South East
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How to Spend a Perfect Weekend in the Surrey Hills
Along with 10 National Parks, England is home to 34 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The Surrey Hills is one of them with its hills stretching across a quarter of the county from the chalk North Downs running from Farnham in the west to Oxted in the East. The region is approximately 35 miles…
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Discover Brighton: A Complete Travel Guide
Brighton – What to see and do British Airways i360 Start by visiting the i360 viewing tower, opened in 2016 on the site of the old West Pier. Over 25 minutes the large glass capsule rises to a height of 450ft (138m), offering great views both along the coast and inland across the South Downs.…
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Newbury Canal Walk to Speen Moors: A Scenic Nature Trail
We decided to spend the day in the attractive market town of Newbury which lies in the heart of West Berkshire. The town is approximately 30 minutes drive from Oxford and around an hour by train from London. We left the car in the Newbury Goldwell car park beside the leisure centre on Northcroft Lane…
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A Day Walking Around Oxford: What to See and Do
We planned a day in Oxford and arrived into the city’s rail station mid morning. Oxford is located mid-way between London and Birmingham both approximately 60 miles (96 km) away and with trains from London Paddington taking from only 52 minutes it makes an ideal day out from the capital. It was a bright, pleasant…
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Reading Riverside Walk: Discover the Thames and City on Foot
We decided to spend the day in Reading, a town in the Thames Valley to the west of London. It’s Berkshire’s biggest town and also the largest in the UK to not have city status. Reading is a popular commuter town with a train almost every five minutes into London and the fastest services taking…
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Aldermaston to Woolhampton Walk: Exploring the Kennet & Avon Canal
Aldermaston is a small village in West Berkshire near to the Hampshire border, 46 miles (74km) from London and close to the towns of Basingstoke, Newbury and Reading. It is best known as the home of AWE, which is located just a mile outside the village, and responsible for the UK’s nuclear deterrent. We’d planned…
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Norwich Travel Guide: Best Things to Do and Places to Explore
Getting there Norwich is the county town of Norfolk and lies approximately 100 miles (161 km) north east of London. Getting to the city is easy with excellent road links, regular rail services and an airport five miles from the centre. Trains leave London’s Liverpool Street Station every 30 minutes with a journey time of…
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How to Spend a Day in Abingdon, Oxfordshire – Top Sights and Activities
Abingdon is a market town in Oxfordshire nestled on the banks of the River Thames. I was long overdue a return visit as the previous occasion was more than 25 years ago when I attended a wedding in the town. Although Abingdon does not have a railway station the nearest one is located only three…
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Exploring Littlehampton and Petworth House – A Perfect Day Trip in West Sussex
The sun was streaming through the windows as we pulled back the curtains of our hotel room. The Premier Inn Worthing had been a good choice with its seafront location and our three night stay had been very comfortable. The Coastliner 700 bus service which we had used to get to and from Brighton continues…
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Visit Brighton Pier and Marina: The Ultimate Seaside Experience
We were up early once again so that we could make the most of our day, and arrived into Brighton shortly after 9.00 a.m. As we’d only had a coffee in the hotel room we looked for somewhere suitable for breakfast and soon found the ideal place amongst the labyrinth of narrow lanes in the…
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British Airways i360 and Brighton Pavilion
After waking early we caught the Coastliner 700 bus service into the centre of Brighton. Before leaving home our original plan had been to travel into Brighton by train but on noticing these buses passing along Worthing’s seafront at ten minute intervals we opted for the Coastliner instead. Despite the journey time by road taking…
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Worthing and Brighton – a weekend break
Another weekend at the seaside but this time on England’s south coast visiting Worthing and Brighton in Sussex. My day began with a short train ride into Leeds followed by a longer journey into London King’s Cross Station. From there, I took the underground across to Victoria Station for the last leg of my journey…
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A walk from Cambridge to Grantchester
It was our final day in Cambridge but as our train home wasn’t until 5.00 p.m. we still had ample time to explore. After gathering our belongings together we left our bags at the hotel for safekeeping and then wandered down the now familiar Hills Road into the city centre for some breakfast. As it…
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Cambridge to Ely by Train: A Perfect Day Out in East Anglia
We planned to spend the day in Ely which is one of the smallest cathedral cities in England. Located just 15 miles from Cambridge, trains are frequent taking only 15 minutes with fares as low as £2.30 for an adult off-peak return. Ely’s imposing cathedral dominates the city’s skyline and it took us around 10…
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The Ultimate Guide to Spending a Weekend in Cambridge
We had arrived in Cambridge by train the previous evening and checked into the nearby Cambridge Central Travelodge a short stroll away. The hotel overlooks the central plaza of the Cambridge Leisure Park where there are several places to eat, plus two small supermarkets meaning that we didn’t need to venture into the centre that…
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A walk along the Kennet & Avon canal in Newbury
What could be nicer on a warm, sunny spring day than to enjoy a leisurely wander along a canal towpath. With this in mind, we jumped in the car and drove to Newbury, a market town in West Berkshire. The town is approximately 30 minutes drive from Oxford and about an hour by train from…
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A weekend in Norwich
After enjoying recent weekends away in Bristol and Birmingham we decided to turn our attention to Norwich and take a look at the county town of Norfolk. Norwich lies approximately 100 miles (161 km) north east of London in East Anglia. We travelled by train and coming from the north of England, I took a…
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Norwich Travel Guide: What to See, Do & Experience
After a hearty breakfast in The Bell Hotel we were ready to spend the day viewing more of the city’s cultural attractions. We’d planned our first stop at the Plantation Garden but on the way discovered a hidden gem. Tucked away on Bethel Street is the South Asia Decorative Arts & Crafts Collection museum and…
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A Day in Great Yarmouth: Top Things to See and Do
After breakfast in Norwich we travelled by train to the seaside resort of Great Yarmouth. Getting there from Norwich is very easy with a frequent service on Greater Anglia trains and journey times of 35 minutes, with off-peak return fares costing £8.30. Arriving into Great Yarmouth, we followed signs to the seafront, the route taking…
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How to enjoy a riversde walk in Norwich
After checking out of our hotel the Travelodge, Norwich Central Riverside and leaving our luggage to collect later in the day, we walked across the city to visit Elm Hill. This historic, cobbled lane is the most complete medieval street in Norwich with many of its buildings dating back to the Tudor period. The photogenic…
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Visiting Wicken Fen Nature Reserve
One wintry weekend we decided to visit the Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve in East Anglia. It’s one of Britain’s oldest nature reserves and it has been owned by the National Trust since 1899. My husband is a keen ornithologist, so equipped with binoculars and hiking boots we drove to the Cambridgeshire Fens. As we approached the…
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Discover Cambridge and its Colleges
An opportunity to visit Cambridge as my husband had a business meeting there recently. I’ve only been to this university city a couple of times and its many years since my last visit. We parked our car at Homerton College where the meeting was taking place so I started my tour of the Colleges here.…