rural england

Go Banana Slugs! ( It’s about UC Santa Cruz)

Please take a moment to use the search engine on this forum. Type in car rental Cotswolds. Loads of commentary on Cotswolds transport.

Public transport is time consuming in the Cotswolds but yes you can train there but then you’ll need to use buses OR rent a car which is the best way to see the Cotswolds.

If you liking hiking then check out areas like East Devon Area Of Natural Beauty or the Peak District or the Lake District.

Since we have no clue what you like hard to suggest if the Heirtage Pass would be good.

nicholas,

The term "rural england" covers a fairly wide area, so it would help to know whether you're planning to visit other areas besides the Cotswolds.

For travel in the Cotswolds, a rental car is a definite advantage as not all of the towns have rail service. For those towns without rail, you'd have to use National Express coaches. You may find this website helpful - https://www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk/visiting-and-exploring/cotswolds-train-station/ .

If you decide to use a rental car, be sure to do some research on driving in the U.K. and driving on the "correct side of the road". Also, as a pedestrian be sure to look both ways before crossing the road, as traffic will be coming from the opposite direction to what you're used to.

Google 'most beautiful villages in UK'

The Michelin map shows a number of scenic rural roads 1] in the Lake District, 2\ east of teh Lake District 3\ Peaks distrcit
4\ S of Liverpool Also consult the Michelin Green Guide to England

Driving tip: do most of your daily driving between noon & 2:00pm when a lot of drivers, especially trucks stop for lunch. Eat an early or late lunch.

“We must visit the Cotswolds”. Why? I, like most of the Brits on this forum can’t understand the fascination with the Cotswolds. Yes, there are some pretty villages, but these days the traffic is hideous. There is plenty of rural England that isn’t the Cotswolds! Using a car will give you more flexibility, particularly when it comes to accommodation options.

Most on this forum tend to stay around Bourton-on-the-Water, Chipping Campden and Stow-on-the-Wold. I like Cirencester and the Cotswolds north of Bath around Castle Combe, as they tend to be slightly less busy.

Give me rural Suffolk with its pretty villages such as Lavenham and Long Melford any time rather than the Cotswolds! The National Trust own some great properties around here.

Rural Somerset and Dorset around Sherborne and Cerne Abbas would give a mix of chocolate box villages, pretty gardens and countryside, yet be within reach of the coast.

Do you want to spend the whole 8-10 days in the Cotswolds?

We did a four week drive tour with a rental car of Wales and England in October 2017. We didn't stay in London or any large city. The largest cities we visited were Cardiff and York.

It was great, the British countryside is amazing.

Here is my detailed review of our trip:
28 days in Britain and Celebrity Eclipse home
https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=599139

Suggest Chipping Campden for the Cotswolds. Also, York is great.

enjoyed reading your travel itinerary. i have a portable garmin gbs, which i plug into the cigarette lighter in my car . wouldn't this garmin function in europe and england, as well as here in california? thanks, nick from santa cruz

wouldn't this garmin function in europe and england, as well as here in california?

As long as your GPS has maps and database coverage for Europe and England (you'll want to check that), then yes, it should operate perfectly, same as in California.

Where are you flying to? Assuming Heathrow (and ignoring my general advice not to drive straight after a long haul flight), collect your car from Heathrow and head straight for the A3 (you'll have to encounter part of the dreaded M25 but it's unavoidable) and head towards Petworth. It's a lovely old village centred around a grand house which is maintainted by the National Trust (consider getting an overseas visitor pass). They have an incredible art collection as well and the drive (once off the A3) is vrey rural.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/petworth-house-and-park

From Petworth continue to Midhurst, a thriving old market town which may initiiate a stop or you may simply wish to drive through before heading to Harting Down. For spectacular views of the South Downs and some excellent walking it takes some beating.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/harting-down

Mere minutes away is Uppark House:

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/uppark-house-and-garden.

You can then continue the short drive to the historic market town of Petersfield:

http://www.visitpetersfield.com/

From Petersfield there are any number of routes that will take you through glorious countryside and tiny thatched cottage filled viilages, East Meon and West Meon being my favourite but also Exton and Corhampton which are a slight deviation to your next location, the Medieval Capital of England, Winchester. I suggest you utilise the park and ride just out of the city centre and take the bus. There's much to explore there and you may wish to spend a night there.

From Winchester my next option would be to head to the New Forest, the quickest route would be the less attractive M3 and M27 but within 20 minutes you'll reach a junction that will take you off into the New Forest:

https://www.thenewforest.co.uk/

There is much to do here and is more interesting and attractive than The Cotswolds in my opinion. The history of the forest itself is fascinating and the chance to wander amongst herds of wild ponies, deer etc is wonderful.

Leaving the New Forest you can either head north to nearby Salisbury, visit the cathedral, Stonehenge and Old Sarum and then continue towards The Cotswolds if you're still intent on viisiting the area, otherwise head southwest and hit the Dorset and Devon coast: https://jurassiccoast.org/, visit Corfe Castle: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/corfe-castle, Studland Bay, Lulworth Cove and all the other beautiful parts of this particular stretch of the English coast.

