The sun does not shine much in London so when summer arrives you have to take advantage of it. The English know it and the tourists who deny the eternally gray skies and the low temperatures of the other seasons know it.
Luckily London is not an extremely hot city and in good weather the best you can do is enjoy it 100% and then go out and explore its surroundings without fear of snow, rain, wind and the gray cold of the clouds. Let's see today five summer destinations to visit from London.
Brighton
Is an acquaintance coastal destination on the south side of the island of England. It is part of the county of Sussex and although it has a millennial past it grew and became very popular in Georgian times when wealthy people started taking vacations. With the arrival of the train at the end of the XNUMXth century it was a boom and its most emblematic and visited buildings and constructions date precisely from this time.
I speak of West Pier, Grand Hotel, royal pavilion or Brighton Palace Footr. The Royal Pavilion is a beautiful palace with a truly oriental air. The Brighton Palace Pier opened a year before the turn of the century, from the XNUMXth to the XNUMXth century, and to this day it continues to offer arcades, restaurants and an amusement fair. The Brighton Clock and the friendly electric train linking Brighton Pier, Black Rock and the marina also date from the time of Queen Victoria.
Since last year Brighton has a new attraction: the Brighton i360, a 162 meter tall observation tower with a platform to contemplate the landscape located at 138 meters. Outside london It is the highest in Great Britain. On the other hand, there is no lack of medieval churches and of course, beaches. The most popular is that of hove, for its colorfully painted wooden squares.
The part of the beach in front of the Palace Pier has Blue Flag and Cliff beach is the first nude beach in the country. There are indeed many beaches here and there and some are well connected by the Undercliff Walk, somewhat dangerous due to landslides. Anyway, how do you get to Brighton? By train from Victoria Station on a journey that is around 24 pounds and takes an hour and a half.
Salisbury
This historic city is in a valley. Naturally it has many rivers and streams but its channels have been redirected and today they feed public gardens that are very popular in the summer. A tip to travel them is to follow the Town Path that connects Harnham with the rest of the city. If you go in winter, it is not advisable to do it because the rivers are larger and there are always floods.
The Queen Elizabeth Gardens are the most popular, but of course Salisbury offers us history and culture. The Salisbury cathedral it is famous, ancient and beautiful. It dates back to the 123th century and has long had the tallest tower in the UK in a church at XNUMX meters. You can visit it on a tour that is worth doing. The same is the visit inside to appreciate the choir sector and the oldest wooden clock in the world still in operation, from the XNUMXth century.
And, for history buffs, the best-preserved copy of the Magna Carta, the document that King John signed in 1215 with a group of rebellious barons who in a certain way, limited but real in the end, put an end to royal authoritarianism. On the other hand, Stonhenge is here no more, just half an hour away, and guided tours and buses leave the city every 15-20 minutes.
Obviously, visiting these places in summer is the best. You arrive in an hour and a half by train from Waterloo Station.
porthmouth
If you like English literature then you sure do Charles Dickens. Well this gentleman of English letters was born in portmouth and the city lives on its memory. Literally. It is 100 kilometers west of London and has Roman origins although in more modern history it is known as the cradle of the English royal army.
Many of the Victorian buildings and constructions have been converted into museums, such as the Fort Nelson, Southsea Castle, The Round Tower, Eastney Barracks… But at the beginning I said that Charles Dickens was born in the city and that's how it is. The writer's birthplace is today a museum. He was born here on February 7, 1812 and although he left school and went to work in a factory, he eventually became the great novelist of the Victorian Era.
Do they sound to you A Christmas Carol David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations? They are some of his novels and stories. The museum is a succession of rooms furnished in the style of that time. There is a bedroom with original furniture and objects from yesteryear, a living room and a dining room. It is like opening a door and traveling back in time. Of course Dickens's personal belongings are added. If you like it a lot you can even sign up for the Dickens Guide Walks, city walks including a special Sherlock Holmes exhibition at the Portmouth Museum.
The museum is open from 10 am to 5:30 pm and admission costs £ 4 per adult. Portmouth arrive by train from Waterloo in a journey of an hour and a half for 36 pounds round trip.
Hever Castle
This castle is in the village of Hever, about 48 miles from London. From the train station, which can be reached from London Bridge or London Victoria in just 45 minutes, you walk another 20 minutes and you are at the castle. Construction has 700 years Well, it started with a simple little castle of wood, stones and clay back in the XNUMXth century. Here Anna Bolen spent her childhooda, the beheaded wife of Henry VIII and mother of a great queen, Elizabeth I.
The castle is open So you can walk through its halls and rooms, enjoy special exhibits, explore its gardens, including the green labyrinth, walk along the lake, take a boat ride through it, and even practice archery and shield painting. How about? You can spend the whole holy day here. More if it is a summer day! The gardens open at 10:30 am but the castle only at noon.
You can buy the ticket online and there are two types: for the Castle and the Gardens or for the gardens only. None of them, however, include archery and shield painting classes and boating. That is paid separately. The price of the Castle & Gardens ticket is 16 pounds per adult and the one in the gardens alone is 14 pounds. Online you have a discount of just one pound. How stingy!
whitstable
It is a very picturesque seaside village which is on the north coast of Kent just five miles from Canterbury. It is a site well known for its oysters and in the middle of summer the temperature is around 21ºC.
If you go in July you can see the Oyster Festival, an event that lasts nine days and includes a parade that coincides with Saint James's Day. Gastronomy and fun for the whole family are guaranteed. They are also its beaches, around the port, great for swimming, water sports and walking. The ones to the east and west do not have a boardwalk so they are the quietest.
If there is low tide you can walk down The Street, a natural strip of earth and clay that goes into the sea about 800 meterssy is what remains of a valley eroded by the sea through the passage of centuries. It's great to hike and if you can't see well from the Tankerton Slopes, some gentle hills that have a good view of the town and the sea. There is also a castle, centuries-old buildings on the coast, alleys everywhere, many cafes and restaurants.
These five destinations near London are just some of the summer destinations that you can visit from the English capital. There are some familiar names on our list, but perhaps others are less so. Going to a place that is not soooo touristy always has its rewards.