We've been to London twice and I'd like to go again, but this time I'd like to combine it with some time in the charming British countryside, spending time in cute pubs and walking along cute, flower-filled lanes passing by cute thatched roofed cottages.

Problem is, DH refuses to drive there. Is it possible to take trains to such idyllic little hamlets? Any suggestions for specific areas to see by train will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

The Cotswolds would probably satisfy your "cute" quotient.

There are direct trains from Paddington to Moreton-in-Marsh, from which you can take buses to the surrounding villages.

Other options are bus tours or hiring a car and driver, the latter option being quite expensive, of course.

Smaller cities all over England, which have retained some degree of their center-city charm, are accessible by train. Your options are many.

the Lake District is perfect for folks without cars - take a train to Windermere (sp?) and then the many buses and mini-buses all over or even walk from town to places like Beatrice Potter's Hilltop cottage, etc.

Cotswolds are much harder to get around via public transportation i think - but a lot closer to London

You've obviously read the Fodors Guide to the fastest possible way of pissing British posters off.

You haven't made it clear whether you want to stay in jolly old London town, watching the Cockneys eating their jellied eels, or whether you'd like to stay in one of those quaint little villages.

If the former, get Vol 1 or Vol 2 of the Time Out Book of Country Walks. Together, nearly 100 5-15 mile walks, all accessible by train, all circular (ie start at the railway station, and get back to it), all doable in daylight and involving train journeys 90 mins or London, all with a pub in the middle and almost all with a place doing tea at the end.

For the Cotswold line, the train to Moreton then a bus has the slight problem that all that bussing doesn't leave much time for walking. Better to get "From the Wye to the Thames", a series of walks starting at Cotswold Line stations that also end at stations.

To me the Cotswolds are more a state of mind IMO (cozy cottages with fireplaces) than really exceptional countryside and so-so 'wool towns' that in summer at least suffocate under day trippers. there are many places IMO, including Kent, with its extensive train system, that would be just as or more appealing and a lot easier to get around in with your criteria.

I am interested in the same thing, and had started to plan a route by train as follows:

London Paddington to Moreton in Marsh (Cotswolds) 1.5 hours

Moreton in Marsh to Llandudno Junction (for Conwy) 5 hours with changes

Llandudno to Keswick (Lake District) 5 hours with changes

Keswick to Edinburgh - 4 hours

Edinburgh to York - 2.5 hours

York to London - 2 hours

We had planned to rent a car for day trips in the Cotswolds and the Lake District, though. We have driven in the Cotswolds before and it's not at all scary.

I am a beginner at using the British rail system and I'm sure someone else can tell you whether my plan has major holes in it.

azzure, are you planning on buying a rail pass? How long is your entire time between rides? If you haven't, check them out.

Rogeruk - yes, I had thought to purchase one of the 8-day (in 2 months) flexipasses, or possibly the 4 day one if I figure out which segments I could do with point-to-point tickets. This would probably be at least a 3 week trip. But as I said, I'm just in the early planning stages and haven't even planned a time for this excursion yet. Family health problems are keeping me close to home at the moment.

there is also a BritRail-Drive pass - train pass with days of car rental - pick up car at stations - drive to another and hop on the train. Hertz car rental i believe.

azzure: Your plan is wonderful (assuming you have enough time to cover all that territory) -- but is has almost nothing to do w/ the OPs question.

Your route has very few "cute" villages, and probably nary a single "cute" thatched cottage.

JulieVikmanis: If you lighten up on the "cute/idyllic/charming" aspects - England isn't a theme park - there are lots of places you can get to by train. Not too many "hamlets" - since if they had a rail station there would be lots of houses/people/shops/bus lines/schools etc etc.

If you are able to walk some distance, or take local buses - then there are lots of places you can explore. The closest from London would be the Cotswolds, parts of east Anglia - there are some really beautiful villages in Suffolk but pretty hard to negotiate by public transport, or parts of Kent/East Sussex.

Another option would be the South coast - not all that many of thatched cottages, but some nice small towns/villages.

Or you could go to the Isle of Wight - Thatched cottages, beautiful coastal scenery, semi-decent bus service, "cute" villages".

But all of these areas would be <u>much</u> easier by car. rogeruktm is a good source of info since he visits the UK regularly and always uses the trains.

(BTW - your DH is a wimp - but don't tell him we said so )

Here is a long discussion of such travel in Kent - one bucolic area, called the Garden of England - that is rather easy to get around by public transit: (And if you have any Qs about Kent, janisj is an expert on it IMO)


Fodors.com &gt; Travel Talk &gt; Europe &gt; Kent
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35149513

Gosh, thanks everyone. Lots of info to chew on here. I'll pull it together and approach &quot;the wimp&quot; with the options. I'll probably be back with a few more questions along the way.

If you want a very special experience you can actually do some lovely day trips on the Orient Express and see many parts of the country on that.

Why not look into renting a couple of bicycles and pedal from village to village? You can have your baggage transfered between hotels via taxi. No better way to see the countryside or to meet people.

My family and I have done this sort of thing in France several times, and it was idyllic.

Red Stater. FYI, it rains in England. It rains a lot in England. It almost always rains in England.

Just bookmarking, don't mind me.

&gt;&gt;there is also a BritRail-Drive pass - train pass with days of car rental - pick up car at stations - drive to another and hop on the train. Hertz car rental i believe.&gt;&gt;

I looked into this as it seemed at first to offer an ideal compromise to some of the drawbacks of renting a car. However, it includes only three days rail travel and two days care hire.

It might be useful for the OP but won't suit my plans and doesn't look like it would be any good for Azzure (who's thinking along the same lines as me!0

eigasuki - that is interesting - I wonder if you could do the BritRail-Drive pass twice consecutively, and thus have six days of train travel and four days auto rental...that might work.

Given that you said &quot;Britain&quot; and &quot;British&quot;, I have a document on day trips in Scotland all done on the train. Email me if you want a copy.

For thatched cottages etc accessible as a day trip from London I'd say head to East Anglia (Suffold/Norfolk)

You'll probably need to change a fair bit and use the buses as well as trains, but there you go...

One suggestion for you

Catch train from Liverpool Street to Marks Tey. There you switch to a little shuttle train that just goes backwards and forwards all day between Marks Tey and Sudbury. The total journey from London is just under 1.5 hours and the shuttle train is usually waiting for you when you get to Marks Tey.

Sudbury is a small town with a few interesting buildings if you want to explore a bit, but really from there you can head out to the countryside by bus.

I'd recommend going to Long Melford. It's not far and it fulfills every requirement for 'quaint' you might have. It is also well known for antique shops. There is also access to some lovely water meadows.

Or, 100% hitting your requirements will be the village of Lavenham, one of the 'cutest' villages around, which I believe you can also get to from Sudbury by bus.