London plus York plus??

I liked the Hampstead neighborhood for Charm, it is only an Underground train ride from Downtown and the tons of Tourists. Look at www.nationaltrust.org.uk and ask for London, then Metropolitan London for interesting sites to visit. My favorite is Fenton House which has a wonderful collection of Stringed instruments, including Harpsichords. There are several B&Bs under $200. You are close to Parks and Highgate Cemetery with lots of famous dead people such as Karl Marx and H. G. Wells. Bon Voyage.

Bletchley Park is a great day out.

Have lunch at the cafe there.

OR

The Richmond neighborhood with a stroll in the huge park trying to spot the fallow deer then and a small pizza, salad and a pint at the Mitre pub on St Mary’s Grove. Or exclude the park, meander about Richmond and stop in the Angel and Crown on Church Court. If you got grandkids or nieces and nephews then stop in the adjacent Alligator’s Mouth bookstore.

Or just stroll along the Thames River path….on either side.

Or tube to Greenwich and spend the day there. The view from the park at the Observatory is nearly 360.

If you’re going to York then it doesn’t make much sense to go to the Cotswolds as well, especially if you’re not driving. It’s an awkward journey between the two and there are anyway better rural places in my view nearer York. A number of options in the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors - both National Parks rather than the lesser National Landscape that the Cotswolds is. Or the Peak District NP, which has probably Britain’s best stately home at Chatsworth.

For London, our preference has been to stay at a PI- the last 3 times it's been the St Pancras PI because of its proximity to St Pancras, Kings Cross, and Euston stations. Easy day trips could include Bletchley Park, Hampton Court Palace, Greenwich, and Windsor.

And if you are going to spend a few days in York (which I highly recommend), then logistically the Yorkshire dales or the Peak District make more sense than the Cotswolds.

I aggree with Johnew52 - forget the Cotswolds (especially if you don't love crowds...) and instead think about the North York Moors. This has many small and attractive villages the equal of the Cotswolds (think Hutton le Hole, Thornton le Dale, Helmesley, Rosedale Abbey) but without the crowds. There are ruined castles and abbeys, some delightful old churches, Nunnington Hall, the North York Moors railway and lots more... There is also some very good walking too.

Thank you so much for all the great ideas. I should have been more clear on what I'm looking for in terms of a third city. My impression is that York is a medium large, medieval city. I'd like our third city to be smaller, like a village, similar to Cotswold (or my impression of Cotswold since I've never been). I'm not specifically looking to go to Cotswold. For anyone that's been to Locronan, France, that's what we are seeking, with a bit more activity. A village with rock buildings, flowers, meandering roads. . . Yes, @wasleys, like those lovely village you linked!

@Kathleen and CJean, thanks for the London location suggestions.

jules, I agree with the recs for the North Yorkshire Moors. It's one of my favorite areas in England, and there are so many small villages there. One that is well-placed for public transportation is Helmsley, which is only a few miles from Rievaulx Abbey (a must see), has its own castle ruins, is small and charming yet large enough to have some nice restaurants and cafes, with good lodging.

From there, you have access to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, and old-fashioned train that will take you on a very scenic route to many charming villages like Goathland, Levisham and especially Whitby, which is a picturesque seaside town with beaches, a charming harbor, and the ruins of Whitby Abbey, which was Bram Stoker’s inspiration for “Dracula.”

You can also take the bus to Thirsk, famous for Al Wight, better known as James Herriot, author of "All Creatures Great and Small." And of course, visit the wonderful villages that wasleys mentioned, like Hutton le Hole, home of the open-air Ryedale Folk Museum, which I enjoyed so much; along with Thornton le Dale, such a lovely town with gorgeous walks to nowhere.

With regards to London, for the price you want, I would definitely recommend a Premier Inn stay. I really like Premier Inns as they are very reasonably priced and would fit within your budget. I have stayed at a number of them throughout the UK and they are very clean, very comfortable and consistently good. You can find them all over London. I stayed at the Premier Inn County Hall on my last trip and really liked that location, but there are certainly other good ones.

Breakfasts are not included in the price at PIs but you can buy them separately and they are usually quite good. They offer a continental breakfast as well as a full cooked breakfast buffet for a slightly higher price. They also offer flexible prices for their rooms in that the highest price will be fully cancellable and the lowest will be non-refundable. Sometimes they offer a hybrid price where you pay upfront but the room is cancellable up to 28 days beforehand.

