London sights....Have you been here? How was it?

Canterbury by train on your own is very do-able. we did it with my parents, easy walk from the station to the cathedral area. If thats what you like also consider Salisbury. We did St Albans and hatfield many many years ago, when we were doing all those sights. Did not stick out as being that interesting - but it could be my memory. We do enjoy Blenheim Palace though.

> The steam rail trip Alyesford to Acton? Do you mean the Mid-Hants Railway from Alton to Alresford? It's one of the top steam railways in the UK, but the main attraction is the experience of old-style rail travel - there isn't wildly spectacular scenery. (It's Alton, not Acton: Acton is a suburb of London, but Alton is well out into the country. About seventy minutes by train from Waterloo station: probably not much of an advanced discount so buy your ticket at Waterloo.)

Number 3 - do you mean Chislehurst Caves (about a mile from where I live)? While interesting not a major sight and unless you have visited all the other interesting places in Kent that can be reached as a day trip from London eg Canterbury or Dover Castle, I would say probably not worth the minor effort. Do I detect a WW2/Churchill theme? If so the Cabinet War Rooms in Whitehall and the Imperial War Museum or Churchill's country home "Chartwell" near Westerham, Kent might fit the bill better than the Tooley St exhibit.

Thank you both for figuring out what I meant - in spite of the bad spelling. Vacation days are precious. Getting an informed opinion is better than spending a big chunk of a day on something for which the idea is greater than the reality. So, we'll just take a regular train to St. Albans and call ourselves happy. And, we'll make another visit to Canterbury - this time by ourselves - no tour.

Thank you for all the suggestions. Chartwell...yes. I hadn't considered that. Blenheim Palace and Salisbury are two favorites from other trips. And I would be so willing to see them again. St. Albans is mainly to go to mass at the shrine of this old saint...and to check out the acoustics in the Roman Theatre for a friend who is considering it as a performance venue. Elizabeth went through so much rejection and turmoil at Hatfield that I would probably expect the walls to talk. Thank you again.