England in April
Our England and Scotland trip took months of planning, with two very different travel experiences in mind: using London as our home base and relying entirely on public transportation, then heading north for a road trip through the Scottish Highlands.
One of our biggest challenges was packing as minimally as possible. Each of us brought only a backpack, which meant carefully planning for everything from hiking and sightseeing to dinners out, all while preparing for the unpredictable British weather.
April 2 and 5
London
After an overnight flight from Boston to Heathrow, we hit the ground running. For the London portion, we chose Paddington as our base, and our hotel turned out to be practically inside Paddington Station! We knew it was nearby, but having the Underground and National Rail right at our doorstep made getting around incredibly convenient.
Public transportation isn’t something we rely on much here in Connecticut, so getting around London this way was an adventure in itself, and one we’d absolutely recommend.
Arriving early in the morning, we dropped our backpacks with the hotel concierge and set off to explore. By the end of the day, we’d walked nearly 11 miles, taking in Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace.
Would we do it differently next time? Absolutely! Between the overnight flight and the jet lag, we were exhausted. By the time we reached the National Gallery, our son was practically sleepwalking, and he remembers very little of the rest of that day!
Next time, we’d take one of London’s hop-on, hop-off bus tours to see the highlights without wearing ourselves out on day one. It was a memorable introduction to London, and a good reminder that sometimes less really is more when traveling.
London after dark
On Easter night, back from the Cotswolds with a little energy to spare, we decided to give the open-top sightseeing buses a try. It turned out to be one of our favorite ways to experience London!
The city at night was breathtaking. I hadn’t expected the landmarks to be so beautifully lit, or to feel quite so majestic after dark. We took in Tower Bridge, the London Eye, St Paul’s Cathedral and St Bride’s Church while learning about London’s neighborhoods and its many little cities within a city.
Our guide was hilarious, with that distinctly British humor that insults you just enough to make you laugh rather than take offense. It felt a little like being told off by someone you couldn’t help but love!
The tour was entertaining, informative and a wonderful way to see another side of London. After our exhausting first day, I only wished we’d discovered these buses sooner!
April 3
Stonehenge and Bath
Knowing we’d be exhausted after our overnight flight and ambitious first day in London, we did something unusual for us: booked a guided coach tour. We’re typically independent travelers who prefer to set our own pace and see where the road takes us. But we quickly learned that letting someone else handle the navigation can be a wonderful luxury, especially on tiny English roads through unfamiliar countryside. We even scored the best seats in the house: the very front of the top deck of a double-decker bus!
Our first stop was Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain. It’s difficult to describe the feeling of seeing the stones for the first time. While some find them underwhelming in person, we were completely enthralled. As the bus rounded a bend, the ancient stones appeared in the distance, rising unexpectedly from the vast, flat landscape. It felt almost surreal.
Although we couldn’t walk among the standing stones, we followed the circular path around them. With every change of perspective, the formation seemed to become something new, and we couldn’t decide which angle we liked best. There was something magical about standing before a structure so ancient, wondering how and why it was built and considering the many theories about its purpose. It was mysterious, humbling and deeply inspiring.
After a quick snack, we climbed back aboard and continued to Bath, a city shaped by its natural hot springs and Roman history. We learned about the Roman Baths and the temple dedicated to Sulis Minerva, where Roman and local religious traditions came together. It was fascinating to see how cultures and beliefs could merge rather than simply replace one another.
Bath was an entirely different kind of wonder. Its elegant Georgian architecture and harmonious symmetry were unlike anything we’re used to back home, where neighborhoods often celebrate individuality. Here, the sweeping crescents and uniform facades seemed to blend effortlessly into the surrounding countryside. The city felt cohesive, almost like a natural extension of the landscape, and we found ourselves wishing we had more time to explore.
We caught our first glimpse of houseboats along the River Avon, enjoyed our first pint of the trip, and spotted a reminder of Britain’s love affair with dogs: little Victorian pet cemeteries tucked into the landscape.
Bath was a place of beautiful contrasts: ancient Roman history, refined Georgian architecture and the everyday charm of a living city. We could easily have spent an entire day wandering its streets, discovering its artists, gardens and hidden corners. But our adventure was just getting started.
Saturday, April 4
Oxford
Oxford was our first day navigating the trains out of Paddington, and we quickly learned that even simple travel plans can turn into an adventure. We nearly boarded the wrong train and had to jump off at the last minute, which was hilarious in hindsight. A little travel chaos keeps things interesting!
Once we were safely on board, I pulled out my watercolors. My plan was to catch up on painting during train rides and other downtime, but the sketches were piling up faster than I could paint them, and I fell further behind each day.
