Frommer's Britain's Best-Loved Driving Tours (Paperback)

by Roy Woodcock (Author), John McIlwain (Author) "The rich, rural lands of the counties from Dorset and Wiltshire westwards contain some spectacular scenery..." (more)
Key Phrases: unclassified road, open all year, visitor centre, North Yorkshire, National Trust, Town Hall (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Driving is one of the most ideal ways to discover the riches that Britain has to offer. Small towns, delicate fields of wildflowers, and isolated ruins are easily explored at leisure with a car. Frommer's Britian's Best-Loved Driving Tours is descriptions, directions and tips for thirty diverse trips through the countryside and urban areas of Britain. If you've read or heard the legends of King Arthur, you'll surely want to visit the town of Camelford (thought by some to have been the original Camelot) and the weathered cliffs of Tintagel on a drive through part of the West of England. A Central English tour also has special literary connections. On a drive through the rural heart of England, you can visit the unspoilt market town of Ledbury, which played host to Robert Browning and William Wordsworth. Farther on, you can visit Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon birthplace and watch the first-rate Royal Shakespeare Company perform Shakespeare.

Authors Roy Woodcock and John McIlwain have included attractions to suit all ages and interests. If your kids are getting restless on the drive around Cornwall, they suggest a stop at the legendary Last Labyrinth at Land's End, where they can scramble through the maze. If you want to stretch your legs, Woodcock and McIlwain include many top walks and hikes in each area, like the Cleveland Way walk which curves around the moors on the border of Scotland.

You'll enjoy all the top sights and then have the flexibility to enjoy the hidden pleasures of each destination. Our suggested routes include scenic detours and stops for spectacular views, easy walks, shopping, dining, and fun breaks for travelers with children. With dozens of driving tour options, detailed and color-coded maps, and exact, directions, distances and driving times, Frommer's Britain's Best-Loved Driving Tours is the only guide you'll need to see the best of Britain by car.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Frommers; 5 edition (January 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764565923
• ISBN-13: 978-0764565922
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #428,329 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy Reading, May 10, 2004

By	savage (Australia) - See all my reviews

This was the last book I received from a variety of tour books I ordered. I think if had been the first it would have influenced me sufficiently to change the rest.
It is a tour book providing suggested itineries for short driving tours around Britain. The book is exceptionally well laid out with clear maps, colourful photos and short vingettes of the sights and towns the tours pass through. It may seem shallow, but the layout and ease of reading are the reasons why I rate the book so well.
The information contained in each vingette is brief, perhaps too brief but I bought the book to get an idea where to go not to learn everything about particular places. Of course there are places not mentioned in the book which I will be going to anyway and I think the suggested driving times are more directed towards British drivers not North Americans or Australians who suffer from a tyranny of distance. The book gives no hint or suggestions for accomodations or restaurants, which is a bit of a pity, especially since each itinary takes two or three days.
This book should not be your only guide if you are visiting Britain, it is not deep enough and lacks accomodation and eating information, but as far as touring the countryside it does exactly what I bought it for, suggesting short driving itineries.
The layout is VERY 'DK Publishing' and I would have preferred to have had all my tour books in this format rather than the usual Frommer's. Although having said that I am used to Frommer's and like Frommer's depth and occasional bit of quirkiness.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide to seeing Britain with a sports car or a classic Bentley., February 9, 2006

By	Gabriel E. Borlean (San Jose - Capital of Silicon Valley, California USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Frommer's Britain's Best-Loved Driving Tours (Paperback)

Excellent guide to seeing Britain from behind the wheel.
This review is for the 6th edition, 2004 printing.

Excellent guide to seeing Britain with a sports car or a classic Bentley. You will enjoy some great driving tours and routes through this historical region of the United Kingdom.

Frommers has recently come out with more "Best-Loved Driving Tours" series ... guides that are not very inexpensive, but are very well researched and quite comprehensive. One will have plenty of driving tours and routes to chose from, whether you like arts and museums, scenic roads and breathtaking views, urban towns and shopping, or just want to experience a regione's culture and life.

Unlike the other Frommer guides that are fatter and heavier, this little book gives you not too many specifics on lodging or eating. It is geared strictly for the person behind the wheel and her or his passengers.

I have had a great experience using this guide and will recommend it to anyone who can afford it. Also, you might want to check to see if your library carries it and check it out for the duration of your visit abroad.

When I backpacked 4 months through Europe I had a copy of the Lonely Planet for Europe (a thick and heavy book) because it covered more cities and esoteric towns, a ripped chapters of all the international youth hostals Europe of the countries I visited, and as primary guide for nominal cities and capitals I used Frommers (ripped the book and kept only chapters of countries planning to visit - so I can keep the weight down).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars No insight, April 20, 2009

By	Hugh Chen (Burlingame, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frommer's Britain's Best-Loved Driving Tours (Best Loved Driving Tours) (Paperback)

I was very disappointed in this book. It did not bother me that the book contained no lodging or eating information (would have been nice). What bothered me is that there is little insight, explanation, or reason for why the particular driving tours are recommended. The routes are not well explained, and the sights not well described. One can get more information from the British Heritage web site than this book. I do recommend Frommer's Best Day trips from London; that book is much more informative.