Any pleasant towns within 2-3 hrs of LHR
Aug 31, 2017, 9:01 pm
#1
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Any pleasant towns within 2-3 hrs of LHR
The question above says it all. If we flying into Heathrow is there any place we could take a bus or even a train to within 2 to 3 hours that would be a smaller town we could spend a few days relaxing before moving on to London.
Aug 31, 2017, 9:10 pm
#2
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By train, you're talking about maybe an hour from LHR to London and then a train (possibly after using the subway to switch train stations, which adds to the hassle) to somewhere within an hour or two. This could include IIRC Cambridge, Oxford, Ely, maybe Bath, Bristol, Colchester, Stratford, and more. An hour by basically nonstop train from London covers most of southeastern England provided that there's good train service.
There's also the famous nearby village with the royal palace (I assume there's either a bus or a train route that doesn't require transferring in London) which would be simpler and more relaxing, although LHR to Cambridge/Oxford isn't bad at all.
There's also the famous nearby village with the royal palace (I assume there's either a bus or a train route that doesn't require transferring in London) which would be simpler and more relaxing, although LHR to Cambridge/Oxford isn't bad at all.
Aug 31, 2017, 9:28 pm
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When are you traveling? If in summer, I would be more inclined to visit Brighton or someplace else on the coast. If later in the year, a town with more indoor activities would be the better choice.
Aug 31, 2017, 9:34 pm
#4
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November
And I know about trains - I'm expressly (altho I wasn't clear) asking about buses or trains we could take from LHR without going into town.
We've been to Oxford several times so not Oxford. Maybe Cambridge altho we didn't care for it much when we were there a couple of years ago.
I've been trying to work it out on a map but I'm looking for towns people know of that would be pleasant for a few days.
We've been to Oxford several times so not Oxford. Maybe Cambridge altho we didn't care for it much when we were there a couple of years ago.
I've been trying to work it out on a map but I'm looking for towns people know of that would be pleasant for a few days.
Aug 31, 2017, 11:48 pm
#5
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Heathrow is not on the national train network, so to get an onward train you would need to first head to London, it is on the long distance coach network however. Or you could take the Railair coach to Reading (every 20 minutes, take 40 minutes) and have access to much of the west of the country and Midlands via train. This would probably be the quicker option.
In your situation I would head to Bath. Lots of tourist things to do - Roman Baths, Jane Austen stuff, Royal Crescent etc. If you are there at the end of November the Christmas market will be on as well.
In your situation I would head to Bath. Lots of tourist things to do - Roman Baths, Jane Austen stuff, Royal Crescent etc. If you are there at the end of November the Christmas market will be on as well.
Sep 1, 2017, 2:04 am
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Exeter's rather nice - easily reachable via the Reading rail-air service.
https://www.visitexeter.com/
The city itself is quite small, but the nearby coastal and country towns (Dartmouth, Totnes, Brixham, Beer, etc) are really rather lovely and easily reachable.
https://www.visitexeter.com/
The city itself is quite small, but the nearby coastal and country towns (Dartmouth, Totnes, Brixham, Beer, etc) are really rather lovely and easily reachable.
Sep 1, 2017, 4:24 am
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You could get the coach to Oxford (2-3 coaches an hour, wifi, power sockets, toilets etc), then carry on to somewhere like Woodstock or Burford by local bus. Woodstock is a pretty little market town, with Blenheim Palace on the doorstep, and the cotswolds just there.
Sep 1, 2017, 4:26 am
#12
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You can also visit massive castle which comes in the way. If you would like test something unique, you can visit Fudge Kitchen.
Sep 1, 2017, 6:22 am
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Heathrow is not on the national train network, so to get an onward train you would need to first head to London, it is on the long distance coach network however. Or you could take the Railair coach to Reading (every 20 minutes, take 40 minutes) and have access to much of the west of the country and Midlands via train. This would probably be the quicker option.
In your situation I would head to Bath. Lots of tourist things to do - Roman Baths, Jane Austen stuff, Royal Crescent etc. If you are there at the end of November the Christmas market will be on as well.
In your situation I would head to Bath. Lots of tourist things to do - Roman Baths, Jane Austen stuff, Royal Crescent etc. If you are there at the end of November the Christmas market will be on as well.
Sep 1, 2017, 6:31 am
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It's a 20-minute ride from LHR to Slough station on those 7 Series buses, however, and from there you can get to lots of places without having to go into London -- either direct or by changing in Reading.