U.K. and Ireland - Interested in your itinerary suggestions: London & ?

Mrs jacknyoc and I are spending a week in London next April (late April). We've added four more days to the end of the trip (Fri to Tues) for a diversion trip somewhere. We have to be back to LHR on Tuesday afternoon for a 15:15 flight back to the US. We've been to London but nowhere else in the UK.

We are interested in historic sites, beautiful countryside, interesting towns, interesting places to see and stay, the typical list one sees in all of these questions. We would prefer sticking with trains (rather than flying somewhere...unless it's a really good suggestion)...and easy access back to LHR for the return flight.

We had been thinking the Cotswolds. Possibly a stop-over in Bath; maybe not. We had planned to take the train from London, pick up a rental car either in Oxford or Bath, tour the Cotswolds for a few days, drop the car off and stay the last night in Oxford where we would to see the sights a bit, and then take the OxExpress coach from there to LHR. That has been out initial thought.

However, again, not being that familir with the UK, despite reading various books/articles, and knowing those of you who are active on this site always seem to have really good idea, I thought I would toss this question out there to see what interesting input you had about other options.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

If I had 4 spare days in the UK I would go to Cornwall. You can get the train from Paddington, then alight at Reading on the way back and get the RailAir bus back to LHR

I'm not a fan of the Cotswolds, far more brutally spectacular scenery if you go to York then make your way to somewhere like Robin Hood's Bay.

I also don't like Oxford, too Inspector Morsey for my tastes, and full of students and bicycles. My little cathedral town of choice is Canterbury.

Yep, you have a decent amount of time and as JohnnyColombia says, Cornwall is a possibility.

However, given your seeming penchant for history, I'd suggest you head North. Take the train from London to Durham on the Friday (approx 2.5hrs). Spend the night there and have a look around the City. You can then pick up a rental car and either head North up near the coast where there are a string of imposing castles in various states of repair (Alnwick, Bamburgh, Dunstanburgh), or instead head inland along the line of the old Roman Wall that Hadrian built to keep the marauding Scots at bay. Quite a lot of the wall is still visible.

Heading inland you'll get to Carlisle where you can take a train back to London (Euston). If you go North up the coast you might want to push on to Edinburgh and fly to London from there. Otherwise you can fly to Heathrow from Newcastle, or get the train back to central London.

I do however also like the Cotswolds, but they can be busy at the weekend, especially by the end of April. You could take the train from London (Paddington) to Moreton in Marsh (goes through Oxford), then cab or bus down to Stow or Bourton on the Water (which are nicer than Moreton IMO). This would put you in the right sort of area to get back to Oxford on Monday for an overnight then take the bus straight to Heathrow the next morning.

We just had a short break in Wiltshire & did Stonehenge, Avebury & Lacock which are National Trust sites.
We also booked a tour of Highclere castle where they film a lot of Downton Abbey.
All are within driving distance of London & ther are plenty of B&B's to say at without breaking the bank.

Lots of very nice places on the Western side of London (easiest for LHR, although it isn't hideously hard to get to from anywhere).
I haven't spent much time in the Cotswolds but I will say Bath is worth a day of your time. Oxford is certainly worth an overnight stop, it is a bit twee but it has some beautiful buildings and fascinating museums. Be warned it is not a car friendly city.

Cornwall is beautiful but it is a bit of a trek (Paddington - Penzance by train is about 5 hours, I would be nervous about coming back on the day of your flight). If you want to go St Ives would be a good place to stay - quite a large town, lots of places to stay, pretty. There is/was a seasonal hop on- hop off bus service running a circular route between St Ives and Penzance which goes through some stunning scenery and past various historic sights. You could stop off overnight in Plymouth on the way back, a couple of hours closer to London and with far more trains. Or even in Exeter which isn't a major tourist destination but has a cathedral, remains of ancient city walls, and underground medieval passageways - and is another hour closer to London.

South Wales might be a possibility, 2-3 hours by train from Paddington. Cardiff is interesting, there's some beautiful scenery around Swansea and a great castle at Caerphilly.

Edinburgh. Fantastic place to visit with a visual appeal like no other town in the UK. If 4 days in one place is too much why not do 3 days there and then have an extra night in London with a day trip to Cambridge?

Cornwall is great for scenery but somewhat deficient in the historic sites and interesting towns imo.

If 4 days in one place is too much why not do 3 days there and then have an extra night in London with a day trip to Cambridge?Second that; much better than Oxford IMO with the option of doing Ely cathedral as well (by riverboat time permitting). If you're in the Cotswolds area consider Worcester and maybe Warwick Castle although it's a bit of a tourist 'trap'. Ditto Stratford-on-Avon but that's almost a must-see; the Forest of Arden (Henley) if you're a Shakespeare fan.

Get a rail pass; excellent value.

OP could in fact consider East Anglia as a destination, maybe basing himself in Norwich and making day trips to Cambridge, Ely and into the Broads. I wouldn't say it was very convenient for LHR though.

I don't think Cornwall is deficient in historic sites there are castles, stone circles, churches, lots of historic houses of all ages/sizes and masses of museums. Admittedly there is a lack of large and grand buildings and it won't appeal unless the OP is interested in maritime, agricultural and industrial history.

