Help with UK Trip
November 5, 2023 6:10 AM Subscribe
Hi. We get off of a tour of Southern England on May 4th in Bath. We are looking for low-key suggestions for a couple of stops before we need to be in Germany 12 days later. We are currently thinking about 7 days in Bath and 5 in London, but we are way open to suggestions.
We are a couple of mid-sixties Americans up for easy hikes, unusual museums/sites, and pretty much anything interesting to do. I have a strong desire to see one or two local sporting events, particularly football. Experiencing Village life (moving slow, walk to pub, hike the countryside) would also be nice. We have zero plans to have a car, but a days rental is not out of the question. Guided day trips are also a possibility.
We are capable of doing this planning ourselves, of course, but we have every confidence that this community can/will give us some out-of-the box recommendations.
BTW: we only want two or three locations for the 12 day period. We'll be moving kinda fast during the rest of our trip, so we'd like to catch our breath.
We are a couple of mid-sixties Americans up for easy hikes, unusual museums/sites, and pretty much anything interesting to do. I have a strong desire to see one or two local sporting events, particularly football. Experiencing Village life (moving slow, walk to pub, hike the countryside) would also be nice. We have zero plans to have a car, but a days rental is not out of the question. Guided day trips are also a possibility.
We are capable of doing this planning ourselves, of course, but we have every confidence that this community can/will give us some out-of-the box recommendations.
BTW: we only want two or three locations for the 12 day period. We'll be moving kinda fast during the rest of our trip, so we'd like to catch our breath.
I have a friend who was recently supposed to do a day trip to Bath, which didn’t work out for reasons. He went on to Cardiff and enjoyed a day there instead.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:27 AM on November 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:27 AM on November 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
Stonehenge is a day trip from Bath.
posted by ellenaim at 7:54 AM on November 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by ellenaim at 7:54 AM on November 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
Day trip to Cirencester if you are interested in Roman history and pretty towns. Do all the Roman and Georgian things in Bath itself, of course. They really are worth it. Report back to Metafilter on how you like the waters ;-)
A great resource is The National Trust and/or English Heritage. (Their 9 day pass might suit you)
The thing to know about the Cotswolds is that it is 'chocolate box' countryside. I.e. It is delightfully pretty, rather than wild and windswept. The houses look like they probably have roses around the door. It's the posh part of the countryside where people still complain they can't do fox hunting anymore and there are a rash of boarding school in old stately homes. To put it in context, Tetbury, just up the road from Bath, is where Prince William and Prince Harry grew up. Just fyi, in case you are expecting rugged peaks. This is soft rolling hills and neat trimmed hedgerows land, with warm fires burning in country pubs that also happen to stock excellent wine.
posted by EllaEm at 8:47 AM on November 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
A great resource is The National Trust and/or English Heritage. (Their 9 day pass might suit you)
The thing to know about the Cotswolds is that it is 'chocolate box' countryside. I.e. It is delightfully pretty, rather than wild and windswept. The houses look like they probably have roses around the door. It's the posh part of the countryside where people still complain they can't do fox hunting anymore and there are a rash of boarding school in old stately homes. To put it in context, Tetbury, just up the road from Bath, is where Prince William and Prince Harry grew up. Just fyi, in case you are expecting rugged peaks. This is soft rolling hills and neat trimmed hedgerows land, with warm fires burning in country pubs that also happen to stock excellent wine.
posted by EllaEm at 8:47 AM on November 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
The Association Football is right at the end of the season, there's still matches on Sat 4th May 2024 (Birmingham City are about 2hrs from Bath on the train) and Sat 11th May 2024 (Fulham FC and Tottenham Hotspurs are playing at home in London).
