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London Day Trips

Started by realjd, September 06, 2011, 09:38:17 PM

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realjd

So I'm going back to London for another vacation this December. I had a great time last spring, and driving to Bath was one of the highlights. Does anyone have any suggestions for another short road trip? An interesting drive with a cool destination would be preferable. I've heard both Windsor and Oxford so far, but both are so close that it's hard to justify renting a car rather than taking a train.


Alps

Why not head over to Birmingham?

realjd

Quote from: Steve on September 06, 2011, 09:54:54 PM
Why not head over to Birmingham?

Why Birmingham? I don't know anything about it, good or bad.

I've thought about driving to Manchester to see the City/Arsenal game that weekend, but with how Arsenal have been playing this year I don't know if I could stomach something so painful!

I love the outdoors. There was a national park in Wales just off of the M4 that looked cool, but I'm not sure how the weather is there in December. Is it OK for hiking?

J N Winkler

Hillwalking ("hiking") season is generally high summer.  In theory it is possible any time of the year, but sudden changes of weather (which carry a risk of exposure) are less likely in the summer, and sunshine is more reliable.

The two university towns (Oxford and Cambridge) are both readily accessible from London by rail, and with the exception of airport connections, that would be my choice for travel between London and either city.  In Oxford the circulatory system in the city center is so complex it is better to encounter it first by bicycle than by car.  In my experience Cambridge has been fractionally easier for the newcomer to navigate, but it has been at least five years since I last visited.  I wouldn't expect any recent changes to favor the stranger driver.

Birmingham and Litchfield have some possibilities for cultural visits (not to mention, for the roadgeek, the parts of Sir Herbert Manzoni's Inner Ring Road that were actually built), but I wouldn't describe either as major tourist destinations.  A driving tour of North Wales would be worthwhile, even in December with limited light, but it would be desirable to divide it over two days.  The A55 North Wales coast road is well worth seeing for its tunnels and bilingual signing, and various attractions like Mount Snowdon (I recommend the Llanberis Pass drive), Plas Newydd, Telford's suspension bridge over the Menai Strait, etc. are easily accessible from it.  I have heard good things about Glastonbury (never been myself), and it seems within reasonable daytripping distance of London even in the winter.

A good day trip (and very handy for London) would be to drive to Southampton, take the ferry to the Isle of Wight (Southampton-Cowes), and do the circular drive around the island.  There is very attractive coastal cliff scenery on the west side of the island, and Osborne House (one of Queen Victoria's summer residences and designated by Hitler as his residence in Britain if the UK were ever successfully conquered) is open to the public.  The M3 is the logical route between London and Southampton and Winchester has some roadgeeking possibilities, including the infamous Twyford Down cutting and the grassed-over remnants of the Winchester Bypass (begun 1933, opened 1940 as a partially grade-separated dual carriageway).  But the A3 is a viable alternative and may be worth taking to see the Hindhead tunnel (under the Devil's Punch Bowl), which opened just last July.

Brighton (hippie capital of the UK and sardonically called "Be-right-on," "right-on" being slang for "politically correct") is someplace I have always wanted to visit, but never been.  The South Coast in general is readily accessible from London and is well known for its seaside promenades.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

Alps

I like to see the countryside and how people really live, as opposed to all the touristy attractions. So Birmingham is my kind of city - much more British vs. international, less tainted by having to dress up and show off.

realjd

Thanks for the suggestions! The South Coast area was my first thought, but I wasn't sure if going to a beach town in the middle of December would be worth the trip. I know a number of beach towns here in the US essentially close in the winter, especially up north where it gets cold.

Growing up in the midwest, I've gone hiking in much colder weather than England and Wales typically experience, but the unpredictability was what worried me. I wouldn't want to be out on a 10 mile hike in the cold when it starts raining, and I don't necessarily want to bring enough gear to handle a situation like that. Cold and snow I can handle, cold and rain I prefer to avoid.

1995hoo

Depending on where you go, if you're in the area and you want to do something road-related, head to Swindon to check out the Magic Roundabout. I drove through there en route to Bristol a few years ago and was glad I did.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Michael in Philly

Quote from: realjd on September 08, 2011, 09:42:25 AM
Thanks for the suggestions! The South Coast area was my first thought, but I wasn't sure if going to a beach town in the middle of December would be worth the trip. I know a number of beach towns here in the US essentially close in the winter, especially up north where it gets cold.

Growing up in the midwest, I've gone hiking in much colder weather than England and Wales typically experience, but the unpredictability was what worried me. I wouldn't want to be out on a 10 mile hike in the cold when it starts raining, and I don't necessarily want to bring enough gear to handle a situation like that. Cold and snow I can handle, cold and rain I prefer to avoid.

You need to allow for really limited daylight at that latitude in December.  If (like me) you hate November and December at 40 degrees north for that reason, England's worse.

Here's a site to play with:  http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=136&month=12&year=2011&obj=sun&afl=-11&day=1
RIP Dad 1924-2012.

J N Winkler

That site really brings out the lower solar angle at higher latitudes too.  I grew up in Wichita, at 37° N, but have done all of my graduate work in Oxford, at 51° N.  The sun's altitude at solar noon at the winter solstice differs considerably between the two locations--15.5° in Oxford versus 29° in Wichita.  In terms of sun angle and related factors like color of clear sky, the winter solstice in Wichita is basically similar to mid-October and late February in Oxford.  Between October and February in most parts of the UK, the atmospheric lighting conditions are quite unlike anything encountered in most parts of the US.  Golden time and blue time are so long they almost bleed over into each other.  On clear days (looking away from the sun) the sky has a quite saturated blue color around noon, but desaturates around sunrise and sunset.  The usual exposure rule for taking photographs in bright unblocked sunshine (1/125 sec at f/16 at ISO 100) starts to break down; if it is followed religiously nevertheless, the results tend to be rather dark in low-key areas, with pronounced color tint in highlights.

SAD is actually a major concern for international students in the UK who come from lower latitudes, and many of them either buy SAD lamps or (as I did) take short vacations in Spain or Italy.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

realjd

I honestly didn't even consider the early sunset. I forget London is so crazy far north, and I'm spoiled by my southern 28 degree latitude. I usually complain about our 5:30 sunsets here in November! Maybe we'll just stay in London or stick to rail while we are there. We can always do another road trip next time, and it's not like we will run out stuff to do in London itself.

I'm really looking forward to the cask ale in the pubs. That stuff was awesome.



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