Gloucester??

[Callie]

We're off to England next year for a couple weeks. We'll fly into London and immediately head to Somerset to visit friends for 4 days. We have two days free before our London rental and somehow, someway, I have landed on Gloucester as a place to visit. For the life of me, I can't remember why, although I did find a nice BnB there.

Can any of you help me remember what's interesting/special in Gloucester? Or is it just the convenience of the train line straight into Paddington? (A good possibility.) It seems that Cheltenham is nearby and would provide a day's entertainment as well. Obviously I did some internet research to have landed there, but in re-reading, I'm just not sure why.

Any thoughts about another place to go - easy to get to from Taunton, easy to get to London?

Thanks,
Callie

 

[Pauline]

Gloucester - I bet you are a Harry Potter fan and that is how you came across Gloucester. Parts of the films were made in the Gloucester Cathedral. The Cathedral is magnificent (I have more info here) but I don't recommend Gloucester as your place to visit. Other than the Cathedral there is not much to do and it is a bit of a grim town. We lived 5 miles from Gloucester for the last 4 years (we recently moved to Dorset) and just went in a few times to see the Cathedral.

Instead I have a few places to recommend:

1. Bath. It is a beautiful town to walk around. The Romans had a city here. In Georgian times the city was developed to be a seasonal destination, resulting in beautiful neighborhoods built in the late 1700s and into the 1800s. Jane Austen lived in 4 different houses here. You can walk along the Kennet and Avon Canal. Great restaurants. It can get a bit touristy and crowded in the center, but I still like it. It is an easy train ride to London (2 hours direct I think) and probably easy to get to from Tauton.
Cotswolder - Bath
Day Trips - Roman Baths in Bath

2. Salisbury. We recently spent a night there, but did spend a week there 10 years ago. The Cathedral is fabulous (tallest spire in England), the town is lively and full of very old medieval buildings. Plus Stonehenge is only 15 minutes away. You can probably take a bus there. Easy train ride to London (1.5 hours direct) and probably easy to get to from Tauton. We stayed at the Chapter House Hotel - well priced and in a very old building (beams, slanting floors, low doorways - but all the mod cons).
Day Trips - Stonehenge

3. Oxford. Maybe not as easy to get to, but you would take a train to Reading and change there.

4. Cotswolds. If you want to get out into the countryside, you could take the train into the Cotswolds. Either to Cheltenham and then a bus or taxi to Winchcombe (@SusanSeattle did this recently). Winchcombe is a charming Cotswold town and has great walking trails plus bus service to Broadway. Or to Moreton-in-Marsh which is on the Oxford train line. It is a lovely town and you can take buses to Chipping Campden or Broadway, etc.
More info on Cotswolder.

I use www.thetrainline.com to figure out trains and www.travelinesw.com to figure out buses.

I know the Southwest of England pretty well, so if you tell me what types of things you are interested in, I can point you at places. We lived in the Cotswolds for 5 1/2 years but recently moved to Dorset, on the coast.

 

[Callie]

Gloucester is out; Salisbury is in. Complete with reservations at the Chapter House Hotel. It's only one train change from Taunton; no changes to London Waterloo and sounds like lots more fun than Gloucester.

Thanks, Pauline, for the suggestion.

 

[Pauline]

Good choice! It is almost right on the way from Taunton to London.

Will you go to Stonehenge, or have you been before? They have a new visitor center now and it changes the whole area. It is 1.5 miles from the stones and buses run every few minutes. You can ask them to let you off half way and then walk to the stones. We did this on our recent visit and it was a very good way to approach them. You really get to see how the stones fit into the prehistoric landscape.

You could also go on to Avebury maybe - it you are into stone circles as much as I am. It is a bit further - maybe another 40 mins by car - but is also very interesting.

 

[Callie]

I've been to Stonehenge before, but not since the new visitor center. Two years ago we traveled all over Scotland to see the prehistoric stones, from Edinburgh to Orkney and back. If my husband wants to go to Stonehenge, we'll probably do it, but I'd like to go to Avebury. Have you been to Orkney? I was in awe. Now I want to get up to Shetland and revisit some of the things we saw on our earlier trip.

Callie

 

[Pauline]

I have not seen those stones in Scotland but would love to. Can you start a new thread and tell me about them. I have been meaning to find out about them and try to get up there.

I like Avebury. You can spend several hours there. There is a trail from the circle to Silbury Hill.

For Stonehenge you have to buy tickets online for timed entry.

 

[Callie]

I'll do it. Winter in Maine is long and there are lots of days spent inside. That would be a great project for me. If you are already in England, there is no reason not to go see Scotland. Most of them are just right there and you can wander as you please. And way up north, they are still digging out a whole town. Some poor guy wanted a new garden his back yard, started digging up the ground and now he has a whole team of archeologists digging up a small city instead of a new garden. If I can figure out how to upload photos, I'll do that as well.

 

[Pauline]

@Callie if you have problems with photos, email me (pauline@sloweurope.com) and I can upload them. We could make a Day Trip with them, on the main site.

 

[PokeyMindy]

Pauline, do recommend buying train tickets way in advance; specifically our tickets from London to Moreton on Marsh and then from there to Edinburgh? I'm comfortable buying train tickets for Italy, but not so much for the U.K.

thank you,

Mindy

 

[Callie]

Mindy,

Pauline's web site for train tickets is really very user friendly. I think you can buy tickets 90 days out and the sooner you get them, the cheaper they are. I haven't done it myself. My poor British friend does it for me and then sends me the tickets. That way she can make sure I don't overstay my welcome.

When will you be in London?

Callie

 

[PokeyMindy]

Hi Callie
We will be in London arriving July 14 and then we leave for the Cotswolds on the 16th
I'll start researching train travel soon!!

Thanks so much

 

[Pauline]

Yes, buy your tickets ahead if thetrainline.com offers cheap fares - which it usually does. I use the site to buy tickets and friends visiting have used it. They pickup their tickets at the train station. Leave extra time to do this, or go a day ahead because you might not be able to get your tickets from the machine, and may have to line up for the ticket office.

The way they give you tickets is nuts here. You get a handful of tickets for one journey. A ticket for the specific train, a seat reservation, a receipt - all confusing.

On thetrainline.com, for some routes, you can get amazingly cheap tickets if you book ahead. Sometimes the difference is £10 if you book ahead but £40 if you buy on the day of travel. Avoid going from London to the countryside on a Friday evening if you can.

 

[PokeyMindy]

thank you Pauline! I'll start another topic/thread once I begin my search for train tickets...I'm sure I'll need advice!! I do know that we will be leaving London on Sat.July 16th for Moreton-on-Marsh to meet up with Kathy and Charley.

Mindy