NitemareHippieGirl

I'm planning on travelling to England during my winter break, probably December 13- January 8. I'm going to do some research for my honors thesis, so I'm sure I'll be going to Oxford University to check out their children's lit archive. However, I'd like to get my research done in less than a week (the paper is only 20 pages so really it's my excuse to travel!).

The rest of the break I'd like to spend some time in some cheap areas of England (preferably small college towns with local flare). I'm also thinking about spending a week visiting Olomouc, Czech Republic to see some of the people I met on my trip last year.

So, I'd love to hear some tips on how to cheaply travel to and around England. I know I'm going to take a huge hit on the exchange rate. I'd like to find a place other than London to fly into, or if London is my only option where is a cheap place to sleep off my jetlag and a cheap train to catch to get out? I've heard it's really cheap for people living in England to fly to Prague, is this true? And would that be cheaper than taking a train? How bad will the weather be in December, and will I be able to find a cheap-ish place to stay during the Holidays? Any other advice would be amazing. I really have no idea what to see or do, and I'm a little nervous about travelling by myself. My last trip to Europe was with twenty+ American students, very chaotic. Give me all you got!