Seeking Feedback on Itinerary

After all the moving around you have basically 1 day in Bath, 2-3 days in the Cotswolds, 1 day in York and 3 days in London ... my thoughts:
- rent your car at LHR, plan a 5-6 day trip around the Cotswolds, return car to LHR
- unless you really have to go to York, I'd drop that ... too much travel to and from just for 1 day
- stay in London for the other part of the trip ... plenty to see and do in those 4-5 days

Plan it out with dates / times / distances to get a better idea of how much time you will spend moving from point A to point B to point C and the time spent enjoying the trip ... then decide if the juice is worth the squeeze.

You are going to be spending a lot of time in transit rather than enjoying places. Two nights somewhere is only one day.

You are doing the right thing by not hiring a car on arrival. You arrive in Bath (probably) jet lagged, have one day there, then the Cotswolds, then take the train to York (5-5.5 hours door to door) have one day there then back to London. Fine if you are happy with this pace, but I would find it exhausting (and I am quite a few years younger than you are).

I think you need to consider if heading all the way to York for such a short stay is worthwhile (although I prefer York to Bath). You are short changing Bath and London (unless you have been before).

I too would question whether York is worth the time and hassle to visit. Add those two days to Bath and use the time to see more of Bath and the surrounding area especially if you have a car to explore. Wells is delightful and there are the Mendips. There are places like Bradford upon Avon and Frome which don't feature on the usual tourist itinerary but are quintessentially English. Shaftesbury and Sherbourne are a bit further but also worth a visit.

A number of years older than you.

Have been visiting the UK (especially London) since Nixon was in office.

From my POV Fall travel is a great time to visit.

A few thoughts on your itinerary.

Have you driven in the UK? Know about roundabouts?

For many its disarming to drive on the opposite side of the road. I’ve done it a few times and adjusted my mindset quickly. Even did it driving with a clutch. Helps to have learned on one in the days of yore AND to be left handed.

If you are going to drive get ALL the insurance AND get an automatic. Take a paper map. GPS isn’t always that reliable.

On “ back “ roads which can be narrow be prepared for bicyclists, lorries, trekkers with backpacks, dog walkers, cows and sheep! Also hedges can be high blocking peripheral views…slow around corners. Obey the speed limits. IMHO a smaller car is better than a mid size.

Have you considered an easy day trip
by train to the English coast? Somewhere like Whitsable or Brighton. Merely offering something closer to London. Only an 1.5 hours by train to either spot.

Any interest in WW2 sites? Bletchley Park is which is where the code breakers lived and work. Visited in 2021 and spent over 3 hours there. Was surprised I’d be so enthralled. You can take a West Midlands Train from London Euston to Bletchley Park. 45 minute train ride.

If staying in Chipping Campden its a 20 minute drive to Hallies Abby. About the same to the Broadway Way Tower. Have a cream tea or hearty lunch at the Plough Inn at Ford. Definitely check out Fall colors at the Batsford Arboretum.

For my favorite city on the planet check out these links a month before your departure. Might discover sites, events, markets, etc. you never thought of seeing while in London.

The Londonist
https://londonist.com/

WhatsOnStage
https://www.whatsonstage.com/

Secret London
https://secretldn.com/

Ian Visits London
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/

Dress in layers and make sure your coat/jacket is waterproof.

Check out the National Rail 2 for 1 deal to see if can use it. In 2018 a friend and I traveled from London to Portsmouth by train. Went to see where the series Call the Midwife often films. Upon return to London showed our ticket to the staff in the station office and obtained 2 for 1 vouchers that we used at Westminster Abbey. The available sites change constantly so the Abbey might not be on the list but worth investigating.

https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london

Lastly, Hampton Court is fabulous!

These replies are so helpful. I suspected that adding York may be too much. We were scheduled for a similar trip in March 2020, and have been waiting to be able to travel again.

We've rented a car in Ireland, so have done the clutch and roundabouts; we will only have a car from Bath to and around the Cotswolds where it seems most necessary.
Really appreciate the links with suggestions of what to do.

Any suggestions of places to stay in Bath? London?

Does renting the car in Bath, touring the Cotswolds with it, then returning it to Bath make sense?

I'll be back with more questions. Thanks so much!

Does renting the car in Bath, touring the Cotswolds with it, then returning it to Bath make sense?

not really. You can easily drop it in Oxford and go up to York from there if that creeps back into the plan, or drop it at Birmingham International for a different route to York, or at Cheltenham. Oxford for an easy train to London if the York stays off the menu.

I see no advantage in backtracking to Bath (perhaps a tiny bit influenced by the Rick Steves fascination in Bath).

