Perfect day trips from London
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By Time Out editors
Posted: Mon Jul 19 2010 -
Need a break from the capital? Escape is nearer than you think… Explore Bodian Castle, hit the surf in Broadstairs or take tea by the Thames in Henley. We've planned 12 trips to make it easy for you to escape London for the day - all within 30, 60 or 90 minutes (ish) of a central London rail station
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Nutfield: spa treatments in a rural manor-house setting in 37 minutes
32mins Victoria-Redhill, then 5min taxi ride (from rank outside Redhill Station).
Built in 1872, Nutfield Priory Hotel is a gothic mansion turned ‘wow’ boutique hotel with picturesque views across the Surrey countryside. The hotel’s spa, though, is a modern building on the grounds, where the hospitable staff tempt you with a menu of ESPA treatments ranging from ultra-calming aromatherapy full-body massages (£75) to quick mini facials (£35). Cosy rather than chic, it’s the perfect antidote to London’s uptight, minimalist spa culture: the type of place you can loll around in your dressing gown without worrying about how big it makes your bum look. As well as a busy pool and gym, there’s your standard sauna and steam rooms and a lethal relaxation area so calming I snoozed (and, apparently, snored) the whole way home.
Nutfield Priory Hotel & Spa, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 4EL (01737 824 434, www.handpicked.co.uk).
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Hemel Hempstead: real-snow skiing in 26 minutes
26mins Euston-Hemel Hempstead.
It’s a long wait till winter brings the opportunity to slope off to the Alps. In the meantime, you can avoid the capital’s summer stickiness at chilly oasis The Snow Centre, just a husky’s lurch north of town in Hemel Hempstead. Here you can slice through actual snow (manufactured overnight by pressurising cold air inside the building) on its 160m-long slope. Boarders and skiers can enrol in a wide range of sessions, but private instruction with one of the centre’s veteran coaches is particularly helpful for nervous snow bunnies. And at least there’s no danger that you’ll career off the edge of a mountain! What’s more, gear is available to rent on-site, so you can enjoy a spot of après at the centre’s café without having to stumble back to Euston head over ski boot.
The Snow Centre, St Albans Hill, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP3 9NH (0845 258 9000, www.thesnowcentre.co.uk).
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Hatfield House: Tudor and Stuart heritage in 21 minutes
21mins King’s Cross-Hatfield (Herts).
Quicker than your daily commute, a train ride from King’s Cross will bring you to the gates of Hatfield Park, the 1,000-acre setting for this grand Jacobean house, built in 1611 by the Earl of Salisbury. Swap traffic fumes for the perfumes of the scented garden, trade the tube for horse-and-carriage rides and spend the day wandering the ornate halls and opulent galleries. Be sure, too, to check out the Tudor Banqueting Hall, sadly all that’s left of Hatfield Palace, childhood home of Queen Elizabeth I. Then take a stroll through the park to the very spot where the young Elizabeth learned she was to be Queen. More accessible and less rammed than a traipse round Hampton Court – and every bit as regal.
Hatfield House, Hatfield, Herts, AL9 5NQ (01707 287010, www.hatfield-house.co.uk).
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Egham to Runnymede: hiking and history in 37 minutes
37mins Waterloo-Egham.
Head out on a Surrey saunter from Egham to Runnymede and, along with assorted memorials, you’ll find a surprisingly varied landscape. From Egham Station, turn right into Station Road, and right again at Church Road, forking left towards the A308. Once you pass the first set of lodges – designed by Lutyens – take any of the right-hand turns to the river. Follow the meanders of the Thames west until you get to the teashop and art gallery on the A308. Have a brew. From here, head diagonally across flowery meadows to see the monument to the Magna Carta marking the site where King John sealed the charter in 1215. Then head clockwise in a 2.5-mile loop taking in the monolithic JFK memorial and, on Cooper’s Hill above, the moving monument to the fliers killed in World War II, the Air Forces Memorial (the hill also offers awesome views of Heathrow Airport). Take a picnic and make a day of it.
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Henley-on-Thames: cream teas and tranquillity in 56 minutes
56mins Paddington-Henley.
Supremely easy to get to, Henley is one of those dainty old market towns where the Thames is a thing of joy rather than a cabbie-affronting obstacle to getting home before midnight. Here, you half expect to run into Miss Marple round every corner; to maximise the effect, start your visit with a bona fide Oxfordshire cream tea at The Henley Tea Rooms (13-14 Thameside, RG9 1BH; 01491 411 412). After that, your main activity will be strolling round trying to work out which lovely old pub to stop off in and hobnob with the Regatta set – don’t miss out the Angel on the Bridge (Thameside, RG91BH; 01491 410 678) and for food, hit the bistro at the Hotel du Vin (23 New Street, RG9 2BP; 01491 848 400). Before you catch the train home, spend a few minutes adrift in your thoughts on Henley’s beautiful stone bridge: from here the Thames looks truly glorious.
