Frommer's Britain's Best-Loved Driving Tours

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).

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.

As a limey living in the US, I get fed up of yanks, when finding out I'm British asking me which part of London I'm from. Britain isn't just the crown jewels and piccadilly circus, and the only way to see the real Britain is to get in a car and drive. Britain is such an interesting diverse country, yet small enough to drive round easily, that driving on the wrong side of the road and paying five bucks a gallon for gas are just small problems compared to the wealth of beauty you will experience. I say forget London altogether,hit the road and head out.