Adventures of a London Kiwi

A London Food and Travel blog full of unique experiences.

Running Away to the English Seaside | Margate Beach

Whenever I get the opportunity, I love running away to the English seaside [read: literally any sun-filled excuse] and recently we loved a day trip to Margate beach enough to go back a couple of weeks later, hiring a beachfront apartment for a leisurely three day break.

Margate Beach English Seaside

One of the things I miss the most about living in New Zealand, is the easy access to beaches. They (whoever ‘they’ are) reckons that no-one is more than 1.5 hours drive from a beach in my narrow home country, so when I was home recently, I made FULL use of that access.

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Folkestone Beach | Day Trips from London by Train

One of the best things about running my own business (as a freelance social media consultant) is being able to run away from my desk at short notice to places like Folkestone Beach.

Folkestone Beach Day Trip from London by Train

The sun was shining and my diary was relatively quiet so I booked a train from London (there’s a direct 55-minute service to Folkestone beach from St Pancras), grabbed my book, fished out the sun screen and slipped a beach towel in my bag.

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10 Quirky Day Trips From London By Train

People often worry that to be a travel blogger they have to jet off to all corners of the world every weekend or they won’t have enough content. Well, to that I say phooey. There are so many amazing quirky day trips from London by train that you can take (and turn them into leisurely weekends away.) This isle has wizards, giants, knights, princes, castles, Raven warders and ancient stories that never cease to amaze. It also has a tourism economy that you can help to support where you can.

Harewood House Leeds Adventures of a London Kiwi

Partially, it’s a change of mindset. When you’ve lived in an area all of your life, or even years, it’s so easy to take your home for granted – and giggle at the tourists transfixed by an ancient doorway that you’ve walked past for ever.

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9 Day Trips from London Worth Pulling a Sickie For

We’ve been promised a week or two of unseasonably delicious weather so have been thinking back to a few of my favourite day trips from London worth pulling a sickie for. We’re talking lovely beaches, ancient history and lovely rambles in nature, soaking up all of that sunshine.

Hever Castle Kent England

Sure, the classics are pretty amazing; Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Stratford-Upon-Avon, The Cotswolds & Stonehenge/Salisbury, Brighton, York… I could blather on. The key to any good day trip is booking ahead (use my tips to escape London on a budget), using railcards and having snacks on hand. And taking a phone charger.

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The Cowdray Estate: an afternoon at the polo

Boarding the train for Cowdrey Estate at Waterloo Station armed with morning cups of tea in hand, we chatted the whole way through our 50 minute journey to Haslemere, watching the skyline change from forests of steel to boughs of ancient leaves. We were bound for an afternoon at the Polo, to watch the pinpoint trained ponies and riders duke it out for the Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup, a match played to honour one of the riders

Cowdray House and Polo Grounds Luxury Hire Adventures of a London KiwiDisclaimer: We were invited guests of Cowdray Estate, but my swooning prose is very much original and unaffected.

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