Southern England Itinerary

Hmm, I might combine Hampton Court Palace and Kew Gardens for a really long day -- if it's beautiful weather.
If possible, and you would have to change trains, but after Canterbury you might want to visit Rye, which is a lovely small historical town.

South of London is Leeds Castle, which has many connections to Henry the 8th. It is possibly the most beautiful castle in England. It is located near Maidstone, Kent. I recommend that you see it if time allows:
http://www.leeds-castle.com/home
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeds_Castle

Also in Kent is Hever Castle, the home of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry the 8th. This is one of the places he courted her. It later came into the possession of King Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.
http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hever_Castle

It may be possible to do Canterbury, Leeds, and Hever in one day. If that seems like too much, maybe see Canterbury and train back to Leeds Castle, then train on back to London in one day.

Windsor will be much easier from London than from Oxford.

These all sound like good choices.

I'm not sure I'd want to combine Kew Gardens with another large venue in one day.

Rebecca, As I'm researching further I am really interested in the castles in Kent. I had read about Hever and Leeds yesterday. And also Sissinghurst Gardens in Kent. Maybe I should add a couple days in Kent itself to see these things...if so, where should I base myself? Or maybe that should just be another trip. Thank you everyone for your responses! Now I'm almost deciding between Kent and Salisbury.

Nigel, you're right. I would switch Windsor as a day trip from London and Hampton Court as a possible trip from Oxford.

If you're in the area for Sissinghurst and Leeds castle, also have at a look at the following to see if they'd fit your bill:

Bodium Castle
Ightham Mote
Hever Castle
Chartwell

The best way to visit these is actually to rent a car. They are doable by public transport, but not easily, and with a car you can pop from one to another much more easily.

Also look at signing up for a Royal Oak membership if you're in the US. Some of these are National Trust properties and you can get free admission with Royal Oak membership.

Sanderskn, I would begin by going to Hever Castle first. Hever Castle is located in the village of Hever, Kent, near
Edenbridge, 30 miles (48 km) south-east of London, so it is not far from London. How to get to Hever Castle (from their website): trains run from London Victoria and London Bridge (via Oxted or East Croydon) to Edenbridge Town Station; then take a taxi for three miles to the castle. Relyon Taxis are near the station, telephone 01732 863800, or call Edenbridge Cars on 01732 864009. Suggest that you book a taxi in advance. Hever Station (next on line, unmanned and no taxis) is a one-mile rural walk to the castle. If you are in good shape, the one mile walk would not be difficult. If you have your mother with you, the first option would be better; to take a taxi. There are no regular bus services to Hever Castle from either station.

When you get finished at Hever Castle, you would want to journey on to Maidstone. You may want to stay at a B&B a in Maidstone and go out to Leeds Castle from there. From Leeds Castle's website: By Train: Southeastern runs frequent services from Maidstone to and from Bearsted and a coach shuttle service run by Spot Travel is available from the station from March to October. Taxis are also available. By bus: catch the Number 13 bus from the Chequers center in Maidstone. Takes about half an hour, stops right at Leeds Castle parking lot.

When you are finished with Leeds Castle, you are not very far from Canterbury to the east. Return to Maidstone train station; there are trains directly from there to Canterbury. Look at this site for trains: http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/timesandfares/MDE/CBW/today/0622/dep

How long to stay in that area is up to you. It would be possible, if you get an early start from London, to get to Hever Castle and Leeds Castle in the same day. At the end of that day, you could travel to Canterbury and spend the night there. Wake up the next morning, see all that you want to of Canterbury, then hop a train from Canterbury to London.
With this plan, you would be spending 2 days and one night in Kent, away from London.

