When I first decided to study abroad in London, I knew that I’d want to walk away with a wider understanding of the United Kingdom as a county. It’s cultural, geography, and history. As such, I stacked my academic courses on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This left the weekend open for international travel and Wednesdays open for United Kingdom day trips. I set about making my list of where I’d want to visit in the country.
The United Kingdom itself is divided into four distinct geographic and historical parts: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. I primarily spent my time in England and Scotland during the spring of 2018, but I hope to one day spend time in both Wales and Northern Ireland.
Here are the United Kingdom day trips that I took during my free Wednesdays in addition to traveling to 17 countries during my semester abroad.
1. Oxford
Oxford was the first day trip I took. It’s an easy train ride from London, and it’s situated only 55 miles west of Central London. I took the train out to Oxford to meet my Georgetown friend, Bailey, who was studying at UCL for the semester.
During the hour-long train ride, I sat next to an older gentleman who (somewhat strangely) offered me two free tickets to Bath that he just happened to have with him. I accepted the free tickets but declined his offer to continue contact, which I suspect was his true intention. This funny side story is relevant only because it prompted me to visit #8 on this list — Bath — because I had free tickets from this train ride. More on that later!
We were only in Oxford for the day, and we had the following on our radar to see.
- Oxford University – the oldest English-speaking university in the world
- Bodleian Library – one of the greatest libraries in the world with every new book published in the UK here (similar to the Library of Congress in the US)
- Radcliffe Camera – the earliest example of a round reading room that is still in use today as the reading room of the Bodleian Library
- Christ Church College – served as a filming location for the Harry Potter movies
- Turf Tavern – historic pub that had been recommended to me by Georgetown students who had studied here over the summertime
- Hertford Bridge – often called the Bridge of Signs – distinctive design makes it a city landmark
2. Windsor
Windsor is another great day trip from London, especially if you enjoy royal history, because it’s only 25 miles (45 minutes) outside of central London. Most recently, it was where Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, were married at St. George’s Chapel. The Queen spends most of her private weekends at Windsor. She also takes up official residence there for the month over Easter. This is known as the “Easter Court.” Queen Elizabeth II is also at Windsor for one week each June while attending Royal Ascot and the service of the Order of the Garter at St. George’s Chapel.
This was another trip that I took with Bailey who also enjoys royal history. We toured the castle and the grounds at Windsor Castle. One memorable moment was seeing Queen Mary’s dollhouse, which has been on display at the castle since 1925. It was created as a 1:12 miniature royal palace or townhouse as a gift from the nation to Queen Mary.
I also had the opportunity to see St. George’s Chapel which is where King George VI, Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mum), and Princess Margaret are all buried. They are the parents and sister of Queen Elizabeth II.
3. Edinburgh
During the first weekend in February 2018, I went to visit my friend, Shannon, who was studying at the University of Edinburgh. It was a chilly, laid-back weekend, but I still got a good feel for the city. I took a 4-hour train up to Edinburgh on Friday morning and left on Sunday evening. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Edinburgh as a day trip from London as it’s far enough that you want to at least stay over for one night. However, the train ride was so easy that I feel confident it should be included in this list of easy UK trips.
Here are some of my favorite sites from Edinburgh:
- Victoria Street
- Edinburgh Castle
- The Royal Mile
- Arthur’s Seat
- Greyfriars Kirkyard
- The Elephant House
4. Harry Potter Warner Brother Studio Tour
If you’re a Harry Potter fan, it can be incredibly exciting to visit London, Edinburgh, and anywhere else in the UK that has been referenced in the seven-book series. I had been a fan since childhood and wanted to do the studio tour while in London. By a lucky coincidence, Bailey (also a big Harry Potter fan) was given two tickets to the studio tour, and she asked if I wanted to go with her. I enthusiastically accepted.
The studio itself isn’t in the center of London. It’s in Watford, England, and it requires a bus ride out of the city. On the morning of the tour, I took the tube to the meeting spot for the bus and quickly found myself lost. I hadn’t left myself enough time to find the bus, assuming that it would just be evident where to meet once I had exited the tube. The bus was supposed to leave at 8 AM, and I still wasn’t where I was supposed to be at 7:58…7:59. I was in a dead sprint before I finally found where I was supposed to go. As I approached, I saw the bus begin to turn on, and I could feel my phone buzzing from Bailey’s text. I didn’t have time to let her know I was right there as I boarded the bus and quickly flashed my ticket. As I moved up the aisle and the bus began to move, Bailey was rushing toward me. It seemed she was about to let the tour guides know that someone was missing and on their way. Her face flooded with relief when she saw me, and I apologized for my tardiness.
