Just returned from 5 days in Stratford upon Avon. Longest time I have been outside London in the UK and I found it very picturesque but far more stressful than being in London

[Desiringonlychild]

The main reason is that neither DH and I drive. Its usually fine for city breaks (1-2 days) because we just mosy around the town centre and visit all the museums/attractions within walking distance and its all really lovely. However with covid, a lot of the restaurants are booked out (due to reduced capacity), a lot of the attractions are closed, so the relaxing country holiday in the shires becomes really boring unless we venture outside the town (which is hard to do without a car). the town centre and museums in stratford upon avon were fun for the first 2 days but then after a while we ran out of things to do and reverted to shopping. We had a day trip to birmingham which we did not really enjoy (apologies to all brummies!) but the roads in birmingham seems mainly built for cars

I didn't grow up in the UK. DH grew up in London. Our usual holidays are to Asia to visit my parents or European cities which almost always have better public transport than London. However with covid, we are pretty stuck in the UK. Could anyone suggest nice destinations within the UK which are good for car free Londoners with plenty to do within walking distance (we don't mind walking for hours, but not five miles to the nearest village). We enjoy sightseeing, museums, walks in parks/woods that are easily accessible by foot, good restaurants, quaint old buildings.

Also this trip has convinced me that I can't live outside London despite property prices. Its just not possible without a car.

Most of the northern cities are pretty good when you’re car free. Manchester and Sheffield have tram networks, Liverpool has local rail, Newcastle has the Metro. It’s obviously not as extensive as London but it’s perfectly possible to live without a car or have a trip to those places.

We don't have a car. DH can't drive. Now we have kids I'm more likely to hire one for holidays but I generally didn't before.

It is really not worth the expense of learning to drive just to get a rental occasionally. If you don't have a car to practice in it will take forever and cost a fortune. Having a car if you live reasonably central in london is 100% more hassle than worth it.

Good holidays:
-kent coast- train to margate or whitstable and explore by train- lots of arts stuff plus beaches and nice food.

• did a cycling trip round the hebrides by train and ferry- was beautiful and v easy
• we just got back from a week in north yorks- York itself and the coast- again easy and the train to york is v fast

fast -Cornwall (I'm from there) is feasible but you won't get to access all the remote bits. Buses are regular but not frequent in summer- st ives, truro and falmouth all have stuff to do. -The lakes is ok as there are a lot of buses.

Most city breaks in the UK only worthy of a couple of days really. Big fan of Bristol, Manchester, Bath is one to combine with Bristol.

It is annoying if you pick the wrong place, but car free holidays are easily done. It's not a hardship- the journey is so much more pleasant. The train to cornwall for example is a fabulous trip, as is the little train to whitby.

@dollypopy it depends on where you live. in Zone 4/5, I would agree. But I live in zone 3 and most houses in my area don't even have off street parking. I am luckier in the sense that my flat has some parking spaces within the development, but honestly its quite full and a nightmare to drive in and out. Also as my solicitor pointed out when we bought the flat, there is no right to park but given that the residents own the freehold, i don't really see them rescinding our right to park our cars.

I can see it being useful for school run but catchments for london state schools are so small anyway that they are walkable. If we go private, the local private school, highgate school, encourages public transport to ease congestion. The Jewish schools also have regular bus routes from as far afield as Herts and Essex (my DH used to take the bus or cycle).

I mean people do have cars; i had a friend whose boyfriend kept a car to go to the drycleaners mainly but it was such a tiny proportion of his income that he didn't care.

What about the lake district? The train to windermere and base yourself there. Then its really set up for hiking / hill walking /biking routes between attractions and picnicking.

