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Suggested itinerary for 5-7 days before a week in London

My husband and son are cycling from Lands End to John o’ Groats to celebrate his high school graduation. They’ll be joining my 2 daughters and the older one’s boyfriend and me in London when they are done. I’m staying out of their trip planning but could use some advice for my trip! My younger daughter and I are flying from Alaska to Heathrow, arriving on Monday, May 29 at noon. My plan is to take a train to Gloucester and get a rental car. My daughter is interested in checking out Hartpury University which is just outside of Gloucester so we would do that on Tuesday. Thinking that after we see the school we would tour around the Cotswolds.

Wednesday, my other daughter and her boyfriend arrive at Heathrow, from Denver, also around noon. I was going to have them catch a train to meet us—in Moreton-in-Marsh if that makes the most sense.

Not sure where to go from here. The boyfriend is a huge F-1 racing fan so we are going to the Silverstone track on either Saturday or Sunday so he can pretend he is a race car driver (it’s only available on Saturdays and Sundays). We have reservations at an Airbnb in London beginning on Tuesday, June 6. I want to return the rental car before we get to London. My brother in law is Welch so I’d like to visit Wales. My initial thought was to do the Cotswalds and Cardiff (and the surrounding area) then Silverstone, then drive to York and return the car there. Then take the train from York to London. I’m not sure York makes the most sense of where to go after Silverstone. I’m open to suggestions of where to go for those few days before we head to London (and we’ll be in London for a week so we’ll be doing a day trip or two from London during that time—I know my son and husband would like to see Bletchley Park).

Thanks for any advice and suggestions!!

Posted by
13 posts

I love York and once drove from Stow-in-the-Wold to York. It's a long drive. What about staying in the Cotswolds and visiting Oxford, Blenheim, etc., or go to Bath? You'll spend less time in the car.

Posted by
2599 posts

I would not bother with York due to distance. You could set up a central ‘base’ in the Moreton-on-Marsh area of the north Cotswolds from where you could drive to Hartbury & Silverstone and reach se Wales. (The Wye Valley between Chepstow and Monmouth is attractive and includes the ruins of Tintern Abbey).

If you wanted to go to Cardiff, you could drive to Cheltenham and park the car and take the direct train which takes just about 1 hour 15 minutes and runs every 30 minutes - it would be less hassle than driving into the city. A pay on the day Anytime return is £21.40. (Advance tickets are a bit less but not worth it as it ties you to a particular train). https://www.nationalrail.co.uk
Note that to drive to Cardiff from Moreton-in-Marsh takes about 2 hours or about 1 hour 20 minutes from Cheltenham - in both cases the M5 route and then M4 over the Severn estuary is the quickest.

You would also be able to meet the ‘cyclists’ when they are in your area. I trust that they have had a look on Google streetview at the type of roads they will be travelling on?

From such a central base, you could also visit Oxford, Blenheim Palace and Stratford-upon-Avon. Many attractive Cotswold villages are in this area including Bourton-on-the-Water, Lower Slaughter, Broadway and Chipping Campden.

You may be able to combine your visit to Hartbury with >https://eastnorcastle.com which is a few miles to the NW.

Posted by
8134 posts

For your other daughter and her BF, rather than train out of Heathrow to Paddington, then another train Paddington to Moreton (there is no direct train from Heathrow)- another option is to take the coach from Heathrow to Oxford, then train from Oxford.
https://passenger-line-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/oxfordbus/OXBC/OXF-timetable-20230108-d60402ee.pdf
The coach drops you at Gloucester Green. From there the fun way to the Station is to take the City Sightseeing open top bus.
https://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/services/CSSO/CS1?date=2023-02-26&direction=inbound

I'm not sure about doing York as well, it's not a natural partner. But if you really want to go to York it's do-able. I just think it's not the most productive use of your time.

After the bike ride is over, are they coming back from Scotland to London by train? Might that be the best time to all meet up and see York, as that's a natural break of journey.

One easier and timesaving way to do that is the new Lognair flights from Aberdeen to Newcastle, then train Newcastle to York.

Hopefully Nigel will chip in with local advice about the best way for you to do Silverstone.

