Having visited England, and more specifically London, numerous times it was only recently that I started exploring outside the Capital. I wasn’t willing to “sacrifice” what I considered limited and precious London time when there was so much to see within the city limits. My Things To Do in London list is still a mile long, but I’ve now checked off many of the city’s main attractions, so it made sense to start devoting time to exploring further afield.

Bath England United Kingdom — The gorgeous city of Bath

Have you checked all your London to dos off your list, are you considering adventures outside London Town? These six day trips can all easily be completed within one day, and all are within just a few hours of Central London.

6 Day Trips from London

Warner Brothers Studios London: The Making of Harry Potter

Location: Leavesden
Distance from Central London: 21 miles / 33 kilometers

Our entire family loves the Harry Potter movies, yet somehow we were surprised at how much we loved our visit to the Warner Brothers Studios The Making of Harry Potter. This was so much more than we expected! Yes, even having visited other Harry Potter related places!

: Hogwarts Castle

Our visit took place during the festive season, and everything within the Studios was decorated beautifully. From the holiday feast and Christmas puddings upon the tables in the Great Hall to the magical Christmas trees and snow throughout.

Harry Potter Tour WB Studio Tour London with Kids — Hogwarts in the snow

Along the way you’ll have a chance to see and learn about the making of just about everything involved with all 8 films. There are many interactive experiences at the studio from flying a broomstick to riding on Hagrid’s motorbike. Take your time and keep your eyes open because magic is happening everywhere!

Harry Potter Tour WB Studios Tour London With Kids — Go for a ride on Hagrid’s motorbike

Wondering what it would be like to go inside Dumbledore’s Office, ride the Hogwarts Express, or explore The Ministry of Magic, maybe you fancy a walk through the Dark Forest? Guess what? You can! There were many moments during our day at WB Studios London that felt magical, and while I want to share them all, I don’t want to give away all the secrets!

Harry Potter Tour WB Studios London with Kids — Platform 9 3/4

Advance purchase tickets are required. If you don’t have a car getting to the WB Studios outside of London can be challenging. After weighing all our transportation options we went with convenience. We hired a private car through the Golden Tours website.

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Windsor Castle

Location: Windsor
Distance from Central London: 22 miles / 35 Kilometers

Now of course everyone’s idea of a magical day out differs, but if you love all things fairytale including castles, royals and history you’ll definitely want to consider a trip to Windsor Castle.

Windsor Castle England United Kingdom — The Round Tower at Sunset

Built in 1070 by William the Conqueror, Windsor Castle is the largest and oldest inhabited castle in the world. A visit here means you’ll be walking in the footsteps of 40 different monarchs over the course of almost 1000 years.

Windsor Castle Quadrangle #windsorcastle — The Quadrangle Windsor Castle

As you can imagine there is a lot to see and do at Windsor Castle. Your ticket includes a tour of the State Apartments, Queen Mary’s Dolls House, A 30 minute Precinct Tour, St. George’s Chapel, and an audio guide. Allow plenty of time!

St, George’s Chapel was the venue for the recent wedding of the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The current chapel is over 500 years old, and is the final resting place of many members of the royal family.

Windsor Castle St. George's Chapel England United Kingdom — St. George’s Chapel Windsor

Queen Mary’s Dollhouse is a replica of a Georgian town house and was built to showcase what aristocratic life might have been like in the 1920s. Everything within the dollhouse is operational and it is complete with working lights, and running water.

Royal Collection Trust/(C)Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017.

Your visit to The State Apartments starts begins at the Grand Staircase and includes 23 beautiful and very ornate rooms. Each one filled with priceless works of art and furniture collected over centuries.

Christmas tree in St George's Hall, Windsor Castle Royal Collection Trust / (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017 — Christmas tree in St George’s Hall, Windsor Castle Royal Collection Trust / (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017

Windsor Castle is open all year round, but is still very much in use by the Royal Family. Do check the official website for operating days and times. The town of Windsor is 30 minutes by train from London’s Paddington station. The Windsor & Eton Riverside station is the closest stop to the Castle, and is only a few minutes walk from the Castle. Purchase your tickets online in advance. Alternatively you can wait in a very long line.

Interior photos are not allowed within Windsor Castle, however for the purposes of this post I did source photos via PicSelect and have noted wherever they’ve been used, otherwise all photos are my own.

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Hever Castle

Location: Edenbridge
Distance from Central London: 30 miles/ 48 kilometers

I’ve always been fascinated by Tudor history and royal life in general, so I couldn’t have been more excited about our visit to Hever Castle the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, the 2nd wife of King Henry VIII and mother to Queen Elizabeth I.

