Traveling to London?

[JulieWent]

We are thinking of traveling to London next summer. (Actually, we're trying to decide whether to keep our Med Cruise or ditch it and just spend the time in England instead.)

We are from the Deep South in the United States (Alabama) where it is hot, hot, hot all summer long. I know this is not so in the UK, so I wanted to check in over here to see what your recommendations are for the best time to travel during the summer. I was thinking late June (around the 20th or so) through early July. My guess is that we will stay in the south mostly, not venturing north towards Scotland. Is the weather usually pleasant then?

Also, I'd love to hear any recommendations you have. It will be my husband and I, who are both in our mid-40s, and our son, who will be 11.

Thanks in advance!

Julie

(I loved the fact that there is a Doctor Who thread on this board. My husband has watched that show since we were teenagers -- well the old Dr. Who, at least.)

 

[wils]

Hi Julie - Welcome to the UK Boards

Weather wise it is a beautifully hot and sunny looking day today but, as always you can never rely on the weather in England! Lots of layers are the way to go and also an umbella is always useful. Our schools don't break up until later in July so it probably is a good time to visit.

In terms of what to see - where to start!! In London there are the usual favourites of Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and the Millenium (big) wheel. There are also lots of museums. WWW.Visitlondon.com is a good website!

Further afield there are places like Stonehenge and up my way Shakespeare's Stratford-Upon-Avon and Warwick Castle.

I'm sure other UK Disers will be able to think of tons more things to do and see (and so might I once I've had my breakfast!)

 

[mark&sue]

Hope you have a great time. At the moment it is really hot here but as previously advised can change at any time.

There are a few theme parks here on the outskirts of London, Thorpe Park and Chessington and the midlands has Alton Towers which is nice.

You must let us know what you decide to do.


Susan

 

[Disney owl]

Hot & sunny up here in Yorkshire today but can be cold & wet in June so come prepared.

Your son would probably love a ride/flight on the London Eye which gives you a great view of London.

Took my DD 15 for her 1st visit to the Tower of LOndon last October & she really enjoyed that too.

Can recommend Covent Garden for shopping & great street entertainment

 

[JulieWent]

Thank you all so much! We are really leaning towards the trip to England. Your gracious replies have left me with a few new questions: Wils, about how long is the commute to Stonehenge from London? How about to Warwick Castle and to Stratford? (I've heard such wonderful things about Warwick, and, I'll confess if, I'm an English teacher, so going to Stratford-Upon-Avon would make my trip.) Are the roads easy to navigate? (It terrifies my husband to think of driving in another country, but if the trip is easy....)

Susan, basically the same questions about Alton Towers. My son is a roller coaster fan, and he has talked before about several of the coasters at Alton Towers. It would definitely break up some of the more adult touring if we spent a day at a place like this. How long is the drive from London to Alton Towers? (I'm told that the rail doesn't go there.) And, of course, is it an easy commute?

Thank you so much! I think our decision is starting to be made. We talked last night, and I asked my husband which he would rather do. He said, "England, definitely." I asked my son which countries in Europe he'd like to see, and he was more diplomatic, but England was at the top of his list.
I've still got some thinking to do, but....

Once again, thank you for your responses.

Julie

 

[Dimplenose]

The drive from London to Warwick is quite straightforward and takes us about 1 hour 20 minutes (we live 15 miles south of London - Warwick is to the north-ish). I find the M25 (the motorway which encircles London) can be quite stressful depending on the time of day. The second part of the journey (on the M40) is much easier.

Alton Towers takes us about 3 hours (including a toilet break). The motorways are much the same as for Warwick (only it's M25 then M1 this time) but the roads from the motorway are quite windy and hilly, but we've never found them a problem (apart from the time my car's handbrake stopped working when I needed to do a hill start).

Thorpe Park and Chessington are much closer to London (10 miutes from us, so I suppose 30 from central London).

Check out
http://www.tussauds.com/

Libby