Expert: Graham Thomas - 11/21/2003

Question
We will be in London for a week from Dec 28 through Jan 4. What do you think would be some special things for this time  of year? I have not been to England at all   and am wondering  which day trips out of the city would be good in this weather. Would the Cotswolds,Oxford,Bath be good ideas? What should I not miss in London in addition to the usual? Thanks for any help you can give.

Answer
Hi there

OK well lets hope the weather improves from this weekend - we had a year's worth of rain in two days I think...

Well you have New Year bang in the middle of your stay and this could be problematic in that the country pretty much closes down from mid day on December 31st till the morning of the 2nd... A lot of businesses are closing for the 2nd this year too but I don't think that will affect you.

London is still manageable over the period because lots of restaurants and places will still be open but if you plan to go out of town you will need to check that something will be open for you..

Public transport will also not function on New Years Day either....

I would check in advance with your hotel to see if they can arrange anything for you but overall probably best to be in London for those few days and then travel out over the following weekend when things will be back to normal...

Oxford would be a good trip because you can wander the town and see everything when its quiet...

Bath also good - Cotswolds depends on the weather so best to check that when you are here... you might be lucky!

Have a great trip

Graham