This is a 13 days self-drive road trip in England covering London, the Cotswolds, Liverpool and Christmas at the Lake District.
We planned this trip to England to coincide with Daniel’s Christmas break from his studies in the University of Bath.
After 5 days at London, we would embark on a road trip from through the beautiful countryside of the Cotswolds, Liverpool and spend Christmas at the Waterhead Hotel at Ambleside. Ambleside is a village located on the shore of Lake Windemere in the English Lake District. We would then return to the city of Bath, via the Cotswolds route again.
This is the overview of our trip.
Day 1 (16 December 2012) – London
Travel from home to Heathrow Airport, arriving 7.20 AM. Travel by Heathrow Connect (30 minutes interval, journey time 25 minutes) to Paddington Station.
Meet Daniel in London at Paddington Station.
After check-in at our hotel, visit Camden Market. Best time to visit Camden Market in on weekends. Market opens from Monday through to Sunday, 10am - 6pm.
Trip Report: A visit to Camden Market.
Evening/Dinner: Try the famous Roast Duck dinner at Bayswater (Gold Mine,102 Queensway, Bayswater or Four Seasons, 84 Queensway, Bayswater).
Where I stayed: Premier Inn London Kensington (Earl's Court) in London.
Day 2 (17 December 2012) – London
A full day of sightseeing in London.
Buckingham Palace (changing of guards at 11 am), walk through St James Park to Westminster Abbey. See 10 Downing Street, Big Ben, Parliament House, London Eye. Then go to Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, walk through Chinatown and dinner at Chinatown or Burger & Lobster at Dean Street.
Trip report: Walking Tour of the famous London Sights.
Where I stayed: Premier Inn London Kensington (Earl's Court) in London.
Day 3 (18 December 2012) – London
Visit Tower of London. Tower opens at 9 am on Tuesday to Saturday. Allow two to three hours for a visit Tower of London.
Allow extra time to take a Yeoman Warder's tour (Beefeater's tour.) These hour-long tours by the Tower's special guards are usually offered every half-hour during the day. Buy ticket online for discount. There is also discount for Students.
See Tower Bridge and HMS Belfast nearby.
Trip report: Visit to Tower of London.
Evening at Oxord Street to see the Christmas light-up and do some shopping.
Trip report: Oxford Street and Christmas Lightings.
Where I stayed: Premier Inn London Kensington (Earl's Court) in London.
Day 4 (19 December 2012) – London
Check out TKTS booth at Leicester Square for discount tickets for a musical.
Visit the Royal Air Force (RAF) Museum at Hendon. Entry is free. Opens 10am - 6pm [last entry 5:30pm]
Where I Stayed: Premier Inn London Kensington (Earl's Court) in London.
Trip report: Visit to RAF Museum at Hendon, London.
Day 5 (20 December 2012) – London
Visit the British Museum near Russell Square. Entry is free.
Where I stayed: Premier Inn London Kensington (Earl's Court) in London.
Trip report: Visit to British Museum in London.
Day 6 (21 December 2012) – London to Oxford
Visit the Natural History Museum before leaving London For Oxford. Entry is free and the museum opens at 10 AM.
Trip report: Visit to the Natural History Museum in London.
Take taxi to Paddington Station and take Heathrow Connect to airport to pick up rental car. This is the beginning of our road trip.
Drive to Oxford.
Explore Oxford and colleges of Oxford University.
Trip report: From London to Oxford and the Covered Market.
Dinner at Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant located along George Street. This restaurant was quite popular in Oxford as this was Jamie’s first restaurant
Where I stayed: Red Mullion Guesthouse at Oxford.
This Bed and Breakfast accommodation offers Family Room large enough for 4 adults, free off-street parking and is a short drive away from Oxford town Ccntre.
Day 7 (22 December 2012) – Explore the Cotswolds (Oxford to Stratford Upon Avon)
Visit Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford (Museums close at 4.30 PM). Entry is free.
Trip report: Pitt Rivers Museum and Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
Drive and explore the eastern part of the Cotswolds towns and villages and ending the day at Stratford Upon Avon.
Stop over at Bourton-On-Water and Lower Slaughter on the way to Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Trip report: Tea at Bourton-On-the-Waters, the Venice of the Cotswold.
Trip report: Most romantic village of the the Cotswold - Lower Slaughter.
Where I stayed: Ambleside Guest House at Stratford-Upon-Avon. This Bed and Breakfast accommodation offers Family Room large enough for 4 adults, free off-street parking and is a short walk away from Stratford town centre and keys sights.
Day 8 (23 December 2012) – Stratford Upon Avon to Liverpool
Explore and see the sights of Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare in the morning.
Trip report: Morning at Stratford Upon Avon–Shakespeare’s town.
Drive from Stratford-Upon-Avon to Liverpool.
Visit Albert Dock and the Beatles Museum.
Dinner at Albert Dock and drinks at the Cavern Pub where the Beatles first started.
Trip report: Evening in Liverpool – Beatles Museum and dinner at Albert Dock.
Where I stayed: Bridgestreet Serviced Apartments at Liverpool ONE. We booked a 2 Bedroom Service Apartment with garage parking. It is ideally located right on top of Liverpool ONE mall and walking distance to Albert Dock and attractions within the city.
Day 9 (24 December 2012) – Liverpool to Ambleside at the Lake District
Short visit to Anfield Stadium, home of Liverpool FC in the morning before driving to Lake district (2 hours journey).
Trip report: Revisit to Anfield stadium.
Arrive by 3 PM for the Christmas Programme at Waterhead Hotel.
