London area walkable villages for vacation?

[CloudBee]

We're looking at London in the coming months, but our son much prefers open/green spaces to cities. I figure we might stay outside the city and go in for a day to see the palace and such.

Can anyone recommend a village within an hour of Heahthrow or London proper, that has hotels in a very walkable downtown area? Either with plenty of restaurants in the village center, or a hotel rec that would have kitchens and a nearby market? We really enjoy cooking for breakfast ourselves when DS is with us.

Or a resort (even golf) that's on a sprawling piece of property with a forest or trails to explore? I'm seeing a lot of what I'm looking for in Ireland, but we specifically want England this time around.

He loves swimming so an indoor pool is a plus. Unfortunately most of the London area hotels with indoor pools appear to be in city centers, not villages with green space.

Thanks!

[loira]

Richmond or Chiswick are closer to Heathrow and are very village-y. Richmond in particular might be good as it has Kew gardens and Hampton Court, both of which have huge green spaces. No clue on hotels there though.

Also consider Greenwich. Or maybe St Albans, although neither are particularly close to Heathrow.

ETA I will day there are a TON of open and green spaces within London. Both Hyde park and Regent's park are massive, Green park, Hampton Heath, plus lots of little gardens. It is not a city where you feel closed in on.

[CloudBee]

Mar 22, 2024 9:22:52 GMT -5 loira said:

Richmond or Chiswick are closer to Heathrow and are very village-y. Richmond in particular might be good as it has Kew gardens and Hampton Court, both of which have huge green spaces. No clue on hotels there though.

Also consider Greenwich. Or maybe St Albans, although neither are particularly close to Heathrow.

ETA I will day there are a TON of open and green spaces within London. Both Hyde park and Regent's park are massive, Green park, Hampton Heath, plus lots of little gardens. It is not a city where you feel closed in on.

These suggestions are helpful. Thank you! I was actually looking at St Albans, so might dig deeper into that area.

We’ve done London a few times, and while the parks are beautiful, he really likes woods and trails. Adventure vs just a day in a park. Also considering the seaside but I think we would opt for an apartment rental. Can you suggest a seaside town?

[jamaicam]

We stayed in an Airbnb in St Albans recently when we wanted a couple of days in London but were with my parents who needed somewhere to park their car etc. It takes about 25 minutes to get to Kings Cross on the train.

But is there a specific reason you want London? Somewhere in the York area may be awesome - gorgeous ancient town, viking museum, amazing countryside (much nicer than down south hehe), great hotels etc. Its also a lot more affordable than London. You can get a direct train from Kings Cross which would take about 2 hours. Or do a day or 2 in London and then get out adn head to the country!

[jamaicam]

Mar 22, 2024 9:42:11 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

Mar 22, 2024 9:22:52 GMT -5 loira said:

Richmond or Chiswick are closer to Heathrow and are very village-y. Richmond in particular might be good as it has Kew gardens and Hampton Court, both of which have huge green spaces. No clue on hotels there though.

Also consider Greenwich. Or maybe St Albans, although neither are particularly close to Heathrow.

ETA I will day there are a TON of open and green spaces within London. Both Hyde park and Regent's park are massive, Green park, Hampton Heath, plus lots of little gardens. It is not a city where you feel closed in on.

These suggestions are helpful. Thank you! I was actually looking at St Albans, so might dig deeper into that area.

We’ve done London a few times, and while the parks are beautiful, he really likes woods and trails. Adventure vs just a day in a park. Also considering the seaside but I think we would opt for an apartment rental. Can you suggest a seaside town?

Just seeing this but if you have done London a couple of times, then I really would suggest heading North!! Combine York with Whitby or somewhere on the North Yorks coast to get both adventure and sea. I spent years living in that area so ask me anything. I also LOVE Northumberland but that is quite a bit further

[bears]

How much butter will you bring (please tell me that was you)?

[emilyinchile]

Yeah, I'm going to ditto jamaicam with the idea that it sounds like maybe you guys really want 1 tourist day in London and then to go to another part of the country entirely. The Lake District is a major trekking area, or if you want more village feel closer to London what about the Cotswalds. Sorry, we are not following the instructions of the OP.

Better following instructions: what about High Wycombe?

[loira]

Mar 22, 2024 9:42:11 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

Mar 22, 2024 9:22:52 GMT -5 loira said:

Richmond or Chiswick are closer to Heathrow and are very village-y. Richmond in particular might be good as it has Kew gardens and Hampton Court, both of which have huge green spaces. No clue on hotels there though.

Also consider Greenwich. Or maybe St Albans, although neither are particularly close to Heathrow.

ETA I will day there are a TON of open and green spaces within London. Both Hyde park and Regent's park are massive, Green park, Hampton Heath, plus lots of little gardens. It is not a city where you feel closed in on.

These suggestions are helpful. Thank you! I was actually looking at St Albans, so might dig deeper into that area.

We’ve done London a few times, and while the parks are beautiful, he really likes woods and trails. Adventure vs just a day in a park. Also considering the seaside but I think we would opt for an apartment rental. Can you suggest a seaside town?