I can recommend Canterbury in Kent. Takes about an hr and 15 minutes direct from London and has the Cathedral, museums, old abbey, river boating, theatre and many nice independent shops / restaurants. From there, ( or direct from London) you can easily get within half an hr to the coastal towns by train to Whitstable, Herne Bay, Margate, Ramsgate or Broadstairs. Deal is a lovely resort by the beach with an interesting castle at Walmer and very easily accessible from London. Tonbridge Wells has direct train to London too - great for shopping / antiques Rochester is half an hr from London on a direct train ( use HS1) and has a very quaint quirky high street, Rochester Castle and Cathedral, plus a lot of Dickens history to visit. When I lived in south London, I used to pop down to Rochester all the time. The Medway also has interesting parts like Chatham Dockyard and some industrial history around the Hoo Peninsula but avoid the Medway towns overall apart from Rochester as there isn’t much to see there. I hope that helps. As you may have guessed- I live in Kent! I think it depends if you definitely want a city break then maybe you need the bigger cities but Canterbury is good for a day and you then can take trips out to the coast using it as a base. The trains and buses are fairly good and the HS1 is generally very efficient, quick and comfortable. I hope that helps

I live in Z3 & have to have a permit to park like most of the roads round here. Only a handful of my neighbours don't have cars & some have 2.

Most people don't drive to the local primary unless they have moved out of catchment &/or are dropping their dc off on the way to work. People use their cars for all sorts of reasons.

@DisgruntledGuineaPig i have been to windermere as a student, and i loved it. went with 3 other girls and none of us could drive haha but we had a grand time.

You might have been better holidaying in London, it seems. 5 days in a small town during Covid without a car sounds like it was too quiet for you.
I dont understand what you mean about the museum in Birmingham being closed, what about the others? There are all sorts of things to be done in and around Birmingham- Sealife centre, art galleries, canal trips, Cadburys World. All easily accessible.

I would recommend a big city next time and do some research on Trip Advisor first. There are lots of lovely places around, honestly.

Did you hire a rowing boat on the river? Or a bicycle? There is quite a bit to do in Stratford for a weekend, but I agree a bit limiting for 5 days.

I would look at doing a more active type holiday such as hiring a canal boat. If you can plan a route, maybe a ring (circular) route, there are pubs about you can stop at for lunch and evening meal (I guess pre-book), and view the UK from a canal. There are stops you can make at certain points where there could be things to do eg potteries to visit - again depends if open and you'd have to pre-book.
Not used them for years but assume still just as good as they're still going but always found Black Prince very good.

Or hire a boat and cruise up and down the Thames. Quite a few towns to visit further up - Oxford, Reading, Henley Windsor etc. You might have to pre-plan and book where you moor for the night but the hiring firm could help. Try Hobbs of Henley.

Yes there's a bit of walking and locks to open and shut but it could be good fun just for two.

You should my need to own a car but if you drive you can hire one for holidays . I find the UK impossible to have a good long holiday in without a car unless you stick to quite big cities. Stratford is only going to provide a day or two at most of holiday things to do. 5 days is way too much time to fill there without a car ( for me anyway)

The problem is that the larger cities with more to do in the UK don't tend to be very picturesque.

I've heard Liverpool is a wonderful place for a city break also Manchester

Places like Oxford, Bath, York are good for a few days without a car

Bristol and York are easy without a car also Edinburgh.

I am not sure at the moment but DH and I went to Jersey for 5days once and it was very easy to get around. The bus service was great. Lots of things to do and see and lovely beaches to just relax.

We also went to the Scilly Isles a few years ago and again very easy to get around. Boat trips to other island and we went to the Tresco gardens that were fantastic. The islands are so small that you can walk around most of them. There are also bikes for hire. It was a really relaxing holiday. Again lovely beaches and we had great weather.

By the way I love Singapore. We stop over there and DD and I have been to the Island of Sentosa and to the Botanical Gardens which were wonderful. I would like to stay longer. Two nights has been the most but we cram in enough in that time. Love Singapore airlines but we couldn’t afford it for the last few trips. I was also going to see my mum and sister plus cousins. Next time we won’t have to travel in the school holidays. DD is in NZ now and is loving it.

OP there's an element of your being hung up on the conditions pertaining to car ownership in another country!

Buy a car, don't buy a car but it seems an awful shame to know so little of the country you live in. Rather than comparing the U.K. unfavourably to other places (because despite their best effort this useless government hasn't yet managed to wipe out the entire landscape) you'd be better to choose your holidays more carefully.

The point of Stratford upon Avon is theatre. And touring "historic" sites. You couldn't do the first. The second must have been a bit of a pain right now. No sensible person should be going there as a tourist at the moment. And five days would be too long even in normal circumstances.

