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England & Wales Self Tour

Hello everyone,

I will be studying at Oxford this summer and plan to travel for about 10-12 days afterwards. I plan to rent a car and tour England/Wales with a friend.

In addition to Oxford, I have seen London, Stratford, Bath, Salisbury, Stonehenge and Chicester already, so these sites are not on our itinerary. I've also toured Edinburgh/Scotland.

I'm looking for advice as to what else are "must sees" in England, as well as Wales, where I've never been.

I'm considering Canterbury, Cambridge, the Cotswolds, Lake district, Brighton, Cardiff/Tintern Abbey/Wye Valley, Winchester, Hampton Court, Windsor Castle, Warwick Castle, Hadrian's Wall, Devon/Cornwall, York.

I would truly appreciate any advice from fellow travelers who have visited these sites as to which are "must sees" in your opinion or if there are some places that I'm not thinking of. Thank you in advance for your help.

Posted by
3428 posts

Consider using trains and buses. Other than the Cotswolds area you may find it cheaper (gas and parking are VERY expensive) and easier- driving in the UK's cities and towns and parking are a pain. Cardiff would definitely be on my "must do" list Canterbury is nice and I'd suggest you consider Dover. Widsor is also marvelous. Brighton is ok, but could be dropped. York is a must for me, too, but seems a bit out of your way if you are driving.

Posted by
113 posts

Northern Wales (Snowdonia, Caernarfon, Colwyn Bay, etc.) would be a must on my list. We spent 3 days there last year and easily could have added 2-3 more.

Posted by
12172 posts

York is one of my favorite cities. I also liked Cardiff Castle.

I haven't been to the castles in Nothern Wales yet so they're still my must-sees for the future.

Posted by
189 posts

Hi. I think driving is the way to go. I've never had any trouble, and, IMO, in Wales you need a car to get around quickly and efficiently. I would see Betwys-y-Coed in Wales, as well as Pembroke, and Conwy.

Posted by
22 posts

Thank you for the wonderful feedback. In seems that in Wales alone there is so much to see that hopefully it will be a wonderful trip.

Posted by
3428 posts

I have to agree that Betws-y-coed is a good place to check out in Wales- but is a LONG distance from the areas you are mentioning. Everything you have mentioned can be done as a day trip from London by train- the Cotswolds can be seen from Stratford-upon-Avon if you take the train there, then use a tour company or drive from there.