Brighton Pier, England, UK by Samuel Justice

Brighton

The seaside town of Brighton is located just a short train ride to the south of London and is particularly charming on a sunny day. The main pier here is a great place to take a stroll, while shoppers will want to head to the Lanes to browse for bargains. Most of the main attractions here can be found close to the sea, while the Royal Brighton Pavilion is one of the town’s most unusual landmarks and music lovers will find that a wide range of concerts are regularly held here.

Canterbury

The small city of Canterbury is one of the most vibrant destinations in the county of Kent. The city centre is pedestrianised, allowing visitors to wander along the cobbled streets and soak up the atmosphere. Canterbury is famous for its architecture, and no trip to the city would be complete without paying a visit to Canterbury Cathedral. This was also the setting for Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and visitors can get a feel of what the city was like at the time of Chaucer complete with the sights, sounds and smells of the era by visiting the Pilgrim’s Way Museum.

Canterbury Cathedral, England, UK by Steve Evans

Aylesbury

This historic market town can be found just 35 miles to the north west of London, meaning that visitors will have plenty of time to absorb the main sights within a day. Aylesbury is a town that is simply bursting with charm and exploring the town centre is a real treat. Aylesbury is also famous for its ancient standing stones, which are believed by many people to have mystical powers.

Bournemouth

City slickers who are looking for a little fun in the sun should take the train to the southern beach town of Bournemouth. Eating fish and chips by the sea is a popular pastime here, while there are plenty of wide rides and other attractions waiting to be enjoyed.

Oxford

The historical city of Oxford makes the ideal daytrip destination. Wandering along the cobbled streets and lanes in the old section of the city is an uplifting experience, and lovers of history and architecture will find numerous impressive churches, colleges and other buildings to explore, while the Pitt Rivers Museum is a great play to visit to learn about this city’s vibrant past.

Oxford University, England, UK by Biker Jun

Bath

With it Georgian architecture and chic and sophisticated bars and restaurants, Bath is the perfect blend of the old and the new. The buildings that can be found in the town centre are particularly well preserved and this makes exploring a lot of fun. There are plenty of great outdoor cafes here where visitors can enjoy a snack while indulging in a little people watching, while many of the shops here feature handicrafts that cannot be found in any other part of the country. Bath was named after the Roman Baths that were once extremely popular here, and the Roman Baths Museum is the perfect place to find out all about them.

Of course, these are just a few of the destinations that are waiting to be discovered by both visitors to London and those who live there. Conceirge services offered by some of London’s best 5 star hotels are often more than happy to organise a day’s excursion so make sure you pick their brains about the various destinations that are within easy reach of London’s very excellent railways.

Article sources:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/england/london/travel-tips-and-articles/77050

http://www.wikitravel.org/london

Tom, a freelance writer from London, is a huge fan of rustic Britain and often indulges in his love of the Isles by taking the train without a destination in mind..!

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Camber Sands beach

Best for: windswept romance and adventure
The most easterly of the top five, in East Sussex is the seven miles stretch of soft golden beach known as Camber Sands. Clamber down the dunes which form a protective mountain created by the wind whipping the sand off the beach and building up; look out for the skylarks that dive and swoop on the winds across the vast expanse- it can be a mile and half to the sea when the tide is out. A great place for long walks, kite flying, strolling or horse riding in the surf or, at the end of an action packed day, cuddle up behind a wind breaker at the quieter western end of the beach and watch the sunset.

Camber Sands beach, England, UK by davharuk

Brighton Beach

Best for: trendy weekend break or traditional family fun at the seaside
A speedy ninety minutes south of London by car or train sits the groovy town of Brighton in Sussex, recently voted within the top 10 best weekend break destinations. Popular since the 1960s as a seaside getaway, Brighton remains charmingly retro with lines of Vespas parked along the seafront; the famous and well maintained Victorian pier is packed with amusement arcades and fairground rides not to mention the obligatory candyfloss and sticks of Brighton rock. Daytime family fun is guaranteed on the pebbly beach dotted with stripy deck chairs and couples or groups of friends will find the promenade and The Lanes well stocked with cool bars and night clubs, excellent seafood restaurants as well as a huge range of hotels and B&Bs for those making a weekend of it.