Posted by
8134 posts

PS- there is lots of advice on this forum about Bletchley Park, and the easy day trip there from London

Posted by
8134 posts

By the way you may not know that, having got to John o'Groats Eastern Airways run flights from the nearby small regional Wick Airport to Aberdeen airport, for Eastern airways connections to Newcastle (England), or for international connections.
Just an option you may not have been aware of, to save time on the journey back.

Posted by
10 posts

Ok, the BF has his reservation at Silverstone for Saturday. So they arrive on Wednesday, my youngest and I will be in Gloucester/Cotswalds area so it makes sense for them to meet us there. We have to be at Silverstone on Saturday and in London by Tuesday evening. Sounds like York is too far to do Sun-Tues. Suggestions of where to go from Silverstone? I’ll still have a rental car—hoping to return it before getting to London.

Posted by
10 posts

Ok, updating our itinerary with the latest plans.
My 16 yo and I arrive at Heathrow, Mon, May 29 @ 4pm. We need to get to Cheltenham that evening. I think via coach is our best bet. Do we need to buy tickets in advance? Tuesday we pick up the rental car in Gloucester so we’ll take a bus there (or what about taking an Uber from Cheltenham to the Enterprise office in Gloucester since we’ll have to catch an uber from the bus station in Gloucester anyhow)? If you’re wondering why I’m not picking up the car in Cheltenham, it’s because the cost was almost double. I’m contemplating contacting the Enterprise office direct in Cheltenham and asking them if they can match the Gloucester price. We’re touring Hartpury Uni that day and checking out the area. We’re staying in Cheltenham two nights total.

Wed, May 31 the 22 yo and her bf arrive at Heathrow around 1pm. We have reservations at a cottage in Stow on the Wold for three nights. I could have these 2 take the train to Moreton-in-Marsh and pick them up there. Does that make the most sense? Does my daughter need to buy her own train ticket so that she has the credit card that was used to make the purchase? Do you book the ticket from Heathrow to Paddington Station separately?

We have 3 days in the Cotswolds, then we run over to Silverstone so the bf can play with the fast cars. We leave Silverstone on Sunday. We need to be in London Tuesday evening. I dropped the idea of York and am now thinking of heading back west to Wales. I’m thinking of Cardiff but my brother in law, who is Welch, suggested we take a day to do the Gower peninsula. I’m tempted to play that by ear depending on the weather but am wondering if we should have a place to stay that would allow us to be flexible. Maybe Barry? I know it seems a little silly to go east to Silverstone and then go back west, but the Silverstone visit is a big deal to him and it’s the only day he could schedule it. Plus, it saves us money if we return the car in Gloucester.

We have to return the car in Gloucester on Tues, June 6 and get the 4 of us to London, Paddington Station. We are staying just a five minute walk from there. I’m assuming the train is the best way?

Thanks for advice and suggestions!!

Posted by
142 posts

Cycling Lands End to John O'Groats!!? Please don't punish your son for graduating!

Posted by
8134 posts

Re- Your arrival- yes I would book the 1755 direct coach to Cheltenham ahead. Book it now to get the £20 fare and be sure of your seats. Take the flexible £5 add on, in case the flight is late then you can catch the 1950 if needbe,
Re- the other arrivals on 31 May- the train line to Oxford will still be out of use at that date for bridge repairs. Thus I would say the easiest route is to catch the coach direct from LHR to Oxford then train Oxford to Moreton to avoid the rail replacement bus from Didcot to Oxford, bearing the jet lag in mind.
Take a cab/uber if need be from Gloucester Green bus station to the train station. It's walkable and buses link the two, but they are jet lagged in an unknown city, so it's just easier to cab it.
The train ticket from Oxford to Moreton is the same cost on the day as book ahead so your daughter can just buy that at the station when she gets there.
Actually could you pick them up at Oxford Gloucester Green Bus Station, to make it even easier for them?

Posted by
8134 posts

If your broad intention in Wales is the Gower, then why not stay at Swansea?

Posted by
2599 posts

I am finding it all a bit confusing! Exactly how many days do you have free now that York has been crossed off?

I would certainly not go to Barry as it is a bit of a dump and well off the main M4 motorway that crosses south Wales. Enterprise have a place on Penarth Road in Cardiff - which is just a 5 minute walk from Cardiff Central station (rear southern side) from where you could go by train to London. Could you not return the car in Cardiff rather than go all the way back to Gloucester?

