If you are a typical visitor to the UK, you'll probably arrive in London and then plan a bit of touring. The trouble is most visitors try to squeeze in too many regions in one short trip, racing from London to Scotland via York and Stonehenge with the odd Welsh castle thrown in for good measure.Do that and you'll end up exhausted and wishing you had more time to see and taste just about everything you've tried to see and taste.
The benefits of a more selective approach.
If you focus your short break touring on a specific and limited area, you have a much better chance of really enjoying the experiences you have instead of just ticking them off in your "been there, done that" inventory. You'll go home with fond and lasting memories instead of a confused jumble. This is the approach I favor when I travel:
- pick a region with plenty to see, several places to stay and dine.
- plan on traveling no more than two hours between destination towns or attractions.
- make the tour a circular one so that the start and finish are in roughly the same area, preferably near a departure airport, train station or ferry port.
Going West
This itinerary takes in some of the best sites west of London, as far away as Bath, about 115 miles. It includes three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Four relaxed days will do it but you can expand this trip to between five and eight days by adding the "optional days" suggestions.
Distances and times are judged for automobile touring but all destinations can be reached by train or bus.
