Park and Ride seems to work very well for us. If you don't want to drive yourselves into a major city, find out about it. We did it in Bristol and in Bath, and found both Park & Ride depots quite easily, and then you just pay your fee, which includes the bus trip, and before long you are in the centre of the city! It also gives you time to see some of the local sights along the way, without having to worry about watching the traffic around you.
Once in the city you've then only got to find out where the return bus leaves from, and you're free to roam, so unless something unforseen happens, all you have to do is ride back and reclaim your car and you're away.
We didn't take advantage of it for Stratford-on-Avon, and found a large car park, but it ended up being a fair way from the city centre.
Now that we are both Seniors, it is good to know that in many instances, your "Seniority" is recognised in a lot of places, including on buses and trains. Everyone seems to be very helpful, and if they don't offer discounts for Seniors, they will politely tell you so, but it never hurts to ask.
I did ask about a Seniors discount with the Premier Inn chain, (which we are going to use quite a lot, as it represents good value without inflated prices). The email response simply said that because they offered reasonable prices all the time, they didn't feel the need to offer any other discounts. Fair enough.
So, nothing else to do but pay some balances in February and March. Then organise the house,and the bills, and wait. It is already the end of the first week of January, and before we know it, we'll be off.
We always try to walk or use public transport when we're in a new place. There's so much more to see when you're not concentrating on traffic and new roads!
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