If you are visiting London for a holiday there is plenty to keep you occupied in what is one of the most beautiful capital cities in the world. However, England also has many more joys to offer which are not too far away from the city and are well worth a day out when you want a change from the hustle and bustle of the West End.
Certainly, you may be staying in one of the many serviced apartments in London UK, while you are here, but there are many other places that you can get to – often in under an hour – which are very well worth a visit. You can get to them by train or bus, but it is also worthwhile renting a car for a day or two so that you can go wherever you choose.
One very popular place to visit is the seaside town of Broadstairs on the very South East tip of the Kent coast. “Quaint” hardly describes this place with its’ variety of pubs and restaurants, a central bay sitting below 90’ high cliffs with a wonderful sandy beach, and a very small harbour. Walk along the cliff tops to Ramsgate, or just sit in the sun and listen to the music on the bandstand. In August, Broadstairs has Folk Week when the whole town is invaded by hundreds, if not thousands, of Morris dancers, and the jingle of bells around their ankles is heard all over town. How far from London? About 90 minutes by car.
If you don’t want to go quite so far as Broadstairs and you are driving, you could stop off at Whitstable which is just off the M2/A299. This is another lovely little seaside town famous for its’ oysters. You can hire a bike from Whitstable Cycle Hire and pedal along the five mile Oyster Bay Trail along the sea front. For lunch it’s oysters – obviously – which you can watch being shucked in front of you at The Forge.
Another lovely town to visit is Cambridge which is about the same distance from London as Whitstable, or you can get there by train in 45 minutes from Kings Cross. Wander around the colleges and King’s Chapel, or visit the Fitzwilliam Museum before taking to the Cam (the river) for a spot of punting. You can get guides to punt you up the river, or you can hire a punt and do it yourself, but it’s not easy, and people have been known to fall in!
Brighton is another seaside spot to visit and is only 50 miles away. It’s a little under an hour from Victoria Station. You can wander about The Lanes which are packed full of tiny boutiques, record shops, and vegan cafes. Visit the Royal Pavilion which was built as a summer retreat for George IV who became Prince Regent in 1811. Have a couple of pints in one of the many pubs and visit Sea Life aquarium with over 3,500 species. Or you could just hire a deck chair and sit on the pebble beach in the sun all day.
You might want to take a trip to the New Forest in Hampshire which is about 90 miles by car. Here you can drive through pretty lanes among the ponies which have been grazing here for thousands of years. There are also highland cattle free-ranging, along with pigs. Have lunch at the Bell Inn in Lyndhurst which has been owned by the same family since 1782 and has two golf courses that you can play.
Another lovely seaside town to visit is the port of Rye in East Sussex. It has lovely little cobbled streets which climb steeply upwards to the Ypres Castle Inn and the Ship Inn. There are also quaint little shops and boutiques selling almost everything you could imagine. Only ten minutes’ drive away is the village of Winchelsea which sits on top of a hill and has some splendid views over the local landscape.
There are many wonderful places to visit within an hour or so of London, so it is well worth the trouble to get out of the city centre for the day and relax in the beautiful English countryside.
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