Hello everyone. My wife and I will be spending 7 nights in London in July. We are looking for a one night getaway while we are there..that is, a place a couple of hours away where it would be worth exploring all day and then spending the night. We won't have access to a car. Any ideas for possible destinations?? Thanks everyone!!

I can tell you about a really super hotel - almost in the Romantic Getaways category right on the bank of the River Thames at a place called Streatley, which is a short walk from Goring railway station midway between Reading and Oxford. <BR>The ambience and surrounding area is superb. <BR>The problem is not a lot of exploring to be done in the vicinity. <BR>How about train from London to Oxford - drop bags in a locker, explore Oxford at leisure, and then short train ride back to Streatley for riverside drinks and Dinner. And I mean riverside, be careful you don't fall in after a couple of drinks!! <BR>For the benefit of other travellers this hotel is easily reachable from Heathrow, and a great place to unwind after a long plane trip, before starting your tours.

Major boo boo. <BR> <BR>The name of the hotel is the Swan Hotel,Streatley.

What about Bath! Only 90 minutes on BritRail from London. Train station is right in the middle of Bath so you could easily spend a day exporing Bath on foot(I have)visiting the Roman Spas, lunch at Sally Lunns, the Cathedral there is beautiful, so much more. The Brompton House is a beautiful B&B that I have stayed at. It's a former Rectory and the owners are wonderful. Enjoy!

My first thought was the Cotswalds, particularly spending a night at the Lygon Arms in Broadway, but that is really car territory and there's not much exploring to do in one town for an entire day. Bath really is a great option -- so much to do and rather "romantic" at night. There are some wonderful places to stay there, as mentioned above.

A second for Bath. You can see the major sights in a day--take the hop on/hop off bus tour; see the Roman baths. We even saw a play that night. We stayed in the Royal Hotel right across from the train station (good food), but there are fancier places.

Ralph, <BR> <BR>I would second the suggestion for a trip to Bath. Only 1+ by train from London, this is a great small city to walk around and enjoy. The Roman Bath exhibit is very interesting, as is the architecture in Bath. <BR> <BR>Also, consider York--just over 2 hours by train from London. There is a great hotel located right at the rail station and it is an easy walk into the old section of York. This is a walled medieval city, full of crooked streets and interesting places to visit. The York Minster is one of the premier cathedrals in Europe. Have lunch at Betty's in central York; it is an institution. <BR> <BR>Rye is another quaint town that you can easily reach by rail from London. Another great place to walk and explore. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps. <BR> <BR>Regards, <BR> <BR>David White <BR>LET'S TAKE THE KIDS TO LONDON <BR>

We did an overnight in Salsbury. Stonehedge and the Cathedral are both impressive. The Cathedral is a beautiful contract to the churches in London.

I'd say Bath or, alternatively, Cambridge. The University is beautiful (much prettier than Oxford), you can enjoy the pace and explore, punt down the Thames...

Another vote for Bath! <BR> The train is an easy way to get there, and you can walk almost all of Bath. <BR> Depending on what time you get there, the historical society sponsors free guided walking tours ( twice a day in season, otherwise once a day) . You pick it up in the commons area by the Roman Baths & the Abbey. Definitely worthwhile. Our guide told us all sorts of interesting stories about the hey-days of Bath society. <BR> <BR>If you are looking for a wonderful B&B - try the Villa Magdala (they have a good website) It was the best! <BR> <BR>good luck ! <BR>Debbie

Theatre oriented? What about the train to Stratford, lunch in a nice pub, the open top bus trip to the surrounding sites including Anne Hathaway's cottage and Shakespeare's mothers farm, then after a really nice dinner, a play by the Royal Shakespeare Company and a nightcap in a pub? Retire for the night to one of the local upscale inns.

If you're going in July, skip Stratford! It's jammed, crammed with tourists, and everything has a queue (line) 30-40 minutes waiting! I like the Bath idea, but my husband and I are great fans of Cambridge. A zillion things to see (the Colleges are wonderful--especially King's College, Jesus, St. John's, and Magdalen (pronounced Maud-lin!), and punting on the Cam is great fun--just don't fall in. It's about 50 minutes by train from London's Kings Cross station. Have fun.