This itinerary, interspersed with the overnight stays along the route will easily fill 8 to 10 days and provide you with an excellent taste of rural England (of course you don't mention when you'll be travelling as that will have an impact on your enjoyment of the countryside and coastal areas).

Nick,
your garmin would probably work in the UK, but you would need maps for the UK. When I researched buying a garmin in the US, I discovered that the memory in the garmin would not hold adding UK maps to USA maps. I could have purchased a garmin in England upon arrival, but didn't know where to find them and I needed the navigation system or gps immediately to drive to Bath.

Garmin satnavs usually have a slot on the side where you can plug in an SD card with extra maps loaded onto it, therefore eliminating the need to store them on the satnav's internal memory.

...do we need to rent a car, or can we travel by public transportation....

Third option is walk. We have enjoyed self-guided village to village supported walking tours "smelling the floweres" and enjoying the scenery and people.
https://www.contours.co.uk/circular-walks-in-the-cotswolds

Strewn with countless pretty villages built by medieval merchants, the
Cotswolds fulfils most people's idea of a ‘typical' English landscape.
Within this magical region you will find neat fields, rolling green
hills, ancient woodland and clear streams, combined with simple stone
cottages and historical landmarks to create a truly unique picture of
timeless beauty. Our selection of circular trails explores the
scenery, settlements and stories that make the Cotswolds such a
wonderfully special place to discover on foot.

Driving in the UK is doable but involves narrow roads and knowledge of a different set of traffic laws. And most rentals there are manual transmission so note that when reserving a rental. Do your research before you go- there are even some great videos on Youtube that will show you how to do pretty complex roundabouts- and if you can stick to a Toyota Corolla 'or equivalent' size vehicle or smaller you'll be happier when things get tight.

Getting out of Heathrow and into the countryside is actually pretty easy- it's like three simple roundabouts to a nice fat motorway where you can park yourself into the slow lane and get used to other side driving. But it's best not to drive too far right off an overnight flight so plan for that and find yourself a convenient place just off a motorway and near a grocery or supermarket so you can pick up snacks and such and supply up for the trip.

Our rule of driving on vacation is that one person is responsible for doing the driving proper and the other person is the spotter responsible for calling out correct lane placement for roundabout exits, speed camera enforcement zones, speed limit changes, correct turnoffs, zebra stripe areas, providing notification of wandering sheep, cows, and other livestock, figuring out where the next petrol station, correct parking lot/space or toilets option is...

Before booking flights, do determine what you want to see. For instance, on one trip friends of mine flew in and out of Manchester. They drove around the Peak District and Lake District, went by train to Liverpool to see the Beatles Childhood Homes https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/beatles-childhood-homes, and never went near London or its airports on that trip.

If you are seeing places in the south as well as the north, look into flying into London and out of Manchester or vice versa. An additional advantage of flying into Manchester is that the airport has a train station that can take you to places like York or Liverpool with no changes, or anywhere in the country with on change. This way, you can start your trip without needing to get into a car right away (my friends did start driving right away and did OK, but I'd never want to do this).

We stayed in Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds for five nights, at Badgers Hall, a historic, lovely B&B on the main square, with afternoon tea included (and what a tea!) The breakfasts were made by the husband of the duo, and they were the best of our three week England trip. We decided to switch rooms after our second night's stay, as our initial room faced the town square, and found the back second floor room was quieter. The proprietors have respected the historic quality of the rooms, with idiosyncratic corners, huge hewed beams, and lovely furniture, while providing up to date facilities. The second room even had handmade ceramic tiles with pictures of sheep. As for getting around, yes, rent a car in this area. We arrived by train from London, and had to take a car to town, and buses-- we waited and waited, and then sometimes they did not come. It was frustrating and slowed down our capabilities.
https://badgershall.com
Here is the tea, and continue if you wish for more pictures of our stay here.
https://cleob.smugmug.com/Travel/England-2010/i-Rf5vvgH

My favorite place was the northern Lake District, staying in Keswick (pronounced Kessick). Easily walkable local trails made much accessible, including a short walk to the ancient stone circle, a boat trip to the other side of the lake to walk up one peak, Catbells, and down and around, back to town. Keswick is reached by train to Penrith station, and then a short bus ride into town. Such gorgeous scenery. The Dog and Gun Pub was a fun local eatery and haunt. There is a local co-op to find lunch fixings. We did successfully take a bus ride down to Wordsworth's house.
Castlerigg Stone Circle
https://cleob.smugmug.com/Travel/England-2010/i-qB4D7Hj

Another dear visit was to York, where you can find the National Railway Museum and the cathedral, as well as winding streets with shops, and the old town walls intact (which you can walk on top of.) York is easily reached by a fast train from London. We stayed three nights. We stayed at Arnot House, a B&B kept in Victorian style, along a row of other three story B&Bs and houses. The room was more than comfortable-- just delightful:
https://cleob.smugmug.com/Travel/England-2010/i-2smjVT9