Enterprise also have a place in Dyfatty Road, Swansea, which is about a 10 minute walk from Swansea station which has direct Inter City Express trains to London (via Cardiff).

Suggest you look at these 2 recent threads in the Wales forum:>
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/wales/london-to-cardiff-day-trip
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/wales/to-rhossili-bay-bus-118-from-swansea-and-walking-paths-from-rhossili-to-the-bay

Posted by
10 posts

@clyffthear, I think it’s more punishment for the dad!! Considering we are in Alaska, they aren’t getting much training in before the trip, either!

@James, sorry it was confusing. We will leave Silverstone on Sunday morning and have until Tuesday evening when we need to be in London to meet up with the bikers. It costs about 3x more to drop the car in Wales as it does if I return it to Gloucester where I originally picked it up. So I need to make my way back to London via Gloucester (or Cheltenham if I can get a good price on the car). I like the idea of something along the coast as all of other time will be inland so it seems a shame to pass up the opportunity to “see the sea” if even just a day trip. So maybe staying in Swansea as isn31c suggested is the way to go?

Thank you all for the help and insight!

Posted by
2599 posts

Silverstone is about as far as you can get from the coast and you only have limited time as much of the Sunday would be spent driving west to south Wales. You could go to Swansea - which is not a particularly attractive city but would be a good place from which to visit the Gower peninsula - which has a wonderful coastline of bays and cliffs. Should the weather be bad, you could consider driving to >https://www.showcaves.co.uk

Alternatively, you could consider driving from Silverstone to Cardiff as it would take a further hour to drive from Cardiff to Swansea. If you do decide on Cardiff, I would consider staying in a hotel near the M4 and The Village Hotel by junction 32 would fit the bill. I say this because the Council in Cardiff have deliberately put in cycle lanes and bus lanes to make traffic jams to persuade motorists not to drive into the city centre. The core of the city is fully pedestrianised (no traffic) and really pleasant to walk around with a mix of old buildings and arcades along with modern malls. You could take a bus into the city centre but if you were staying in the aforementioned hotel, I would suggest you drive to nearby Radyr* station - which has free parking and local trains every few minutes which will take you to the city centre in about 10 minutes. * Check that trains are running as they are converting these lines to run on electricity. You will also find Castell Coch and Caerphilly Castle are just a short drive from The Village Hotel and St.Fagans Castle and Museum can also be easily reached. Also consider visiting the waterfront in Cardiff :> https://www.visitwales.com/destinations/south-wales/cardiff/top-things-see-and-do-cardiff-bay

However, you say you would like to see the sea. Around a half hour drive west of Cardiff are attractive stretches of coast although not up to Gower standards. Go on Google Maps and put in for SOUTHERDOWN and PORTHCAWL. Porthcawl town is not attractive and neither is Trecco Bay but Rest Bay a mile to the west is attractive. For Porthcawl - use M4 junction 37. On the following link, Southerndown is marked as Dunraven Bay (which is the actual bay). https://www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/en/enjoying/Coast-and-Countryside/Heritage-Coast/Glamorgan-Heritage-Coast.aspx

You can still reach the Gower peninsula as a day trip from Cardiff. It takes about an hour to drive to Swansea and can take a further 40 minutes or so to reach Rhosilli at the south western tip (highly recommended). Note that roads on the Gower can be slow going and narrow in places - even the ‘A’ roads. Suggest you have a look at them on Google Maps street view.

Driving from Cardiff to Gloucester takes about 1 hour 10 minutes - given a clear run. Swansea to Gloucester would of course be about 2 hours.

Don’t forget that is you just show up and pay on the day for a longer train journey, it can be expensive. If you pre-book ahead a specific train with an Advance ticket (no refunds), it can be much cheaper. Play around with the following website for your expected journeys and try different dates to see how the prices can vary:> https://www.nationalrail.co.uk
The train company operating out of London Paddington is GWR. Some US citizens have had problems with their site accepting US bank cards. You could book the same journeys for the same prices with LNER (who operate trains out of London Kings Cross) who US citizens appear to have no problem in booking.

Hope this is helpful.

Posted by
8322 posts

The Cotswolds, Blenheim Palace, Stratford Upon Avon, Warwick, Cardiff (don't miss some of the great castles in S. Wales).