ROADTRIP: my 6-day London Loop

Can I design a road trip for you?  This simple 6-night trip never strays more than a few hours from London 

but it'll show you more than 700 years of history and some unforgettable sights. 

Schedule a complimentary call to learn more.

Ride "the Eye", witness the centuries-long Keys Ceremony, and sample Benachin in East London, but then head out of town on a 6-night loop through Stonehenge, Oxford, and the Cotswolds.   Here's the way....

DAY 1: STONEHENGE AT SUNRISE
Did you know that you can actually get INSIDE the stones of Stonehenge.  It requires a guide, advanced reservations, and waking before dawn, but it's well worth it!

For this sunrise event, you need to stay nearby.  I have a wonderful historic guesthouse, only  10 minutes down the road, and it's the perfect launching spot.

The next morning, you will do the highly coveted  "Inner Circle Tour".   Tightly permitted by English Heritage, you get to wander beyond the fences, off the path, and amongst the stones, an experience within the "temple" which many people find magical.

While you're on the site, don't miss the new-in-December-2104 Visitors Center. 

DAY 2:  A DAY IN THE COUNTRYSIDE
Set a day aside for some local attractions before you move onward.

Ready for crowds?  Head to Bath.  Yes, you can actually bathe in the thermal springs. Here's a good spot: The Thermae Baths, open 7am-9pm.
But the parking is obscenely difficult with off-site lots, outside of town, and complicated shuttle services.

Your time may be better spent with Jane Austen? 
Near Alton, in a little crossroads called Chawton, you can tour her home (£7), a former bailiffs' house where she spent her last 8 years and at a small round table in the parlour, put her final edits on Sense & Sensibility.

Detour to Salisbury's Cathedral House to view the venerable Magna Carta. Simply translated as "big charter", this legal document was issued by King John back in 1215 to avert a civil war, but it has since inspired centuries of people to strive for freedom.
There were many copies of this decree distributed in the 1200s but today, only 4 remain, and here lies one of them, its authenticity certified by the imprimatur, the King's seal, in the bottom corner.  Cost of entry is free but a donation of £6.50 is recommended.

DAY 3: ON TO OXFORD
Did you know you can sleep in a dorm in Oxford, and eat breakfast the next morning in the Hogwartz-esque grand dining hall.

Make sure you tour Christ Church, and get a Blue Badge guide if you want special access.

Then don't leave without a short outing on the river, so you can tell your friends at home that you went  "punting on the Thames".


DAY 4, 5, 6:  PUB-TO-PUB IN THE COTSWOLDS
You stay in cozy pubs and grand guesthouses in the Cotswolds, that range of rolling hills that rises from the Thames river bottom and is iconized by English gardens and tutor homes and rose-strewn cottages and scone-filled shops.

You can even hike pub-to-pub throughout this classic region, on a trail called the 100-mile long Cotswolds Way.  As you pass sheep, stop for a pint, and laze in the sunshine, your bags are transferred to your next overnight, meaning that you never have to double-back and you maximize your experience.   Here's the Ordinance Survey map to envision the possibilities:

Tempted to go? 

I would love to serve as your travel designer.  

Call me today, at (609) 923-0304