Harry Potter studio tour and what is nearby.....?

We will be near Heathrow and we will have a car. We would drive mom where she would want to go and then go on our tour. My mom will not drive on the left.

It can be anywhere within a 1/2 hour drive. We don't want her to just sit and wait for us. If that makes sense.

The Harry Potter Studio tour is on the outskirts of Watford, as mundane a working town on the edge of London as any muggle would wish for. The Dursleys would really be at home. I know, I used to work there.
However, you have stated you will have a muggle car. In which case I suggest you deposit said Mum in St Albans. A few miles away. No parking in the centre, but you can drop her off in the centre, and pick her up later (mobile phones come in useful here to arrange rendez-vous). This is a town with some character, a bit of history (English understatement - first capital of England under the Romans), Roman ruins (just foundations visible), cathedral (dedicated to St Alban, martyred by the Romans in the Roman town), and a nice old town with required cafés etc.

Tring has some nice old bits, and a zoo.

Chris F you are too funny. I will look into it.

Wherever she is taken, she will be there 4-5 hours minimum, so it needs to be somewhere with enough interest for this length of time.

I used to live in Tring and whilst she could pass a couple of hours there, 5 hours maybe stretching its attractions. Tring and St Albans are both in the opposite direction to Bath.

I would suggest that either you take her (or she makes her own way by public transport) to Windsor, where she could easily pass the time. At least this is en route to Bath. Alternatively, she could go into central London and meet you back at Heathrow.

What day of the week would this be? Shops have restricted opening hours on Sundays (6 hours only) and transport links could have a reduced service. The traffic round the M25 towards Watford will be bad during the weekday rush hours. I presume you already have your HP tickets?

Since you will be starting out not far from Heathrow, I would take her to Windsor and drop her off near Windsor Castle.
She can tour Windsor Castle.
Then have lunch and walk around the town of Windsor. Lots of nice shops and tea rooms.
That will keep her busy for quite a while.

From Windsor you have easy access to the M4 and M25 roadways to get where you are going.

Near Harry Potter is the town of Hatfield.
The historic and well-preserved Hatfield House is located here.
This is an Elizabethan house that has been in the same family (the Cecils) since the reign of Elizabeth I.
The tour of the house is very interesting. They have the famous Rainbow Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I.
They have the Stable Yard, which contains a very good cafe and a variety of shops.

It took us three hours to tour the house, and we spent two hours having lunch and browsing in the gift shops.

Then we toured the animal yards; ponies, sheep, ducks, geese.
I am especially fond of ponies and horses.

I think your mother would enjoy a visit to Hatfield House.

I wouldn't call Hatfield "near" the Potter studios. It's on a completely different railway line out of London, and far enough for buses not to be convenient.

Phillip, they will not need public transportation.

Note the OP's second post:
"We will be near Heathrow and we will have a car."

So it would not be difficult for them to get to Hatfield.

They will not need a railway out of London.
They will not need a bus.

They wrote:"It can be anywhere within a 1/2 hour drive."
So from Harry Potter Studios, Hatfield House may be a half hour or 45 minute drive by car.

Thank you all for the info. Lots of great ideas.

Now it looks like we might fly into Gatwick. Still, I think your ideas will still work for us.

If you fly into Gatwick, there will be areas of interest to the east of you, in the county of Kent.
Hever Castle, the home of the Boleyn family, for one.
Several castles and historic homes to the east.

Agree with Windsor Castle. We did Windsor Castle in the morning, then went to HP Studios in the afternoon. They're very close to each other, and she could easily see Windsor (town and castle) in the amount of time you do the studios.

Thank you thank you thank you all. Such awesome advice. People here are so helpful. This site rocks.