Hi lovely THS community! I’m travelling from Australia to London Heathrow mid Nov 2025, by myself for the first time. I want to spend the first night in a nice mid priced hotel to “recover” from the flight before I set off on my 3rd UK adventure, first time sans my darling husband. We’ve previously had our recovery first night in a nice mid priced hotel.
I will be heading to Cardiff, Wales and would love some suggestions. I thought Oxford, but not too sure. I will be catching the train or bus from LHR T3 on a Sunday. I would really like somewhere on the way, west of London, where I can check in to the hotel, then get out & walk around the area to recover from jet lag. I’ve been to Windsor but not Oxford. Any suggestions for a solo female traveller?
Happy Travels! Might be too far West, but have you considered Bath? We had a lovely overnight stay between sits and it’s an interesting town and we enjoyed a visit to the roman baths museum - I think Peter Fry was the narrator used in the self-guided tour.
It really depends on the time that you land at Heathrow.
Oxford and Bath are good choices but it may be dark before you arrive.
You can’t go wrong with a Premier Inn wherever you go. You may want to just find one in London and crash for the night then have a more relaxing time travelling next day
I’d vote for Oxford too @Crookie as buses head straight there but not sure whether it’s from all terminals or you’d have to get to the relevant terminal. Hopefully you’d be able to leave your luggage and set off to explore. Can’t recommend any accommodation as I always stay with friends who live about 35 mins away.
I agree with Oxford. Its a fabulous little city. I went for work several times and always stayed in a pub called The Head of the River. Its good value for money, friendly and near everything. Plus its 2 doors down from the police station.
Hi @Crookie
Oxford is lovely (although personally I prefer Cambridge but in the wrong direction) but it’s a big place and deserves longer.
As many people do now, I put your question into ChatGPT and it came up with the following suggestions:
Reading - not that exciting but easy transport-wise
Swindon - as above
Marlborough- a lovely market town with a historic high street but difficult to get to
Avebury - famous for its prehistoric stone circle & near Marlborough
Newport - a bit close to Cardiff
Cirencester might be an option. There are regular National Express buses from Heathrow:
You would need to get a bus to Gloucester and the train to Cardiff.
Interesting that ChatGPT didn’t suggest Oxford!
What about Cheltenham? Again, regular National Express buses go there and train from there to Cardiff. If I was home I could put you up but will be in South America.
Or Gloucester
I suggest Bristol. Good links from Paddington (either by train via Paddington using the Elizabeth Line or by direct bus) and easy to get to Cardiff from there too either by train or bus.
Bristol has some great architecture in Clifton, inc the suspension bridge and also has nice cafes etc, and lovely to walk on the heath too. You’ll find a range of hotels for all budgets and needs (I’m with you on the bath .. even better if I can find somewhere with a steam room or hot tub!).
I live very close to Stroud, which others have suggested, and while I love it I don’t think it would suit you for this trip as there are zero hotels you can reach easily by foot from the station, and taxis are expensive.
It’s an easy bus journey from Heathrow to Oxford with a frequent service. About an hour and 45 minutes, that would be my choice. You should be able to get a reasonable hotel through booking.com
Hello. After my long-haul flights to LHR I always like to stay at the historic Ostrich Inn in Colnbrook. It’s just a few minutes from the airport by taxi, has lovely food and drinks, comfortable rooms and helpful staff. The village of Colnbrook, despite being so close to Heathrow, is unspoilt and there are lots of places to walk around and relax after your flight. https://ostrichcolnbrook.co.uk/
A few months ago we stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Terminal 4 at Heathrow as we had come off a cruise and were flying home to Vancouver the next day from the same terminal. We loved our stay there - it was so convenient, spacious rooms, nice bar/restaurant. We had the best breakfast buffet we have ever had anywhere - traditional English breakfast in addition to other breakfast items which was included in our reservation with Booking.com. If you’re just looking to crash at the airport upon arrival, it’s a good choice.
In mid November it will be dark when you land and cold and maybe raining… the students will be back in Oxford. I think I’d take a train direct to Bristol it’s a City and not as touristy as Bath- you can’t check in until 2pm to a hotel so it’s about the right distance by train. Lots of nice hotels to choose from- and an interesting history too. Lots of ships set off to Australia from Bristol….there’s boat trips on the river, a harbour, markets, and galleries.
Hi Crookie,
Another Aussie here. I can vouch for Bristol too. We flew in from Morocco back in February and stayed in Bristol 5 nights before starting a sit in Salisbury. Really enjoyed Bristol and I think easy to get to Cardiff from there.
