Itinerary advice-impromptu England trip beyond London

Hi Lin, I would like to suggest using public transportation (train) to go south from London to Eastbourne.
You take the train - Southern - from London Victoria and it’s about an 1.5 hours through some lovely countryside to Eastbourne.

Then catch the 12x Coaster bus up (from Eastbourne- I will try to post the link after I write this reply, there’s a 12 and 12A too) as far as Seven Sisters Country Park in Exceat. The Seven Sisters is part of the South Downs NP. You can then hike along the Seven Sisters, on a path which offers some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever witnessed. If you choose you can hike all the way to Beachy Head. When I did this with my two young adult children, we stopped at Birling Gap and had lunch at the National Trust cafe there. It was the most wonderful day! We then walked to catch the bus at East Dean before going back to London. If I had known how much we enjoyed this area, I would have planned to stay a few days here.

If you wanted to stay down in this area a bit and do a loop before heading back to London, Lewes has been mentioned before as a possible destination. Brighton is nearby and may be of interest to your teens.

It’s a beautiful part of the country and so easy to get to. Just an option to consider.

Here’s the link to the bus route we used to get to the Seven Sisters Center to start our hike.

https://www.buses.co.uk/services/BH/12X

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu9hG41s2hY

Here is the NT link for Sussex

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex?campid=PPC_LSE_Visits_Generic-BAU_Google-Search-PlacesToGoVisitSee-RSA-Summer&dfaid=1&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=13622927890&gbraid=0AAAAADrYGjOqFU9QZpo0qWV-pMTd3eO3z&gclid=CjwKCAjw9uPCBhATEiwABHN9K2SuTmF25TL_i0F9b9g281pwVeWuS7-5tIGHaOG9dlQ0FHt9OTjwMBoCC-MQAvD_BwE#top-things-to-do-in-sussex

If renting a car, consider Salisbury and/or Winchester, New Forest, Corfe Castle and the Jurassic Coast.

How about going north for a bit? York is wonderful, full of history, and you could also take the train over to the coast. Whitby, Scarborough or other towns along the North Sea are quite nice, especially if you enjoy relatively easy hiking along a coastal path. And if your family has any interest in the Dracula legend, Whitby was an inspiration for Bram Stoker for his book.

Bath is also a great option, along with Oxford and/or Cambridge, and maybe a dip into the Cotswolds. We used Go Cotswolds tours for a day trip and it was a great experience-we did the Cotswolds Walks and Villages tour, meaning we spent more time out of the bus than in, exploring the countryside along with several charming towns.

If you’re looking for breathtaking nature and charming villages, I’d definitely recommend the Lake District. It’s one of the most picturesque regions in England, full of stunning lakes, rolling hills, and those classic old stone villages that feel like stepping back in time. The best part is that it’s super beginner-friendly for hiking — there are plenty of well-marked trails that don’t require any serious experience, so you can enjoy beautiful walks without stressing about difficulty.
If you feel comfortable renting a car, that would give you so much more flexibility to explore at your own pace and discover some hidden gems off the beaten path. Driving through those winding country roads with views of lakes and mountains is an experience in itself. Even just driving between the small towns like Keswick, Ambleside, or Grasmere is really scenic and relaxing.
Honestly, it’s a perfect mix of nature, tranquility, and quaint English charm — ideal if you want to escape the city buzz and immerse yourself in some classic countryside vibes.

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We are open to renting a car although we have never driven on the left before and are a bit nervous about it. We do have international driver’s licenses.

Well, first, driving on the left is not that difficult after the first few minutes. What's tricky is when you get to roundabouts (mostly outside cities) that have 3-4 lanes to maneuver. But the nice thing about roundabouts is if you get confused, you just keep going in the circle till you figure it out. With regards to international driver's licenses, you do not need them in English. IDLs are used for translation of the original language and unless you are from a non-English speaking country, your license will be in English.

Most places in England that are off the beaten path are seen better with a car. It's not impossible to use public transportation, but it does take more time, and more planning.

With regards to where to go, here are my thoughts. I spent last year in England for almost 7 weeks, and traveled through Cornwall and Devon, the Peak District, Liverpool, Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire Moors, and Northumberland/Hadrian's Wall. And of course, there are many other places. You will find all your interests (nature, villages, scenery, etc. in most of those places.

