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.....

Gagravarr

I'd have thought you ought to be able to rent somewhere in the Cotswolds with an Aga, with any luck nearby some lovely pubs

There's a bunch of lovely National Trust properties in and around the Cotswolds, both stately homes and gardens. You ought to be able to make an annual membership pay for itself in just a few days!

You could easily hop on the coach from Heathrow to Oxford, then spend a few days here visiting colleges and our many museums. Then pickup a car and head an hour west into the Cotswolds to the lovely stone cottage with an Aga that you'd rented. Tour around visiting gardens and stately homes, quaint villages, with the odd walk to a pub. You're also then a short-ish drive from Bath and Stratford. Plus you're pretty close to the Venice of the north for looking at canal boats, though I'd probably suggest driving close to Birmingham and taking the train in the last bit, not sure I'd recommend brummie driving to someone used to US roads...

After that, you could go on a bit of a tour of grand National Trust stately homes, and/or visit some national parks for walking+pubs. September's still fine for Scotland, and you could take a few days to drive up and back via various pretty and/or interesting spots

Hoyaheel

I think Scotland is off the table this time - my bestie, who lived in Scotland the past decade, including my last trip to England in Jan 2016 - is moving back to London this week for a new job I've definitely looked at National Trust and the annual pass for 2 people seems a really good bargain IF we find enough places on the list we want to go. A few of the places I know I'd like to go are not NT properties, alas.....A co-worker spent some of his winter break near Bath (he grew up in London) and recommended Bruton. I think I'd prefer the Cotswolds (and yes, did find a few cottages with agas there ;-) There is another cookery school in the south that wouldn't be a terrible drive (All Hallow's Farmhouse)

Gagravarr

Checking my notes, in the last year I've taken my American in-laws to the following National Trust properties near-ish Oxford and the Cotswolds, all of which were popular!

• https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/vis...swolds/hidcote
• https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/vis...hire/waddesdon
• https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/vis...ire/chastleton
• https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/vis...nor-and-garden
• https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/vis...se-and-gardens
• https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/vis...harlecote-park
• https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/vis...rdshire/croome

The NT mobile app is very handy for finding their houses and gardens near an area, in case you're trying to find what you could visit

Swanhunter

Coventry 😮 Unless you have a specific interest in British post war town planning and the many sins it has visited on a once lovely city, don’t bother.

Would echo that the Cotswolds are a good starting place for Agas. Bruton is a charming but a bit North London on a country break so may not
be quite what you want. I really like North Norfolk but it is a very different different landscape to chocolate box pretty Cotswolds. Some lovely places in Sussex too

Hoyaheel

Norfolk looks like it might have some good birdwatching - I'll go explore more!

I am worried the Cotswolds will be crowded and expensive due to popularity, but I guess the area is popular for a good reason. We really don't mind going off the beaten path! Not sure how long a trip - I'm hoping 2 weeks but might only be 10 days. So we can do a couple different spots, at least ;-)

Giggleswick

Norfolk also has a disproportionately large number of good medieval churches, on the off-chance that you like that sort of thing. Opening times can be limited or nonexistent, but you can check in advance: https://www.exploringnorfolkchurches.org/ .

antichef

Start here:
https://www.agaliving.com/cooking/aga-cookery-schools

:D!

Every summer I see lots of Germans and Dutch waving "temporary" membership cards to enter NT properties.

Hoyaheel

Thanks - I *did* start there ;-) Though I noticed yesterday that one I'd put on my map no longer is operating so I should go and look again, for new and/or to remove places that might have shut down - I started this research quite a while ago.

I also found a couple of specialized rental websites that filter by AGA (or Rayburn) stove availability, which is nice! I saw a property yesterday that had a thatched roof AND aga stove. I was looking at a couple of Norfolk tourism websites ("best birdwatching in England" keeps this area on the list for now, for sure!) and one site had a list of various big houses and gardens to visit, I think the site had churches as well but I started with houses - and they called out which were NT properties, which is helpful!)

antichef

I cook on a Rayburn Mk1 - from 1946

MADPhil

You can join the National Trust through their US affiliate the Royal Oak Foundation. This would get you real membership cards and the handbook to all properties in advance of the trip. I don't know how the relative prices map but some of the membership fee qualifies for a US tax deduction if that is any help.
The Oxford Air Line bus service between Heathrow and various stops in Oxford is very frequent and efficient. You can book online in advance but take any bus that suits on a space available basis.
Both Oxford and York have very efficient Park and Ride services if you want to stay out of town but avoid driving in the city.

Hoyaheel

Have taken first step and booked full day AGA cooking class on Sept 21 so now I just have to plan the rest of the trip!!

Hoyaheel

Just booked our flights to England in September - sort of glad I waited as the fares have come down quite a bit since I started looking. Or I just got lucky this morning! I got business class for not much more than the premium select fares I looked at on Friday. Tomorrow I need to start.booking places to stay. I have 2 short stays identified (1 night to see Ironbridge Gorge, then 2 nights at the manor/b&b where our cooking class is) and will book those. I still need to find a hotel in Oxford and cottage in the Cotswolds where we'll be with friends. Phew. Oh, and a rental car - it's half price to do round trip Oxford, vs 1 way to drop off at airport. But our return flight is in the afternoon, so I think we will be ok dropping off the car, staying in Oxford, and taking the bus to the airport in the morning. A little more moving than I'd like in 12 or 13 days, but this itinerary gets me to a lot of the things we want to do, without too too much driving....

USA_flyer

Where did you book your cookery course?

Your All Hallow's Farmhouse is in Dorset. It will be a little less crowded than the Cotswolds and is also quite lovely.

From there you could mosey on down to Somerset, Devon, and if you're feeling adventurous, as far as Cornwall. It does get busy in the school holidays so avoid 21st July thru 1st sept.