daplight wrote:
My wife and I want to trace our ancestral roots, (Somerset County) and James Herriot country. Questions for our UK friends: What is weather like in October (off-season), rail pass a good buy, and, any other advice in touring the UK? Plan to spend about two weeks, flying into London I assume. Thanks for any tips.
All the suggestions are great so far but no mention yet of how long your visit is. Where you go and how much you do will depend on your time limits. My sisters and I are planning a trip to Yorkshire in September and we will spend the whole 2 weeks in the County.
So far the best advice I see is that you hire a car. Make sure it is an automatic transmission as there are two many things to think about when driving, to on top of that, changing gears with your left hand instead of the right as you do here in the USA. Take your time getting used to driving on the " right" side of the road. I once followed a car, driving around the city of York, in the rain for 30 mins just to get the hang of it. If you are heading to Yorkshire first I suggest you take the train from Kings Cross to York and hire your car there. You will pick up signposts to Thirsk within minutes of leaving the station and it will take you to Herriot's hometown. Dr Whyte ( aka James Herriot) was my families vet for 30 years. It's an easy drive and should have you comfy with the driving by the time you cover the 50 miles or so.
Something to also think about. We have rented four " holiday cottages" each in different locations for four nights in each. Less $$$ than a hotel and good bases to explore the surrounding areas.
PM me if you would like more info on that.