(** This was the Waterhead - 2012 Christmas Breaks – Programme ** for Christmas Eve)
Following a warm welcome and glass of our ‘secret recipe’ homemade mulled wine on arrival, a traditional Lakeland afternoon tea will be served in our Bar and Lounge with stunning views over the Lake to the fells beyond. Suitably refreshed why not discover the delights of Ambleside to buy that last minute Christmas present, or alternatively relax and unwind in our bar and lounge with a glass of your favourite tipple.
Mark Needham, General Manager, and his team then welcome you to the evening celebrations with a champagne and canapé reception, followed by a luxurious four course dinner in the stylish surroundings of the Bar & Grill Restaurant.
It’s then time for our ever-popular casino night, with blackjack, roulette and the wheel of fortune game. The local parish churches welcome the community and visitors alike for midnight mass and a glass of mulled wine will await your return to the hotel.
Trip report: Christmas Eve at Waterhead Hotel, Ambleside, Lake District.
Where I stayed : Waterhead Hotel at Ambleside, Lake District.
Day 10 (25 December 2012) – Ambleside at the Lake District
(** This was the Waterhead - 2012 Christmas Breaks – Programme ** for Christmas Day)
Our chimneys will be swept in anticipation of a seasonal visitor who will greet you with presents and a glass or two of Bucks Fizz prior to a full Christmas breakfast. Although we’re sure that for many the rest of the morning may be spent opening gifts, why not enjoy some stimulating and invigorating Lakeland air on the traditional Christmas morning walk, along with the equally traditional half-way glass of mulled wine!
Hopefully, you’ll now have some space for our traditional six course Christmas Day lunch served with all the trimmings, followed by the Queen’s speech televised at 3pm in the bar. Join us again in the evening for a light but sumptuous buffet supper, the rest of the evening being relaxed and informal and the perfect opportunity to unwind following the exertions of the day.
Where I stayed : Waterhead Hotel at Ambleside, Lake District.
Trip report: Christmas Morning at Ambleside on the bank of Lake Windermere.
Trip report: Lazy Christmas afternoon and evening at the Waterhead Hotel.
Day 11 (26 December 2012) – Ambleside at the Lake District
(** This was the Waterhead - 2012 Christmas Breaks – Programme ** for Boxing Day)
Relax and enjoy a well-earned lie-in! Brunch will be served in the Bar & Grill. Following this, you could take advantage of a complimentary cruise on Lake Windermere or tackle this year’s Treasure Hunt around Ambleside.
* We went for the cruise on Lake Windermere in the morning and drove to Wast Water in the afternoon.
This evening’s three course dinner will feature our chef’s twist on some traditional British Pub favourites served in the Bar & Grill, keeping with the theme it’s then time to assemble your team for the Waterhead Festive Pub Quiz with prizes for the lucky winners.
A drink or two overlooking Lake Windermere will round off a memorable and relaxing Christmas at The Waterhead.
Where I stayed : Waterhead Hotel at Ambleside, Lake District.
Trip report: Morning Cruise on Lake Windermere at the Lake District.
Trip report: Half day road trip to Wast Water from Ambleside, Lake District.
Day 12 (27 December 2012) – Keswich at the Lake District and drive to Cheltenham
We went for a morning walk to Borrans Park at Ambleside before breakfast.
Trip report: Morning with the geese at Borrans Park, Lake District England.
Following a final hearty Lakeland breakfast, stopover at Derwent Waters, Keswich
Do the long drive to Cheltenhem (205 miles - about 4 hours journey non-stop).
Free and easy evening at Cheltenhem.
Trip report: Revisit to Derwent Water, Keswick and the long drive to Cheltenham.
Where I Stayed: Bridge House B&B at Cheltenhem.
Day 13 (28 December 2012) – Explore the Cotswolds (Cheltenham to Bath)
Drive through the western part of Cotswolds en-route to Bath. Our route: Cheltenham to Gloucester to Painswick to Castle Combe to Bath.
Trip report: A drive through Cotswold Town of Painswick.
We did a stopover at Castle Combe, one of the prettiest village in the Cotswolds and filming location of the movies “War Horse” and “Dr Doolittle”.
We spent the afternoon in Bath. Visited the Royal Crescent and went to the city center to see the Bath Abbey, the outside of the Roman Bath, Pulteney Bridge and the weir.
The weir at Bath.
Trip report: Afternoon in the City of Bath.
Where I stayed: Milton House B&B at Bath. This B&B is located along Wells Road, slightly away from the City Centre. It offers free on-street parking.
Day 14 (29 December 2012) – Bath
Free and easy day to explore the City of Bath.
Where I stayed: Milton House B&B at Bath.
Day 15 (30 December 2012) – Bath to Heathrow
Journey from Bath to Heathrow Airport for our flight home.
Planning Considerations:
Our trip span the Christmas season in UK. Getting around town at Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day can be challenging thanks to reduced timetables on the tube, buses and railways. Very few shops and restaurants would be open during that period as well.
Waterhead Hotel in Ambleside, Lake District offered Christmas packages that included hotel stay, full board and activities for guest. It was ideal for my needs as I planned to visit the beautiful Lake District during the winter period and also provide time for family bonding.
Useful Trip Planning Resources:
1. Route planning,
A good resource I normally use when planning my trips was google maps. However, for planning a road trip in the UK, the AA Route Planner was an excellent tool.
2. Accommodation
I usually book my hotels through Booking.com as it offers a wide selection of accommodation, with free cancellations and often no need for prepayment.
For the smaller towns and villages in the UK, accommodation is usually in family-owned Bed and Breakfast (B&B). This UK Bed & Breakfast Directory and Travel Guides is a good resource. I usually booked B&B via email to the owners directly or through their website, if available.
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