London Day Trips outside of city

Windsor Castle (in Windsor).
https://www.rct.uk/visit/windsor-castle

We’ve done Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, Windsor, Brighton, Canterbury, Greenwich, Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey), Hampton Court, Kew Gardens - all on the trains. Lots of choices.

If you have WW2 interests, Bletchley Park, center of Britain's codebreaking operation, is fascinating. Probably need to read about it before you go to fully appreciate, although there is a very good on site tour.

https://bletchleypark.org.uk

Possible day trips -

Windsor Castle

Canterbury

Dover Castle

Oxford

Cambridge

Hampton Court

Kew Gardens

Greenwich Observatory

You can take a direct train from London’s Paddington station to Bath (1h 30m).

As of 2017 there was a good audio guide available for rent at Bletchley Park.

Note that UK rail fares can be quite costly if you buy the tickets on the day of travel, though I think there are some good deals on Day Return fares that would work in your situation. After you've narrowed the list of possibilities downs a bit, I'd recommend looking at current fares for same-day and next-day round trips and comparing those to what you can find for trips during your travel period. You may see some significant differences and decide in a few cases it's best to buy the tickets well in advance, despite the weather risk.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I’ve actually been to Oxford, Dover, Windsor, Canterbury, Kew Gardens, Hampton Court, Greenwich, and Bath. How far is Brighten and are there any castles on the way?

Brighton (with an "o") is just about an hour by train from Victoria. Plenty to do there including the very exotic Pavilion. The Lanes make for great walking, people watching and shopping. The front is good, a bit pebbly (ok, a lot). Nice ancient train along the front too. Seven Sisters not far away. Lewis and Eastbourne nearby. Bodum Castle not far.

Thanks Nigel, that's what I wanted to know. The e was an error in my typing. What about Hastings? Is there anything there to see beside the battlefield? Do they have a museum talking about the battle? Worth a visit?

I did a day trip to Brighton by train in 2019 and would return, as I happened to choose a very cold and rainy day to be there. Very easy to explore on foot from the train station, I wandered the beach and pier, observed a Labor party march, explored the Lanes and had an excellent Sunday roast lunch, then poked around some quirky shops before heading back to London. On my upcoming trip I plan to take the train to Bath and Canterbury.

1.) Blenheim Palace ( Train to Oxford bus from there).
2.) Whitsable on the coast. (Train from Victoria Station.)
3.) Rye (Train from London Blackfriars or London Bridge)
4.) Canterbury ( Train from London Bridge)
5.) Cambridge ( Train from Kings Cross)

All good days out from London.

EDIT: Want to add my day trip to Bletchley Park last November was fabulous. So definitely put that on your list for day’s out from London. Also had a great sojourn to Cambridge a few years ago. As I live in LA where cars rule and public transport sucks its such a joy to use the Underground or to ride on a train to a location.

Hastings has a ruined castle and the old part of town by the fishing area with the fishing museum and Shipwreck museum (much better than it sounds) is interesting. Get the West Cliff Railway up to the castle and the East Cliff Railway up to Hastings Country Park and views of the surrounding area.

The site of the Battle of Hastings is actually 6 miles north west of Hastings at Battle Abbey.

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/1066-battle-of-hastings-abbey-and-battlefield/

Catch a train from Hastings to Battle, or the 304 bus.

https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/Timetables/South%20East/East%20Sussex/304%20305%20254%20wef%20020517.pdf

Thank you. Those are some good ideas for day trips. I’ve been learning about Lewes and that looks good. I’ll have to read up on some of those other places. Good to know there are things to see in Hastings. Lots of possibilities.

The last reply mentions Lewes … you’re so near Charleston Farmhouse! Home of Vanessa Bell and hotbed of the Bloomsbury group - it’s not to be missed. Vanessa’s sister,, Virginia Woolfe’s home, Monk House is located in nearby Rodmell.