Interested in 2nd hub for Two Adults/One 13 yr old in addition to London

Hi Jenaluma, your daughter might enjoy a visit to Bath? You could have a look around at the Roman Baths (if she likes spas, there is a reasonably priced rooftop spa that you could partake in), visit the Jane Austen Museum, have a bun at Sally Lunn's beside the Abbey, and enjoy the beautiful look of this gorgeous Georgian city. Bath is also close to the Cotswolds (easy day trip and definitely English Country quaint) and Avebury Stone Circle. You might even do well to break up your 4 nights-perhaps 2 nights in Bath and 2 nights in Oxford, also a great city with much to do. If I was 13, I think I'd enjoy this trip very much! Enjoy!

I second Chester. It's a great base.

You have told us what your daughter doesn't like, but not what she does want to do.

Closer to London options include Rye or Lewes (both quaint). Harder to get to by train, but worth it is the fantastic coastal town of Whitby (Captain Cook museum, the ruined Abbey atop the cliffs, Dracula etc.)

I'd third Chester, or base in Liverpool and visit Chester. Liverpool transport can get you to Wales, Ireland and out to the countryside, up to the Lakes District, etc. I think Liverpool is underrated. Play a lot of Beatles music for your daughter before you go... In Liverpool, stay down near the wharves, but don't miss the Georgian neighborhood up the hill.

Next year is the Hull City Of Culture year with plans for a spectacular year ahead. Hull is a city in Yorkshire and a good base for travel in the north of England.

https://www.hull2017.co.uk/

My vote would be Bath. In addition to the Roman Baths, there is the Jane Austen Museum, the Fashion Museum, The Abbey, The Crescent, The Circus, and just the beautiful city itself. From Bath you should be able to arrange day trips to Avebury Stone Circle, Stonehenge, or Salisbury. Do a google search on Bath and see what you think.

Bath is a good option; my husband and I loved it. You might also look into York. It is easy to get there by train from London. We loved exploring York, and also a day trip (by train) to Durham.

Thank you everyone. Trip Advisor was stating other popular destinations included Liverpool and Manchester - which are fine for more city experiences but wanted something more 'quaint'. All your help is much appreciated! - Jen

If you wanted something more 'quaint', as you said, consider the Cotswolds. You can base yourself in one village and explore some of the others. I would suggest staying in Chipping Campden and catching a bus to some of the others. Bourton-On-The-Water is also beautiful and would be a good base. Some of the towns in the Cotswolds are so close, you could take a taxi from one to the other for the day for not much money.

You can take the train from London out to one Cotswold village, Moreton-In-Marsh, and either stay there or travel on the bus on to other villages.

Just north of the Cotswolds is Stratford-Upon-Avon, with its cute Shakespeare houses and quaint cottages. The church where Shakespeare is buried is there, an ancient small church. If you stayed in Stratford-Upon-Avon, you could take a day tour of the Cotswolds with this company, Go Cotwolds. www.gocotswolds.co.uk

We took their tour during our May 2016 stay in Stratford-Upon-Avon, and were very pleased. The tour (In a minibus) went to Chipping Campden, Broadway, Stow-On-The-Wold, Bourton-On-The-Water.

If you are based in Stratford-Upon-Avon, another day you could go to the quaint old town of Warwick and see Warwick Castle. A taxi ride away (6 miles), or go by train. The train back to London is easy from Stratford-Upon-Avon. Puts you into Marylebone Station in London.

Above are all good ideas. I especially liked Chester, even though Emma is no longer selling ice cream there. ;-)

What about Salisbury as a base? Not such a big town, but a great cathedral and regional museum. Last month we discovered the 15th century "Doom" painting in St. Thomas Church there, which was plastered over during the Reformation and uncovered only in the last century, so remarkably fresh for its age. Easy trip to Stonehenge and Old Sarum, good connections to Winchester, Bath, Portsmouth and other places worth seeing. But Salisbury itself seemed pretty quiet and manageable, good place to unwind from the transatlantic flight. And a short train ride to London (Waterloo) for the other part of your trip.

Great suggestion, Dick! Salisbury is lovely! On our Spring 2016 trip, we stayed at a lovely old hotel in Salisbury overlooking the river. Salisbury Cathedral was beautiful. Nearby is the excellent Salisbury Museum. A very walkable town, with good cafes and pubs. Many Medieval and Tudor era buildings left. Stone and cobblestone streets, alleyways, or sidewalks in some places. Lots of charm. There is a tourist information office in the center of town to help you with maps. There you can buy tickets for the bus to Stonehenge plus entry to Stonehenge and old Sarum.

