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Our capital city is an endless playground, constantly welcoming new restaurants, putting on pioneering shows and offering heaps of stuff to keep you busy each weekend – enough to give you an excuse to never leave. But at Time Out, we’re big advocates for getting out of the London bubble once in a while.
From arty hubs and historic cities to seaside spots and foodie meccas, there are plenty of destinations you can do from London in just a day. For the ultimate short respite from city chaos, we’ve got just the place.
Swap crowded pavements for wide woodland paths, organic wine bars for quaint country pubs, pestering pigeons for wild ponies and head to the New Forest National Park. If you’re catching the train, it takes 90 minutes to get from Waterloo to Brockenhurst and by car it takes roughly two hours.
Once you get there, look out for famous ponies, which have grazed there for thousands of years, plus free-ranging Highland cattle and pigs snacking on fallen acorns. You can easily spend the entire day wandering aimlessly through fairytale-esque forest and heather-covered heaths, but there’s plenty more things to do in the area besides.
Explore the pretty village of Beaulieu, canoe down the river, treat yourself to a little massage at The Pig, pick up a treasure from the collector’s fair at Brockenhurst Village Hall, fuel up on pub grub at the Royal Oak in Fritham or climb aboard the the Exbury Steam Railway.
See all of the best things to do in the New Forest here, and if you want to stay in area for even longer, take a look at our selection of its best Airbnbs to book.
Discover all of Time Out’s favourite day trips from London here.
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