Rent a Car. Renting a car allows you to take an adventure off of the highways and main streets of buses and city life, and to experience the country roads that are lined with hedges and which curve around the old farmhouses. Renting a car also gives you the driving experience of the local—on the other side of the car! If you can retrain your brain for a week or two in order to drive on the other side of the road, you will be rewarded with a unique experience.
Stay at farmhouse bed and breakfasts. The countryside is filled with old farmhouses and working farms that double as a bed and breakfast. Usually complete with a full English breakfast, you can spend the night or the week coming and going at British home, where a family is going about their everyday farm life. These hosts are also excellent resources for great restaurants in the area, directions, or things to do.
Make friends with a local. While this may sound unlikely, asking someone on the bus, or the host of your accommodation where the best places are may be the best way to see the sites from the eyes of a native. This is a valuable trait to have in any city, but particularly in smaller cities where travel guides don’t bother giving any advice. Every town has its jewels and its quirks, and asking around may be the best way to experience these. Where’s the best place to get this kind of advice? A local pub, of course!
Take a walk. In fact, take lots of walks. After all, this is primarily how the locals get around, especially in cities like Oxford and London. Do not limit yourself to walks strictly to get from one place to another, but take a stroll around and you may find an interesting shop or café you would not have noticed before.