(If I had 12 days to get to Germany, I'd consider putting a stop for a few days in Brussels and using High Speed Rail to get from London to Brussels and on to Germany.)
posted by k3ninho at 8:55 AM on November 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
(If I had 12 days to get to Germany, I'd consider putting a stop for a few days in Brussels and using High Speed Rail to get from London to Brussels and on to Germany.)
posted by k3ninho at 8:55 AM on November 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
There is quite a lot to do near Cardiff. St Fagans National Museum of History, Castell Coch and Caerphilly Castle are all nearby, Cardiff Bay is lovely and you may be able to catch something at Cardiff City Stadium in town. There is also lots of lovely countryside nearby.
posted by sueinnyc at 9:55 AM on November 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by sueinnyc at 9:55 AM on November 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
Cheddar Gorge is about 45 mins drive from Bath, and the country is lovely even if the town of Cheddar is hideous. Or you have Wookey Hole, right next to the City of Wells. It's a short jaunt on from there to Glastonbury.
If you want to do Stonehenge then pair it with Salisbury. A pretty city with an impressive cathedral with its own copy of the Magna Carta.
posted by biffa at 10:30 AM on November 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you want to do Stonehenge then pair it with Salisbury. A pretty city with an impressive cathedral with its own copy of the Magna Carta.
posted by biffa at 10:30 AM on November 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
You can definitely spend 7 nice relaxing days in Bath without repeating too much, and I think I'd recommend it. It's not a cheap city, so that might affect your plans, but there's lots here. One of the big advantages it has is that you can get proper countryside walks in and come back to your accommodation in the city easily.
In terms of walking in the countryside from Bath, the National Trust's Bath Skyline Walk is a good starting point. There's a variety of other walks not necessarily similar to that. Local countryside charity Bathscape has a list of walks and, probably more usefully for imagining it, places to walk to in the local area. If I were to list a few additional places to walk to and pubs to go around, I'd say:
Anyway, I'll come back later with my views on the actual in-city things to do in Bath, but suffice to say I think it's a good plan. As are day trips to Stonehenge & Salisbury Cathedral (trains hourly to Salisbury, a bit slow and crowded) and to Bristol (trains every 15 minutes, taking between 11 and 17 minutes), with the station a 20 minute walk or river ferry ride to the good bits of the city.
posted by ambrosen at 10:38 AM on November 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
In terms of walking in the countryside from Bath, the National Trust's Bath Skyline Walk is a good starting point. There's a variety of other walks not necessarily similar to that. Local countryside charity Bathscape has a list of walks and, probably more usefully for imagining it, places to walk to in the local area. If I were to list a few additional places to walk to and pubs to go around, I'd say:
- Kelston Roundhill and Prospect Stile, combined with a meal and pint at the Hare and Hounds (Probably book ahead. If it's full, go to the Charlcombe Inn, which looked to be doing a decent roast today, and was also full.).
- South Stoke, taking in the incredibly beautiful Packhorse pub. I'd recommend starting this at the South Stoke viewpoint, in terms of ease of access, though.
- The Kennet and Avon Canal through Sydney Gardens out to Bathampton Meadows, stopping at The George or The Bathampton Mill
Anyway, I'll come back later with my views on the actual in-city things to do in Bath, but suffice to say I think it's a good plan. As are day trips to Stonehenge & Salisbury Cathedral (trains hourly to Salisbury, a bit slow and crowded) and to Bristol (trains every 15 minutes, taking between 11 and 17 minutes), with the station a 20 minute walk or river ferry ride to the good bits of the city.
posted by ambrosen at 10:38 AM on November 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
Depending on where your itinerary ends up taking you - if you head out of the cities you mention into the surrounding villages/country side know that public transport can become very hit and miss. Not impossible to navigate by any means but make sure that you have mapped out all your public transport needs and options before you leave...the system works well enough in the cities and connecting the cities but rural England is no place for the carless. For example, a bus may only run during commuting hrs or only three times a day or only every other day or have a different route some of the time...