That said, since you will be there in June and early July, you may want to shoot for a place that's a bit less crowded. The Lake District and the Cotswolds are enormously popular with Americans so there will be crowds there. The Peak District is relatively under visited by Americans, and it is a joy to travel to. The Yorkshire Dales is also charming, with beautiful scenery and lovely villages.

But if you want to add the ocean in, you could opt for Northumberland, which has incredible scenery, charming villages and loads of sea views. In fact, you could combine your 9 days between Northumberland and Hadrian's Wall. That area is also relatively easy to drive. And Northumberland is farther north, so it would be cooler, but also it is another area that is overlooked by Americans, so you definitely will not find the crowds of tourists there.

I would recommend Devon, which is also on the ocean. I loved it and could easily go back, but the driving on single track roads there can be more difficult, so it would probably be best to avoid it for your first trip driving.

Another option might be Liverpool. You could easily combine that with a trip into gorgeous Wales. It is beautiful up there and again, easier to drive than other parts of England.

Really you can't go wrong no matter where you go.

mardee’s last sentence says it all. There are so many delightful places to see! The difficult part is trying to choose. I’m always drawn to the coast, especially in the summer months, but as mardee points out, finding places that aren’t experiencing over- tourism can be challenging. I like the thought of going up to York and the Northumberland coast from there, too, as well as heading south. It’s about 3 hours by train from London to York. There are additional bus routes that run in the summer months into the more popular places, so that can help you with traveling w/o a car. Have a wonderful time with whatever you choose!

I will second a vote for Lewes. I've stayed there several times since 2018 and I love it. Visit Charleston House, the country home of the Bloomsbury Group, and/or Rodmell, home of Virginia and Leonard Woolf. There's plenty of gorgeous scenery in East Sussex! Brighton is about 20 minutes away via train.

If you wanted the Lake District the last thing you would do is to drive up from London. That takes an eternity. You would travel by train in literally half the time.
And the absolutely last thing you need in the Central Lakes at this time of the year is a car.
That is just an utter encumbrance.
However there is the edge of the Lake District, where the last thing you will find is crowds.
It is actually easier to rent cars on the coastal fringe than in the Central Lake District. Although whatever anyone here will tell you there is good public transport.
Actually on the coastal rail line you have places like Ravenglass and St Bees- lovely coastal villages to stay in, right on as scenic a coastline as you could wish for. Trying to keep you out of South Cumbria due to very disruptive roadworks at Newby Bridge.
You have 4 lovely valleys to explore in the West- Ennerdale, Eskdale, Wasdale and the Duddon Valley. Go up Eskdale and you can find a seriously challenging drive to the Central Lakes over the Hardknott and Wrynose passes, gradients as steep as 33%.
Castles at Muncaster, Cockermouth, (external view only), Carlisle and Dalton in Furness. Carlisle Cathedral, Holker Hall. For Carlisle take the train as the roadworks in the City will drive you round the bend.
Right up the coast there are Roman remains a plenty (even half way up Hardknott.
Go to Barrow in Furness and there are two marvellous nature reserves on Walney Island. Also go to Piel Island by boat, see the King of Piel and you can be knighted for the price of a round of drinks.
This is just a taster.

Thank you everyone for your helpful thoughts, ideas and advice. It’s great to hear about so many good options! They all sound wonderful. I will definitely report back on what we end up doing. Cheers!

With only 9 days and having to fly out of London, that is really only 8 days since the 9th day will be returning to London. I love Devon and Cornwall, but they are hard to get around without a car and training to Exeter, for example, is 4 hours. The peak district is great for walks, but again hard to do without a car.

Sticking to the South East should have lots of what you want to see, not too far from London and lots of trains and buses.

If you want Stonehenge, go to Salisbury and see the Cathedral as well. That can be a day trip from London, or go and use as a base. Avebury is hard without a car or a tour.

The Seven Sisters are fun to walk and have amazing views. Eastbourne could be used as a base for a few days.

Canterbury is great and don't skip Dover Castle. Dover also has white cliffs, but 7 Sisters are much nicer.

Portsmouth area is another good base are with Portsmouth Harbour and Arundel castle. Other places include Hever Castle, Leeds Castle, Chartwell House. Look at maps for English Heritage and National Trust to see what else is near where you decide to go.

