Risky question but here goes:

What day trip would you recommend taking via train from London this June? Maybe St. Albans?

Bit of needed info:

I teach literature and ancient history, love Roman ruins and cathedrals, enjoy small villages and towns.

DD and I will be staying put in rooms in London for a week and traveling by train when we leave the city.

It will be my 6th trip to the UK, so I’ve “done” a lot of London stuff, many several times, as I’ve brought students on tours twice, as well as taken DH and DD “back” to several places. This trip I’m going to have a week in London, planning to spend 3-4 IN London with DD to see some things new and old. Plus then my students are arriving with another teacher chaperone for us to start a tour--London for 2.5 days, then Paris and the Alps. All that to say that while I’m only in London a week this time (before kids come and I’m locked into the tour stuff), I do have time to take trips outside of the city.

DD and I have picked a couple things: We are definitely going on a long day trip to Cardiff (unless we decide to “double-book” and stay there a night while keeping our London room). We are also going to Alton/Chawton to Jane Austin’s house; DD wants to do a bit of country walking and I’ll curl up with a book and rest probably. I MAY go to Cambridge. She MAY go back to Stonehenge.

In the past I have been to the following places, in no particular order, and I don’t want to return to them –this time: Oxford, Hampton Court, Greenwich, Brighton, Dover, Canterbury, Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon, Salisbury and Stonehenge, Cheddar, Wells, Shrewsbury, York, Lincoln, Bodiam Castle, Chatsworth, Silverstone Racetrack, Hastings, Winchester, Rye, Glastonbury, Lincoln. (plus Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hadrian’s Wall, Durham, Shrewsbury, Conwy. And a drive through the Lake District and a bit of the Cotswolds.)

So, what day trip would you suggest—or do you have any opinion about the choice of St. Albans? I also have never been to Windsor although I figure that’s really more a half day thing.

Thanks!

I'd have thought you'd have more to occupy your time in Windsor than in St Alban's. But it depends on what engages your interest for any length of time.

St Albans is essentially a nice-ish small town with a few bits of Roman remains and a decent cathedral: its fine medieval wall paintings are among the very few examples of pre-Reformation sacred imagery in any English cathedral to have survived Protestant fanaticism.

The cathedral's imposing. The Roman stuff's quite interesting (http://www.enjoystalbans.com/things-...ons/index.html ), though not a patch on anywhere on the continent, or as informative as the Museum of London. The town itself still has something of a separate, real small town feel that's extraordinary for 20 mins from St Pancras - but for all the attempts at boasting its (only two days a week) street market, there are Starbucks where once there were unbranded tea shops, Wetherspoon's instead of the regional pubs and the maltings that once supplied their brewery is now yet another "restored" shell housing the same H&M, Topshop and Jamie's Italian as every other mall in Britain.

I can't see much more than half a day: it's an awful lot closer to central London, in journey time, than Windsor and has about a tenth as much to see unless the minutiae of Roman life interest you greatly. The National Rose Society runs one of the world's greatest rosaria nearby, but it is a tad tricky to get to without a car (www.rnrs.org.uk ) and doesn't open till June 6.

Hatfield House is a few minutes away by car, but otherwise needs a bus (traveline.info), and is well worth exploring. It's next to Hatfield station, which isn't connected to St Albans, but has equally fast trains back to Finsbury Park and Kings Cross: it's significantly cheaper (but more time-consuming)to get a return ticket from St Pancras, and get the bus back to St Albans than to buy two separate tickets. Old Hatfield is prettyish, but rather overshadowed by the exceptional hideousness of the rest of the town.

I'm surprised your list hasn't included Cambridge (though it is just Oxford with eccentric punting and ghastly weather) or Ely, which really is unique, or Stamford, which hasn't been crap-townified the way St Albans almost has been, or Brighton - which is a great deal more fun than any of them.

Isn't it time, though, you stopped pottering round our towns and did some serious walking across our countryside? After all, the landscape's arguably influenced more of those books you lecture on than Rye (OK: I grant you Mapp and Lucia) or Wells.

Go to Brighton, get the bus out to the Seven Sisters and tramp across the cliff tops.

It's been a few years since I have been to the site of ancient Verulamium, and if I remember correctly, I think the Roman ruins consist of a few ancient monuments dotted around a lake. It does make for an interesting day trip. but you might be disappointed by the Roman aspect. What might be interesting in addition to seeing the Abbey, St Albans school, ancient Abbey gateway etc are the several listed Georgian houses and cottages around Holywell Hill and Sopwell Lane. The walk down to the Abbey can take you down lanes and there are couple very old pubs along the way.

