London + the English Countryside
WHO
Our family of four went on this trip in June 2023, when Averhy was 19 and Eden was 16 years old. The last time Sky and I had visited London was in 1999, but this was our first time driving in the English countryside!
WHAT
For this trip, we used three Motherlode Backpacks and Sky’s “magic backpack” as our carry-on bags. This allowed us to bypass the long checked-luggage lines at airports. We rented a Mini Cooper for our days in the country, and our four backpacks just barely squeezed into the “trunk”! We did not do laundry during this trip.
Remember to bring a power adapter for charging phones and other electronics.
WHEN
We took this trip near the end of June 2023, and we booked our flights about 6 months earlier. This was a great time to travel - the weather cooperated (and was actually a bit warmer than we expected).
WHERE
For this trip, we alternated staying in hotels and AirBnBs. We chose each one based on their location, as well as our ability to book using credit card points. The yellow stars on the map show the locations of the cities and main sites we visited: Oxford, Gloucester, Bath, Stonehenge, Arundel, Birling Gap, Dover, Canterbury, and London.
WHY
The main reason we traveled to London was because there was a special MLB game at London Sadium between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals that we wanted to attend! Although there is a lot to do in London, we wanted to explore the countryside as well, so we planned half of our week to be in the country and half in the city.
HOW
Day 0: Travel from US to London
This year we started playing the credit card points game, so we were able to save several thousand dollars by booking all of our flights using points, the Southwest companion pass, and transfer bonuses. We were also able to access airport lounges like this one in Boston with Priority Pass, included with one of our cards, which made waiting in airports much more comfortable.
Day 1: Oxford
We arrived in London around 11am, picked up our Turo rental car, and headed into the countryside! Our first stop was at Christ Church in Oxford, which had a self-guided audio tour we all enjoyed. Some of the Harry Potter movies were filmed here, or inspired by these buildings. We also learned that Alice in Wonderland had its beginnings at Oxford!
Day 1: Gloucester
Another 2 hour drive led us to Gloucester Cathedral, about 15 minutes before it closed! This gave us just enough time to admire the architecture and see the cloisters - also featured in Harry Potter films. Back in the car for another hour to get to Bath, where we ate a delicious dinner at Sally Lynn’s - the oldest house in Bath, built in 1482.
Day 2: Bath
We had a nice breakfast at our hotel before visiting the Roman Baths for a few hours. The self-guided audio tour was great, and we enjoyed learning about the history of the baths. We spent some more time walking around the town, and enjoyed this view of the Pulteney Bridge.
Day 2: Stonehenge
Stonehenge wasn’t at the top of our “must see” list, but it was on the way from Bath to Arundel so we decided to stop by! We chose to walk on the free public footpath rather than paying for entry, and the views were just as good. After another hour of driving, we arrived in Arundel and explored this cute village. We had drinks at Kings Arms (the oldest pub in town) and had dinner at the Red Lion - yum!
Day 3: Arundel Castle
After breakfast, we visited the Arundel Cathedral, perched high atop the hilly village, as well as a neat antique market in an old church building. Then it was time for our tour of the Arundel castle and gardens. The plants were beautiful and it was interesting to see everything you’d expect in a castle: velvet-carpeted libraries, high stone turrets, and even lion-skin rugs in front of two fireplaces in the great hall!
Day 3: White Cliffs of Dover
After getting lunch from the Edible Sandwich Co., we drove south to see the white cliffs at Birling Gap. Clouds started to roll in, so we continued on to Dover, hoping they would clear enough for us to see the coast of France. Luckily, they did! The park there closes at 7pm, so we took a quick walk on the cliffs before heading north to Canterbury.
Day 4: Canterbury to London
We enjoyed walking around Canterbury, and the cathedral was our favorite of this trip. It is more narrow than others, which makes it feel much taller. We also stopped by the Crooked House bookstore before driving back to London. After checking in to our AirBnB, we headed to see The Dear Hunter (one of Sky’s favorite bands) in concert nearby!
Day 5: Tower of London & Borough Market
This was a busy day, starting with a Beefeater tour at the Tower of London. Our guide was great! Tons of facts about the buildings and history. We crossed the Tower Bridge, went to the busy Borough Market for lunch.
Day 5: Millennium Bridge & St. Paul’s Cathedral
Next we walked back across the Thames River on Millennium Bridge to St. Paul’s Cathedral, to go down in the crypts and up to the top of the dome. Unfortunately the whispering gallery was closed for repairs, but the view over the city from the top of the dome was great!
Day 5: Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
After dinner and drinks in downtown London, we went to the Globe Theatre to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which was EXCELLENT! We bought tickets for the standing room only area, and going to an evening performance was a good choice, since the weather was so hot. Overall this was the best Shakespeare experience we’ve ever had!
Day 6: Westminster Abbey & Mercato Mayfair
Today we started at Westminster Abbey, which was our least favorite stop of this trip - was too crowded. We crossed the river to get some views of Big Ben and Parliament before hopping on the tube to get to Buckingham Palace. Next we walked through Hyde Park and ate lunch at Mercato Mayfair - a food market inside of an old church! I would definitely recommend this unique lunch spot.
Day 6: Afternoon Tea & the British Museum
After cleaning up at the AirBnB, we went to have Afternoon Tea at the Savoy to celebrate my birthday! It was fancy and fun, but honestly more expensive than it was worth. Oh well! We finished the evening with a short visit to the British Museum, which is free and open later on Fridays. There we saw the Rosetta stone and ancient Greek and Egyptian relics.
Day 7: Cubs vs. Cards at London Stadium
After two very hot days with lots of walking, we were exhausted and took it easy today, sleeping in and spending the morning at our AirBnB. In the afternoon, we took a bus to London Stadium, where West Ham United usually plays soccer - but this weekend it was converted into a baseball stadium! It was fun watching the Cubs win, and we even explained the rules of baseball to the Brits sitting near us!
Day 8: Tate Modern & travel to USA
Our flight home the last day wasn’t until 5pm, so we still had several hours to spend in London. We left our bags at Left Luggage at the train station, then got breakfast and spent two hours exploring the Tate Modern art museum.
When we got to the airport, we relaxed in one of the many airport lounges at Heathrow before flying out. Another great trip in the books!
Final Tips
London stores and restaurants are almost completely cashless. We didn’t use any cash the entire time, and didn’t even bother converting US dollars into British pounds!
If you want to avoid crowds, try visiting popular places at the very end of the day.
Wear good walking shoes!
Temperatures were between 75*F and 85*F which was warmer than we expected… and air conditioning was RARE.
If you want to really see the countryside, I would NOT recommend driving. The roads are very narrow, and all of them are lined with tall hedges so you rarely get a view. Taking trains between cities may be a better option.
What questions do you have? Let me know in the comments below!
