nearby cities to london
 

I'd like to stay 2 weeks in a city near London(last time it was Windsor) and go out for day trips each day. would Guildford be good or Oxford? any other suggestions?I want to visit castles, gardens and historic towns....all by public transport and the odd taxi.
moonrise

Depends where you would've doing day trips to and whether you would be driving or using public transport

But generally it is easier to do day trips from London itself as elsewhere may mean having to travel into London and out again

I suggest you look on GoogleMaps for cities of interest. You should stay where you can catch the trains into London and to cities further out.
If you "+" two or three times, the Google map will magnify and hotel icons will pop up. Click on those icons and you can link into the hotel's website for info.
We stayed in Guilford with a niece, and we didn't see hotels there. SW London is a very affluent place and hotels are not everywhere.

Thank you for your replies.
I may well stay in london then and go out each day from there...and use the London walks team too.
moonrise

"But generally it is easier to do day trips from London itself as elsewhere may mean having to travel into London and out again"

I'd dispute that, you can get into central London faster from Brighton than you can from other parts of London.