Now, let me address the subject of spending several days in Kent. Near Hever Castle there are many other things to see. Near Hever is Chartwell, at one time, country home of Winston Churchill. Staying in this area, I would either stay at a B&B in Edenbridge or at Hever Castle itself. Yes, they have rooms there. Talk about a stay you will never forget:

http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/holiday-lets-kent.aspx

Edenbridge has the train running through, and also the aforementioned taxis, which will come in handy. To the east of Edenbridge, is Sevenoaks, where you will find the historic Knole and Ightham Mote, both well worth your time. One could find a B&B in Sevenoaks; pretty centrally located.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1356401237618/

Now, let's throw in Sissinghurst. Sissinghurst's nearest train station is Staplehurst. I recommend, if you stay nearby:
Sissinghurst Castle Farmhouse, Biddenden Road, Cranbrook, TN17 2AB
Doubles from £100.00 per night
Contact Sue and Frazer Thompson
Telephone 01580 720992
sissinghurstcastlefarmhouse.com
sue@sissinghurstcastlefarmhouse.com

When you are at Sissinghurst, you will not be far from Canterbury to the east. I would not miss Canterbury. The cathedral is spectacular. And there is the Roman Townhouse Museum there, where partial remains of a Roman Britain townhouse is preserved; some of the mosaic tile floors, pottery and artifacts. You can quickly return from Canterbury to London on the train line.

Let me address some of the things you mentioned.
"As of right now, I would prefer using trains and buses to renting a car because my mom doesn't want to drive and I cannot drive due to nerve damage in my feet. However, we will decide about this. This itinerary has been created with public transportation in mind." I totally agree, this can be done. Especially since you will find taxis available at some of the train stations.

"We would probably go in either May or September." If you would like to see more flowers at Sissinghurst, I would choose May.

Hever will also have stunning gardens in May. Near Hever is another medieval house with gardens you may wish to visit, Penshurst Place:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penshurst_Place
http://www.penshurstplace.com/

"I'm looking for opinions on my preliminary itinerary." Looks good. I would absolutely leave Hampton Court on the schedule. Do not cut that if your schedule gets tight.

"Total amount of days we spend in England is tentative. Probably a little less than two weeks." I would take two entire weeks to be there, if you can manage it. You may need it if you are going to add Kent to your schedule.

The best way to do Kent, since you will not have a car, is to move each night to a new B&B. Having one central location in the middle of all the attractions only works if you have a car, I think. You will be using trains and taxis. Local buses: Inquire at the B&B's at which you stay, or at the English Heritage/National Trust buildings you will be visiting; they should have some information about buses from one small town to another. Also ask at the train station, or tourist information center if they have one.

If I had to choose ONE town in which to locate myself for four or five days, from which I could reach most attractions by train or bus, I'd say Maidstone. Lots of hotels and B&B's and restaurants there.

Hampton Court should be done as a day trip from London.

Use this map to get a sense of where Edenbridge, Maidstone, and Canterbury are in relation to one another:

http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/hever-castle-directions.aspx

You will notice that south of Canterbury is Dover, on the coast of England. If you ever plan a lengthy trip, you will want to see Dover Castle, which overlooks the sea. It is the largest castle in England, a medieval castle with a Roman lighthouse left over from the time of Roman Britain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover_Castle

The tough part about going to see castles, cathedrals and historic sites in England is that there's always more to see than you had planned.

Yet another option are coach tours from London. Sightseeing tours from London are operated on a year round basis by the following companies:

* Evan Evans 0207 950 1770 http://www.evanevanstours.co.uk/index.htm
* Golden Tours 0207 233 7030 http://www.goldentours.com/day-trips-from-london
* Premium Tours 0207 404 5100 http://www.premiumtours.co.uk/

You may research these, using their websites. The same bus tour that leaves London for Leeds Castle, for example, usually includes two or three other sights. Here's one Evan Evans tour that goes to Leeds Castle, Canterbury and Dover: http://www.evanevanstours.co.uk/leeds-castle-tours.htm

Another example, here's an Evan Evans Tour that leaves from London and goes to Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, Bath, Salisbury and Oxford. http://www.evanevanstours.co.uk/stonehenge-bath-tours.htm

This may be easier than doing it on your own, especially if it's more comfortable for your mother.

Thank you so much Rebecca for all your help! Gives me lots to think about.

Important note: When you are buying train tickets, or researching them in a search, know that there is a city called Leeds that is not what you want. Leeds the city and Leeds Castle are different, and located hundreds of miles apart.

Leeds is a large city in West Yorkshire (to the northwest of London), a long way from Leeds Castle (to the southeast of London).

Of course, if you do Leeds Castle on your own, you will be looking for a train to Maidstone, and then bus #13 to Leeds Castle, or train on to Bearsted Station. Hope this helps.