We are an "older" couple who have traveled with RS many times, but not so often in recent years. Considering taking the England my way tour in 2027 and would like to spend a day or two via separate tour in N. Wales and then make way to Bath for an RS tour. Can anyone offer advice on 1) Mountain Goat or other tours from Chester or Liverpool etc. to N Wales and 2) getting from Chester to Bath by hire car? Luggage management can be uncomfortable for us on trains and busses if numerous changes etc. so prefer a simpler more direct approach. Thanks very much.
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Mountain Goat has been suggested with some agreement to questions in the past but I've never seen anyone come back and confirm they used the company. There isn't a lot of choice in the market as the british are more likely to simply use their own cars.
Advice in driving a hire car from Chester to Bath? What can I say, before you go watch the videos on Youtube about british driving rules, especially those about americans trying it (which don't all end in disaster!) - there's also a very short RS video I've seen, might have been part of a longer british trip. Using one of Google Maps' suggested fast routes you could do it in a morning - which would be something of a waste of a whole day's rental and the fastest route would be mostly rerun in the opposite direction on day 5 of the tour! There is a slower route which shadows the English-Welsh border before crossing the river Severn on the large suspension bridge -this would make better use of the car but it's on "narrower" roads (or ordinary as we call them). Both Chester and Bath have the usual international rental companies who would allow one way rental.
Normally Chester to Bath is a simple rail journey, direct from Chester to Newport, with an unrushed transfer to a train to Bath. The also shadows the border with views of a few castles and some good scenery. I say normally, don't ask until before the middle of next week because the Severn Tunnel is closed for maintenence so the suggsted option is not encouraging. Normally you would leave at around 10:20 and be in Bath in a little over 4 hours.
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OP
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Thank you for the info on Newport train transfer point. Would like to avoid trains as bag handling is an issue for us as we age. So any recommendations on hiring a driver in either Chester or Newport are appreciated. I know this makes things more expensive and difficult, but aging takes its toll. Does RS consider adding a stop or two in Wales on any tours?