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

For an area to experience more of a village England area, wondering if folks recommend the Yorkshire Dales or North York Moors. Right now, I'm planning 3 or 4 nights in York and then 3 or 4 nights in an area that is countryside/villages. We will be using public transportation (trains). The are quite a few comments on the North York Moors, just wondering how it compares to the Yorkshire Dales

For an area to experience more of a village England area, wondering if folks recommend the Yorkshire Dales or North York Moors. Right now, I'm planning 3 or 4 nights in York and then 3 or 4 nights in an area that is countryside/villages. We will be using public transportation (trains). The are quite a few comments on the North York Moors, just wondering how it compares to the Yorkshire Dales.

They're a bit different. I like the North Yorkshire Moors because it's a bit "wilder" (so to speak). I can get more lost there (which I like) and find less crowds. I do like the Dales, but my heart is in the Moors. So a lot depends on what you want. The Dales will probably give you that feeling of cozy villages and lovely rolling hills and dales, but North Yorkshire has the really old out-of-the-way churches that tourists have never heard of, gorgeous moors that stretch out as far as the eye can see, and that feeling of wildness that I don't think you get in the Dales. My opinion, of course, and hard to describe. :-)

Public transport thru the rural of the Dales and Moor areas is often bus - may or may not be convenient for you for multiple nights. Do take a hard look at how you will get around to spots you’d like to see.

Check the Coastliner bus routes for options.

Take a look at the Dales and Moors day trips easily available from York. I can recommend Mountain Goats small group day tours for ease, lots of info, interesting stops in out of the way places, comfort. Self exploration at various stops. Very recent experience- last week! BOBH tours are also recommended- no personal experience, but folks looked happy when my Mt Goat crossed paths! The companies will also do private tours.

Thirsk with James Harriott Museum is easily done by train from York. Arrange taxi pick up at station or 20 minute walk to town. Taxi stand in town square for return.

Whitby, Scarborough and other coastal towns could also be excursions from York. Whitby was shoulder to shoulder tourists when I was there last weekend (March 2025). Just an observation.

The North Yorkshire Moors are best done by public transit on a Saturday and Sunday when the Moorsbus service is running. Weekday bus services other than the Coastliner are fairly limited during the week. Upthread Mardee mentioned a non existent Helmsley to Thirsk bus, and the Helmsley to Scarborough bus is only every two hours so needs pre-planning. The Helmsley to York bus only runs twice a day, varying schedules by schoolday or school holiday so needs a fair bit of careful planning.

The other way is to take the Coastliner or North Yorkshire Moors Railway railway one way, stay in Whitby and use the main line railway to Middlesbrough (the Esk Valley Line). There are lots of little stations on that line which get you to lovely and largely undiscovered villages, and walks.

Thank you ORDTraveler, Mardee and isn31c

@ isn31c, are these small towns on the train line between Whitby and Middlesborough? Any big enough to stay in?

What towns would be interesting/charming to visit or stay in the Dales?

While we will spend 3-4 nights in York, we really would like to spend some time in a smaller town. For Moors vs. Dales, is one easier to travel by train? I guess we could rent a car out of York for a few days, too, if we have to.

Is there a smaller town/village elsewhere easily accessed from York or London via public transportation where we could stay for a few days.

York is amazing, one of my favorites in the UK.
We stayed at The Minster Hotel, near the north gate.

To do the Cotswolds right, you need to rent a car.

Consider doing Windsor Castle from London, it is easy to do.

@ geovagriffith . Our planned day trips from London are Bletchley Park, Windsor, and possibly Hampton Court. We don't want to go to Cotswold, per-say, a village like those in Cotswold was what we were going for. I have visions of something like Locranon in France. This is our first trip to G.B.

We are staying in York, itself, 3-4 nights. We are looking for a smaller village/town for a few nights. Our preference is something we can reach and visit by public transportation, but will rent a car for a few days if we have to.

I've synthesized the information here and have come up with a loop thru the North York Dales to include towns like:
Thorton Dale
Levisham
Whitby
Staithes
Hutton-le-Hole
Helmsley
Rosedale Abbey
Thirsk

It looks like some of these could be visited by train/bus. We have driven many places in Europe. We just find train travel so relaxing, except when we can't get to where we want to go and timing/waits, etc. So, I'm giving some thought to renting a car for three days out of York. Is driving fairly easy in this area? Parking in these towns? Would Whitby or Staithes be good places to overnight? Are there specific scenic overlooks/waterfalls/short hikes that folks would suggest?

Thornton-le-Dale, Whitby, Staithes, Hutton-le-Hole, Helmsley, Rosedale Abbey, Thirsk- can all be reached by bus or train.

Levisham is the odd one out- the Coastliner bus stops at Lockton, just over a mile away because it can't physically get into the village, and Levisham NYMR station is a long steep slog of a country mile downhill from the village, so uphill is a bit of a lung buster.

Rosedale Abbey can be reached on a weekday but is by far the best on a Sunday when the M6 runs direct from York, three trips in each direction a day.

Thirsk is a mile or so out of town, so is best by bus.

Helmsley as noted is a fairly thin service.

