Many people visiting the United Kingdom often make the mistake of only visiting London and don’t venture outside of the city. The reasons behind this are understandable but with London as a base, there are some amazing destinations in the UK that are easily reachable from the capital and here are our favourites.
Cornwall
Cornwall can be accessed by train from London in just under 3 hours and is a world apart from the bustling capital. Cornwall’s coastline is more akin to the mediterranean and many of the counties’ coastal towns and fishing villages make for a beautiful visit. The town of Newquay during the Summer is a mecca for surfers and turns into a season long party during these months. By contrast, towns like Padstow and Falmouth are quaint fishing villages with some of the best seafood in the World and make for a perfect escape from the city madness. If you have the time then a break to Cornwall is a great travel option from London.
Manchester
For an alternative city break to London and it’s madness then Manchester is a great option in the North West of the country. Similar to Cornwall, Manchester can be reached from London in just 3 hours by train. The city is a little more relaxed than the capital and filled with art and culture. The city was at the centre of the country’s industrial revolution and these days it is one of England’s most cultural cities. Manchester has a huge art scene and has produced some of England’s most popular musicians from Oasis to the Stone Roses. Manchester has a lively nightlife with comedy and live music at the forefront of this. Trading London for Manchester for a couple of days gives you a great chance to see how the northern half of England live.
Brighton
Brighton has long been a popular destination for Londoners as they headed to the seaside and left the city behind. Brighton is around an hour and a half from London by car and whilst many of Britain’s seaside towns have fallen to dereliction, Brighton is still going strong with regular tourism. Brighton embodies British seaside towns with a long pier, fish and chip restaurants, amusement arcades, lots of hotels with sea views, seafood restaurants and a lively nightlife that has gained notoriety for it’s dance music. It is possible to do a day trip to Brighton from London and if you happen to have a particularly sunny day then this is exactly what I’d recommend you do.
Paris
Whilst technically not overland, more underwater, but accesible by train none-the-less thanks to the channel tunnel between England and France. The Eurostar train leaves St Pancras station in Central London and arrives in Paris just over 2 and a half hours later. Whether you plan to take a night in Paris or simply do the trip in a day, both options are more than available to you with regular daily trains between the two locations. I love the fact that the Eurostar gives people in London the chance to ‘pop’ over to France for a few hours whenever they feel like it and can be back in the comfort of their own home later that day.