London and Countryside

I would like to suggest traveling down from London ( Victoria Station) to Eastbourne and exploring / hiking in South Downs National Park, specifically along the South Downs Way. It’s about an 1:25 to Eastbourne, but even the train trip provides lovely countryside to see. Once you get to Eastbourne, there are buses that run along the coastline up to many stops. We chose to get off at the national park visitor center and then hiked over the Seven Sisters part of the trail. Had lunch at the National Trust shop in Birling Gap and hiked a bit more before catching a bus back to Eastbourne late in the afternoon before heading back to London. It was a full day of beautiful and jaw dropping scenery. One of our best days ever.

By “countryside “ do you simply mean places outside of London (but still towns or buildings such as country houses etc) or do you mean that you want to go walking in the country?

Looking through other London itinerary threads you will find lots of suggestions for the former.

Let me clarify....we don't want hiking etc. We are interested in smaller English towns where the pace is much slower than London. We would love to stay in an old English manor house of some sort.

What about Lewis? It’s on the direct train line from London Victoria, it’s a lovely town with lots to do.

What about Lewis?

Dratted spell checker. Amanda meant Lewes. Lewis is a Scottish Island about 700 to 800 miles away.

I'd wondered about Rye, stopping in the Mermaid Inn. It dates from 1420, although the cellars are a lot older... Rye is small and compact with narrow cobbled streets and loads of character. It is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in England with lots of history. Have a read here for ideas of things to do in Rye.

Winchelsea is less than 3 miles away and easily reached by bus or train. It would make a lovely day out. Or catch the 100 bus to Camber Sands for a day at the seaside. Alternatively stay on the bus to New Romney where you can go for a ride on the miniature Romney Hythe and Dymchurch railway.

If you don't wish to rent a car, you will need to take the train or find a guided tour for the day that covers areas that you might like.

There are tours from London that visit Bath, Stonehenge and other places in that area. Also, you could take the train to Winchester or Canterbury. Other great places to see are Salisbury, Oxford, and York (that might be a bit too long for you, but you could stay for one night in that wonderful city then come back to London the next day.

I'd second Waseleys recommendation of Rye -- easy train access, I spent a day there and wished for more, it was so cute and the Mermaid Inn is great!

Chichester is a lovely small town, very walkable and easily accessed by frequent trains from London Victoria.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/chichester-a-week-off-the-well-trodden-path

I think Cambridge would be a nice choice. It has got a small town feel, is very walkable, and you’ve got the beautiful college campuses. It is only an hour by train from London.

Do note that in March, the countryside is still basically ‘sticks’ (trees not in leaf). Daffodils will be in flower and some blossom trees & magnolias will come into bloom from mid March in the south.

April is a transition month with bluebells in flower on forest floor and the trees starting to burst into leaf.

May is the month when the countryside really greens up and progress of this depends upon the weather and how far north you are - London of course, being in the south.

Chichester is very close to the remains of a Roman villa atFishbourne

If it were my trip, I would stay in London the for the whole time and do day trips outside of London. Saves time moving location. You could then make decisions on the day, depending on weather etc. So easy to do by train from the various central London stations. With a 12 year old, would suggest Hampton Court Palace as a good option for everyone. Or Windsor.

Rye, Whitsable, Ashwell, Cookham to name a few.

It has been many years, but we took the train from London for day trips. Two that stick in my mind are the Cotswolds - the town of Broadway is straight out of a story book - and Bath with all its history.

Another vote for Chichester, ez to reach, ample menu of opportunities at a pace of your choosing. Seek to experience a Sunday roast at a well known pub to add a bit more English to your journey.

March is not my preferred month to visit England. As someone mentioned, the countryside is still sticks (rather than leaves on trees) but the daffodils are in bloom which makes for a nice burst of yellow. Without a car, you are pretty limited. Last March, we stayed in Stratford Upon Avon for a few days and visited Bourton on the Water and Lower Slaughter to name a few villages in the Cotswolds. We had a car, so it was easy for us to get in and out of the wind and the sprinkles of rain. I wore a thick jacket, hat, and gloves, to tell you how cold and damp it felt, but there were some nice sunny spells. The best part is, that places are pretty empty of tourists. If you were staying out of London, I might suggest Bath as it is easy to pick up tours to Stonehenge and the Cotswolds villages.

I am doing this tour this September (taking some friends from the US who have never been to England before). I see they do have tours starting in March. Pick-up is in Morten-in-Marsh, where we plan to stay for a few nights.

https://www.cotswoldsguidedtours.co.uk/cotswold-tour-dates

East Grinstead and a return trip from there on the Bluebell Line (but check timetable).