(A taxi ride away from there is Compton Verney - a wonderful art gallery in the midst of landscaped gardens. No idea if it's open atm.)

Millions of people manage to explore the U.K. happily without a car - because they can't afford one. It takes more planning and an adventurous spirit.

Without a car and with COVID still a big issue, I'd look at larger towns and cities where there is lots to do within a smallish area. Ones I've particularly enjoyed are Oxford, Newcastle Upon Tyne, York, Leeds, Bristol, Bath, Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow - a huge choice of museums, galleries, cathedrals, interesting buildings, parks, riverside walks, botanic gardens, cafes and restaurants. I'd happily spend a few days mooching around any of those.

Brighton/Hove - easy to get to countryside by train.
Newcastle - small city, metro system to travel out to coast, countryside
York - loads to do in the city. Assume there are buses or trains out to countryside

Stratford on Avon is a town. It wouldn't strike me as being an ideal destination for non drivers for more than just a few nights. Unless you rent a boat to get out...?

I don't think it was Stratford that was the problem, or the fact that you didn't have a car, you just didn't research it first.

There are loads of places nearby that you could have reached by train / bus or even taxi.

@Inching you think Stratford-upon-Avon is dull and 5 days is too much?! I’ve lived here for 15 years and I’m still not tired of it! Walks along the Avon, Boat trips, huge variety of restaurants and coffee shops, quirky shops, an Everyman cinema, the Attic theatre, RSC, historic houses, Butterfly farm, nearby Warwick Castle, Cotswolds! I could go on! The only thing we lack is a good live music venue. Come and visit again!! 😀

I don't have a car and happily holiday in the UK all the time.

Train travel is your friend.

I do, I fear. I used to live in a neighbouring county and come often for the RSC, and found it a stultifying town. And I've been to the historic houses had a pre-theatre meal in lots of the restaurants, walked along the river etc.

But you might well find where I live now very dull -- I can't see any other houses, and there are more herons than humans in the vicinity!

Sorry, that was to @Dustyyy.

I used to belong to a car club when I lived in London. You had a swipe card and took a car by the hour when you needed one - they were parked all over the place. I’m sure they must still exist. If you did decide that you wanted to learn and occasionally have car access without the commitment of owning and maintaining a car (which I agree is a bit of a waste in London), this may be an option.

www.zipcar.com/en-gb/car-hire-london

I’ve been on plenty of day trips to Stratford but I’ve never been tempted to stay for longer, tbh. I found this lost of ideas for car free breaks in Britain though, it’s a few years old now but there might be some ideas here.

www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/apr/26/car-free-holidays-uk

@Dustyyy : I too love Stratford -upon-Avon and we visit it a lot.
Never, ever found it dull, in fact, one of the things that appeals to me about it is that it is always buzzing and lively. (N.B. We don't live in, or anywhere near, London).
Having said that, we came back from a visit there recently, and it was not looking it's best.
The plastic barrier things which stretch up the main street, look absolutely awful.
Lots of places closed (some looked as if it will be permanent) and just generally, not up to par, sadly.
When are they going to do something with the eyesore that is the old BHS site?
I still wasn't bored though, but I know it can be a better experience than it is at the moment.
I suspect this is the case for lots of towns and cities at this time.

@Wingedharpy Glad you like Stratford! I used to live in London and believe me I don’t miss it! (Still pop down a few times a year for a hit of the big city but glad to come home afterwards).

The barriers in Stratford were put up in a hurry in order to allow social distancing. They’ve now been removed after the shop traders complained it was counter-productive and putting people off. The old BHS site is being turned into a hotel apparently. Since the barriers have come down a lot of cafes have put outside tables and chairs. Sad that a few high street shops are empty. Sign of the times plus high rents sadly. Hopefully things will pick up, I think they will do as there is a strong desire to keep the visitors coming.

I’m glad the butterfly farm is still there. I went over 30 years ago and loved it.

How about the Isle of Wight? Lots to see and they have lots of buses to encourage people not to use the car.

Like anywhere right now though you woulr be best to book restaurants and attractions in advance, many aren't accepting walk up visitors.

Cambridge. Newcastle. York Windermere Glasgow Edinburgh
Portsmouth Isle of Wight