My husband and I are thinking of coming to England in 2017 for our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. We were wondering if it would be more practical to rent a car and a cottage near the center of the country and explore during a series of day trips or to join a tour. My concern is finding a tour that actually encompasses all the sites I'd like to visit. Opinions?
2012-07-14T20:17:22Z
I should probably add that, growing up in Texas, driving several hundred miles a day doesn't bother us.
Anonymous2012-07-14T23:51:18Z
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Well done for knowing there is more to England (and UK) than London.
Driving several hundred miles a day is tougher than you think in England. The main roads can be congested. You wouldn't have much time to visit the places you wanted to see.
However, you don't have to join an organised tour. You could tour independently in a rental car. You could try Farm Stay for accommodation. There is a choice of Bed & Breakfast or self catering. You would be able to stay right out in the countryside.
If London is on your list, don't use a car when visiting. There's nowhere to park. The roads are congested. You have to pay a congestion charge. Public transport is very good.
However, when outside London, a car will take you places you would never see from a train. You could travel at your own pace and eat in country pubs. They offer nice food in a cosy atmosphere. You don't have to drink alcohol.
You can really split England up into three parts. The South - New-quay, Cornwall, Dover, Winchester. There is a lot to see there - Winchester was the old capital of England www.visitwinchester.co.uk. Dover has the white cliffs and some beautiful walks along the cost. You could even cross over the the Isle of White during Cowes week regatta! A good base would be Hampshire - New Forest or something like that!
The East - Here you have London a your base, and an endless number of things to see there of course. But day trips out to Norfolk, Ely and Cambridge would be cool. Cambridge is a beautiful city you can go punting, see the university on a walking tour of the colleges (these guys are good: http://www.oxbridgetours.com they are in Oxford too), and From a London base you can also visit the West - Peak district, Wales, again which is very pretty - and Oxford!
The North - As you go north you'll find bigger hills - Stay in Manchester which is a great city, and travel up as far as Hadrian's wall. See Yorkshire and the railway museum if that's your thing : http://www.nrm.org.uk/. Maybe even head over to Scotland if you get time!
This is feasible, but I wonder if you are aware of the driving conditions in England as opposed to Texas. First, you are driving on the wrong side of the road in a car which (unless you specified otherwise when booking) has a manual gearbox. Second, roads in England are (by the standards of Texas), hideously congested, and off the motorways (freeways) narrow and usually far from straight and level. This applies especially to minor roads in the more touristically attractive areas, like the Lake District, The Yorkshire Dales, the Cotswolds, the West Country (particularly in Devon) and the Welsh Marches, where narrow single-track roads less than 10 feet wide with blind bends and bordered by high hedges are regularly encountered. Not saying it's impossible, but don't kid yourselves about the realities of driving from a rented cottage in a pretty enough place in the Midlands and close to a handy motorway, let's say in the Warwick/Leamington Spa area, to Padstow AND BACK in a day. Followed by maybe a quick excursion to Keswick and back the day after. Most natives would think twice about this. A succession of early starts, long drives and not a lot of time at your destination is not the way to appreciate your surroundings and will slowly wear you down. A much more feasible variation would be to work your way round the country in two or three-night stays at hotels, exploring the immediate surroundings as you go. Either way, let's hope you've set aside enough money in your budget for fuel costs, which even if you rent a small economical diesel will be pretty eyewatering. The points already made about the advisability (not!) of driving in London are valid, and I would also add Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds/Bradford, Newcastle and Bristol to that list. Far better to use public transport in these places.
You have had plenty of advice so far and a mind-boggling variety too. Reading through the answers I wouldn't know where to start if it was my holiday.
So let me add to your confusion. It all depends on how long you plan to stay and what you want to see but here is my opinion.
I would fly into one of the London airports and spend a few days in London doing the sights. No car yet because public transport is so much easier in and around London. You can also take the train from London to attractive towns such as Canterbury, Oxford, Cambridge and Windsor , all within one hour journey time.
Then I would think about hiring a car and have a two centre driving holiday but centred where and for how long is open to debate.
Perhaps Stratford upon Avon and tour the Cotswolds with lots of Olde Worlde towns and villages that feature in period costume dramas and lovely gardens too open to the public.
Perhaps York which is a very attractive town and then tour the Yorkshire Dales and parts of northern England
If you specially want Tudor history and Henry VIII etc then base your self in Kent , perhaps Canterbury and there are lots of historical palaces, castles , gardens etc to see in that area.
I would travel independently and not on a tour. And I would not base myself in the centre of England and drive everywhere from there. Sounds sensible but is not the best idea in the end.
And there are lots more possibles too but I will stop there.
Tricky one. My gut feeling would be close to your idea. Joining a tour and you're tied. Plus finding one that encompasses all that you want may prove hard to find.
Personally I would always want to rent a car and move about.. However if you have one single base which you always come back to then you're restricted to how far you can go in a day. Driving in the UK is not like the US. Everything is smaller, more congested, your progress will get impeded more often.
Instead of just basing yourself somewhere in the middle of the country, why not think of staying B&B/cottage in the various regions for a number of nights and move around that way. Proper road trip. I suppose it will come down to time, money (which you'll need plenty of) and planning. Fuel is more expensive here by some margin.
And whilst your here, if you have time, try and take in Scotland/Wales as well.