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London/Bristol/northern Wales

Hello! We are heading over in April for 14 days, flying into London and out of Manchester. I think I have settled on London for three days (maybe four). three days in Bristol area, then hiking it up to north Wales to the Conwy area. This isn't our first trip to England or the UK, nor the last. We will traveling with our almost-six-year-old and she loves castles and ruins and she can hang out wonderfully at any type of castle, but I do think it would be fun to try to get her over to Warwick to have that kind of castle experience. Would London or Bristol area offer the better location to travel to Warwick castle? We haven't decided if we are picking up our car in Bristol or in Chester on our to Conwy. That would determine how we travel from Bristol to the north. So I guess we could drive to Warwick if training it out of London wasn't a good option? How would you get to Warwick from those two options? (I thought Bristol would be a good base from day trips. We are really oddly excited about Puzzlewood- we love a good hike or stroll.)

Also, please tell me I made the right decision to do north Wales on this trip rather than the south. We will make it back to the south part of Wales, but I had so anxiety making that decision!

Thanks so much for your input and time!

Posted by
33994 posts

Taking a train from London to Warwick Castle couldn't be easier. Chiltern Railways from Marylebone to Warwick and a stroll into town. Warwick Castle is right in the centre of town. Takes about 1:25, some are direct and some have one stop change at Royal Leamington Spa but take the same time.

From Bristol Temple Meads it is much less simple. It will take at least 2:37 each way and maybe more. 1 or changes, including changing stations in Birmingham from Birmingham New Street to Birmingham Moor Street, and perhaps at Royal Leamington Spa.

Posted by
3124 posts

Before I ready your paragraph carefully, I thought you were looking for a hike north of Bristol (i.e., in southern Wales). I was going to tell you that I once walked from Chepstow, Wales to Tintern Abbey and then caught the bus back to town. It was a nice walk, though the conditions were extremely muddy at the time when I was there. It might be rather long and rigorous for a 6-year-old -- I think it was about 5 miles and there were some steep sections, as well as one pasture with an Angus bull in it -- but maybe on a future trip you'd enjoy it.

Posted by
401 posts

Given you are flying out of Manchester I think it makes sense to take in North Wales on this trip. What day trips are you thinking about from Bristol? Do you want to stay in Bristol itself? I'd be tempted to say drive to Warwick from Bristol and then after you're done at the castle continue on to North Wales,Chester. Depending on your thoughts about Bristol and whether you want to have a car there (I never enjoy driving around Bristol city centre) will determine whether you take the train from London to Bristol and hire a car there or hire from say Heathrow.

Posted by
1526 posts

If you have not "done" Wales yet; you could skip Warwick and the waxworks and visit all the Castles in Wales instead. King Edward built several castles in very scenic locations. Caernafron Castle is very good condition with great displays. We visited several and had a wonderful time climbing up to every tower and walking every wall of as many Castles we could get to in our week visit in North Wales. You could then visit South Wales the next week. We did visit Warwick and it was fun. You might be able to catch some of the jousting, etc. Chester is 30 minutes from Manchester and is an easy drive to Conwy and is a fun place to stay with the Wall from Roman fort times and the Tudor era look of the downtown shopping arcade the Rows. I have not stayed in Bristol but it could be fun too. Check on some of the admissions passes. National Trust for UK has a Tourist Couples or Family Pass for 7 or 14 days that will work in Wales and England. We found it useful in Metropolitan London, Too. Bon Voyage

Posted by
97 posts

I have no advice about the transportation end of things, but I did want to chime in about Warwick Castle. My six year old (and 8 and 11year olds) absolutely loved Warwick Castle on our visit this past June. We had a lovely day there - jousting, trebuchet demonstration, falcons, exploring the castle, etc. It was a great family day out and fun to be with so many British families with their young children. I would check their website and make sure whatever day you choose, the castle will have a full schedule of entertainment. In April, it may not be quite as often as we had in the summer...but maybe if it's a weekend or school holiday, it might have the full range of fun activities.

Posted by
2599 posts

I am not keen on Bristol and traffic congestion in the area can be bad whilst the railway station (Temple Meads) is not located in the heart of the city. The only reason I can think to use Bristol is that it is a good railway hub (But not to Warwick) and accommodation can be cheaper than nearby Bath.

I would consider going from London to Cardiff by train and staying maybe 3 0r 4 nights. Cardiff has 4 very different castles within 10 miles of the city centre:> https://www.cardiffcastle.com
https://cadw.gov.wales/daysout/caerphilly-castle/?lang=en
https://cadw.gov.wales/daysout/castell-coch/?lang=en (undergoing repairs at present & best visited once you have hire car).
https://museum.wales/stfagans/castle-and-gardens/
http://www.visitcardiff.com

Another advantage of staying in Cardiff is that it has direct trains to Conwy (Conway) should you not wish to rent a car and drive. However, should you wish to rent a car for the journey north, then it is a matter of just following route A470 up through the scenic middle of Wales. However, this route can be bendy and places with toilets are few and far between. By having a car for north Wales, you need not confine yourself to going to stay in Conwy and should also consider other locations such as Porthmadog. You will also be able to see not just Conwy Castle but also those at Harlech & Caernarfon. The drive from Cardiff to north west Wales via the A470 takes 4 to 5 hours. Here is a street view of what I reckon to be the worst section of the A470:>https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.7372239,-3.774167,3a,75y,157.88h,92.92t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sN3S3A882pT0HQay7cC2jZA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!5m1!1e1

More typically it is like this:>https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.3637821,-3.5877307,3a,75y,173.71h,86.64t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1szs4AzTT3C00OQFDHmdhVtQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!5m1!1e1

Don't forget - that if making long train journeys in Britain, it is best to pre-book for Advance tickets on specific trains about 11 week ahead to get the lowest prices. (I would also avoid Sundays if possible die to engineering works and Fridays due to high demand).
www.nationalrail.co.uk

Also check out www.visitwales.com

Play around with this map:>https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.3035866,-3.05951,8.5z/data=!5m1!1e1

Posted by
401 posts

A couple of highlights your daughter might enjoy in Bristol - the SS Great Britain and Bristol Zoo. The Clifton Suspension Bridge is impressive too but doesn't warrant a visit on its own unless Brunel engineering is your thing. There's a hands on Science style museum @Bristol with a small aquarium next door but I prefer the zoo to the aquarium in terms of value for money.

Just to note that the two bridges that join England to South Wales no longer have the extortionate tolls to pay (abolished in December) so day tripping either side of Wales/England is not as prohibitive as it once was.