2 week itinerary, first week in London

Posted by KaiserGlider (San Diego) on 10/10/24 12:24 AM

Hello fellow travelers,

We are planning a 2-week vacation to England next year in late May/early June. So far we have decided to only stick to England (not Scotland or Ireland), and stay in London for a week at the very least. From there we will be doing day trips to Cambridge, the Cotswolds, etc when not exploring the city itself.

I am looking for recommendations on which town to stay in for the second week. Preferably somewhere with more nature and less crowds in contrast to London, but with enough interesting places to explore nearby for a few days.

Thank you, and keep on traveling!

Posted by Mardee

Duluth 🛶

10/10/24 12:39 AM

8204 posts

One idea would be the Peak District, which is one of my very favorite places in England. The advantage is that it is not nearly as crowded as other places, but is a wonderful place for nature lovers. The Peak is where many people in the UK go for a holiday filled with outdoor activities, but a lot of Americans tend to bypass it for Yorkshire or the Lake District.

I stayed in Castleton for 5 nights and absolutely loved it there. Castleton is relatively small but with a decent amount of lodging places and restaurants. But there are bigger places as well, like Buxton or Ashford.

As mentioned, there are lots of hiking ops, but also a lot of history, castle ruins, charming villages and beautiful scenery there. Chatsworth House is definitely worth a visit as well as the ruins of Peveril Castle.

Posted by Frank II

Freedonia

10/10/24 11:39 AM

16440 posts

My suggestions for your requirements:

Peak District

Lake District

Cornwall/Devon

Southern Coast

Yorkshire

Posted by Volva

UK (London - Chelsea Harbour)

10/10/24 12:04 PM

181 posts

Hi! I’m going to amplify Frank’s suggestion of Cornwall/Devon. Pretty much everything you’ve dreamed of in an English holiday can be found there: spectacular cliffs and beaches, cool/funky seaside towns, romantic wild moors (with ponies!), seafaring history, country walks, local art, antique shopping, amazing seafood, castles (Tintagel! and Pendennis, among others) and country houses, adorable pubs… I don’t think you can go wrong.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/devon
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cornwall

Posted by BillS719

Buckinghamshire

10/10/24 12:15 PM

181 posts

I love Devon and Cornwall but traveling around there isn’t easy without a car.

If you’re are not going to have a car, I’d go for the south coast somewhere between Rye and Southampton where there are plenty of interesting places to go and much better public transport.

Posted by Helen

Bristol, UK

10/10/24 12:17 PM

1461 posts

The last week of May is a school holiday, with the last Monday of the month a bank holiday. This won’t have any real impact in London, but for country or coastal locations it would be better to push your stay into the first week of June when schools are back and the bank holiday is over.