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Canvey Island: kitsch and calm in 46 minutes
36mins Fenchurch St-Benfleet, then 10min bus ride (take a 20, 21 or 27 from outside Benfleet Station).
‘Canvey is England’s Lourdes’ proclaims the sea-wall graffiti. Once famed for the supposed healing quality of its air, this below-sea-level projection into the Thames Estuary certainly has a singular atmosphere and feels a world away from London – though it’s less than 40 minutes from Fenchurch Street to Benfleet. Hop on a bus to the Western Esplanade (ten minutes), home to Ove Arup’s beetling modernist 1933 Labworth Café, a semi-sandy beach and silty views. Though it’s been subjected to attempts to turn it into a playground for The Smoke/Essex, and frequently lauded as the spiritual home of pub rock, Canvey retains an elusive stillness, not least from a sense that it could so easily be swept away.
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Chilterns: rambling and country pubs in 40 minutes
40mins Marylebone-Princes Risborough.
The Chilterns: a beautiful, gently rolling sweep of hills and woodlands, where you’re never far from a pub. From Princes Risborough Station it’s a four-hour (ten-mile) walk to the quaint little town of Great Missenden, where, if you’ve any energy left, you can check out the Roald Dahl museum: Dahl lived in Great Missenden, and you’ll find the world of ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ comes flooding back as you negotiate the area’s fields, footpaths and forests. Alternatively, you can walk from Princes Risborough to Wendover (a similar distance), a route which crosses the driveway at Chequers, the PM’s country residence, and affords a great view of the house; on the way, be sure to visit the Bernard Arms in the village of Great Kimble – it’s full of photos of visiting foreign dignitaries, most of them US presidents.
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Chalkwell Beach: sunbathing and paddling in 44 minutes
44mins Fenchurch St-Chalkwell.
Okay, it’s not Malibu. But the official nearest beach to central London (it undercuts Brighton by 15 miles, with Chalkwell Station perched right on the shoreline) at least boasts genuine sand. Admittedly you have to kick a load of pebbles out of the way to find it, but it’s there. Also there are widescreen views across the Thames Estuary, endless mudflats pitted with pretty beached sailing boats and, strewn along the beach itself and revelling in their own private seafront, cheerful Southenders – whose numbers remain civilised, even on the sunniest of Sundays. Chipper and charmingly run-down, Chalkwell is a classic British seaside resort in microcosm, complete with promenade, ice-cream huts, concreted-off kids’ sploshing area, a pier (well, jetty) and bins. Many, many bins.
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The New Forest: idyllic bicycle tour in 96 minutes
96mins Waterloo-Brockenhurst.
Sometimes there just aren’t enough trees in London. In less time than it takes to circumnavigate Hyde Park, you could be in the heart of an oak and ash wonderland. Step off the train at Brockenhurst Station and into Cyclexperience round the corner, where you can hire a bike for the day for £14. Slaloming the families of native New Forester ponies that roam wild, push east down the B3055 – after an hour’s leisurely pedalling you’ll hit the winsome village of Beaulieu, home to the National Motor Museum and Beaulieu Abbey. Alternatively, for perfect tree-dappled scenery, strike out west from Brockenhurst along Burley Road; at Burley, trundle up the old railway-track path to Lyndhurst. Don’t get lost in the woods, though: you need to get your bike back to Brock by 5.30pm.
Cyclexperience, 2 Brookley Rd, SO42 7RR (01590 624204, www.cyclex.co.uk).
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Tenterden: steam trains and castles in 84 minutes
62mins Charing Cross-Headcorn, then a 22min bus ride (take a 12 from outside Headcorn Station to Tenterden).
Reflected in its shimmering moat, the drum towers of Bodiam Castle make it one of the most stunning castles in England. Although the interior is now largely a ruin, there is an exhibition and film to help recreate its heyday in the fourteenth century, and there are open-air theatre and historical events throughout the year. Headcorn Station is just an hour from Charing Cross and it’s a short bus ride to the charming old town of Tenterden. From there you can take a trip into the age of steam and straight to Bodiam on the picturesque Kent & East Sussex Railway, with reduced-entry prices to the castle.
