rogeruktm, it rains a lot in Holland too, but that doesn't stop us getting on our bikes ;)
Cycling in Holland is probably a little safer than through the country lanes of Britain though.

"Cycling in Holland is probably a little safer than through the country lanes of Britain"

Amen.

We've got less than half the mileage of road that the French have, they're all as bendy as a bar of Cadbury's Curly Wurly and surrounded by ten foot hedges and we travel as much as the grenouilles.

So when I'm - or worse still, Mrs F is - trying to get a cheque into the bank before it closes, or Mrs Next Door is trying to get the kids to school, the survival chances of any dawdling cyclist gawping at the thatched cottages or the cute flowers are about the same as a grizzly on the receiving end of a Sarah Palin wink.

With hockey-mom nerves, or a lifetime's practice, rural cycling might be fine. But it's really not prudent. Cars, horses or your own two feet are what our countryside's designed for.

Maybe if the OP suggests a cycling holiday her husband will rethink the car rental thing :)

After having conducted bike trips thru Kent for years (past) i heartily disagree with flanner about the efficacy and safety of biking in England.

Of some 1,000 riders nary an injury from riding on the neat tiny rural lanes. Not so in Holland where the zillions of other bikers are more a threat - and Holland has a density rivalling India and biking in cities can be very dangerous at times - esp during rush hour.

I wonder if flanner has ever been on a push bike on those tiny rural lanes?

Hi JulieVikmanis,

Here is a link to a photo gallery with text of a trip we were able to accomplish using only public transportation back in 2004:

http://toaster.org/coppermine/

Would recommend getting familiar with
the excellent bus and train lines that will take you to villages, hamlets and the quintessential British countryside.
You could easily day trip out from
London all over the region.
One day the Cotswolds, another
Canterbury, another Bath.
You could also hire a private driver which is what i do for my women's
English Garden trips with
Serendipity Traveler. The countryside
is England at her best and walking
in the countryside is idyllic.

OK. Now I'm really hyped and ready to push for a London/countryside trip. Thank you to all of you for wonderful suggestions and even pictures. The hard part will be deciding what not to do. It all sounds terrific. Thanks so much.

For British train info i always refer two good sites that give tons of objective info - like itineraries, etc. and how to use trains rather than just pass prices and nothing else. www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. Again www.nationalrail.co.uk gives scehdules for all 28 or so independent rail franchises - the BritRail Pass is good on all franchises, including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stanstead Express trains.