Some cool suggestions in this thread. To clarify, when I said Cornwall I was basing this on being a Brit expat, if I had 4 days in the UK and wanted to show a foreigner something in that time. Cornwall would be the first thing that sprung to mind.

Lots of other stuff too, I'd also consider doing Chester & Llandudno, so combining a walled city with a a traditional Victorian seaside town.

I already mentioned Canterbury, 4 days is sufficient to spend a couple of nights there and then somewhere random like Herne Bay.

Completely off the tourism map, something I would love to do but never got around to is go to Essex for a few days. The area around Stansted Mountfitchet is completely underrated and I'd fancy 3 nights B&B in the villages, rent a car for a drive around then the OP could even get the Stansted-LHR bus back. Proper (and lovely) English countryside and great traditional pubs with this option.

I've got to say, I love Cornwall. It's not a city destination, and you'll be disappointed if that's what you're after, but for coast, little fishing towns, great fresh produce, the most amazing quality of light and a great arts scene, it really can't be beaten. And the train ride flies by in First Class - especially the bit through Dawkish and Teignmouth!

And the train ride flies by in First Class - especially the bit through Dawkish and Teignmouth!

Autocorrect (or fat fingers) at it's finest - Dawlish.... :o

Indeed, autocorrect it is! What an odd correction...

But yes, the views through Dawlish are wonderful. Just hope that the tide's not too high...

Indeed, autocorrect it is! What an odd correction...Didn't think that was a word either, but apparently...
http://mfeed.reference.com/d/search.html?q=Dawkish @:-)

A little-known gem is the North Norfolk coast road between Cromer and Hunstanton. The downside being it's miles from anywhere remotely interesting.

Oh, I don't know, I'm rather fond of Dear Old Norwich. And our own little Lourdes at Walsingham. And Lynn is perhaps the most interesting beaten-up, seedy port town in England...

If a group of you really want to get away from it all to something incredibly British, you can always hire a canal boat (self, err, drive? till?) for a few days. I did so recently on the Llangollen Canal, and can't recommend it highly enough.

Thank you all for the very helpful input...great ideas and, as noted, a very interesting discussion.

The north and Scotland are all interesting, but are going to have to await a future and longer trip.

Cornwall (and parts of Devon, I presume) sounds and looks very interesting. We're not necessarily interested in additional city sites...London will definitely serve that purpose. Some of the historical sites and the historic fishing villages sound interesting. It would also enable us to stop at Wells and Glastonbury.

I keep getting a variety of input about Oxford, including in this post. I hear the architecture and history are wonderful...but there's always the caveat about the large crowds of students and bikes. We would not drive in Oxford, aside from driving out of and back to the train station area with the rental car. The nice thing about Oxford to me, as a novice of the area, were the sites sufficient for an overnight, as well as the variety of transit options to Heathrow (Oxford Express, National Coach and train). The other thought is to not stay in Oxford at all, but perhaps in nearby towns, such as Witney or even Burford on the last night adn merely drive in the final morning to drop the car and pick up the airport transportation.

The other thought, based on a friend's comment, is to drive to Windsor for the last night. He said it's got great sites, obviously, and slows down quite a bit late afternoon after the tour buses leave. From there it's an easy drive the next day to LHR to drop the car.

All very interesting thoughts...including the Cornwall option. We have some thinking to do. any additional thoughts/ideas are welcomed. Thank you very much for the very helpful input.

They try very hard to stop people driving into Oxford, there's a massive emphasis on park and ride. Once you're in the City Centre a lot of it is one-way, I don't know what driving to the station is like but I took a taxi from it once and it went halfway round the city. Once you're actually there it's very walkable although you do have to look out for the bikes (the tourists are more annoying that the students). Dropping off the car and then relying on public transport would be a feasible option.

Not sure about Windsor, it's a bit of a tourist trap. But it is very close to Heathrow (you may find you get kept awake/woken up by planes)

Thank you. I'll be very happy to avoid driving in Oxford...as will they to have me not drive there : ). I figured the rail station was the least amount of driving I could do.

Good point about Windsor and LHR air traffic. I would like to see Windsor Castle...that may be my best option. We'll see how this all comes together.

I appreciate your time and input...



They try very hard to stop people driving into Oxford, there's a massive emphasis on park and ride. Once you're in the City Centre a lot of it is one-way, I don't know what driving to the station is like but I took a taxi from it once and it went halfway round the city. Once you're actually there it's very walkable although you do have to look out for the bikes (the tourists are more annoying that the students). Dropping off the car and then relying on public transport would be a feasible option.

Not sure about Windsor, it's a bit of a tourist trap. But it is very close to Heathrow (you may find you get kept awake/woken up by planes)

My husband and I have done this a few times, each to different places. We tend to rent a car at LHR - it's easy to pick up there and drive out. Truthfully, you can't really go wrong. We've gone to Somerset and Dorset, stopping at Glastonbury, Wells, Avebury, etc. Very very relaxing - good mix of countryside and history, plus cider and cheese!

Last year we did the Cotswolds, which we really liked. We were more in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds than near Oxford, and it was quite pretty. Bourton on the Water is quite pretty, and there are some really lovely walks through pastures in the Cotswolds - we did a very nice hike through pastures up to the Broadway Tower.

This year we've got a bit more time and are doing the Peak District and the Yorkshire Dales.