London, England

16 days in the United Kingdom

16 days in the UK seems like a reasonable time - but when you get down to the detail all you can do is skim the surface.

So where do you start? Make a list of things that interest you. Most people fly into London, so it is a logical place to start.

Heathrow is the main airport servicing London - it is 15 miles (24 kilometres) to the west of London and is connected by the tube (London's underground rail system) and buses into downtown. Gatwick is 28 miles (45 kilometres) to the south and access to London is via National Rail (longer distance trains) and bus. Gatwick is not as busy as Heathrow and may be less hectic to manoeuver. One of the hardest decisions will be your accommodation in London - it is a large city with many attractions (population over 7 million). Once you decide what you want to see, you can arrange accommodation that allows easy access to these places.

We chose to stay in Battersea (partly to be close to family, but as I had lived there 20 years ago it was also a trip down memory lane!) Access to downtown is via National Rail and bus - it would have been more convenient to stay near the tube line (as the service is more regular). Most hotels/B&Bs/Pubs will be able to tell you the closest tube/rail station/bus service - so check out the London Tube map and find accommodation within reach of your chosen sights. The Transport for London website is a mine of information including: - themed journeys (e.g. Historical London, East End Criminology) - plan your own journey (walk, cycle, public transport or combination of all) - visitors' maps - train, tube, bus and light rail timetables - oyster cards (London transport ticketing system: for more information head to this site)

There are more things to do in London than time will allow - research will help you to make a choice. The Visit London website divides attractions into the following categories: London's villages; Rivers and Waterways; Sporting Venues; Major Attractions and Parks and Open Spaces. It also contains special offers which might be useful. If weather permits, take time to check out the London Parks - they are very large and are great places to see lots of birds and squirrels (quite a treat for Australian visitors!) If you want to see a show or a sporting event, I suggest you try to book in advance before you leave home. Otherwise you may be disappointed.

We knew we would never get to see everything we wanted in London, so decided not to try! We chose to spend one of our days visiting Paris (on the Eurostar ). It was a long day, but gave us a taste of this exciting city. It was definitely one of the highlights of our European stay.

From London we hired a car and set off to see some of the countryside. Our first leg of the journey took us south from London through Surrey and West Sussex. We had relatives to visit in Chichester and Bosham. We stopped off in Chichester and enjoyed a wander around town.