Bodiam Castle, near Robertsbridge, East Sussex, TN32 5UA (01580 830196, www.tinyurl.com/TObodiam
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Whitstable: oysters and cobbled streets in 82 minutes
82mins Victoria-Whitstable.
Pint-sized fishing boats loaded with gnarled ropes bob about a picturesque harbour, alongside swish sailboats queued up like expensive dominoes – Whitstable has everything a city escapee hopes to set eyes on. Oysters are central to the town’s heritage, and the annual summer Whitstable Oyster Festival draws crowds of discerning mollusc fans. Stroll along the shingle shore lined with pretty sun-bleached beach huts, before venturing into the cobbled town to pick up a Whistable Brewery pilsner and paper-wrapped fish and chips. Gazing out to sea, eat your salt-sprinkled catch as a briny breeze wafts in from the water – daytrips are made of this.
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Broadstairs: surfing the breaks in 84 minutes
84mins St Pancras-Broadstairs.
Nestled cosily in the nostril of Kent, relaxed Broadstairs is a beach bum’s daydream. Head into the pretty town centre then drift north on the weaving seafront (along Eastern Esplanade then Cliff Promenade) until you wash up on the white sands of Joss Bay – ‘home of surfing in the south-east since the early ’60s’, according to Johno, instructor at the Joss Bay Surf School. Take a lesson (£35 for two hours, book ahead) or just hire a wetsuit and board (£5 an hour or £15 a day apiece) and ride the breaks. Swells here are typically 4-5ft high – perfect for beginners or part-timers. Dry yourself off, then hang out with local surfing types in Harpers Bar (8 Harbour St, 01843 602 494) or Beaches Café (49 Albion St, 01843 600 065) in Viking Bay, where you can swap whoas, gnarleys and no way, dudes till the last train home.
Joss Bay Surf School, Joss Bay Beach (01843 868171, www.jossbay.co.uk)
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12 comments
i agree with the above - there is no way the reviewer went to Canvey island, lazy journalism by TO again
This is rubbish
Well, I wouldn't recommend Leigh on Sea. Maybe I went there on the wrong day, but I thought it was a dreary little place without anything in particular to recommend it.
I know loads of people like it, and maybe if it had been sunny and warm, I would have liked it more. Anyway, so far I like Westcliff more - quite honky tonky, but when you sit next to the water you actually sit at some thing that resembles a beach (pebbles...but still...) OK ice cream (now that there are more homemade ice cream places popping up, I think they should raise their game a bit).
Where is the best sand beach near London? In the above descriptions it seemed to be mainly pebble beaches.
This article is nearly a year old, so train prices will have changed anyway. The best bet, if you are interested is to check out the prices yourself on the National Rail website. Quick and accurate.
That is how I found out about travel from Fenchurch Street. OH and if you are interested in a day out by the Thames Estuary (eg Canvey, Leigh on Sea, and all those towns east of these) you can also catch the trains from a couple of underground stations.
It was a tenner round trip per person, when I went last summer.
Enjoy an ice cream and dip your toes in the water!
Thanks for these suggestions. Would love them to be a realistic destination by train though, and they are not, as the train companies only offer ridiculously high fares for a couple not entitled to any "discounts". And who is going to pay more than £100 sometimes closer to £200 for two adults to go for a day trip on the train!!
And please don't tell me to book months ahead.... for a day out?
when you don't know what the weather will be like..?
I discovered the absolute luxury of being able to take an air conditioned train round trip for a tenner last summer. I suppose you could get off where you like, as anywhere along the estuary has something for everyone.
I will try both Canvey and Leigh, as I have had recommendations for both these spots and have heard there are some nice eateries with sea views.
Honestly, a single day or even afternoon will leave you feeling like you had a whole holiday!
Thanks for showing the times to other locations as well. I had no idea the New Forest was so close! By car it is 2.5 hours!!
Cheers!
Lots of people like Canvey, but I think Leigh-on-sea is much better. The old town is very scenic. There is a small beach for the kids. Some lovely pubs and cafes. Two excellent restaurants. Then you can walk up the hill and visit the town for shopping and more places to eat and drink.
Chalkwell is ace. Like a giant mud bath. Great for children too.
"Canvey retains an elusive stillness, not least from a sense that it could so easily be swept away."
This one was put in to see if the Editors were on the ball that day...unfortunately they had had a heavy previous night...
With you on the New Forest though - you need to add having a Cream Tea at the Rhinefield House Hotel (exceptional!)
I agree too - don't go to Canvey! Stay on the train for another stop and visit Leigh-on-Sea instead!
Yeah what she ^ said. Canvey Island is beyond grim.
Canvey Island???? Did the reviewer actually go?