Seeking suggestions for late October day trip from London

Have you though of visiting Sandringham?
https://sandringhamcafe.co.uk/visiting-sandringham-2017/

Public transport directions are covered in the FAQ
https://sandringhamestate.co.uk/plan-your-visit/frequently-asked-questions

Not a castle fan? I loved Warwick Castle. History goes way back. Aethelflaed-daughter of King Alfred founded a fortress here in 914 (not the current castle). One of my bucket list items of England is to find some sites significant to the time period and the battles with the Danes for the occupation of England.

I do like castles; I find they are often not convenient to rail transportation. In addition, as with my experience at Blenheim Palace, there were not many places to sit for my back condition as there are in museums which is why I did not include them.

I am open to suggestions however! I never once thought about Sandringham. Interesting!

What part of London are you staying in?

Winchester - Cathedral & very attractive mediaeval town
Brighton - (pebbly) beach, quirky shops, the Royal Pavilion
Portsmouth - Historic ships, (pebbly) beach, Henry VIII’s Southsea Castle

All these are an easy train ride from London

Chichester? www.visitchichester.org
Excellent cathedral, great Roman history (particularly at nearby Fishbourne Roman Palace). Several museums, libraries, good architecture and a thriving farmers market although this is held on the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month.
Direct train from London Victoria or Waterloo (Victoria tends to be slower but cheaper).

Portsmouth? www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/things-to-do
It has a cathedral but it's located in a run down area with not much going for it. The best of the city can be accessed from direct train from London Victoria or Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour. The Historic Dockyard is mere minutes walk from here. There's a castle, fully intact Southsea Castle from where Henry VIII stood and watched the battle during which The Mary Rose sank, the excellent D-Day museum next to the castle and a number of museums within wakling distance or a short taxi or bus ride away.

These are great ideas. I am staying near Ealing Common.

Rye is beautiful town near the coast, with cobbled lanes. Mermaid Street is the most photograph street in the UK. The writer Henry James once owed the red brick Lamb House. The Mermaid Inn a quaint 15th century half-timbered building is a great place to have lunch.

Rebecca, thank you.

Edited to add: I just looked at the Hatfield House link you provided and it looks like the Hatfield House closes for the season on 29 September. :-( I would have LOVED to have visited.

Rye is interesting; thanks Robin.

Lincoln Cathedral would be worth adding to your collection. Just under 2 hours by train which is the same as Gloucester. Closer to home is Osterley Park.

Salisbury; relatively short train ride; fab cathedral with their own copy of the Magna Carta. Historic town center with medieval buildings. Stonehenge nearby if you care for that.

Rebecca beat me to it. Salisbury is my new favorite English town. If you can, take the City Walking Tour sponsored by the TI. Great insights.

I've been to Salisbury as I wrote in the OP. I did enjoy it!

Maybe consider Brighton. We were there for a niece’s graduation ceremony from the Univ. of Brighton and quite enjoyed our short visit. According to the old Music Hall song, it is the place naughty married men in London used to take their girl friends for a dirty weekend.

Consider these

https://www.visit-burystedmunds.co.uk/

http://www.bradfordonavon.co.uk/

https://www.visitnorwich.co.uk/

Somewhere different

https://www.visitchilterns.co.uk/

https://visitbirmingham.com/

Continental, this thread is very helpful since I sometimes find myself with time in London while my husband is working. On my next trips, I plan to take some London Walks tours and go to Bletchley Park, but love all these other ideas.

This thread is very helpful. Lots of interesting ideas and I very much appreciate that. I’m looking at rail fares as those will come into play. For example, I would love to go to Lincoln to see the Cathedral and beautiful town but the rail fare is astronomical.

I’m seeing good supersaver fares for Rye, Rochester, Brighton, and even York if I leave for Kings Cross/St Pancras just before sunrise.

My first choice is York but to get the least expensive rail fare, I have to be on an 8:06 AM train and I’m not sure about that.

Let me ask — if you were to choose between Rye and Rochester, which one would you choose if either and why?

As someone else has mentioned, if you like castles, Warwick Castle is a lot fun.

Direct trains out of London Marylebone. From the station to the castle is approximately a 0.5 mile walk.
The last time I did it, I was able to take advantage of an offer at the station and got a return train ticket from London and my castle entrance together. Dont know how often they run those however - I got it by just walking to the station and asking.

If you go, make sure you save a little time after your castle visit to visit St. Mary's across the street. The church itself is lovely, and there are some pretty views if you climb the bell tower.

There is also a small Market Hall museum that tells the story of Warwickshire.

http://heritage.warwickshire.gov.uk/museum-service/market-hall-planning-your-visit/

Thanks Tom. At Warwick Castle, are there places to sit (benches?) available in the rooms that are open for touring?

I made my decision today and will do a day trip to York as I found same-day discounted advanced tickets of £18.50 to York & £13.50 returning to London via Grand Central Railways.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I am very excited to return to York!

Two modern cathedrals within easy trips by train from London are Coventry to the North and Guildford to the south. Both were completed in the 1960’s. Coventry’s original gothic Church, built in the 1400’s was destroyed, along with much of Coventry, during WWII. The walls of the old church remain as a garden of rememberance and the spire still stands. There are some outstanding artworks at the church.

Guildford, in Surrey, was begun before the War, but building was interrupted until the late 1940’s. When growing up near Guildford my family used to visit regularly to view the progress and somewhere in the building is a brick with my name on it! They sold bricks to raise the funds to complete the build.

Wikipedia covers the interesting histories of both these buildings.

A false economy? I really enjoy being in Ealing.

I have stayed at the same Hilton property near Ealing Common for a few years now. They have earned my business on every trip I now make to London as I can get an inexpensive rate as a Hilton Honors member for a king size room with full breakfast, bathrobe, slippers, Nespresso coffee maker, mini refrigerator, kettle, a large assortment of teas, a 40” flat screen HD TV with over 100 channels at least, plenty of sockets including USB ports by the night stand, Crabtree & Evelyn products, strong hairdryer, a huge bathtub with one of those rain shower showerheads, and arguably one of the most comfortable mattresses I’ve ever experienced with lots of dense down pillows. With my back condition, the bed and pillows are a dream. For my trip in two months, I secured a rate of £75/night including full breakfast. There is no way I can get a rate like that in Central London in mid to late October.

Best yet, car service between the hotel and Heathrow is quick with the hotel in Ealing Common. Before I had a back condition, the commute on the Piccadilly line with the change in Acton Town was also quick. If Ealing Common ever installs an elevator, I’ll return to commuting via the Tube.

The hotel is a 3 to 4 minute walk to both the District & Piccadilly lines. It is about a 12 to 15 minute walk to the Central line and the Ealing Broadway station. The trip to Kings Cross is a one seat ride on the Piccadilly line & takes under 40 minutes. That’s easy, not tedious. I am not switching trains; it’s a one seat ride. Zone 3 is not a big deal.

My train to York is at 8:06 AM (I’m also pleased it is early) and for the first time, my ticket will now be on my iPhone as Grand Central Railways offers that. Apparently, I will have access to it 24 hours in advance. I am certainly hoping that is the case because when I purchased tickets on Deutsche Bahn and Thalys last October, my tickets were on my phone on the date of purchase.

Anyone have experience with tickets available on one’s mobile phone from Grand Central?