By going in a bit of a circle - London, Canterbury, Dover, Eastbourne, Portsmouth, Salisbury for example - you will end up not to far from Heathrow. If flying out of Gatwick, do it the other way since Canterbury is on the Gatwick side of London.

As another idea, consider stationing yourself in Bristol. Easy to get to by train from London, and it's a great hub from which to see Bath, southern Wales, Devon, Dorset and even the Cotswolds. Add to those considerations that Bristol itself is a delightful city with plenty of its own attractions that is nonetheless very sparsely touristed. Renting a car once you arrive in Bristol would be easy, and it's going to be a much less stressful place to get accustomed to driving on the other side.

Exeter is not 4 hours by train from London Paddington, it is 2 hours 10 minutes.

But it is close to 4 hours by car.

It is also simply not true that the Peak District is hard to get around with without a car. The big difference is that too many people just don't look and are simply convinced that car is best.
One example at this time of year is the seasonal hourly open top bus from Chatsworth to Castleton continuing up the Winnats Pass to the end of the former Mam Tor road.
Castleton also has an hourly bus from Sheffield station.
Like several other National Parks car use has become a giant headache.

We love nature, ocean, picturesque villages, beautiful scenery, unique immersive experiences, history, architecture, seeing castles/ruins and cathedrals.

One suggestion to include almost all of those is the northeast coast including Lindisfarne (very atmospheric Holy Island, watch the tides, crossing only possible at low tide) and the Farne Islands by boat with all their puffins and many other sea birds. Sure checks all the nature, ocean, picturesque villages, beautiful scenery, unique immersive experiences, history, architecture, seeing castles/ruins boxes.

Or

Go to Portsmouth and get a ferry over to the Isle of Wight. Step back into the 1950s. Open top buses on the regular schedule, London Tube trains repurposed to the local railway. Even has a steam railway on the island.

Really hits the nature, ocean, picturesque villages, beautiful scenery, unique immersive experiences, history, architecture boxes, and for good measure has Osborne House, the summer retreat of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Very scenic, really nice.

Since the subject of the Peak District without a car has come up, I am sharing how we did this last year. We based ourselves in Sheffield and took the train to Hathersage, from where you can do a really lovely walk to and along Stanange Edge. Beautiful scenery and very easy to get to. We also took the bus to and from Chatsworth House (or at least we tried to- on the way there the bus never turned up so we joined the other group who were waiting and shared an uber... but on the way back the bus did arrive!). I really liked staying in Sheffield- a lot of great pubs and live music. You have a lot of good suggestions here already but just thought I would add one!

Since the subject of the Peak District without a car has come up, I am sharing how we did this last year. We based ourselves in Sheffield and took the train to Hathersage.

Cat, I loved Hathersage! That's where I saw the grave (alleged) of Little John (of Robin Hood fame). There was some lovely scenery in that area, too. I also loved Chatsworth! That's a reason alone to go there.

How about going north for a bit? York is wonderful, full of history,
and you could also take the train over to the coast. Whitby,
Scarborough or other towns along the North Sea are quite nice,

I haven't traveled extensively in England, but one of the most enjoyable things I did while there the last time was visiting Seaham - a little coastal village in the NE which is renowned for its sea glass. I spend an perfect afternoon picking up the sea glass on the beach then having fish & chips at a little diner in the village. We stayed at nearby Lumley Castle. I can't remember many things I've done that I enjoyed more than that!

Mardee, I totally agree. I did not know about the grave of Little John! We did see an impromptu morris dance performance in the car park of the pub where we had lunch outside Hathersage (the troupe were passing through) which was quite something. And of course, for people who like the Keira Knightly Pride and Prejudice both Stanage Edge and Chatsworth were used as filming locations- tho I have to say I much prefer the BBC version myself!

I have to say I much prefer the BBC version myself!

Ha ha, me, too, Cat!

FYI, Little John's grave was at Saint Michael and All Angels church in Hathersage. And as a bonus, there is an incredible view from the car park behind the church! :-)

We spent 2 weeks from Salisbury and Canterbury in 2022 with a car and loved it. Here's a trip report if you're interested. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-the-south-of-england