Hi All, I am planning a 12 day trip to England. I would like advice and comments on this tentative intinerary. 4 Days in London, Westiminter Abbey, Cabinet War rooms, St Paul, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, British Museum, Covent Garden. 1 Day Trip to Windsor 1 Day Trip to Cambridge Then, travel by train to Cheltenham, spend night there. Rent car the following day and drive the Romantic Road northern route. Spend another night in Cheltenham and drive the Romantic Road southern route. Spend another night there (Is this too much) in the morning take the train to Bath. Tour Bath that day. Spend the night and next day take a Madd Maxx Stonehenge Tour. I still have 2 open days. What do you all suggest? Should I find a quiet beach town and just relax? Am I missing something I'll regret later.
Thanks!
Posted by
NC, United States
970 posts
You might think about adding a night and day in Bath, depending on your tastes. Don't know where Mad Maxx takes you, but it is hard for me to imagine spending an entire day at Stonehenge. No more than an hour or so, frankly. Nearby Salisbury and its cathedral merit more time. And, of course, you can easily eat up time in London. Maybe just stay 6 nights instead of 4?
Posted by
Boulder, Colorado, USA
27 posts
Are you taking the full day Mad Max tour that includes Avebury? If not, I strongly suggest that you add Avebury into your travels. While the stones in Avebury are not as large as Stonehenge, the circle is more elaborate, and unlike Stonehenge you can walk right up to them. If you want to stay in the general Wiltshire area, I'd suggest possibly adding a side-trip to Glastonbury and Welles. While at Glastonbury, you can vist the Chalice Well, as well as the ruins of the abbey where Guineverre and Arthur are reputedly buried. Glastonbury village is a nice place to have lunch and stroll around. The cathederal at Welles is spectacular. From an architectural standpoint I found it more interesting than Westminster. Another possiblity (as a side-trip from London) would be to go out to Hampton Court - Bruce
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32711 posts
Its been a while since I used RS UK, but I grew up in Cheltenham and I don't recognise the "Romantic Road" reference. Are you referring to the Cotswolds? If you have a car already why not drive to Stonehenge? And why not drive to Bath? These things aren't really all that far apart.
Posted by
Arlington, WA
993 posts
I don't understand what you mean by The Romantic Road. Isn't that in Germany? I would keep the car and maybe see the Cotwolds at a slower pace, since there are still 2 open days, then drive to Stonehenge myself. I'd arrange to drop the car in Salisbury, where I would stay and visit the Cathedral. It's a beautiful Cathedral. Salisbury is an easy train ride to back to London where I'm assuming you are flying out.
Posted by
OP
Ogden, ut, usa
3 posts
Glastonbury sounds wonderful, how did I ever miss that in my research! The Romantic road is something I found on the Cotswolds website http://www.the-cotswolds.org/top/english/seeanddo/romanticroad/index.htmll
After checking the map, I can see the distances are quite doable. I'm just a little leary of driving on the "correct" side of the road. Can any of you Americans comment on that. Thanks
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32200 posts
Victoria, If you have a car, why not stay in the Cotwolds for a few days? It's a great place to relax, and there are LOTS of small towns to explore! I stayed in Stow-On-The-Wold on my last visit and quite enjoyed it. I also agree with another reply to add a day in Bath, and you could also add a day in London (there's SO much to see and do!). Happy travels!
Posted by
Spring, Texas
635 posts
Victoria, We've beaten the subject of UK/Ireland driving to death. It's not anything you need to worry about. You'll adjust pretty quickly. Rental costs for an automatic are reasonable in Great Britain. There is a pretty significant upcharge in Ireland so the big question there is do you want to save the money but shift with the left hand.