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At nearly 2,000 years old, London certainly isn’t short on historic sites. Practically everywhere you go in the city, you’ll come across a house, a church, a sculpture or a sign that has been there for centuries and has some kind of story to tell. But the capital only scratches the surface of the UK’s rich and fascinating history, so it’s worth venturing out now and again. And just beyond London, you’ll find somewhere that played one of the most crucial roles in World War II
Someone recently took to Reddit to ask for day trip recommendations from London, and the most upvoted reply was the town of Bletchley in Buckinghamshire.
Just 40 minutes from Euston, the town is best known for Bletchley Park, which was the top-secret headquarters of Britain's codebreaking organisation during World War II. These days, the mansion is fully open to the public as a museum and heritage attraction that unveils all the mind blowing and pioneering work of the mathematicians and scientists (such as Alan Turing) that worked there.
The estate is also home to the National Museum of Computing, where you can see Colossus, which was the first programmable electronic digital computer and Turing’s Bombe, the electro-mechanical device used to break Germany’s enigma-enciphered messages.
Bletchley itself is rather quiet, but there’s the 116-acre Blue Lagoon Nature Reserve for a refreshing stroll or eateries like Panzini for stuffed cheesy Italian sandwiches or the Turing Key for pub grub and a pint.
If you want to spend a day in more brilliant places on the outskirts of London, we’ve got you covered. There are chocolate box villages, arresting walking trails, colourful seaside towns, magical forests, foodie meccas, historical cities and even a fascinating ‘desert’. You’re spoiled for choice, really.
Find all of Time Out’s 20 best day trips from London here.
The charming, picture-perfect city that is one of the best day trips from London.
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