Hoyaheel

7 years ago, when planning a trip to London (thank you all for your help!) I mentioned I wanted to do a trip so I can learn to cook on an AGA stove - either renting a place that has one or going to a cookery school that uses them. So this is the year for that trip! Milestone birthday, all of that. Right now we're thinking a Sept 2023 trip (I want to avoid summer vacations but still see some gardens - full height of blooming sesason not necessary for me) but I'm stumped at how to figure out where I want to go and what we want to do. Too many options! So far, I know I want to go to Oxford for the first few days after arrival (assume we'll fly to London, then take transport to Oxford, do stuff there and eventually rent a car from there for the rest of the trip). Cooking, seeing big old houses & gardens, some museums, walking about, and some pubs (hopefully within walking distance from where we're staying) - that's all I have right now. Husband would like to see canals and boats but no specific place he needs to go for that. He does NOT want to rent a boat, so that makes it a little easier on me ;-)

I've found a few cookery schools that might work (would obviously confirm before booking anything) but none seem to be very close to things we think we might want to do.

I know this is a weird way to go about planning a vacation, but I'm really stumped. Have started looking at other people's itineraries to get ideas. Someone yesterday mentioned that York and Coventry were their favorite spots and we just happened to be looking at Yorkshire (we're watching All Things Great & Small on PBS right now ;-) and there is a cookery school there that might work (Swinton estate).

Based on these few ideas, do you have suggestions? Or better - suggestions for HOW to figure out what we want to do and where we want to go? We often plan trips based on one little wild hair, and I have the wild hair but the rest of the trip hasn't popped up in my head yet at all.....