North Yorkshire Moors, it is. I'm so glad I posted this! Thank you all for such great information. I think I have a really good Itinerary roughed out. I can't believe I ever thought that England would be dull.

Oof, we'd like to train immediately from Heathrow to York. It appears day of tickets are quite expensive, yet I typically do not like to buy train tickets in advance for arrival day since arrival can be unpredictable. Any suggestions?

I guess we could stay a night or two in London prior to York. We'd like to end the trip in London, so that would add a hotel switch.

Hello,

Our last two trips to the UK, we got Britrail Passes. Both times they paid off significantly. We don't rent a car, we do train, bus and an occasional taxi.

Twice we have landed in Heathrow and gone straight out of London on a train. Once to York and once to Moreton in Marsh. Both times worked really well.

In Yorkshire we took a bus to Pickering and spent 2 nights there. We took the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and walked on the moors. This was a wonderful side trip and no crowds when we were there.

Katie

Hi Katie, thank you. Are you saying you did use the Britpass for all that travel in your response?

We spent three nights in York in 2017 and it loved it. We stayed at a nice hotel convenient to walking to the old city. It was The Minster Hotel.

Lots to see in York, the Minster (Cathedral is amazing), National Railway Museum, some great museums, walk the walls and the narrow streets of the old town.

If you go, plan on three days there.

I think the North York Moors Railway is an independently run preservation railway - some pulled by steam locomotives- and is not part of the national rail system (although it does run on some of their tracks). I think you’ll need to buy separate tickets for these trains.

Unless I'm missing something the BritRail pass seems quite pricey. My two expensive train rides would be London to York return. I should be able to get a less expensive ticket for the London return in advance. Other than that, I am likely wrong, but the other train rides should be less expensive?? (Like to Bletchley, possibly Windsor, and the North York area from York)

I think the North York Moors Railway is an independently run preservation railway - some pulled by steam locomotives- and is not part of the national rail system (although it does run on some of their tracks). I think you’ll need to buy separate tickets for these trains.

You definitley have to buy a separate ticket for this. It isn't cheap and apart from a discount if you buy on line at least four days before a visit, there are no cheap or discounted fares. (except for members of the railway)

Jules,

No, I wasn't saying the Britrail pass covered the bus or the North Yorkshire Moors train. If you are only taking two train trips in your 2 weeks it probably won't be a savings. It was for us so worth looking into.

Katie

IDK how old you are, but I applied for a Senior Railcard, which gets me discounts on train tickets, instead of a Britrail pass. It's good for 3 years. I've been to York, but mostly as a way to visit Castle Howard, in North Yorkshire. I stayed at the Hotel Indigo York, which is on Walmgate. A lovely quiet area with lots of restaurants but an easy walk to the main high street. For a day trip out of London, you could visit Highclere Castle if you're a Downton Abbey fan. Get on their mailing list, because they don't release tickets that far in advance.

Thanks Glee. It does look like we can purchase sr. Cards

Anyone been to the Wimbledon Museum?

For a 'we' Senior Railcards don't make sense. They cost £35 each. A Two Together Railcard at £35 is better value as that covers both of you.
The only caveat is that on Monday to Friday you can't travel before 0930, whereas you can on a Senior Railcard- except in London and the South East (so the likes of Bletchley, Windsor, Hampton Court, Bletchley etc).

As regards WW2 one rather lovely memorial in York is the riverside gates to Rowntree Park (the Lych gate inside the park is the WW1 memorial)- one of several memorials in the city to those of the Rowntrees Chocolate factory (a big part of the York economy until closure) lost in the war.
And at York Railway Station look for the plaque to William Milner killed at the station in the so called Baedeker Raids.

The Baedeker Raids were a series of air raids on non strategic tourist cities named after the well known German guide books. Bath and Canterbury were among the places attacked.

The Station Hotel (to the left as you walk out) has recently been renamed the Milner Hotel in his honour.

Our favorite hotel in London is the Celtic. It's privately owned, located on a quiet street close to shopping, restaurants, pubs, and transportation.

We are booked into an en suite double for this coming September, with a good breakfast included, for £169 a night. Without breakfast, it would have been £145. I don't know how much singles are.

I posted a review after our first stay there; we've since stayed there two or three more times. The price has gone up, but it's still well under £200 per night. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england-reviews/the-celtic-hotel-in-london-comfort-and-convenience-at-145-per-night