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Trip to London with side trip to Wales/daytrip?

Trip to London with side trip to Wales/daytrip?

Old May 26th, 2016, 08:17 AM
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Trip to London with side trip to Wales/daytrip?

Hello! My husband and I are first time visitors to England. We are traveling from Chicago to Heathrow in early October for 1 week. We are staying with a friend in London, and wanted to explore the rural areas of England, and possibly Wales. We are in our late-twenties (so we can walk around) with no children. I am a teacher, and he just graduated law school, so we are trying to be smart about our budget.
We are from a big urban city, and we want to explore the countryside, as well as see London. We like some museums, but also enjoy exploring neighborhoods and seeing off the beaten path places, as opposed to only the touristy things.

I've read so many forums here about renting cars, and we both enjoy road trips and were thinking about driving to Wales for a few days.

But, considering our time constraints, should we rent a car to drive out of London for a day trip to the countryside, if so, where would you recommend? We are also intrigued by Wales and seeing Cardiff--the castles, the uncommon destination, etc. Would it be worth it to take a train to Cardiff and spend the day and one night there?

I welcome all help! Thank you!
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Old May 26th, 2016, 08:24 AM
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>> were thinking about driving to Wales for a few days
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Old May 26th, 2016, 08:25 AM
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the thread didn't top so just posting again . . .
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Old May 26th, 2016, 09:49 AM
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Janisj, that's what I was starting to gather, based on what I was researching--definitely not drivable. She lives 2 blocks from St Paul's cathedral. I want to see life outside of London as well, and I'm wondering if I could still the experience countryside if we traveled by train.
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Old May 26th, 2016, 09:56 AM
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Oh -- great -- you can take the train from several nearby stations out into the countryside.

Like London Bridge to Hever, Victoria to Arundel or Canterbury, Waterloo to Salisbury/Stonehenge . . . lots more.
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Old May 26th, 2016, 12:12 PM
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Also Oxford, Cambridge, Brighton. Or look at the day tours run by London Walks. And Windsor and Greenwich (maybe by boat) closer to London.
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