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Quick, what am I supposed to see in England?

12:59 / 29.04.04

Briefly: my mother, grandmother and I are off to see some family in Stroud for two weeks, and Mom and I want to do a lot of little side trips to fill our time. Aside from the obvious Stonehenge, what would anyone suggest in southern England? We'll be in London for a few days, what's interesting and not too cliché? (I have a degree in architecture, so I guess that would be my general direction.)

13:08 / 29.04.04

The John Soanes museum in Lincoln Inn's fields:
their website
Bizarre labyrinthine house/museum of great british architect. great to wander around on a rainy day like today, plus its free. They have a collection of original Piranesi drawings - inside one of the walls - you have to ask and they fold it out!

13:15 / 29.04.04

Brighton's worth a look. Quick trip round the lanes'd be good for you. Glastonbury's nice, and feels good you know. Depends what you're after really. Here's a page of ideas if architecture's you bag:

buildings in southern england

13:23 / 29.04.04

What do you want to see? - What might be worth doing is starting at a landmark and just going for a wander from there.

15:29 / 29.04.04

Well if your in Stroud then you're near the border of Wales and there are loads of Castles over there. See as many as you can! I would recommend Chepstow and Goodrich castles which are both a daytrip away from Stroud.

Bristol is just down the motorway where you can see such wonders as Brunels Suspension Bridge, SS Great Britain amongst other wonderful sights.

If you want to see a quaint English village/town then Bourton on the Water is a great place to visit if the weather is good. Very quaint!

There are also a number of Stately homes in the South West to visit. In Cheltenham theres Sudeley Castle (which isn't a castle, its a stately home) and down near Bristol again is Dyrham Park.

Bath is another town that goes down well with American tourists. That again is a days journey.

If you're feeling more adventurous then The Eden Project in Cornwall is worth a visit but its a bit of a hike from Stroud.

Another place worth going is Ironbridge Gorge which is in North to Mid Wales I think? This is North of Stroud and a fair journey. Here you will find a reconstructed Victorian village.

Oh, and whilst in London go on the London Eye.

By the way I live in Bristol (20 mins south of Stroud) and grew up in Gloucester (20 mins north of Stroud) so know the area quite well if you want to know anything.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

16:58 / 29.04.04

Glastonbury Tor's very nice. And the town itself (though I haven't been there for many years) was pretty fucking cool. Have a drink in the Rifleman's Arms. Check out the Abbey ruins. It's a lovely place.

17:26 / 29.04.04

If you do decide to head into Cornwall how about The Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle.

18:01 / 29.04.04

While it is in every sense of the word, a tourist destination, I wholeheartedly recommend the London Eye.

The views, night or day, are incredible and will give you an excellent view of London's skyline - Especially Big Ben and the Houses Of Parliament, which are literally just across the river from the London Eye.

If you have the time, while you're in London, I would also recommend a walk in Hamsted Heath, and if you manage to make it to Hamsted itself, it's a beautiful, quiet part of London, with many coffee and book shops.

18:49 / 29.04.04

Well, don't let anyone waste your time with Cirencester and the rest of the Cotswolds. If you've seen Stroud, you've probably seen it all (although I will make an exception for Stow-on-the-Wold if you're heading up to Shakespeare country).
I would recommend venturing a bit further than Stonehenge/Salibury Plain (it's called plain for a reason y'know) and go for Avebury/Marborough and more importantly Wantage with the gobsmacking views from Uffington White Horse. No serious 'lither should miss Waylands Smithy while they're there.

19:34 / 29.04.04

Walking along the Thames from the Parliament to the Tower of London is really nice...

21:30 / 29.04.04

Thanks - I'll start my research based on your advice pronto. I'm flying out on Saturday, so thanks for being so prompt in the replies.

07:04 / 30.04.04

I think England has the most wonderful cosatline. If you like it rugged that is. Have fun.

07:08 / 30.04.04

Walking along the Thames from the Parliament to the Tower of London is really nice...

I love doing this too, but prefer doing it along the south bank... more things to do and see and it has the added bonus of being a shorter walk too...

A fall of geckos

12:56 / 30.04.04

Wow - I grew up in Wantage, and never considered it a tourist attraction. The White Horse & Weyland Smithy are great though. If you're into that kind of thing, I think Hetty Pegler’s Tump is near Stroud. It's a fairly massive long-barrow, with a fantastic name.

13:48 / 30.04.04

and let's not forget Royston Vasey and the Stump Hole Caverns....
[In-joke. Please ignore]

13:54 / 30.04.04

I disagree with Cube, not about Royston Vasey but about the Cotswolds. It's a lovely part of the country and your mother and grandmother will just love it. Near Stroud is a place called Painswick which has the most gorgeous Rococco Gardens, though you have missed the snowdrops which are its finest feature. There are some absolutely lovely villages and towns there, some of them so beautiful that it's almost a bit sickly in a chocolate box kind of way (like the wonderfully named Upper and Lower Slaughter), and these places can get a little packed with tourists. From an architectural point of view you will see that the architecture of the region is totally dominated by the local sandy coloured stone. Have fun.