Hi, I have a one day layover in Gatwick before continuing on holiday. I want to hang out around the countryside and chat with the townspeople and eat what they eat, not unhealthy though. If anyone has some recomendations on getting out and what interesting sites close by, surely appreciate it. After the red eye flight I'm not into train travel. I'm sort of an archeology buff, anything on that too. Thanks,Cheryl

I'm bringing this up in case anyone has better ideas. I think you need to modify your objectives. Incidentally, are you trying to stay in the countryside or in a town?

First, people in the London suburbs (which is what surrounds Gatwick) are rarely interested in chatting to tourists: they've children to collect from school, ATMs to visit, dogs to feed and all the other stuff that goes on in a rich commuter town.

Now there are two main archaeological resources reasonably near Gatwick. There's the Roman villas at Fishbourne and Bignor, but they're tricky to get to by public transport from Gatwick, and you shouldn't even be thinking of driving on roads in the SE of England right after an overnight flight.
Alternatively there's the Museum of London, which is probably second only to the Archaeological Museum at Thessalonica as Europe's best museum about the process of archaeology.

Lots of places have better artefacts, but the MofL is stunning in reconstructing a picture of millennia of London life - really until Tudor times - from what's under the ground, and telling you all about both the life, and how they drew their conclusions. Terribly easy to get to from Gatwick: get the First Capital Connect train from the airport, getting off at Barbican, which is practically on top of the museum. A walk round the City of London, which surrounds the museum, is also awash with archaeological stuff, especially if you pass a major piece of construction, and staff at the museum are a great resource for anything new that's being dug up.

There are interesting towns near the airport (above all Brighton), but archaeology's rarely their strength. Offhand, I can't think of any non-Roman digs nearby.

In your shoes, I'd hope someone suggest a pleasant B+B close to the airport, then commute up to London.

Hi BP,

We were pleased with our overnight stay at http://www.gatwickbelmont.com/

They will pick you up from the airport.

Horley has a nice old church and a very pleasant pub.

&quot;<i>I want to hang out around the countryside and chat with the townspeople</i>&quot;

&quot;<i>After the red eye flight I'm not into train travel</i>&quot;

&quot;<i>I'm sort of an archeology buff, </i>&quot;

Sorry - but no place will meet your criteria. As flanner says LGW is not in rural countryside (though you can get to nices places by train)

A B&amp;B close enough to LGW to offer to pick you up will most likely be in Crawley or Horley and not near any archeological sites.

The only alternative to a train (besides a B&amp;B/hotel picking you up at the airport) would be even more tiring buses. So if you want to go just about anywhere - it would have to be by train.

&quot;Out in the countryside&quot; isn't something you can easily do on a layover at LGW.

I'd re-think your expectations and either go into London or to Brighton, but both trips should be by train.

Thanks for the info, I can't imagine traveling overseas without good advice, and what to expect, my ancestors are from Warwickhire, Nottinghamshire in the year 1600, wanted to see but too far this go. But I will try Horley. Possibly Brighton.