Brighton, Hove or Portsmouth are all within day-trip distance of London.

I agree with PPS that if you've been to London before you should consider the north. York is really great (I loved their Viking experience museum) and if you go further north up by Newcastle, you could check out Bamburgh Castle and Hadrian's wall, both of which are stunning.

If you prefer to stay south, Canterbury is really lovely, and you could also go to Dover.

[frlcb]

Wimbledon is great, especially the Village. It is near Wimbledon Common and there is a ton of green space to walk around and explore, and the Village has a bunch of restaurants and shops. Easy to get into the center of London. Hotel Du Vin Cannizzaro House is great and right on the common, but pricey.

Lake District would be perfect for him, we love staying at Masons Arm Strawberry Bank. It is a little outside Windermere, and is a great hotel and has a great pub/restaurant.

Alternatively there are a lot of cute seaside towns up North - Whitby, Tynemouth, Beadnell. Lots of castles and priories all around to explore.

[CloudBee]

Mar 22, 2024 9:46:14 GMT -5 jamaicam said:

We stayed in an Airbnb in St Albans recently when we wanted a couple of days in London but were with my parents who needed somewhere to park their car etc. It takes about 25 minutes to get to Kings Cross on the train.

But is there a specific reason you want London? Somewhere in the York area may be awesome - gorgeous ancient town, viking museum, amazing countryside (much nicer than down south hehe), great hotels etc. Its also a lot more affordable than London. You can get a direct train from Kings Cross which would take about 2 hours. Or do a day or 2 in London and then get out adn head to the country!

London flights are dirt cheap from our metro right now, the week we are looking to go away.

[CloudBee]

Mar 22, 2024 9:52:15 GMT -5 bears said:

How much butter will you bring (please tell me that was you)?

This time I will travel with our portable egg griddle and kettle.

Might bring a mini fridge, too.

Possible our George Foreman. 

Take that back. I'll bring the full sized fridge, including condiments.

[mrsukyankee]

For good London suburbs, Highgate Village, Muswell Hill or Crouch End are great. The North London areas are near the outdoors but easy to get into central London quickly (I live in one of them). Lots of good AirBnBs.

For outside of London - Bath is wonderful and easy to get to from London. There's a great water spa that isn't expensive with two great pools. And you can walk tons outside of Bath.

For smaller villages that are still lovely and have good transport to/from London: Amersham, Berkhamsted, Royal Tumbridge Wells.

[bears]

Mar 22, 2024 16:16:48 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

Mar 22, 2024 9:52:15 GMT -5 bears said:

How much butter will you bring (please tell me that was you)?

This time I will travel with our portable egg griddle and kettle.

Might bring a mini fridge, too.

Possible our George Foreman. 

Take that back. I'll bring the full sized fridge, including condiments.

My husband and I travel with our Farberware percolator because we hate Keurigs so much. Soo, I'm certainly not a low maintenance traveler.

[CloudBee]

Mar 22, 2024 16:43:51 GMT -5 bears said:

Mar 22, 2024 16:16:48 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

...

My husband and I travel with our Farberware percolator because we hate Keurigs so much. Soo, I'm certainly not a low maintenance traveler.

And we actually travel with our:

- Dash mini egg fryer when traveling domestically
- water bottle sized kettle domestically and abroad (for coffee & tea)

Hotel room coffee machines gross us out, too.

[gardengal]

Mar 22, 2024 16:15:44 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

Mar 22, 2024 9:46:14 GMT -5 jamaicam said:

We stayed in an Airbnb in St Albans recently when we wanted a couple of days in London but were with my parents who needed somewhere to park their car etc. It takes about 25 minutes to get to Kings Cross on the train.

But is there a specific reason you want London? Somewhere in the York area may be awesome - gorgeous ancient town, viking museum, amazing countryside (much nicer than down south hehe), great hotels etc. Its also a lot more affordable than London. You can get a direct train from Kings Cross which would take about 2 hours. Or do a day or 2 in London and then get out adn head to the country!

London flights are dirt cheap from our metro right now, the week we are looking to go away.

Right, you can fly into London & drive or train to a place that better fits your needs. York, for example, is 3.5hr drive from Heathrow. 

[dutchgirl678]

Mar 22, 2024 18:29:11 GMT -5 gardengal said:

Mar 22, 2024 16:15:44 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

London flights are dirt cheap from our metro right now, the week we are looking to go away.

Right, you can fly into London & drive or train to a place that better fits your needs. York, for example, is 3.5hr drive from Heathrow. 

I agree. I love York and Yorkshire. There are so many cute towns like Knaresborough, Harrogate, Whitby, Bridlington, Scarborough. Lots of hiking in the Yorkshire Dales.

[themoneytree]

The Cotswolds. Pick a town like Burford and just take the train from Charlbury into London for the day. It’s gorgeous. Honey stone cottages, lots of pubs, cafes and restaurants and surrounded by absolutely glorious countryside.