We didn’t have a big agenda, which is how we like to travel: a place to explore, a few things we’d love to see, and room for the unexpected.
We started with our first traditional English breakfast, complete with baked beans and roasted tomatoes. Delicious, if a little different from our usual. We also learned that ordering coffee in England usually means choosing a cappuccino or latte; a plain cup of coffee is harder to come by.
In Oxford, we wandered past the old prison toward the university’s historic buildings and Christ Church, catching glimpses of crooked buildings, houseboats, parks and rivers along the way. Christ Church is both a college of the university and the city’s cathedral, and while we waited for our tour time, we explored its beautifully kept grounds.
Walking through the buildings was awe-inspiring: stone staircases, intricate carvings, soaring ceilings, centuries-old woodwork and the paintings lining the Great Hall. This was where the depth of British history really began to sink in.
Christ Church Cathedral was our first cathedral of the trip, and it left an impression. We were drawn to the stories behind the stained glass, the memorials and the tombs. It was a solemn, beautiful space that invited you to slow down.
And then, of course, there was the food! Oxford brought our first fish and chips and the start of a full-blown love affair with sticky toffee pudding. We made a pact: anywhere that offered sticky toffee pudding, we’d order it, and by the end of the trip we’d crown the best one.
A very important research project, if you ask me.
Easter Sunday, April 5
The Cotswolds
For Easter Sunday, our last day using London as a base, we tried something more adventurous: a seven-plus-mile walk from Moreton-in-Marsh through the rolling hills and green pastures of the Cotswolds. This stretch of English countryside was probably our favorite part of the entire trip.
We wandered along winding footpaths, passed through kissing gates, spotted Easter lambs frolicking in the fields, and made our way past stone cottages and farmland toward the village of Blockley, where we had reserved a table for our Easter Sunday roast.
One of the best moments was cresting a hill and looking down into a valley at the little village where we’d soon be stopping for lunch. The path was clearly marked, and although we were crossing miles of open countryside, we never felt lost. It was as though we’d stepped back in time, to when traveling between villages meant walking these same paths through the hills.
The landscape was everything we’d hoped the English countryside would be, with a peacefulness that made us want to slow down and take it all in. It was never crowded, but it was lovely to see people out enjoying the day with their very well-behaved dogs. Sometimes the best experiences happen when you simply pick a destination, lace up your walking shoes and see where the footpath takes you.
By the time we reached Blockley, we’d certainly earned our feast at the Great Western Arms: a traditional Sunday roast of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and delicious roasted potatoes. There’s something about a proper British roast after a long walk that just hits differently. We also tried the inn’s Mucky Toast and, of course, couldn’t pass up the sticky toffee pudding.
If I had to choose one day that truly felt like an adventure, this would be it. The Cotswolds completely stole our hearts.
April 6 and 7
York
We took our time checking out Monday morning, our first real chance to rest since arriving in England, before crossing London from Paddington to King’s Cross for our train to York.
We arrived in the early afternoon, with just enough time to explore before sunset. Clifford’s Tower was right across from our hotel, the perfect starting point. From there we wandered the cobblestone streets, quirky little shops and, of course, the famous Shambles, with York Minster’s towers looming over it all. We had dinner at the Golden Fleece, said to be York’s most haunted pub. York has a way of making you feel as though you’ve stepped straight into another century.
We loved York’s shop windows, with their curved glass and small panes. Most of the shops were closed during our evening wanderings, but it was fun to walk around and admire the craftsmanship. The next morning, the shopkeepers were all out washing their windows to start the day, such an ordinary, old-fashioned thing to see these days. It felt like watching the stewards of a lost era.
We also had morning tickets to York Minster, hoping to catch the early sunlight through its famous Great East Window. Christ Church in Oxford had been beautiful in its own right, but the sheer scale and grandeur of York Minster was breathtaking.
Beyond the soaring architecture and stained glass, we were fascinated by the details: the elaborate woodwork in the Quire and the countless carved faces, known as grotesques. Men, women and beasts stared back at us from the stonework, no two alike. You could spend hours looking up and into every little corner and still feel you’d missed something.
Our son absolutely loved York. The winding streets and the history around every corner captured his imagination, and he wished we could stay longer. I couldn’t blame him; we all wished we’d allowed another day or two.
But our journey north was calling. While we waited in the station lounge for our train to Edinburgh, he gave us one last memorable moment: a stern little telling-off from the lounge matron for eating too many biscuits. It was completely unexpected and absolutely hilarious.
We left feeling we had only scratched the surface, but Edinburgh was waiting.
The trip continues in Scotland in April.