3 nights in elegant Bath: Meet me in genteel Bath, an easy ~2-hour transfer from Heathrow. The incredible Roman baths still flow, and the town’s elegant honey-colored buildings look the same as in Jane Austen’s era–and we’ll enjoy a traditional afternoon tea just as she would have. We’ll explore this walkable small city with my local guide friend, then explore by water on a canal cruise. The vast Avebury stone circle is our daytrip nearby–my favorite alternative to touristy Stonehenge. It’s a mystical, timeless experience where you can walk right among the ancient stones and actually touch them.

2 nights in edgy Bristol: Where Bath is elegant and refined, Bristol is funky, hip, and artsy. Its lively student vibe is layered over a rich history of early sea trade (and pirates!), Victorian engineering milestones, and WWII bombing raids. We’ll don hard hats to explore the inner workings of its signature suspension bridge, and we’ll get a sense of Bristol’s role in transatlantic trade at the fascinating seaport museum. We’ll duck down back streets with our local guide to find the creative, outspoken street art of local son Banksy, and chow down on fun street food at one of England’s favorite markets.

3 nights in the bucolic Cotswolds: The Cotswold villages are the England of your dreams: thatched-roof cottages, fields of sheep, meandering country lanes, and gardens overflowing with blooms. Let’s follow country paths on an easy hike through this bucolic scenery, ending at a pub for a pint and a hearty lunch. And at nearby Hidcote–one of my favorite English gardens–it will be peak season for the blooms in its lush Arts and Crafts-era garden “rooms” and landscaped vistas.

3 nights on Dorset’s dramatic Jurassic Coast: This World Heritage-designated stretch of the southern England coast is where a 19th-century female fossil hunter expanded the new field of paleontology with her discoveries. Stunning cliffs and picturesque coves erode to reveal plant and animal life preserved in its layers–and with an expert, we’ll not only learn its history, we’ll search for fossils ourselves! We’ll capture breathtaking views on a cliffside walk, and toast our adventure and our friends over a final hearty dinner together.

Tour ends with transportation to London. An optional 3-night London extension will be planned based on traveler interest.