House Sitting My Way Through Southern England: Discovering New Places

House Sitting My Way Through Southern England: Discovering New Places

(For those who prefer to read)

I love finding new places in Europe.

But sometimes the best discoveries happen because you travel a little differently.

That was certainly the case when I spent several weeks house sitting in England during the summer of 2026.

I pieced together three different dog sits across southern England, with a few days in between each one.

And because I didn’t have a car, I had to think carefully about where the sits were located, how I could get from one to another and where I might spend those days in between.

It turned into a completely different way of traveling.

I stayed in actual homes.

I settled into a bit of a routine.

I walked dogs through the English countryside.

And I found myself in places I probably wouldn’t have visited otherwise.

Some I loved.

One, not so much.

Because that’s travel too!

What exactly is house sitting?

There are several house and pet sitting platforms that connect homeowners with people willing to care for their homes and, most often, their pets while they’re away.

I use TrustedHousesitters, but there are other options including MindMyHouse and Nomador.

Typically, you pay an annual membership fee to join a platform.

Then you can search for available sits by destination, dates and even the types of pets you’re comfortable caring for.

In exchange for taking care of someone’s home and pets, you have a place to stay.

But I want to emphasize the exchange part.

This isn’t simply free accommodation.

You’re responsible for someone’s home and, more importantly, their beloved pet — their fur baby.

That might mean morning and evening walks, feeding schedules, medications or simply making sure the dog gets plenty of attention.

There may also be plants to water or other small responsibilities around the house.

The pets come first.

Your sightseeing comes second.

So before agreeing to a sit, make sure you understand what’s expected and that you’re comfortable with the pet, its routine and the location.

Why I chose house sitting in England

Since I was already traveling in the UK, house sitting in England made a lot of sense.

I had spent much of the spring in Scotland and had just finished hosting my Wild Heart of Scotland small group tour in early June.

I knew I wanted to stay in Europe for the summer, so I started looking for house and pet sits that would allow me to extend my travels without paying for accommodation every night.

I was using TrustedHousesitters, which is a UK-based company, and I found plenty of options throughout the UK—particularly in England.

But saving money on accommodation wasn’t the only thing that appealed to me.

I liked the idea of staying somewhere long enough to settle into a routine.

Instead of constantly packing up and moving to another hotel or holiday rental, I could unpack, buy some groceries, walk the dog, do some work and live a relatively normal life for a while.

And because I work remotely, it worked particularly well for me.

What I hadn’t completely appreciated when I started looking for sits was how much they would influence where I traveled.

House sitting took me to places I wouldn’t necessarily have chosen on my own.

And that became one of my favorite parts of the experience.

My first house sit: Worthing

My first sit in England was in Worthing, a seaside town on England’s south coast, west of Brighton.

And I’ll just say it.

I didn’t love Worthing.

Not every destination has to be a favorite.

The house sit itself was fine, although there were a few unexpected twists when the homeowners returned early from France because of the heat wave.

And yes, England was HOT.

But Worthing itself just didn’t grab me.

That’s okay.

Sometimes you visit somewhere and think, “Well, that was fine.”

Then you move on.

And for me, moving on meant taking the train to a place I liked much more.

A few days in Winchester

I had a few days between house sits, so I spent them in Winchester which was easy enough to get to by train from Worthing.

This is exactly the kind of place I enjoy because it offers a mix of history, beautiful architecture and opportunities to get outside.

Winchester Cathedral is the star.

It’s magnificent.

I spent quite a bit of time wandering around the cathedral because I love photographing architecture and all those tiny details you find in historic buildings.

But Winchester isn’t only about its history.

You can follow paths along the water and make your way out of town to St Catherine’s Hill.

The walk isn’t particularly difficult, and once you’re up there, you have wonderful views over the rolling countryside and back toward Winchester.

History plus soft adventure?

Yes, please.

Winchester also sits near the South Downs National Park, so it could easily be used as a base for exploring more of this part of England.

I’d happily return.

Living in the Hampshire countryside

My second dog sit took me to the wee village of Droxford in Hampshire.

And this was a completely different experience.

Droxford is tiny.

There’s a church, a pub and not a whole lot else.

But I loved being out in the countryside.

My companion for this stay was Luna, a very energetic Springer Spaniel.

Every morning we’d head out on the public footpaths near the house and walk a couple of miles through the fields and through the trees.

She’d run.

We’d wander along the river where she swam.

I’d see some of the same people.