Re- the Esk Valley Line- Ruswarp, Sleights, Grosmont (the steam railway depot), Glaisdale, Danby (where the National Park Centre is), Castleton and Great Ayton (boyhood home of Captain Cook) are all nice villages with places to stay.

Thank you, isn31c. for the detailed information. The North Moors railway does sound appealing.If I'm understanding correctly, there is not a 2 together discount and I would have to create an itinerary such that we'd be visiting the area on a weekend.

Can anyone speak to driving in this area? How is parking? We've driven in many countries in Europe and in New Zealand, where they also drive "on the wrong side" ;)

No there is no Two Together discount on the North York Moors Railway, as it is a private railway.

That can be done any day of the week- Coastliner to Pickering for £3 then steam train to Whitby, I would be inclined to do the open top bus if I was a tourist then the Coastliner back to York for £3.

Lots of obvious pay and display parking at places like Helmsley, Grassington, Hawes, Whitby. Small towns tend to have central parking, Whitby some parking areas outside town with short easy walk. Well marked.

Roads - the lesser accesses can be quite narrow with the need to wait for approaching vehicles to pass. One lane bridges. More major roadways are fine. A number of round abouts.

I was “out” in your areas last weekend. There was a lot of traffic even on the “far from major” lanes. People use them for access to trailheads for walking/hiking/trekking.

If you post possible routes, maybe someone can give you thumbs up or down.

Current timetable for North York Moors steam train. https://www.nymr.co.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=8e96eb53-7a83-4b2b-858c-9b18f3b3b086

Just to be sure you are aware - this is more of an experience on a historic train than a point-to-point means of transport. You probably know this, other readers may not.

Jules, I have driven in that area and generally it's pretty easy driving. There are some narrower single track roads, of course, but nothing too difficult . That's my opinion, of course, but compared to places like the Scottish isles/Highlands, and Cornwall, it is not bad.

I've also driven to Whitby in the past (and spent the night there) and highly recommend it. It's a lovely seaside town with tons of history and sights. There is decent parking there (as ORDtraveler noted), and good parking in the other places as well. Helmsley has both short term and long term parking, which can be helpful (although the short term parking is closed on Friday as that is their market day). But you can always use the long-term parking on that day.

Thanks all for the great feedback. So, this is my latest iteration. I am thinking of renting the car, the first day we'd go from York to Whitby stopping at Thorton Dale and possibly Staithes, then backtracking to Whitby. It looks like the roads would be A64 and A169.

The historic train looks very special and something we should do, so the next day we'd take the train from Whitby and do all the stops and return to Whitby. ORDTraveler, thanks for the time table.

The following day we'd explore Whitby and some of the National park. On our last day, we'd drive thru the park and stopping at places we hadn't yet visited like Hutton-le-hole, Helmsley and Rosedale Abbey. Maybe Thirsk? We'd return the car in York and take the train to London.

Caveat - the below is obviously my opinion. Any specific thoughts from those better informed should receive priority.

I think you will be pleased with Whitby as a base. There is more to explore than some of the other villages you’ve mentioned. It is “touristy”, but for a good reason (in my opinion). Visit the Abbey for great views!

I also think a rental car will work well for you.

You mentioned Thirsk. I was there last week, the James Harriott Museum. I have been to the Dales/Moors/York in past years, but missed this. I enjoyed the Museum - the “real” house set up as in decades past, Harriott (Alf Wight) exhibits, TV set recreations, museum of veterinary equipment. I probably spent 90 minutes, but it could be done faster. If you enjoy All Creatures and/or local life in the 40-50s, it is worth a stop. If other area explorations “call” you, this isn’t a “don’t miss”. (I don’t want to sound negative - I thought the museum was quite well done. It’s just hard to suggest sites that others might enjoy when the traveler’s preferences are unknown.)

I agree with ORDtraveler about Thirsk. I enjoyed the Herriot museum, but I was staying only 30 minutes away in Helmsley and had an entire week there. I don't know that I would have visited it if I had less time. It's nice and enjoyable but not a "must-see", in my opinion.

That said, I would definitely suggest visiting Rievaulx Abbey right outside Helmsley (and maybe you already have it on your agenda?). It is wonderful and even if you've been to Fountains Abbey near Ripon, it was still well worth a visit. The ruins are breathtaking and the history is so interesting. There is a very nice cafe there as well, although you will find plenty in Helmsley, too. In fact, one cafe in Helsmley was very nice; Number Twelve on Castlegate. It's open for breakfast and lunch and the food was excellent.

Thanks ORD and Mardee. We have 3 full days in York, and I noticed that Thirsk is only 1/2 hour by train. If we have time, I think we'll visit Thirsk from York. If we don't, and have time on our drive back to York, we'll visit Thirsk, then. We do like All Creatures!

I visited Thirsk from York. Easy to do.

The station is just over a mile from town center and Hariott Museum. I walked into town- flat, sidewalks, a bit dull for scenery.

If you want a taxi pick-up, I would pre-book. There is a waiting area, but no real station facilities at Thirsk. Going back, there was a well served taxi stand in town center. I picked up a taxi there - sorry, I don’t know what company.