i am planning a road trip to england arriving sept. 21. leaving october 14. Initially, our plan is to drive the south coast from 21,canterbury, 22,kent, ,23, avervury, 24, stonehenge, 25wales, 27, conwy, caernarvon,castle 28th, warwick,29th, cotswolds, 30th, bath, , leave car in bath, train to1st, , 2ndt, keswick and lake district. stay for two days,3-5 train from keswick to edinburgh stay for two days5,6,7, rent car and drive around scotland for two days 8th and 9th. train from edinburg to durham, 10th, one day, then york one day11th, , then train to london. 12. 13th. leave the 14th
I have been to london a dozen times so i might stay there for only two days. otherwise, we want to see castles, countryside, roman ruins, cathedrals, art museums, and odd attractions such as the british equivalent of muffler men and big ball of twine museums. in reading other peoples comments, i noticed people warning about traffic and driving between cities,. So, i thought if i combined both rail and car it might find a good balance.
So, here are my questions.
are there stiff penalties for not returning a car to the place you started? this affects whether i rent a car when we arrive in london and go south and over to wales and back, or leave the care there in wales before heading north.
scotland highland don't have much there. is it worth renting car in edinburgh and driving around the highlands for a couple of days?
will we need a car in the lake district or will uber and local transportation be enough for walking around?
another option is to do all the things on our agenda as we drive north in a car the whole way, leave the car in edinburgh and take the plain from there back to london. this means a little more driving, but more access to some areas. I am used to driving long distances without problems so i anticipate much slower driving in england. am i still too optimistic about getting between cities in england, or going in and out of towns like bath, york and durham??
are there times when buses are better than trains?
One way hires are usually more expensive - hire companies will tell you how much the extra costs are.
Are you used to driving stick shift cars or auto only cars?
Cars are advantageous in the Lake District.
There isn't a rail link to Keswick. Nearest stations are Penrith or Windermere.
You would have to look up how to get to Edinburgh by train from one of the above mentioned stations - may involve at least one or two changes.
As far as cities such as Bath, York and Durham are concerned, it's better to use any park and ride schems rather than even thinking of driving into the city centre. Park up and get the bus in...
Where are you coming into the UK from and have you factored in jet lag etc if you're coming in on September 21 and planning on heading to the south coast on the same day.
The list of potential destinations reads like a band's tour schedule rather than a holiday trip.
How much time are you anticipating driving or travelling for each day and how much time exploring these destinations each day? Add in eating and sleeping time too...
A rethink of the trip might be in order.
Sometimes, public transport (buses / trains / ferries) offers you experiences you can't have when driving. Eg to get to Lake District from Leeds, the Settle to Carlisle railway line passes through the Yorkshire Dales, over spectacular curving viaducts across valleys. If you get off at Langwathby, it's just a short taxi ride to Penrith, where you can pick up buses to Keswick etc. Hitching is also possible, and may be necessary, especially on Sundays, when buses and trains are less frequent - a couple of years ago, I hitched from Keswick to Ravenglass, after abandonning participating in a mountain marathon, due to illness, and wanting to be OK for the Keswick to Barrow walk (about 41 miles) the next weekend. A very enjoyable experience, although it took about 8 lifts. There are buses in the Lake District, although you'll need to read timetables very carefully, as some are seasonal, aimed at tourists during school holidays. In September / October, services are targetted at local residents during weekday (Mon to Fri), with some leisure services at weekends (Sat & Sun). www.traveline.info/ is good for public transport planning. You'll find it easiest if you have postcodes of places you want to stay. It's difficult to find postcodes of places where footpaths / bridleways leave roads.
This seems to be your proposed itinerary - if I have interpreted it correctly (this is where you spend each night).
21 Sep - Canterbury
22 Sep - Kent
23 Sep - Avenbury
24 Sep - Stonehenge
25 Sep - Wales
26 Sep - Wales
27 Sep - Conway - Caenarvon
28 Sep - Warwick
29 Sep - Cotswolds
30 Sep - Bath
01 Oct - In transit
02 Oct - Keswick / Lake District
03 Oct - Keswick / Lake District
04 Oct - Keswick / Lake District
05 Oct - Edinburgh
06 Oct - Edinburgh
07 Oct - Scotland
08 Oct - Scotland
09 Oct - Scotland
10 Oct - Durham
11 Oct - York
12 Oct - London
13 Oct - London
14 Oct - In transit
To my mind (and I really enjoy brisk travel itineraries - I'm not a slow traveller at all) - this is very very rushed indeed, and really close to impossible to either realise or enjoy. I suggest you drop Scotland, and head from the Lake District across to Durham | York, and add some quality nights back into the program.
It really is a misguided plan at the moment. The UK is a congested, busy, slow place ... travel can be gruesome, and many of the places you would plan to visit are worth serious contemplative time. Please re-think your journey, in my view.
this is good to know. i have this idea that they are short distances so we can travel quickly and then relax. i wold love to do trains and buses everywhere, but would i spend even more time waiting for them and dealing with schedules?
my biggest concern about public transportation is being able to get to Air BNB places that are not on main routes. Is uber very good in England?
Never use Air BNB or Uber either in the UK or when travelling.
Usually use www.booking.com or Expedia for accomodation in UK or Europe.
Drive or use trains in the UK - trains for city to city trips where parking is likely to be a nightmare - and my own car for time spent in more rural areas of the UK. Use buses or trains in Europe.
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