free parking. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5964567,-2.6972264,11.89z/data=!5m1!1e1
Don’t forget that in the immediate Cardiff area, you have 4 Castles = Cardiff (downtown), Castell Coch & Caerphilly - to the north and St.Fagans Castle (really a 1500’s Manor House) & Museum in extensive grounds - to the west. St.Fagans really needs about 3 hours. You certainly can’t do it in 1 hour.
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
This looks fine. Personally, I would not want to go to Bath when jet lagged from London, but if you can stay awake long enough, it would avoid a one night stay.
En route from Bath to Cardiff, you could divert to Big Pit in Blaenavon and have an underground guided tour of a former coal pit, which is a fascinating day out.
I would drop the car in York, then you could visit the Peak District en route - Edale, Buxton and Bakewell, home of the famous tart.
Posted by
Portsmouth
5555 posts
You may well be aware of this so I apologise in advance if I'm preaching to the converted....
In the UK the date format is day/month/year so the 1st October 2019 will appear 01/10/19. Some people know this, others don't and if you're planning ahead and buying tickets for example it's useful to know, people have been caught out by buying tickets for the wrong date.
Posted by
8330 posts
Good plan, we loved South Wales and especially Tenby.
Consider when driving from Bath to Cardiff visiting Tintern Abbey and the Wye River Valley. Also, there are several castles to visit on your way to Cardiff. Raglan Castle is great.
While in Cardiff do Cardiff Castle, Caerphilly Castle and the Museum of Welsh Life.
Also, Pembroke Castle is between Tenby and St. Davids.
Posted by
189 posts
Your thoughts hint that you may be into this but a useful money saver for you might be...
Posted by
OP
Ontario, Canada
26 posts
Thank you all for some very good suggestions and ideas on routes and things to see on our way from Bath to Cardiff.
I must remember on the date format that is used in the UK.
Posted by
10 posts
I'll be in Aberystwyth October 7-9 and Tenby October 9-11. (you and I overlap in London for a couple of days before that).
I'll check in here before I fly, in case you are so amazed by Aberystwyth and Tenby that you are compelled to post a review while on vacation!
In all seriousness, though, I am going to try to remember to post back here after my trip and also see if you post any reviews/trip report/musings about Wales.