Hatfield House, on the other hand is definitely worth a visit, love the House and the grounds, old Hatfield is quite nice, new town Hatfield is an abomination except for one particular housing estate (which won awards in it's day), the rest is terrible.

http://www.hatfield-house.co.uk/

Is there something of interest in Cardiff to see? I think I'd prefer to go to Bristol.

Chester gets my vote, just over 2 hours by rail from London:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester
http://www.visitchester.com/

Thanks to all!

flanneruk--I have thanked you in the past but don't know if you know how much your advice (and mini-lectures sometimes!) have really all been so helpful and often heeded. So--I have Cambridge on my probable list for this trip already, so will leave it there. That still leaves me with a day. I had considered Ely briefly--perhaps I will look at that again. And Windsor. About the long tramps--well, that's exactly what DD want to do so she has a list. I have a few joint issues that make me a tad hesitant about anything longer than a couple hours at a time but point taken. One of my fondest memories of all my trips is of our White Cliffs walk along the National Trust path to South Foreland Lighthouse--but that was 7 years ago!

Odin--DD is big Dr. Who fan so...and we both loved Wales so are glad to return even if briefly and if "confined" to a city (because it was the land and hills and mountains we most loved). Also DH had a brief stay in Cardiff and thought we'd enjoy a walk around--will see the castle at least, too.

I really enjoyed St. Albans. Both the cathedral and the Roman ruins and museum. Hatfield House was also a good visit. I remember visiting a pretty little church either on the grounds or in the village/town.

I am glad that Cambridge is on your list. I liked it better than Oxford. I was on my own and it was a drizzly sort of day so there weren't many others around. I went into a garden (I think it was Queens College) that was open for limited hours and I was lucky enough to be there on one of the few days. I went in and one of the gardeners took me under his wing and showed me his special favorites and chatted about all sorts of things. I felt as if I had had my own private tour guide.

Some of the lesser known colleges also provided interesting exploration possibilities. But by no me43ans do you want to neglect the "biggies" like King's and Queen's Colleges. The chapel at King's is spectacular.

In the city of Cambridge itself, there were interesting things. There was a round church--Trumpington street, I think. St. Mary's on the Market Square allowed one to go up in its tower and get a good view of the city. It was Market Day and I loved looking down at the patterns of the striped awnings.

Someone above mentioned Ely Cathedral which is my personal favorite cathedral in England. I believe you can get there from Cambridge on the train.

Have a wonderful trip!

Have you thought about Sevenoaks and Knole house. It's just a short trip on the train and Sevenoaks is a rather nice old town to explore. Knole is what is often called a calendar house which had 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances and 7 courtyards. It was originally built as an archbishops's palace until the Reformation when it was seized by Henry VIII. It then passed into the possession of the Sackville family. It is a splendid building with some beautiful Tudor and Stuart work. It has an extensive deer park with some good walking.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/knole/

Along with Ely and Stamford you might find Bury St Edmunds (guess what they did there?) equally diverting.

Windsor is really nice, but like you say it won't take more than a couple of hours to see! I really like Oxford - there is lots to see (particularly around the old university) and its only 45 mins max. train ride from london.

oops just noticed you've already visited Oxford! St. Albans is a pleasent town, but can be seen in a couple of hours as there's not much there. I agree with the other comments, Cambridge is a really nice place to visit!

Thanks all! Ah, a plethora of choices--a good thing? I'm leaning toward Cambridge one whole long day (maybe with LondonWalks, which I have never done, as they include a trip to the American Cemetery which might make "putting up" with a tour worth it, as it looks a little far to walk if I just went on foot--a bus ride is included in LW itinerary, to and from cemetery) AND Windsor with ?something else that day--I may never get back to the UK although I hope to, but in case I don't, I suppose I "ought" to see Windsor!

elisgriffiths--Yes, I love Oxford--I have been each of my previous 5 visits! Sorta hate to not go this time, but I really should see some sights and sites I haven't, I think.

>>Windsor is really nice, but like you say it won't take more than a couple of hours to see! <<

Just the castle alone takes well over two hours. Then there is the town, Eton, the Great Park, etc.

texas: I prefer Oxford myself but since you are an old hand re Oxford, Cambridge would be good. You can compare/contrast and also fit in the Cemetery and maybe Duxford.

But honestly - if you haven't been to Windsor, I'd lean that way.

I thought of Chester too, but think it a bit far for a daytrip. Our last trip to Britain we went to Chester, north Wales and the Peaks area. In Chester, which we particularly liked, we took a walking tour led by a Roman soldier. So maybe your next trip to Britain?

If you're leaning toward Cambridge, then Ely is a very short hop beyond on the train and could be done the same day. The town center and cathedral are a short walk from the station, so would not be time consuming and easily combined with a Cambridge visit. Train to Ely just beyond Cambridge, then back to Cambridge for the bulk of the day.