Spending your entire vacation in London is always an option and certainly, there are enough things to keep anyone entertained for weeks. A favorite choice of the locals is the train. Using the trains to get from one end of England to the other is both easy and when compared with the price of a rental car and gas, reasonably priced. Most areas of the English countryside are accessible by trains. Not every village and hamlet of course but most places that visitors would want to visit can be accessed on the train. The exception is Stonehenge, and this is best done on an organized bus tour from London.
Kent is known as the "Garden of England". It is gorgeous year round but in the spring with the fields of rape in full bloom, it is stunning. Rape is a horrible name for a flower but it is used to make the coloring that turns margarine that bright yellow color. Oust houses are also a familiar sight in the Kent countryside. You can enjoy a visit to Chartwell, Hever or Sissinghurst Gardens. These homes of Winston Churchill, Anne Boleyn, and Vita Sackville-West offer visitors plenty of beautiful houses to visit.
One of England most scenic castle Leeds Castles is located in Kent as well. Sevenoaks which is near all the attractions can be reached from London's Charing Cross Station or you can take the train from London Bridge to Hever. Either route will put you right in the midst of the Garden of England.
The Cotswolds are a favorite destination of both the British and the visitor. They offer historically rich cities and beautiful yellow stone building. All trains to the Cotswolds leave from London's Paddington Station. The train does not go to every village and town in the Cotswolds but it does go to Gloucester, Moreton in the Marsh, Bath, Stratford on Avon, Oxford and Cheltenham.
The moors described so vividly in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights are in the northwest of England. From London travel to the north leaves from Kings Cross Station. For Bronte country, you will need to take the train to Keighley. From there the ultimate trip would be on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway which is a historic steam train, certainly that will set the mood for visiting the home of Charlotte and Emily Bronte. Another option for getting from Keighley to Haworth is on a local bus. Whichever way you choose the scenery will be striking and you will get to enjoy views of the moors and the village of Haworth.
In the East, the Anglia Plus Pass Flexi Rover is downright cheap, for 34 pounds it allows you to travel for three days out of seven. This pass is a great choice if you want to spend a week in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk. You need to purchase a return ticket to Cambridge from London and use Cambridge as your center. You can then choose to visit Norwich, Ely, Bury St Edmunds, Great Yarmouth or Newmarket. East Anglia is an area that has an abundance of history and the Fens are an area of great natural beauty. You will wish that you could travel all seven days but Cambridge itself will occupy a day or two by itself.
Finding accommodations in any of the towns that are suggested will be easy with bed and breakfast, inns and hotels available. Local bus service and taxis can be arranged for anything that requires more than a short walk. Don't let the fact that you don't want to drive keep you from visiting the English countryside.
Whatever part of England you decide to visit there will be a train that can get you there. To learn more about train travel in England and to see all the rail passes available visit http://www.britrail.com/
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