It started to feel like a routine.

And that’s one of the things I enjoyed most about house sitting.

For a little while, I wasn’t simply passing through.

I also spent some time exploring this part of the South Downs National Park.

I walked at Beacon Hill National Nature Reserve, where trails climb to views over the surrounding countryside.

Gorgeous!

And I spent some time on the Meon Valley Trail which is also great for cycling.

There weren’t major attractions I needed to tick off a list.

Instead, this part of my trip was about walking, enjoying the countryside and experiencing rural England.

It was wonderful!

Bradford on Avon: the unexpected favorite

Then came Bradford on Avon.

I LOVED this place.

I spent a few days here between house sit #2 and #3.

And it was probably my favorite discovery of this entire stretch of travel.

Bradford on Avon is a small historic town just east of Bath.

There are beautiful old buildings, the tiny Saxon Church of St Lawrence, St Mary’s Chapel, the medieval Tithe Barn and plenty of lovely streets to wander.

For such a small town, there are also surprisingly good places to eat and enough accommodation options to make it an easy place to stay for a few nights.

But one of the biggest reasons I loved Bradford on Avon was the walking.

You can follow paths along the River Avon or the Kennet and Avon Canal toward Avoncliff Aqueduct and beyond.

Walk.

Cycle.

Stop for something to eat.

Turn around and wander back.

My kind of day.

And Bradford on Avon sits right on the train line, so you don’t need a car.

That also makes it an excellent alternative base for visiting one of England’s more popular destinations. (see next)

Visiting Bath without staying in Bath

Bath is only a short train ride from Bradford on Avon.

So I hopped on an early train and spent part of a day exploring.

And early is the important word here.

Bath gets busy.

I arrived in the morning and had some time to wander before before it got too busy.

I walked along the river, made my way through the city toward the Royal Crescent and escaped into the Botanic Garden for some quiet time.

By midday, the center of Bath was packed.

I didn’t visit the Roman Baths or Bath Abbey on this trip, so those are waiting for another visit.

But my short visit confirmed something for me.

If I were planning a trip in this area, I’d seriously consider staying in Bradford on Avon and taking the train into Bath.

You get the historic charm, walking trails and slower pace of Bradford on Avon while still having easy access to Bath.

That’s a win in my book.

One final dog sit near Axbridge

My final house sit was in Badgworth, a small rural community near Axbridge and not too far from the Bristol Airport.

This time my walking buddy was Jasper, a Labradoodle who quickly became one of my favorite dogs I’ve cared for.

We had our regular walks through the surrounding fields, and once again I found myself settling into that temporary-local routine I’d come to enjoy.

I also spent a few hours exploring Axbridge.

This little town surprised me.

It has some wonderful historic buildings, an impressive church and plenty of interesting streets to wander.

Would I build an entire trip around Axbridge?

Probably not.

But if you’re traveling through this part of England, especially if you’re flying into or out of Bristol, it’s worth a stop.

It’s also close to Cheddar Gorge, which unfortunately I didn’t make it to this time.

Something for the next trip!

Is house sitting a good way to travel?

After doing several house sits, I’d definitely do it again.

In fact, I plan to.

House sitting can be a fantastic option if you have the flexibility to travel for longer periods or can work remotely.

It can help reduce accommodation costs considerably.

It gives you access to a kitchen and the comforts of an actual home.

It allows you to settle into a routine.

And if you choose your sits carefully, it can take you to some fascinating places you might never have considered visiting.

But it isn’t for everyone.

You have responsibilities.

You can’t simply disappear for 12 hours because you’ve decided to take a day trip somewhere.

You need to understand the pet’s needs and work your plans around them.

And you need to be honest with yourself about the kinds of animals, locations and responsibilities you’re comfortable with.

For me, a dog and the countryside?

That’s a pretty good combination.

Final thoughts on house sitting in England

House sitting changed the way I traveled through southern England.

Instead of choosing every destination first and then finding somewhere to stay, sometimes the place I stayed determined where I went.

And I loved that.

It led me into the Hampshire countryside.

It gave me time to experience the simple pleasure of walking the same paths every morning with a dog beside me.

And indirectly, it led me to Bradford on Avon, a place I absolutely fell in love with and might never have discovered otherwise.

That’s one of the things I love most about travel.

You don’t always have to know exactly where you’re going.

Sometimes doing things a little differently opens the door to places you never expected to find.

And house sitting might just be one more way to Wander Your Way.

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