Brighton Beach, England, UK by Alpha

Studland Bay

Best for: peace and quiet and getting back to nature
Studland bay is four miles of beautiful white sand lapped by calm water which is generally warm in summer, attracting swimmers and seahorses. The beach backs onto a protected nature reserve of dunes and heath, conserved by the National Trust and home to many varieties of wildlife. There are three sections of beach, the very northern tip, near to the Sandbanks chain ferry, is a designated naturist spot; Knoll Beach is the main section with a cafe and boat hire and further down is the smaller, shadier South Beach. Walkers will enjoy a stroll east for about a mile along the cliff path to catch excellent, dramatic views of Old Harry’s Rocks, great chalk chunks that have broken away from the cliff and now stand alone in the blue waters.

Horse riding at Studland Bay, England, UK by jennicatpink

Salcombe Sands

Best for: fashionable sailing-club life and water sports
The charming town of Salcombe is a summertime home from home for many city dwellers in need of some relaxation; it is packed with trendy shops, cute cafes and superb restaurants serving fresh seafood. Salcombe South Sands is in a little sun trap of a cove, with rays and water as warm as the Mediterranean in summer. Around the headland- an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is North Sands. Both beaches are extremely popular with water-sports enthusiasts with canoes, kayaks and catamarans for hire, the waters are packed with windsurfers and sailing boats. It is possible to book on to power boating and sailing courses and even go scuba diving around nearby shipwrecks.

Salcombe Sands, England, UK by yellow book

Porthcurno, near Land’s End

Best for: magical mysterious hideaway bay
At the very westerly tip of the Cornish south coast, near to Lands End, Porthcurno bay is surrounded and protected by granite cliffs; it has soft, pristine white sand and turquoise waters. When the tide is out, explorers can walk around to neighbouring beaches including a nudist one, look out to sea to spot pirates or search for dragons in the caves. Up above on the cliffs sits the famous Minack Theatre, home to open air dramatic productions and, on the other side stands Treryn Dinas, the formidable Iron Age fort from which the ocean views are unrivalled.

Porthcurno Beach, Cornwall, England, UK by Karen Roe

About the author: Ashley Auckle works with B+B Weymouth, a boutique Bed and Breakfast in Weymouth, Dorset: http://www.bb-weymouth.com/

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Tomas Maltby

Originally there was a town called Bristelmestune situated on the territory of today’s Brighton, but was completely burned down in 1514 by French pirates. The first known finding of the new city of Brighton comes from 1545. In the years 1740 – 1750 there was a local doctor who started to prescribe local sea water as a medicine to their patients, which initiated the future of Brighton as a treatment center. In 1780 began the construction of Regency terraces and originally insignificant fishing village soon became a popular seaside resort. In 1841 the town was made accessible by rail, which brought the first tourists to Brighton from London. During the Victorian era was managed the construction of many important buildings, which raised population and area of ​​the city began to expand rapidly. Brighton has currently about 250 thousand inhabitants.

Now, it is young and dynamic city offering all the benefits of modern life. Brighton is a major educational center with two universities and many schools. From time immemorial it attracted actors, artists and lords, who fled here from the hustle and bustle of the capital city of London. Good location of Brighton was appreciated also by an English Queen Victoria, who built a summer residence here in 1850. For some period of time it was also a home to Sir Laurence Olivier.

Walking through the city is ideal mainly for romantic souls who will be enchanted by the picturesque nooks and winding streets. The most important and most visited monument in Brighton is undoubtedly the majestic Royal Pavilion, with its extravagance which ranked among the most beautiful buildings, not only in England but also throughout Europe. The palace is notable especially for its architecture inspired by India and interior design in the oriental style. History of the Royal Pavilion dates back to 1785. It was a time when the Prince of Wales rented a fort in Brighton. It was a place where he used to meet with his mistress, later wife Maria Fitzherbert. In 1785, they got married secretly, but the Anglican Church never officially recognized and accepted it.

In addition to the Royal Pavilion, there is another very popular attraction in Brighton – Palace Pier. It is a late Victorian pier from 1899, where you can find funny attractions, classic fairground attraction, as well as cafes and boutiques. You can also visit the aquarium Sea Life Centre, the largest in southern England, where you can walk along the seabed. There are sharks and various sea animals that live in local waters. It is worth to visit also a former fishing district Lanes or lookout point The Cliff Walk situated high on the cliffs above the sea.

In Brighton, you can also find the oldest operating electric railway in the world – Volk’s Electric Railways, which was built in 1883. Runs along the inner edge of the beach from Brighton Pier to Black Rock. One of the oldest buildings in the city is the Old Ship Hotel from 1559, but also the Church of St. Nicholas from the 11th century and church of St. Bartholomew.

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