In 2008, we flew into Heathrow, but skipped London otherwise. From the airport, we hired London Heathrow Cars to drive us to Stonehenge for an hour, and then drop us off at Salisbury for overnight. Salisbury was fantastic - very quaint, and very walk-able, with good food and places to stay. The next day, we hired Ethical Taxi for the short drive to Southampton and our cruise.
salisbury cathedral
Similarly, in 2010, we flew into Heathrow and hired London Heathrow Cars to drive us to Canterbury. We thought Salisbury was much nicer than Canterbury, but still, there was plenty to do there, okay hotels and good food. The next day, we hired Aristocars to drive us to Dover.canterbury cathedral