So Mom wants quaint, teen wants something interesting to do. I would suggest York--plenty to do and good train links to London--but it's not a village, it's a city. If you stay just in the oldest part of York, it will seem like a small town.

Again, not a tiny village, but charming and lots to do, many places to eat, museums to see, both with an Old English feel:
Cambridge, or
Oxford.
Both have good day trips around them and good transportation.

I keep coming back to Salisbury, also. I think you'd like it.

Have you considered Cardiff? You could take the train to Bath in the morning, spend most of the day exploring, then take the train to Cardiff for 2-3 days (you could even spend a night in Bath). As above, not a village but definitely interesting. Modern central shopping area daughter should enjoy, and good more traditional markets for all of you. Plenty of interesting day trips- slate mines, the recently refurbished old quay/bay/harbor area, etc. There is a castle in the middle of town, too and others relatively nearby. Then take the train back to London.

Emma - I liked your comment, "quaint enough". Good call on that point of view. I also appreciate hearing that The Cotswolds area is lovely but perhaps public transport is less frequent/out of the way as a 'hub' for travel. I was reading a bit on Chester and worried it's too much of a 'touristy' town ? Anyhoo.... truly appreciate all comments and feedback. It's quite remarkable how easily we can share our experiences to help other travelers in a forum.

My daughter is a tough nut to crack sometimes....she recently explained that she doesn't like weather. Not a particular kind of weather. Just weather in general. I think cause that means she'll be outside. She does enjoy swimming when we travel to warm places, listening to music, visiting the cat shelter to socialize with furry friends, reading and chocolate :)

We spent a week in Oxford last month, visiting the colleges and museums and using it as a base for day trips to Salisbury and the Cotswolds. We stayed in the centre ("downtown" to us Yanks) -- beautiful, historic, crowded, but not, as I understand the term, "quaint." It's a big city and also an expensive one, with hotel costs comparable to London. Easy to get there from Heathrow on a half-hourly bus service called "the airline."

When I lived in England 50+ years ago, people there seemed a little defensive about "quaint," as in, "You Americans must think this country's rather quaint, don't you?" This less than 20 years after the war, and a few years after rationing ended, when the UK was still picking itself up and the US was booming. We've all grown up a lot since then. Brits have figured out that "quaint" sells, so they use the term freely where it's appropriate (like the Cotswolds or certain neighborhoods in cities). Americans realize that "quaint" is nice but overall Britain is a modern, vibrant society with a lot else to offer the visitor. In London I gleefully took pictures of three skyscrapers looming over the Tower -- known to all as the "Gherkin," the "Cheese Grater," and the "Walkie Talkie." Whether you like them or not architecturally (I do), you have to admit that this country has put "quaint" in its place among many other great qualities.

And, as we say about weather in the Pacific Northwest, a climate very much like England's, if you don't like it, just wait 20 minutes and it will change.

I share some of your daughter's interests--reading! chocolate!! cats!!!, so I offer this 2015 article on cat cafes in Great Britain. I see London, Newcastle, Nottingham and (in a comment) Manchester mentioned, but this is an ever-changing market, so you should also Google for a cat café in any major city you might visit. Also verify that the mentioned places are still open before heading out of your way for a feline fix.

I also think Salisbury would be a very nice base. If you decide to drive, Winchester also makes a nice base, just off the motorway, easy drive to Portsmouth. If you do public transport, Salisbury is within easy reach of Bath and Stonehenge and Winchester and Portsmouth. If you don't want to be in a tourist town, don't stay in Bath!

All great advice. One last time for opinions.

What do you think of Swindon, Cheltenham and the smaller Trowbridge, Chippenham and the smaller Cirencester ?

Are any of these pleasant and interesting towns for 4 nights to allow for exploring the towns themselves as well as day trips to Stratford, Warwick, Bath, Cardiff, etc?

Once we get this part figured out we'll book the remainder of our trip in London.

Emma - We don't have strong specific interests but we enjoy exploring a city - walking the streets, eating the sweets, drinking the beverages. A little shopping and a little touring of 'points of interest' (monuments, boat rides, museums, old homes, tallest points, etc).

We were perfectly happy in Montreux as a base in Switzerland. Plenty of restaurants and shops to amuse us and good public transport for day trips. The surroundings were beautiful to gaze at and we enjoyed the walking path . I'd like to find a "Montreux" type town in the UK within about 1-3 hours from London by train.

Edinburgh is wonderful.