Over the course of it’s 700 year history Hever castle has been home to 37 different owners including another of Henry VIII’s wives, Anne of Cleves (wife number four), and William Waldorf Astor who was the richest man in America.

Hever Castle Maze Kent England United Kingdom — The Center of the Maze

You’ll find something for everyone at Hever Castle and depending on the time of year there are special events. During our visit we found time to tour the castle, visit Father Christmas, and explore the castle gardens including navigating the yew maze. The castle has multiple restaurants to choose from, and an adventure playground that will appeal to the younger ones in your group.

Check the official website for operating hours and special events. Hever Castle is located 3 miles southeast of Edenbridge off the B2026 between Sevenoaks and East Grinstead in the village of Hever.

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Ashdown Forest (100 Aker Wood)

Location: Uckfield
Distance from Central London: 61.5 miles/98.9 killometers

I was beyond delighted to discover that the famous forest from the classic children’s tale, Winnie the Pooh, is an actual place! Having read the books, sung the songs, and watched the Disney movies countless times I’d never given much thought to the idea that the Hundred Acre Wood might actually be real. Now that we knew, we had to go there!

100 Aker Wood Ashdown Forest England — The Hundred Aker Wood

“You can’t stay in your corner of the forest waiting for other’s to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.” – Piglet

Our adventures through the 100 Aker Wood included the Poohsticks Bridge, Owl’s House, Roo’s Sandy Pit, The Enchanted Place, Galleon’s Lap, and Pooh Corner. The last stop, Pooh’s Corner, is a quaint little tea house and gift shop where one can find all things Pooh related including books, toys and other keepsakes.

Owl's House Ashdown Forest 100 Aker Wood — Owl’s House

We had a most magical day exploring the forest with our friends, and making excellent use of our wellies!

Ashdown Forest AKA 100 Aker Wood England — On our way to Poohsticks Bridge

Ashdown Forest can be reached via train, bus, or car. Directions are available via the official website.

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Stonehenge

Location: Salisbury
Distance from Central London: 88 miles / 141 Kilometers

Stonehenge was a place I’d always wanted to see, but somehow always felt that getting there was too complicated. Now that I’ve made the trek, I will say it is definitely worth it, but I admit it is complicated.

Stonehenge England United Kingdom — Frost on the stones

Although you can’t touch, or walk right up to stones, the walkway encircling them allows you to get pretty close. Our early arrival on a cold winter morning meant less people, and I was able to get all the photos I wanted.

The visitor Center at Stonehenge is really well done, with interactive exhibitions, a cafe, and of course a gift shop. While there you’ll learn all about the origin of Stonehenge and although it’s true purpose is still a mystery, we were interested to learn that they do know quite a lot.

Operating hours and tickets can be found on the official website. Consider arriving early for shorter lines and the best photo opportunities.

Bath

Location: Somerset
Distance from Central London: 115 miles / 185 Kilometers

Our visit to Bath was actually by default when we paired it with our visit to Stonehenge. Ancient history and beautiful architecture around every corner we wished for more time in such a gorgeous city! In hindsight we should have allowed more time…

Pulteney Bridge Bath England — Pulteney Bridge

Wishing for more time doesn’t mean that we didn’t make the most of what we had. We were able to visit The Roman Baths, Bath Abbey, The Royal Crescent and Sally Lunn Buns before our afternoon ended.

Bath Abbey Bath England United Kingdom — Interior of Bath Abbey

During a tour of the Roman baths you’ll see a combination of ruins and modern displays depicting what the complex would have looked like almost 2000 years ago. I was fascinated to learn that the flow of water is 250,000 gallons per day at a temperature of 115°F.

Roman Baths Bath England — The Roman Baths

Edgar, the first king of England was crowned at Bath Abbey over 1000 years ago, and you’ll find a plaque commemorating the occasion on the floor of the abbey.

One of the hardest things about traveling to a place for only one afternoon is working out just what to see and eat, and hoping you don’t choose wrong. Thankfully we had a few insider tips, which led us to Sally Lunn’s The buns are so large we bought two and shared them. Unable to decide which topping to try, we chose two: Cinnamon butter and lemon curd.

Sally Lunn Bun House Bath England — Sally Lunn Bath Bunn

The Royal Crescent at 500 feet long consists of 30 terraced houses, and is considered to be one of the greatest examples of Georgian Architecture in the United Kingdom. Due to it’s historical and architectural importance the building is protected and for the most part the exterior remains unchanged from when it was built.

