Transportation links from London to the suburbs, the countryside and even other nearby cities are easy, fast and reasonably priced. If you are looking for an alternative to London's hustle and bustle, and a chance to see England from a different perspective, these quick "away days" may be just the ticket. They're all reachable in about an hour by public transportation too.
Photo courtesy of www.britainonview.comWindsor Castle is everyone's idea of a fairytale castle. And there's plenty to see at the Queen's weekend home (which, we hear, is her favorite). The building alone covers 13 acres and is the biggest inhabited castle in the world. William the Conqueror picked the site, west of London overlooking the Thames and it has been a Royal residence and fortress ever since - almost 950 years.
How to Get There: Trains leave every half hour from Vauxhall Station to Windsor & Eton Central and return to London Waterloo. A Cheap Day Return ticket costs less than £10. The castle, a short walk from the station, dominates the town and is impossible to miss.
© Ferne ArfinOxford University, England is the oldest university in the English speaking world, dating back to the 11th century. Graduates of Oxford University in England have made notable contributions in every form of human endeavor. Walk these streets and you will be following in the footsteps of Nobel prize winners, kings, presidents, and prime ministers. The university has produced saints, scientists, explorers, artists, authors and actors. And where you find students and the UK's gilded youth you'll also find
wonderful pubs and
great shopping. Altogether Oxford is a terrific, and easy, day out of London.
How to Get There: Express trains to Oxford from Paddington Station are frequent, take less than an hour and cost under £20.
Photo: ©Ferne Arfin The Royal Horticultural Society's Wisley Garden is where keen English gardeners go to be inspired. Its world famous collection of plants has been developing for more than 100 years and there is always something new to see, any time of year. Spread out over 240 acres in Woking, Surrey, about an hour's drive from Central London, Wisley is a lovely, peaceful place for a stroll as well as a demonstration garden full of practical garden design ideas and cultivation techniques.
How to Get There: Trains from London Waterloo Station leave regularly for nearby West Byfleet or Woking. Take a taxi for the short ride from the station. On weekdays during the summer months, a special bus service operates from Woking Station to Wisley.
Photo courtesy of www.britainonview.comThe Royal Pavilion, Brighton, the splendid summer house built by George IV when he was Prince Regent. In the early 19th century, his architect, John Nash, slapped a cast iron framework around an older, simpler farmhouse and, well, just went to town, really.
The Pavilion is just one of the attractions of this lovely seaside town. Visitors love to stroll among the antique shops and boutiques of "The Lanes", walk the shingle beach or take some fish and chips out to the end of Brighton's Victorian pier.
How to Get There Trains leave about every 15 minutes from either London Bridge or Victoria Station, cost less about £17 and take about an hour.
©Ferne ArfinShopping! If you thought London was the be-all and end-all of fashionable shopping, a short train journey to Bicester Village will open your eyes. More than 100 chic boutiques are all discount designer outlets. All the big European and international designer brand names are there with prices much lower than Bond Street or Fifth Avenue. And there are a few restaurants and coffee shops where you can rest your tired feet (or park your "bag man").
How to Get There
Trains to Bicester North Station leave up to four times an hour, daily, from London Marylebone. The journey takes just under an hour and the fare is about £20. There is an inexpensive shuttle bus from Bicester North direct to the Village.
