GillyGray

My husband and I are flying into Brussels in September and plan on flying out of London. We've left about 5 nights to explore London and elsewhere. Thought about spending our last 3 nights in London, but would like to spend 2 nights (coming by train from Brussels) in the English country side somewhere first. Any suggestions as to where. Long walks, meandering and hanging in the local pub sound like fun. Suggestions for inns or a B & B ?
Note: We are traveling by train only.
If anyone has any suggestions on places to stay in London (up to $200/night) that would be appreciated. First time traveling there. Thank you!

HappyTrvlr

I would stay in Woodstock or the nearby Cotswolds.

tailsock

Stay in London and use it as a base to explore Bath or Oxford

VirginiaC

I don't recall any stops between Brussels and London when taking the Eurostar although there may be one somewhere in Kent

If you haven't yet visited London, five days will barely give you a start. If you are determined to see something of Britain outside London, I'd suggest a one-day trip to Brighton, Cambridge or Winchester -- each about an hour out of town by train and all delightfully walkable with lots to see.

janisj

Taking the train from Belgium, the easiest place to arrive is London. So you could go anywhere that has rail links if you connect through London. You could travel to St Pancras station, transfer to Paddington and take a train out to Moreton-in-Marsh and then local buses to any one of several nearby Cotswold towns/villages. That would tick your boxes for pubs/walks/countryside. Then train back to London.

Another option would be to fly from Brussels to Gatwick (or maybe Southampton ?) and take a train from there out into the countryside. Kent or East Sussex from Gatwick or the New Forest from Southampton. Something like that. Then a train into London to finish your stay.

MmePerdu

I think tailsock's suggestion would be the easiest. If you travel out into the countryside you'll have just 1 full day for 2 nights and without a car you can't really see "countryside" very well. While daytrips aren't exactly ideal, without a car the compromise is similar. And it has the advantage of not needing to move your luggage for just a 2 night stay.

Another possibility might be an overnight from London, leaving the bulk of your luggage at your London hotel. Take a small pack or tote for your overnight necessities and stay somewhere like Moreton-in-Marsh which has train service, isn't the most inspiring Cotswold town but would be nice for an overnight. I'm sure there are local buses which you could ride the afternoon of arrival or next morning for a taste of Cotswold countryside, to see if a longer visit is in order another time.

VirginiaC

If you are determined to stay a couple of nights outside London, you might get off the train at St, Pancras, walk across the street to Kings Cross and take a train to York, an absolutely fantastic, walkable city.

We stayed at Hedley House there years and found it well located with excellent food, but that was more than 10 years ago. It still gets good reviews.

emily71

Given that it's your first time in London, I'd spend the whole 5 nights in London. There are enough sights in London to keep you occupied for days. For walks and riverside pubs, there's always Hampstead and Hampstead Heath or Greenwich which are easily accessible by train and feel a world away from the hustle and bustle of Zone 1.

If you are determined to see another part of the country a daytrip to Bath or Cambridge might be in order. Again both are accessible by train and both feel like more village-like, Cambridge more so.

GillyGray

Sounds like staying in London for 5 nights and using it as a base to explore the countryside a couple of times might be better. We like the idea of not having to unpack as often. I'm a little scared of the train system. It seems awesome AND overwhelming, but necessary of course.

janisj

I totally agree that staying in London the entire time is best (you actually don't really have enough time for one day trip outside the city let alone 2). My response was merely to answer your initial request how to spend 2 nights in the countryside.

If you want to walk out in 'open countryside' then spend some time on Hampstead Heath (a HUGE open space/park just north of central London, or at Greenwich, or visit Windsor For the castle and then explore the Gret Park.

tailsock

great choice gillygray but fear not. England has excellent rail connections and it's simple to use. If you can use the subway system you can use national rail

MmePerdu

Kew Gardens is another possibility to add to Janisj's suggestions, ever changing displays and always interesting.

I especially love the Marianne North Gallery:
http://www.kew.org/collections/art-i...orth/index.htm

And the Victorian glasshouse:
http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens...rate-House.htm

Walk along the Thames in a country setting and see the George III's meridian markers.
http://andrewgough.co.uk/richmond1.html

emily71

Don't be scared of the train system. While the British trains aren't as easy as the rest of Europe, if you know where you want to go you can easily look online to see which station to use.