London area

Salisbury for the cathedral and Stonehenge, or Canterbury for the cathedral. We really enjoyed both places.

I agree with Allan. Either of those would be a good choice, although I especially enjoyed Canterbury (and the Cathedral) because of the history there. And Canterbury itself is a charming place with lots to see and do there. You can also visit Leeds Castle while you are there, which is worth a visit. It's an easy train ride from London—about 60-90 minutes depending on how you go.

For me it was Canterbury and Chichester. Canterbury for the cathedral and St Augustine's Abbey, although I spent more than a couple nights at Cathedral Gate Hotel. Chichester for the Weald and Downland Museum and easy access to Portsmouth. I booked accommodation through Chichester Cathedral.

When I head back later this year I'll spend time in Leicester.

I'd like to visit Whitstable in Kent.

I'd like to rent one of those iconic beach huts for a couple of nights. I don't know if ethically this is contributing to a short term rental problem, but here's a link which looks to be independent owners. I have looked before and seen some nice places, and will edit if I find it in my browsing history.

https://www.beachhuts4hire.co.uk/10/beach-huts-for-hire/hire/Whitstable--Kent

Oh, I forgot about Chichester! You might want to read TexasTravelMom's trip report about spending a week there: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/chichester-a-week-off-the-well-trodden-path

At Whitstable, apart from the Beach Huts, there are also the Fisherman's Huts- rather more up market place to stay- https://www.whitstablefishermanshuts.com/our-history/

For a smaller town, but keeping with the Canterbury theme (easily reachable by train) you also have Rochester- with it's own very historic Cathedral, and Castle and the city has Charles Dickens connections. You also have the Chatham Historic Dockyard- the counterpart to Portsmouth Dockyard.

At Whitstable, apart from the Beach Huts, there are also the Fisherman's Huts

Ah yes I looked in my history and it was the Fisherman's Huts I had been looking at, on booking.com. Good call. They look great.

Winchester? Its just over an hour on the train from London.

The town tends not to feature on the usual tourist itinerary which is a pity as it has a lot to offer. It has a lovely cathedral with crypt. Jane Austen is buried here. There is the Great Hall of Winchester Castle with King Arthur's Table. Arthurian table. It has a vibrant shopping centre wiuth a good selection of pubs, or if you want a bit of peace, there are lovely walks along the river. Go and find the city mill, a water mill now in the care of the National Trust (complete with a cafe) OR there are the ruins of Wolvesley Castle (the Old Bishop's palace.)

There are lots of ideas here.

I love Whitstable (as mentioned above) and the Kent coast generally- especially if you are going in the nice weather. You can also easily get a bus between Whitstable and Canterbury.

Another nice coastal area is the Jurassic Coast in Dorset- you can get a direct train from Waterloo to Weymouth.

You've stayed in Bath, but have you visited Bristol? It's one of my favorite cities in England.

I have researched all your suggestions. Now to decide which trip to book is the hard part.
All the towns sound lovely with many sites to visit.....I really need more than 2 days to enjoy the area.
So on to more planning!
Thank you.