Dear Christine, I've done it twice! the first time,for SE Somerset,[Wincanton, Bayford] we bought Britrail passes [from London to Templecombe] and then used local busses and walked! it's do-able if you are fit and not too old...[we are retired!]. We stayed at B & Bs and yes, about 25-30 pounds per night per..but the hearty breakfast can hold you for the day. If you are interested in ONE village, it is indeed fun to stay where your ancestors lived. The second time, cousins rented a car and we got around more...but it wasnt BETTER, just different. It's likely a better option if you want to visit many villages or some distances. The best thing is the availability of bus/train etc schedules on the internet so you can plan. Or write/email for paper version of local bus schedules. We also booked our accommodations from home before our trip the second time. We were very lucky with lovely accomms and warm hosts. The first time, we just took pot luck. Dont think I am as flexible as I age, though. This is info from a tourist...the locals are really likely better to offer advice. we too are going again this year and back to Somerset but for Taunton and archives...so folks there, any tips for Taunton welcome. cheers Liz of BC Canada >Hello List, > >I am planning a research trip to England, Ireland & Scotland next year; I >have never visited before. > >I am looking for suggestions of where to stay in the west country for 2 >weeks. Places to see & visit. > >Should I stay at B&Bs, or self-contained, etc...? What is the public >transport like to get to places? > >Please contact me off list - thank you. > >Regards, > >Christine >larcombe1790@bigpond.com.au > > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >ENG-SOMERSET-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' >without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message