I see no advantage in backtracking to Bath

You can probably plan a circular route so you are not backtracking the same route ... Bath, up through the Cotswolds, over to Oxford, down to Stonehenge / Avebury, back to Bath ... or you could do the one way if you don't mind paying a drop-off charge at a location other than Bath ... did a quick compare ... Enterprise, about £600 for a week in September, compact manual, return to same location (Bath) ... return to Birmingham airport, about £800 ... you could probably find a better deal with more research ... it's a matter of time vs cost.

"Does renting the car in Bath, touring the Cotswolds with it, then returning it to Bath make sense?"

Not really as it is going the opposite way to where you want to be. Drop the car off in Oxford and catch the train to London.

Consider staying in the Volunteer Inn in Chipping Camden and the Brooks Guesthouse in Bath.

Premier Inns are a good option. For London Check availability for the County Hall one. It’s next to Jubilee Park and London Eye. Walk out the front door and you are facing the Thames. Westminster Bridge is to your left. Climb the steps and take a pic of Parliament. Cross the bridge and meander about Parliament Square. Visit Westminster Abbey. Then Churchill War Rooms. Then stroll along BirdCage Walk adjacent to St James Park on up to the Palace.

Continued thanks for these comments. I'll check on dropping the car off in Oxford.

I appreciate your suggestions about places to stay in Bath and Chipping Campden.

I did not care for Premier Inn when staying in North London. Have always had amazing luck with every B&B though. I agree that Whitstable is a nice day trip from London, and even Bath is really easy too. Depending what you want to see, I would head to York vs The Cotswolds. The traffic is bad and very touristy. However I agree that there are many amazing gardens in The Cotswolds, and we really enjoyed the local falconry.

benowitzea - What didn't you like about the Premier Inn in London? They do tend to be all the same, without the character of a B&B but you know what you get. They are consistently good.

benowitzea, can you say what you meant by, "The Cotswolds. The traffic is bad and very touristy."?

I was in the Cotswolds all day yesterday and didn't see any of that. I grew up there but I haven't experienced awful traffic, except perhaps around roadworks or an accident, most of the time.

What did you mean by very touristy traffic?

I appreciate the continued comments and suggestions and have revised the itinerary accordingly, after some more thinking.

We've decided to go to Oxford on Day 1, stay there one night, then rent a car to go to the Cotswolds for three days. Following that, we'll drop the car back in Oxford and go to York for three nights. We have ancestral roots close to York (in Scrooby) and hope to visit there. Then back to London for the final four days. We're skipping Bath. We're staying at the Jury Inn in Chipping Campden.
We don't have reservations elsewhere yet.

Truly appreciate your input and have used much of it for the modifications.

Sounds like a plan to me!

are you sure about where you are staying in Chipping Campden? I don't know a Jury Inn there, but there is a national chain of hotels called Jurys Inn - and the nearest one is at Cheltenham, not exactly on the doorstep of Chipping Campden (I was there again on Sunday after a stop in Cheltenham), and a very different feel.

You are right - we are staying at the Volunteer Inn. Was looking at Jury in another location. Thank you!

We loved Chipping Campden and stayed in the Volunteer Inn, which has a great pub and Indian Restaurant as well.

In Bath, recommend the Brooks Guesthouse and dine at the amazing Scallop Shell restaurant which has the best fish and chips ever.

Why not return the car to Oxford and take in that city for a day before taking the train.

York is great, recommend three nights, the Minster (Cathedral is amazing). Also, walk the ancient city walls and visit the National Railway Museum.

If you want to do York you can get there in 1hr 52 minutes from London.

If you are talking about Scrooby, the place where the Pilgrim Fathers originated from, it’s not really ‘close’ to York. It’s not even in Yorkshire but further south in Nottinghamshire. I suppose you could drive there and back in a long day, but I think you’d need to hire a car given that getting there by public transport may be complicated.

I’m not aware of another Scrooby near York but if I’m mistaken please lighten my darkness!

Ian

EDIT P.S. if you plan to visit Scrooby, the Notts. one, then it can be done in about one and a half to two hours from York. Take Kings Cross train to London as far as Doncaster, then walk to nearby bus station and take bus (99 to Retford I believe) and alight at Pilgrim Fathers (Scrooby).

Thanks for the clarification about Scrooby. We'll check that out. Private driver is a great idea.

Hi Sue -

Terminology issue. I didn’t mean a private driver (not unless you have a ton of money you want to get rid of) but for you to rent - that’s the word right? (I meant ‘hire’ in the U.K. sense) - a car for probably effectively two days.

All things considered, public transport will be cheapest method and just about as quick I think!

Ian

Thanks for the clarification. Will pick up on UK terminology soon!