Interested in any easy train/bus trip day trips from London or Portsmouth as a base. (Easy meaning the place to visit is walkable (<.5mi) or there are taxis/buses . I've been to Windsor, Hampton Court, Hatfiled House, Stratford, Oxford, Bletchley, Cambridge, Stonehenge ....looking for some gems that may be more hidden. I love history, castles, Tudor History, picturesque villages .
Thanks!
We took the train from Portsmouth to Brighton. It was an easy trip and we were quite impressed with the Royal Pavilion. The audio guide was excellent and we were able to close to everything. I know Regency
isn't Tudor, but it was fascinating. The palace is a short walk down hill from the train station.
You might also be interested in the Isle of Wight. I think it's a relatively short ferry ride from Portsmouth and I think there is bus service once you're on the island.
Hello
from London (Liverpool St Station) why not consider Norwich for a non-touristy day out? The major medieval city of East Anglia, grew rich on the wool trade - has a beautiful medieval Cathedral; a very interesting castle; many medieval churches and a market still going after 700 years. Also the 'famous' Colmans mustard shop, in a beautiful 100 year old shopping arcade. A gem, and not on the normal tourist trail.
Although Portsmouth Harbour is worth a day trip if you are keen on historic vessels - it also has waterside restaurants & a shopping mall; it is not a very good place to use as a base for visiting other places as the train routes are quite slow. London has plenty of fast lines going out to different parts of the country but you firstly have to get to the relevant London station & London has the most expensive accommodation - by & large.
Consider setting up base in another part of the country? Exeter for Devon or Truro for Cornwall? Maybe Conway (Conwy) / Llandudno in north Wales or how about combining that with 2 or 3 nights in Cardiff? In southern England, Salisbury would make quite a good base. (It has trains to Bath in one direction & Portsmouth in another).
I will second the suggestion of Norwich.
Google the places for more info. Put "Visit …" for official tourist board web sites.
I would agree with the comment above about the train routes being a bit on the slow side BUT it's still a good place to visit, especially if you have an interest in maritime history. This webcam may interest you:
http://www.hmswarrior.org/webcam
My sister lives in Portsmouth, so we've stayed a few times there. We tend to hang around and visit with her, but one day we did do a day trip to Arundel Castle. You have history and castles all in one! Walkable from the train station as well...and the little town (or village) is interesting to wander around as well.
Another vote for Arundel !
Another vote for Norwich.
I also like Battle (lots of 1066 Battle of Hastings stuff), Rye (one of the best preserved medieval towns in England) and Canterbury (the latter could be combined with the picturesque Faversham and walks along the river) are all easily reachable by train from London. Great tea shops in all these locations.
The Isle of Wight is best with a car.
Fantastic ideas! Thank you so much-I'm looking into them now!
