Agatha Christie-Paddington Bear-Sherlock Holmes-Harry Potter Tour - Advice?

Betty, $5K might need to be $6K in two years. Instead of hostels I encourage you and your daughter to consider a b and b's or looking for a place via the airbnb website. Having a host is a wonderful way to travel, especially in the UK. Dartmoor, Greenway and Torquay are easily a 5-6 hour train ride from London and then buses to each locale. Stratford upon the Avon is about 3 hours from London. This is where you'll eat up time. Traveling to and from via public transport. I'd give yourself 11 days for this trip. Which is actually 9 days because of arrival and departure. 4 days in London, one day of travel to Dartmoor Area, 4 days there. All you want to see in London is easily accessible. Use Google Maps satellite view and type in Big Ben, London, United Kingdom. Use the zoom and you see what I mean. Greenwich is the furthest spot in London but can still be done in a half a day leaving time to see The Mousetrap in the evening. "Christie herself lived in London in for many years. She first moved to the city in 1918 and lived at 5 Northwick Terrace, in St John's Wood, during the final months of the war. She later moved to Kensington before then living in Chelsea. Whilst living in fashionable Chelsea, at 48 Swan Court, Christie wrote Witness for the Prosecution and Crooked House. Chelsea was also the setting for One, Two, Buckle My Shoe and was the area in London Christie lived in for the longest. Christie lived in nine different residences in London and if you go to 58 Sheffield Terrace, London W8, you will see a Blue Plaque marking the home she lived in (Sheffield Terrace is the only house in which Christie had a room designated for writing)."

The Sherlock Holmes "museum" at (the fake) 221b Baker Street (the actual address is still a bank) is not free, as I recall, but fun nevertheless. I haven't been there since 1996 when it was my only "must see" on my first London visit because I am a Holmes fanatic. There is also a Sherlock Holmes pub on Northumberland Street near the Embankment with a replica of Holmes' study upstairs that is worth a peek. (And the food's not terrible either.) The Original London Walks has, I think, two Sherlock Holmes walks. I haven't taken either yet, but I can attest that their Dickens and Shakespeare walks have been excellent. Check walks.com while planning because the SH walks don't happen every day. Is this your (both of yours) first trip to London? And if so, do you have no interest in some of the more traditional sites like the Tower of London or the British Museum? If you're very literary (as it seems) no time for the British Library? The reason I ask is that three days in London seems awfully short. Stonehenge is disappointing in my opinion, and I'd recommend skipping it unless your heart is set on it. With only 7 days, heck even if you had 10, I'd say skip Stonehenge and limit yourself to only 1 or 2 daytrips from London at most.
Happy planning!

Regarding Agatha Christie, you haven't mentioned going either to Wallingford, where she lived from 1934 to her death, or nearby Cholsey where she is buried. There is a local walking trail. Cholsey is accessible by train from Paddington.

There is a statue of Paddington the Bear at Paddington station for the photo op. Windsor Gardens, his home, is a real place, but, like 221B Baker St., #23 is ficticious. According to one book at our house, he also visited the Tower of London. There are many online lists of Harry Potter sites in London and throughout England. Many are quite easy to see when walking from one place to another if you have them noted on your map. For example, Australia House was used as Gringott's Bank, platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station, etc.. There are many options for one day HP tours that will take you into the countryside to Oxford, Lacock Abbey, and other filming sites for an efficient tour of all things Harry Potter. There have been excellent reviews on this site for the HP studios tour, but I haven't done it yet. Sounds great!
Oxford seems like a must on a literary tour. The Bodlean Library is wonderful, plus Christ Church College was the haunt of Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland. HP sites, too.

For Sherlock Holmes fans - Be sure to take the Underground to / and / or from Baker Street Underground Station. There are references throughout the station to Holmes and his stories. I've never added them up but there are plenty, including, on the walls of the platforms of some lines (I forget which) there are drawings of scenes from various stories and quotes.

Greenway, Torquay, and Dartmoor can easily take a week. Your list is unusual for a first timer yet intriguingly cool. Torquay is in Torbay, with lovely cliffs, beaches, rivers, especially the River Dart, and wonderful walking trails. People go there for week or two just for all that. There is good train service from London Paddington as well as from around the country via Bristol. The train continues, around the bay, to Paignton where, adjacent to the main line station there is the station for the steam train which goes up the Dart Valley to Dartmouth, the home of the Naval College. Check here for information. You will see that they have added a "halt" for a lovely 30 minute walk through the woods to Greenway. You can also take a boat to the landing at the house, and there is an ancient, 1930s vintage, rural bus which makes the journey from Torquay, near the playhouse. Look at that link for all the information. National Trust runs the house and estate. >>They do a fabulous job << at that house. It is as if Agatha Christie is just in the next room. I sat in the sitting room reading old papers on her sofa for ages when I went. It is probably one of the very best National Trust experiences I have ever had - and I've had a few. Her children wanted it exactly as she left it and they have done stupendously. Dartmoor is very very rural and most easily explored by car. There is a neat water mill maintained by the Trust on the northeast side. I hope that both you and she have a wonderful time, but don't try to do too much in not enough time... EDIT: The water mill I mentioned is Finch Foundry - the last water powered foundry in England. I ran out of time to put in the link earlier...

