Planning to purchase a Britrail Southeast Pass. There are many cities on the line that I am not familiar with and may be very interesting. This is my third trip to London so I've seen the more popular cities on the route. However, Exeter, Kings Lynn, Brighton etc sound worthy of a trip for the day. Any suggestions? I'll be there in the beginning of October. I've already asked a few questions, and everyone has been very helpful. Thanks

Marie, <BR> <BR>I'm not a Brit, but I just returned from a trip using my own Britrail SE Pass. I stayed 4 nights in Cambridge and 5 nights in Hastings, with lots of day trips. <BR> <BR>I'll try to condense my comments down to a few recommendations: <BR> <BR>North of London: <BR> <BR>Cambridge: I prefered Cambridge to Oxford, but I'd hate to start that debate again. <BR> <BR>Ely: If you're going north to King's Lynn, you should definitely hop off the train for a couple hours and visit Ely Cathedral. <BR> <BR>King's Lynn: Has some interesting churches and buildings - the guildhall and custom's house made it worth seeing for me. There's a small but fascinating museum about the life of the fishing families (I can't remember the name, but most guidebooks probably mention it, or ask at the Information Center). You can enter two of the preserved tenement-like houses that once were home to more people than is imaginable in such a small space. <BR> <BR>Castle Rising: About 20 minutes (I think) by bus from King's Lynn. A postage stamp compared to the Tower of London or Dover Castle, but still an impressive-looking, fairly well-preserved keep. The tiny village that surrounds it is also pleasant, although I was there when the flowers were in bloom, so it might not be as interesting in October. <BR> <BR>South of London: <BR> <BR>Battle: This town will probably only be interesting if you're a history buff. The main attraction is the Abbey built on the site where King Harold was killed. You can walk the battlefield with a map and one of those recorded hand-help guides. If you do go, I would recommend the book "1066: Year of the Conquest" by David Howarth. It's a short and very readable account of the events of the entire year, before, during and after the battle. <BR> <BR>Bodiam Castle: Another great castle, complete with moat. There is a bus from Battle to Bodiam, but it's not very frequent even in summer. If you like castles and are going to Battle anyway, you should certainly try to go to Bodiam Castle also. <BR> <BR>Rye: I'm not quite sure what the apparent fascination with Rye is, but it is a nice, small, historic town. If you're travelling from London I wouldn't recommend going out of your way, but if you're passing through it's worth a leisurely stroll. <BR> <BR>Canterbury: I was disappointed with Canterbury, especially in comparison to some other great cathedral towns (Salisbury, York, Durham for example), but after all, it IS Canterbury. And you can probably combine it with a trip to Dover. <BR> <BR>Dover: I took the Guide Friday tour around town since it was raining when I got there and my feet were sore (don't forget to clip the coupons from your Britrail brochure). It was still kind of expensive, but worth it. You get some good views of the castle, white cliffs and the ferry docks (huge, ugly, and fascinating). The castle alone was worth the trip, it has everything: Roman lighthouse, Saxon church, Norman keep, Cannon batteries, WWII bunkers. The only decent view I found of the famous white cliffs was from the admiralty lookout on the castle grounds. <BR> <BR>I think the SE pass may be valid for Salisbury also. If so, I would definitely recommend it. Salsibury is one of my all-time favorite towns. The cathedral is one of the best-looking I've ever seen, especially since, unlike many it's not hidden by its surroundings. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps. <BR>

Dave, I just got on line and found your message. thank you so much. The info will certainly help me plan my trip. By the way, do you possibly know the cost of a cheap same day return ticket to York?

Marie, <BR> <BR>I almost always buy a pass since it lets me not plan ahead. The only time I bought a point-to-point ticket was to get from Windermere to London (65 Pnds, one-way, same day purchase). <BR> <BR>Some good news, the Britrail website seems to be working now: www.britrail.com - don't know if it gives prices or not though. Also check www.raileurope.com - they do give fares. <BR> <BR>Re my previous post: I believe you can also get to Windsor, Winchester, Oxford, and Portsmouth using the SE pass. I've been to all but Portsmouth, and think any of those would also be worth the trip.

The Southeast pass is a good buy. I should think that you have a guide book, to describe places listed. So:- <BR>I agree that you might well enjoy Exeter, Salisbury, Oxford, Winchester, Windsor, Kings Lynn, Ely, Cambridge, Dover, Rye, and Brighton. I've not seen Portsmouth. I don't visit castles much so can't comment. But I like country houses so recommend the one in Sevenoaks. I disagree as to Canterbury: It's full of interest -- though admittedly full of tourists too. <BR> <BR>Now, my own penn'orth. Faversham, Rochester, Tonbridge Wells, Saffron Walden, Thaxted (off the railway), and if they're in your area Bath, Warwick (far nicer than Stratford) and Leamington Spa. <BR> <BR>Please write if I can help further. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR>Certifiable Briton <BR> <BR>

I'm not a "Brit," either, but let me put in a plug for Portsmouth, if you're at all interested in old ships and naval history. If you've ever thrilled to the Horatio Hornblower novels as a youngster, or to Patrick O'Brian's novels as an adult, the chance to go aboard HMS Victory, Nelson's flagship, shouldn't be missed. (It's not at all seaworthy and the cannons are fiberglass, but still...) There are other historic ships you can tour, as well, and a nice little museum of naval history with all sorts of interesting relics. Certainly worth a daytrip from London if this kind of thing stirs your imagination. <BR> <BR>Patrick <BR>

Hello there, well I'm 100% British! Slightly looney! I would try Brighton. It's known as 'London by the sea'. However it has some eccentric architecture (re the pavilion-indian type victorian folly) Some lovely Regency crecents. Bracing promenade, good local shops and a real life French market on Sunday mornings, behind the thistle hotel. Also a network of Victorian alleys called The Lanes with some interesting antique shops! All 55 mins from London. Enjoy! Cheers.

We puttered about this area on our visit last year (enjoyed Dover; loved the C'bury Cathedral, but not the over-touristed town) and I wonder if anyone can advise: In the 80s, we greatly enjoyed all our B&B lodgings and found them a very good "buy." But we were surprised this trip at the cost of even some unappealing B&B's ...never found anything for less than 50 pounds. Finally, I realized that perhaps the problem with those costs (and the intimidating driving) was that we were just too close to London. Are prices any better farther out in the country? <BR> <BR>(B/t/w, Mr. Haines, I love the "CB" credentials!)

Raeona, <BR> <BR>In my experience, accomodations do seem to be cheaper away from London (and the other tourist spots). <BR> <BR>This summer I found an 18Pnd room in Hastings. This was a single, not en-suite, but clean and with breakfast included. (I was there in early June, so not really high season.) <BR> <BR>Two years ago (in May) I paid 16Pnds for a clean (non-en-suite)room above the pub in Haltwhistle, near Hadrian's Wall. Nice enough, but a bit noisy at night. The cheapest room I could find in London at that time was 40Pnds, and not nearly as nice. <BR>

Here is some advice- "BRIT" is a derogatory comment, don't use it.

I am just your typical American tourist but thought Iwould add my comments. My wife and I have taken a lot of day trips from London over the years. We all have diffenrnt interest so what I might have enjoyed you may not. Anyway here is what I liked a Lot. York, Bath, Warwick, and Oxford. These I did not enjoy at all. Brighton,Cambridge and Exeter. Portmouth was ok as well as Canterbury. <BR>

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