posted by koahiatamadl at 11:12 AM on November 5, 2023
posted by koahiatamadl at 11:12 AM on November 5, 2023
An easy hike is out along the towpath of the Kennet and Avon canal to, say, Bradford-on-Avon. Canals being functionally flat. There is a little pootly train that meanders from Bath through Bradford and sundry towns and villages all the way to Weymouth on the South coast. You can catch this train from Bradford back to town. Actually the walk from Bradford to Bath is probably the better direction. Peter Gabriel fans? Solsbury Hill is on the NE outskirts of Bath with nice views back across the caldera.
posted by BobTheScientist at 11:55 AM on November 5, 2023
posted by BobTheScientist at 11:55 AM on November 5, 2023
Came here to say Bristol, so seconding Bristol. Small, walkable, decent transport links, very multicultural, easy hiking on your doorstep, lots going on with live shows, museums, etc. Vibrant dining scene. Less expensive than Bath.
posted by Ardnamurchan at 1:13 PM on November 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Ardnamurchan at 1:13 PM on November 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
I used to live in that part of the world. I'm seconding ambrosen. Bath is a perfectly fine, attractive, relaxing place to spend a week. Its a good base for exploring. Random tidibits of my own:
-Seconding a walk down the Avon to Bradford-on-Avon. It is a beautiful walk.
-There's a quirky museum outside of town called the American museum. It is worth exploring even if, like me, you are American as it has a great collection of memorabilia and period pieces.
-Dyrham Park is up the road. Great, stately home where I believe Remains of the Day was filmed.
-Frome is a pretty town which has a great market.
-Corsham and Castle Combe are both other nearby pretty villages. Corsham Castle has a nice art gallery and last time we were there we chatted with Lord Methuen himself. (He was dressed in old clothes and dirty, tattered jeans but the staff addressed him as Lord Methuen.)
-In Bath, there are excursion companies that offer trips out to Stonehenge and Avebury so thats easy to do from here.
-In Bath, definitely visit Mr. B's. Possibly the best bookstore in the UK, not necessarily for its size but for how much the staff cares about books (ask them for a recommendation!) and their great selection.
-Seconding Bristol, a lively town and very different than, say, London. Its a great place to just walk around.
posted by vacapinta at 2:25 AM on November 6, 2023
-Seconding a walk down the Avon to Bradford-on-Avon. It is a beautiful walk.
-There's a quirky museum outside of town called the American museum. It is worth exploring even if, like me, you are American as it has a great collection of memorabilia and period pieces.
-Dyrham Park is up the road. Great, stately home where I believe Remains of the Day was filmed.
-Frome is a pretty town which has a great market.
-Corsham and Castle Combe are both other nearby pretty villages. Corsham Castle has a nice art gallery and last time we were there we chatted with Lord Methuen himself. (He was dressed in old clothes and dirty, tattered jeans but the staff addressed him as Lord Methuen.)
-In Bath, there are excursion companies that offer trips out to Stonehenge and Avebury so thats easy to do from here.
-In Bath, definitely visit Mr. B's. Possibly the best bookstore in the UK, not necessarily for its size but for how much the staff cares about books (ask them for a recommendation!) and their great selection.
-Seconding Bristol, a lively town and very different than, say, London. Its a great place to just walk around.
posted by vacapinta at 2:25 AM on November 6, 2023
Bath possibility: The museum called No 1 Royal Crescent has a room called the Geodrobe which allows you to dress up in Regency costumes. May or may not appeal.
posted by eyeofthetiger at 3:05 AM on November 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by eyeofthetiger at 3:05 AM on November 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Avebury is the same distance from Bath as Stonehenge (about an hours drive), and it's so much better.
You can walk round the stones (and go to the pub and shops in the middle of the circle!)
posted by chrispy108 at 5:12 AM on November 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
You can walk round the stones (and go to the pub and shops in the middle of the circle!)
posted by chrispy108 at 5:12 AM on November 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by terretu at 6:59 AM on November 5, 2023 [4 favorites]