Englishmum

Another place which is easy to get to from Bishops Stortford is the beautiful Tudor mansion and grounds of Kentwell Hall in Suffolk....not too far from Lavenham I seem to recall. This part of the Essex/Suffolk borders was wealthy a few hundred years ago because of the wool trade:

http://www.kentwell.co.uk/Directions

http://www.kentwell.co.uk/


We once went along to one of their Tudor Re-creation days (in Maytime) at Kentwell where the staff wore Tudor dress and they had Maypole dancing and the Green Man appeared.

http://www.kentwell.co.uk/Re-Creations

In the great dining hall we ate the kind of food which would have been eaten back then. All the lambs were in the fields and the flowers were in bloom - it was lovely. I will always remember my son pushing his big sister into the moat! I would highly recommend a visit there....there are some lovely ancient villages in the area eg. Clare, which is on the way to/from Long Melford (for Kentwell Hall) if you take the scenic route.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Clar...i=map&ct=title (you might want to zoom out on the map to get the 'bigger picture' of the surroundings).

Also if the weather is nice, you might want to take a picnic and visit Castle Hedingham in Suffolk, which is a Norman keep (thought to be built in 1140):

http://www.hedinghamcastle.co.uk/#

Closer to Bishops Stortford (indeed very close to Stansted airport) is the National Trust forest called 'Hatfield Forest', which has ancient trees. We used to take the children there when they were little and have a picnic.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main...ieldforest.htm

Just north of Stansted is the ancient market town of Thaxted....definitely worth spending an hour or so there, and Saffron Walden is a nice town (but Thaxted is nicer in my opinion). The village of Finchingfield is very pretty with a duck pond and a pub serving very good Sunday lunches!

http://www.thaxted.co.uk/?Welcome

http://www.our-cottage.co.uk/html/finch.htm (note the name of a nearby village...Steeple Bumpstead...!)

Another stately home near Saffron Walden is Audley End House, owned by English Heritage:

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/s...show/nav.12088

Wow.....even if you don't have time to stop at some of these places it's worth taking a nice circular driving tour of some of the villages and small towns east of Stortford.

As others have posted - do try and visit gorgeous Bath....perhaps even the Cotswolds if you have time.

I'm getting homesick now!

mommapudding

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/tickets/ have free tickets, there are other places dotted around the web that offer them too, you just have to keep popping back and have a UK address to send them to I guess
HTH

E17Avenue

Do they still have the Concorde at Duxford (near Cambridge)? I always enjoyed that visit.

Not sure about your mobility but you may want to consider a train pass rather than the car. It will cost you about the same to buy, but then you never need to fill it up! And $8 a gallon will vastly reduce your travel budget.

Of course that makes the trips to the out-of-the-way places a bit of a challenge, but you will have more time to relax on the trip. When driving at least one of you will have to be awake. On a train you can nod off or just enjoy the countryside together.

Me and TnS are going over in August, spending a fortune on airfare but oh well it's my 4.0 major upgrade this year.

The advice on reckoning everything in pounds instead of dollars is right. Basically take your budget in the US and double it. That's what it will cost you. If your budget hits $1000, that's £1000, which will cost you $2000. Prices are very misleading in that respect once you are there, you think stuff's reasonable as the numbers look the same, but then you realise it's half what will show up in your bank account.

Oh and check your bank or CC company to see if they put extra charges on your card if you use it abroad. If they do there's usually a minimum fee. Find this out and only ever use the card if it's above that amount, otherwise spend cash. It may be tempting to put the two pints of lager and a packet of crisps on your Mastercard, but when a $10 visit gets a $3 surcharge added to it, you find that exchange rate increasing with every swipe. Whichever way you go you'll pay some fee whether it's exchanging cash or swiping plastic, so just be sensible with it. Exchange cash at a level that makes it cheaper, same with spending your plastic.

kins

It's outside the city centre on Claverton Down. I probably wouldn't bother with it - why take in American history when you can get that here? Spend your time gawping at the beautiful buildings instead. The Royal Crescent, The Circus, Victoria Park, shopping on Milsom Street, a wander down Great Pulteney Street, quick peek at the Pump Rooms (you can see the roman baths from there without paying the extortionate sum for the proper tour).

I used to live in Bath and it is unlike anything you'll find in the US - definitely worth a visit.

I don't think you have to spend a lot of money to take in England - I'd explore the villages, country pubs, free museums, quaint teashops. All the recommendations on here are great. If you do go to Kentwell it is at one end of a nice village called Long Melford (where my MIL lives) which is a nice wander in itself.

Also when you hire your car look carefully at MPG rates (remember the UK gallon is larger than the US gallon so MPG rates will look excitingly high). Go for the most efficient car you can get. Something like a Ford Focus diesel will get you about 45mpg and save you a lot of money in fuel costs but be comfortable to drive.

If you really want to save money then take picnics, but I would still have the occasional country pub lunch or teashop cuppa - just for the ambience - it's all part of the culture of the UK.

If you do go to Bath then let us know - I lived there for six years. Don't go to Sally Lunn's teashop!

Agree with everyone else about not driving into London. Look into getting an Oyster Card each on the www.tfl.gov.uk website. It's a card you top up then use to pay tube and bus fares, makes life much easier in London. If you're taking the train into London try to leave after 9am for much cheaper fares.

I'm getting homesick now too...

E17Avenue

Where in the OP did it say anything about being a Munchkin?

A Focus would be a great car if it only had 2 seats. The rear ones.

kins

I've only ever sat in the rear ones

Jerseygirl

There's nothing wrong with a Ford Focus...I rented one in the UK a few months ago.

E17Avenue

And how tall are you?

Just Jenney

LOL Well, the good news is that I'm only 5'0 ft tall. The bad news is that Mark is 5'11 ft tall and he'll be doing ALL of the driving.

We once looked at a Ford Focus when we bought our last car several years ago, and we both agreed it was too small. However, that's because we were buying a car, not renting one. If getting a smaller car means better fuel efficiency (plus it's cheaper to rent overall, anyway), then I may just have to convince Mark to go with that.

Keep the ideas coming -- this is really great! I've gotta get to work now, though!

~ Jenney

E17Avenue

Well 5'11 isn't too bad I guess. I have to find room for a bit more than that. It may just work for a rental. I'd consider the train idea too though.

kins

My husband's 6'4" and had no trouble driving a Ford Focus. But I only suggested it as a particularly efficient car, there are lots of others out there. Just remember, generally the bigger the car the less MPG you'll get. Having said that I used to get 42mpg out of my 2 litre Zafira.

Tootsie Frickensprinkles

Lavenham is just across into the Suffolk border. The Priory is online, has some great info about the coach house and the village.

http://www.lavenhampriory.co.uk/

If you could stretch to a stay, it was one of the best romantic weekends I've ever had. Cambridge, countryside and the village. We'd been staying at my Mum's then too and the privacy for a couple of nights was just what the doc ordered.

Tootsie Frickensprinkles

I think that's truer in central London than most of the UK. It is a good rule of thumb though, and you definitely will not run short if you think like this. FTLOG don't get caught short or plan to eat in motorway stops at all, they really are the most overpriced, nasty places in the country! That includes Little Chefs

kins

They have those Marks & Spencer Simply Food places at a few service stations now, including Donnington on the M1. Expensive but at least you're getting gorgeous food for your money.

Does anyone else miss M&S food adverts on TV? They used to make my mouth water. Whereas food ads here all make me want to barf.

cindyabs

Porter's at Covent Garden for dinner,