Safe Luxury

How do I plan a 17-day trip to the UK?

I have plans to visit sometime in May next year. But there are so many sites to visit they're driving me crazy! I'd like to visit any of the following sites: Stonehenge London Eye London Dungeons Aves bury Westminster Abbey Buckingham Palace Hyde Park Museum of Natural History The Parliament Building Tower of London and London Bridge any theater in West End (I'm planning to watch the play "Wicked") Roman ruins in Bath Hadrian's Wall Chillington Castle Glamis Castle Main buildings in Edinburgh Underground vaults in Edinburgh Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon In your opinion, how do I squeeze these sites w/in a two-week schedule? If it's not possible, which sites do you think I could forego? It would be my first time to travel in this country. I'm a bit of a literature buff and am obsessed with spook folklore. Thanks.

Public Comments

1. You're going to be busy! But, looking at your wish list: London Eye, Dungeons, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Museums, Parliament Building, Tower of London and London Bridge are all London (of course) so you could spend most of your time in London then travel to Scotland to Glamis and Edinburgh (flying would be quickest) then travel back via. Stratford. Stonehenge and Avebury are quite near each other and (roughly) on the way back to London from Stratford. Difficult to get to unless you're in a car. Bath is beautiful and you could go by train from London if you have time enough. Enjoy yourself.
2. day one jet lag, taxi to travellodge in kingston upon thames. wander/ go easy/ international shake down in kingston upon thames historic market square. day two hampton court, kew? richmond? day three- day trip into london on commuter train, see westminster abbey, buck palace, horse guards, the parks, trafalgar, paliament, hyde park. if you have time try to see the underground war museum under the horse guards. day 4 day trip into london: area around globe theatre. from waterloo, london eye, walk riverside to globe theatre area, dungeon (depressing), walk across millenium bridge, see monument, pudding lane. day 5 day trip into london: tower of london, museum of london, st pauls, day 6 day trip into london: charing cross, covent garden, piccadilly, oxford street (yawn), "wicked", leicester square day 7 make your way by taxi to heathrow, rent a car. make sure you get an automatic. drive to stonehenge (yawn), salisbury, avesbury. hotel salisbury. recommend "premier travel inns" for remainder of trip. day 8 bath/ glastonbury??? there is a motte castle ruin in camel that i thought was interesting. day 9 startford upon avon (yawn), hathaways house, warwick castle day 10 and 11 drive north and hang a right on the road that parallels hadrian's wall. recommend houseteads roman fort, vindolanda, segedunum roman museum in newcastle, bede's (spelling?) world, try to see lindisfarne. day 12, 13, 14 edinburgh, stirling, glamis, chillington day 15 return to london (8 hour drive) return car, stay at hotel at heathrow, prepare return. i always bring old clothes which go into the garbage at the end of the trip. i mail home my packages if i will have overweight luggage. day 16 return. day 17 jet lag recovery. exhaustion. honestly i spent a month just seeing northumberland, yorkshire, lindisfarne, carlisle, and hadrians wall last year. and it was freezing in july. if it were my trip i would break this into two trips, southern england and then northern england/scotland. I enjoyed my summers in nothern england better, the locals were nicer to americans. the southerners are burned out on summer americans tourists so i would see south england in october or something. you will have to work those castles in.