pre-RS London city tour itinerary

Ideally I would have flown into Edinburgh and then worked my way south but I assume that particular horse has bolted.

I would certainly take the train back to London rather than fly. City centre to city centre itself pretty much as quick but infinitely more pleasureable. Flying carries all the hassle of schlepping out to the airport, passing through security, an hour on a plane and then passing back through an airport, collecting bags and having an hour to get into the city no matter what transport you use. The train is just get on the train and get off 4.5 hours later having seen plenty of the U.K. countryside.

Consider going directly to Edinburgh from Oxford, then be positioned in York for a quicker trip back to London.

One night in Oxford may be a bit tight - hopefully you can store luggage at your lodging upon arrival and after checking out.

I agree with points made by the previous posters. The most efficient touring would start with a multicity ticket arriving in Edinburgh, then proceeding by train to York and Oxford, etc. But if you already have flights booked, then going from Oxford to Edinburgh, and then to York and London by train makes most sense.

Thanks all! I haven't booked any air yet so will definitely consider that routing.

Have you made your air reservations? Are you coming in and going out of London? I agree flying in to Edinburgh and then training south would be preferable.. I don't think you have allowed time for travel. To check out of a hotel, get to train/plane, travel, get to new hotel and check in will take at least a 1/2 day. 2 nights in a city usually mean 1 full day of enjoying the city. I would suggest leaving Scotland for another trip and spending 3 nights each in Bath, Oxford & York. Remember your 1st day you won't feel like doing much due to jet lag. When I was last in England I landed in Heathrow and took the Airline Bus to Oxford where I could rest and start to recover from jet lag. When I got to Oxford and checked into my accommodation I then walked around, had dinner and stayed up until 8:30 pm. 2nd day could be go to Blenheim & explore some of Oxford, then 3rd explore more Oxford in morning & train to York in afternoon, The trip to York will mean changing at least 1 time and take about 4 hours. York 3 nights will give you 2 days to explore York which is one of my favorite places in England. I'll let the train experts help you on transportation, but I think you will have to go to Bath via London. I think it will take about 4 hours with at least one change. That gives you 2 nights in Bath and 1 full day to see the sights. On the 3rd day you would train to London to meet your tour. I hope I didn't miscount anywhere, but this doesn't sound very relaxing to me even if you leave Edinburgh out.

Thanks Laurie Beth. My itinerary is flexible and would appreciate all advice. All I know is that I have about 9 days to tour before London and want to enjoy it. If there is a more manageable itinerary I’m game. I do 7nderstand that travel days means you lose a half day or more

This sounds like a wonderful trip! We were just there in May and had a great time.

I think you should eliminate York or Edinburgh. It seems like a hectic itinerary and your RS London tour will have long days and a lot of walking, you don't want to be tired out before you start.

I would give Oxford another night and from Oxford or Bath, hire a driver or join a tour to see some of the Cotwolds. I agree with flying into Edinburgh and working your way down, if you keep that on your list. In Edinburgh you can recover from jet lag and join a tour to explore the area, maybe the Highlands. But whatever you choose, include down time to just putter and enjoy!

Here's another vote for considering the train to/from Scotland. We have flown that route and also taken the train, and the latter is definitely more enjoyable. Flying is also not a timesaver when you consider travel to/time in the airport, and all the hassle with bag check and lines.

If you decide to hold off on Edinburgh (which is what I would do; there's so much else to see in Scotland) and have extra time in the south, you might consider a one-day van tour of the Cotswolds. They are available from both Bath (Mad Max) and Moreton-in-Marsh, which has convenient rail service from Oxford. I really enjoyed my GoCotswolds tour out of Moreton. The stops were quick, so definitely no time for hiking, but I got to walk around quite a few cute villages and saw some very nice scenery.

In response to all your great advice we have settled (I think) on the following

Arrival Heathrow transfer to bath - recovery day

3 days (4 nights) in bath with one of those days a day trip to the cotswolds with MadMax tours; possibly another day trip from bath

Early train Bath to Oxford for 2 nights; 1 day tour Oxford and 1 day tour Blenheim

Oxford to York for 3 nights; including possibly a day trip from York

York to London for beginning of RS Tour

Would love more feedback and thoughts about transportation, lodging and all the rest

Thanks to this great community!

So, you have 4 journeys in all - Heathrow to Bath (either coach or train) and Bath to Oxford, Oxford to York and York to London, all best by train.

You may well find a saving on trains with a railcard if you are eligible. They cost £30 but give you about 1/3rd off all ticket prices. The best one if there are two of you (or multiples of 2) and you will both be travelling together is the TwoTogether card. There are also cards for under 30s and over 60s but they are £30pp, so a bit more expensive. The train tickets are in general only available about 12 weeks in advance (the York to London may well be an exception), so plenty of time yet. You can buy tickets ahead of time saying that you have a railcard but you don't physically need a card until you get on the first train.