I would recommend the Verger tour when you go to Westminster Abbey. I have been to the Abbey several times in the last 25 year, but took this June 2011. I learned so much and got to see things you don't get to as a regular tourist. You have to make a reservation a day or two ahead,but that wasn't a problem (I was in France and just called) and there is a small cost, but it is a wonderful experience.

Re: Agatha Christie in London! Betty, I am also a HUGE Agatha Christie fan! And although she did the bulk of her writing in Torquay, for a die-hard Christie fan, you can find lots of Christie-related fun in London. For example, her play, "The Mousetrap" is the longest-running play in theatre history, having just celebrated it's 60th anniversary season at St. Martin's Theatre (http://www.the-mousetrap.co.uk&#41;. They will be unveiling a statue to Agatha Christie at Great Newport and Cranbourn Streets sometime in November 2012--that's near Leicester Square! Also, the location of Whitehaven Mansions--Hercule Poirot's apartments (at least, as depicted in the Poirot TV series) is in Charterhouse Square, just west of the Barbican. If you go through some of Poirot's cases, you'll find lots of other locale mentions. I'm planning a (free!) Christie walking tour for my husband and I. I would, however, caution you against planning too far in advance. A lot of the information will change between now and 2014. I've been anticipating our trip for May/June 2013, and it's only NOW that I've been able to get accurate information for booking. Estimate your budget, save the money as much as you can, first, then start to plan about 6-9 months before you go. Choose how long you want to go for, and then decide an itinerary. As Rick says, assume you will go back. If you can't afford to be on a trip for longer than 7 days, then don't. Choose what's important to you and leave the rest for another trip. Have fun!

To experience Dartmoor you really need a car (you could combine this with torquay) but it will take time- both to get their and to 'experience" it.(I would allow at least two days- time you dont have) Better yet would be horse riding, but that really takes time. You may be able to find a tour (from somwehere in the west coutry, but its a way from London

Betty, are you still there? Has any of this helped? More questions?

Betty, your trip plan sounds wonderful! A favorite literary stop for me is in Oxford - the Eagle and Child Pub, where JRR Tolkein and pals (including CS Lewis) used to gather and hoist a pint. The Bodleian Library is also in Oxford - major literary stop. Alas, the Beatrix Potter stuff is in the Lakes District... a tad northerly for your trip. Pooh things are in East Sussex: http://www.britainexpress.com/articles/collecting/pooh.htm You are going to have the MOST fun. Some of my very fondest memories in life are of my trip to England with my mother when I was 16 and she was 42. AWESOME. We've been on "friends footing" ever since then - it was amazing, and I would not trade it for the world. Have a GREAT time!

You have all been absolutely WONDERFUL in responding to my inquiry!! Ralph: Yes, we are quite nerdy, a label my daughter bears with a good bit of pride. Claudia: Thanks for the airbnb suggestion, as well as the info on the Mousetrap. Matt: Thanks for the walks.com tip. Yes, we are interested in the traditional sites, but I'd almost rather leave those for our "next" trip ... still, lots of time to plan. We'll see how this turns out in the end. Marco: You read my daugther's mind! She has added Wallingford to the list. Angela: So good to know about the Paddington Bear statue! And, yes, Oxford must figure into our plans somewhere. Laurie: We'll definitely check out the Verger tour tip thank you! Jennifer: Your warning not to plan too far in advance is very wise. My main goal at this point is to decide if the trip is feasible (and it sounds like it is! Yeah!!) Brian: Your Dartmoor insights are very helpful I'll have to share these with my daughter to see how her desire to see Dartmoor weighs against all of her other wishes for this trip. Kira: You temptress! Beatrix Potter is another of my faves, but the Lakes District is going to have to wait for "next" time ... wavering ... Yes, next time. The Eagle and Child pub, however, has now been added as a "must-see". Nigel: Yes, still here. Everyone's comments are incredibly helpful. The Underground to/from Baker Street is on the "must-see" list now, and The Finch Foundry definitely sounds worth investigating thanks! Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who responded to my question. Your kindness has been overwhelming!

P.S. My daughter read all of your comments last evening and was even more thrilled with the feedback than I was. She was mortified that we left Tolkien off the list but giddy about there being a Paddington Bear statue as well as Sherlock Holmes quotes and pictures on the Underground. She also advised me very seriously that we'll need to take into account everyone's tips on the length of our various trips and overall stay. Thanks, again, from the both of us.

Betty, that's heart-warming... If you and dear daughter get to make a second trip to England one day, you can pop into your back pocket the following few trivias about JRR Tolkien and his writings. Not far from Stratford-upon-Avon is the city of Birmingham. All around there are places to do with him. To quote an extract from the Wikipedia article (so as to save me typing, I agree with all in this Wiki): "moved to Sarehole (now in Hall Green), then a Worcestershire village, later annexed to Birmingham. He enjoyed exploring Sarehole Mill and Moseley Bog and the Clent, Lickey and Malvern Hills, which would later inspire scenes in his books, along with Worcestershire towns and villages such as Bromsgrove, Alcester, and Alvechurch and places such as his aunt Jane's farm of Bag End, the name of which would be used in his fiction." The two towers were modeled on 2 towers in Selly Oak. There's just so very much to see.... Of course you'll need a trip to Switzerland too - so you can see the Misty Mountains and where Bilbo's journey was set, and, back to Holmes, at Meiringen you can see and walk up and down (or take a funicular) the real Reichenbach Falls. I really, really hope that you and your dear daughter have a really wonderful trip, and all the looking forward to it too.