Stay In or Out of London?

If you are only spending 3 and a half days in london, stay as Central as you can. my preference is to stay within walking distance of Piccadilly Circus (or Westminster Abbey), that way (1) you dont waste time tubing in and out each day (2) convenient if you want to get back to your hotel for an afternoon rest- or to escape weather (3) usually easier to get to the sights- often you can walk there or back and absorb more of London I dont know what you intend to do in/near York, but the train from London to york is quick and convenient- you dont need a car, York is a compact walking City. You may be able to get rid of your car completely on your way into London

Have to ask? Are you flying SFO roundtrip London for this adventure? If yes, why not see London first and then embark or your car tour of the UK? Admittedly, I've not read Rick's 22 day UK itinerary. Maybe you are flying open jaw. Holyhead in Wales? You could stay in Bath, drive out to see Stonehenge, then drive from there to Heathrow, drop off the rental, then take the tube, bus or express trains into London, enjoy your 3.5 days, head back out to Heathrow rent another car and head off to York and the remainder of your trip. Just a thought.

Renting a car for a couple or three days vs renting for a week will cost you ten or twelve bucks more per day. There's no sense in doing this twice by renting two cars. If you figure in some kind of 'cost per waking hour' of vacation, doing it twice runs the cost off of the page on the ridiculous side. Unless you find a hotel that has free parking, you're looking at twenty to twenty-bucks a day for paid parking anywhere around London. Renting a car at Holyhead will cost quite a bit more than renting it in London, maybe close to ten dollars additional per day. Since Holyhead is in the equation, it sounds like you're coming from Irleand. The ferry costs about fifty bucks per head and takes a couple of hours. BMI flies DUB to LHR in an hour and a half. It's quicker to get to the Dublin airport than it is to get to the Dublin ferryport. Escaping from Heathrow to the west in a car is a piece of cake. Holyhead to York is an easy three-hour drive. Maybe a few minutes more to get from York down to Bath. I can't find what an RS 22-day UK tour entails, but I'd do one of two things: a. bite the bullet on the price of renting in Holyhead, drive to York, then drive south saving London for last and ditching the car on arrival b. fly into London from Ireland, do the driving loop as far as York and either drop the car there or take it back to London - - I don't know what a train would cost, but you're looking at fours hours, fifty bucks in gas, and no tolls heading back down - - you'd also have to figure what time of day you'll turn the car in at either end, since you might be turning in a car in York that still has several hours on it (or vice-versa)

I'd definitely recommend staying in London proper which means that if you do have a car you will need to find a car park. Another option keeping with the itinerary that you have is to drop off the car after Bath/Stonehenge so that you are without the car in London. When you leave London, take the train to York (it is only two hours by train versus at least 4 hours driving) and pick up a car again when you leave York. That would mean you were without the car for probably 5 to 6 days. You will have to price it out, but I think it would be less than keeping the car during that time and paying for parking and gas. Ed has a number of excellent suggestions, particularly if you are willing to adjust your itinerary slightly. If there is anyway to modify your itinerary so that you either start or end your trip in London, that would certainly allow you to avoid having the car in London.

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply. I apologize for not giving enough information. My daughter has been studying abroad all year in Ireland, so I will be flying in and out of Dublin as she will come home after our trip with her stuff. RS 22 day tour is a big loop of Britain and Scotland, which is why I am renting the car in Holyhead. His trip starts and ends in London, but mine does not, and the cost of renting/dropping off the car to avoid downtime in London was extremely high. Basically, we will go Wales, Bath, London, York, Glasgow, the Scottish Highlands, Edinburgh, the Lakes District and back to Holyhead. We are taking the ferry to and from Dublin/Holyhead without a car. It sounds like staying central in London is the recommendation, so I would need to find a car park, probably somewhere between Bath and a route to York. Do you just park your car at the train/tube stations, or are these private lots? How do you find them? We will be in London Tues, Weds, Thurs., if that makes a difference. Again, thank you for the time to reply. Any tips on this route are also very welcome!!

While you can leave your car at a commuter car park, these are run by the train companies, by and large, and are a real earner for them. They are designed for 8 to 10 hour stays. It will vary by station, have a look at station details in National Rail Enquiries, but for a reasonable run into London figure maybe £20 for each 24 hours, or so. It would sure make your journey easier if you were starting or ending in London instead of being there midweek in the middle of your tour. Try a Holiday Inn or similar near an airport and see if you can get a stay and fly rate.