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While we did purchase our tickets to the Roman Baths in advance we mistakenly thought showing them on our mobile device would be sufficient. Be sure to print them out prior to your arrival.

Bath Abbey is located just next to the Roman Baths.

The Royal Crescent Museum at No. 1 is open to the public depending on the time of year. Check the official website for operating hours.

Pin for Later:

Having never given much thought to a bucket list, I wasn’t even aware that I had one, that is until I found myself checking off my number one item! Stonehenge! We’ve traveled to England a number of times, but somehow getting to Stonehenge always seemed too complicated, and with so much to see and do in London, it just never happened. This time I was determined we would make the trek. And it is a trek, but definitely worth it.

Visiting in December meant it was extremely cold the day of our visit, and we experienced all kinds of weather, from snow and hail to bright sun and then finally a heavy rain. At one point during the drive snow was falling so heavily we thought we might see the stones covered in white. That didn’t turn out to be the case, but we did see some heavy frost.

It’s hard to believe these photos were all taken on the same day, but the weather was changing constantly.

First Impressions

Stonehenge was smaller than I thought it would be. Of course the stones are actually immense, but their location in the middle of a large open space made it hard to get an impression of just how large they are. Even up close.

There is a walkway, which encircles the stones, and although you can’t touch, or walk right up to them, you can get pretty close. Our early arrival on a cold winter morning meant less people, and I was able to get all the photos I wanted.

Visiting the world’s most famous prehistoric monument was an amazing experience, and had it not been so cold I think I could have lingered for hours. That said, my family did not feel quite the same awe, they were just too cold, and at one point my older son had pulled his hat down over his face to keep the cold out.

What is Stonehenge?

The origin of Stonehenge and it’s true purpose is still a mystery, but we were interested to learn that they do know quite a lot. The history on this site goes back 4500+ years, and I was surprised to learn that the stones, which at one time formed a circle, were built in several stages over the course of 1500 years!

Interactive exhibitions outside the visitor center included stepping inside replicas of 4500 year old neolithic homes, and attempting to move a stone.

Putting some muscle into it!

Attempting to move the stone

Calling in reinforcements

Some of the inside experiences include a 5000 year old man, and experiencing what it would be like to stand inside the stone circle as the seasons pass you by including both the winter and summer solstice.

What’s Next On My List?

Once I realized I do indeed have a bucket list I found myself wondering what else was on it. As it turns out I’d already checked off quite a few items including, visits to Ireland and Japan, Anne Frank’s House, The Statue of Liberty, Pompeii and The Colosseum in Rome.

The List is subject to change, and is more of a rough outline then a final draft, but here are a few of my top priorities: Dubrovnik, Angkor Wat, and the Parthenon.

Have you been to Stonehenge? Do you have a bucket list? If so, what’s on it?

Tips & Advice:

Getting to Stonehenge

There are multiple options for getting to Stonehenge:

Rent A Car – this is probably the most flexible option, but if you’re not comfortable with driving on the right side of the road it might not be the best choice.
Join a Tour – Our family tour bus days are over, but if you fancy joining a group there are multiple tour companies, which make the 2 hour trip from London to Stonehenge, many of them also include Windsor and Bath.
Public Transportation – The nearest train station to Stonehenge is Salisbury, which happens to be 9.5 miles from the visitor center. Buses run from Salisbury to Stonehenge, but how often they run depends on the time of year.
Private Guide – This final option is probably the most expensive, but it is also the most convenient and was what worked best for our family. We made our own schedule and itinerary, but didn’t have to wait on others or worry about timetables or directions.

Other Advice:

Purchase your tickets online in advance.
The stones are located about 1 mile from the visitor center, and there is a walkway, but if your’e not up for walking, or it’s too cold, you can take the shuttle bus, which is included with your ticket purchase.
Arrive as early as possible. Not only will you wait in shorter lines, but you’ll have less people in your photos!
We arrived by 9:30 am, and got directly on the shuttle bus, however when we returned I noticed the line was long and it was freezing out.
Speaking of freezing out, it was bitterly cold during our visit, and because we read it could be muddy we wore our wellies. In hindsight we should have worn warmer boots, and even with hats, scarves and multiple layers we were still very cold.
The visitor Center at Stonehenge is really well done, with interactive exhibitions, a cafe, and of course a gift shop.

Tag: Stonehenge

6 Day Trips from London

6 Day Trips from London