I was grateful to get to sit for the next half hour or so on the way to the tour. When we arrived, we were guided through a variety of sets that looked almost too small to have been used in the movies. The camera has a way of making everything look larger and more life-like. There were also some glass-shattering elements shown like a small model of the castle that was used for filming purposes.
It’s ideal for anyone looking for insight into the film-making process, and it’s an afternoon well-spent for Potter fans who want the opportunity to walk through the wizarding world. I personally enjoyed it more than the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Theme Park.
5. Liverpool
I grew up listening to two bands in the back of the car: Fleetwood Mac and The Beatles. Naturally, as a fan of The Beatles, I wanted to visit Liverpool, which is their birthplace. When brainstorming my list of top United Kingdom day trips, I knew this would be on it. What I didn’t know was that I’d have two friends want to join me — Lev and Bailey. On a Wednesday in late February, we visited Liverpool together. The train journey is nearly 3 hours each way, so the travel time isn’t short, but it is doable in one day. Here’s what we spent time doing:
- The Beatles Story
- Cavern Club
- Penny Lane
We spent a couple hours in The Beatles Story exhibition as our “main event.” We then ventured up to Penny Lane because I had my heart set on seeing that area. To get there, we took a bus and walked, which was not the best choice given the below-freezing temps and strong wind. I took off my coat for the photo below, but believe me, I still remember how cold I was.
After our Penny Lane adventure, we headed back to downtown Liverpool to grab dinner and wait for our train. We ended up at a restaurant right across from the Cavern Club. The Cavern Club is a nightclub where the Beatles’ popularity began.
6. Hundred Acre Wood
If you’re a fan of A.A. Milne and Winnie the Pooh, you may be interested in visiting the inspiration for the Hundred Acre Wood in England. Visiting this area was a spur-of-the-moment adventure during the second week of March before I traveled to Dublin for St. Patrick’s Day. Here are some of my reflections from that day that I posted on Instagram back in 2018:
“When we were little, my brother and I would play at the very edge of our yard in Virginia. It was the place where ‘home’ ended and what we called ‘The Hundred Acre Wood’ (based on a real location in Southern England and A.A. Milne’s home for Winnie-the-Pooh). began. We’d stand there while he depicted imaginary ‘adventures’ in the trees beyond. It’s 25 days until our next adventure, but when I think about seeking life, my first memory is of those woods and of Jake Yurek beside me.”
I won’t lie…the Hundred Acre Wood was difficult to find directions to via public transport. You’re navigating to Ashdown Forest, East Sussex in Hartfield. I visited Pooh Corner, which includes helpful information on how to find them on their website. You can also read this blog, which has been written since I visited in 2018, Exploring the Real Hundred Acre Wood and Pooh Corner in Ashdown Forest.
7. Stonehenge
If you’ve been overwhelmed by the number of details and logistics in the above locations above, you should consider the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge. It’s an easy United Kingdom day trip to book through a tour company and that’s it — you don’t have to plan anything else. I researched traveling to Stonehenge independently via train or car, but it didn’t make sense financially. It was cheaper to do an all-inclusive tour with both tickets and transportation.
I visited Stonehenge in mid-March with my friend, Catherine. I cannot stress how simple and straightforward the trip was. Stonehenge is only about 90 miles or so west of central London in the county of Wiltshire on Salisbury Plain. The area is rich in archaeological history. If you happen to travel to Stonehenge independently, there are other interesting sites located close to Stonehenge as well. I wouldn’t recommend showing up to Stonehenge without tickets pre-purchased because it’s an incredibly popular attraction (over 1 million visitors each year!). The busiest time to visit Stonehenge is between 10:15 AM and 12:00 PM when tour buses arrive from London.
Beware that you’re not able to go up to the stones during normal visiting hours. You’re only able to do this during Special Access Visits, which are immensely popular and are often sold out months in advance. If that’s something you’re interested in doing, make sure you do your research and book out!
8. Bath
As noted in #1, I received free tickets to enter the Roman Baths in Bath, England during one of my first weekends in London. So, I had to go! Bailey had been kind enough to gift me a ticket to the Harry Potter Studio Tour, so I invited her to use one of my tickets in Bath.
Bath is around an hour and 20 minutes from London by train. Its main attraction is the Roman Baths, which is also the primary feature in South West England. You can read more about their history here.
In addition to visiting the Roman Baths, we also did a free walking tour and visited Bath Abbey, No. 1 Royal Crescent, Pulteney Bridge, and Fashion Museum Bath.
Final Thoughts
Those are my top United Kingdom day trips after living in the country for 5 months. Did I miss any? Let me know your favorite in the comments below!