Friends returning from London said they took a day trip to Stamford, a town i have heard about only on maps, and said it was a very delightful town.

As i am always looking for unexplored towns for day trips from London i'd like anyone else's impression of Stamford for a visit

I know it may take a couple of hours by train but to me that is a joy.

thanks

Stamford is up the A1 on the way to Grantham (of Margaret Thatcher fame) and all points north.
As I recall it's a Georgian town of pale gold stone, very picturesque. I think (not sure) one of the BBC literary dramas was set there (Middlemarch?). Nearby and well worth a visit is Burghley House,huge spectacular Elizabethan country house, http://www.burghley.co.uk/

I'd personally go to Stamford as an overnighter. In the summer one of its main attractions is the open air theatre and you probably could not get a train back that late.

The town itself is nice - not gobsmacking or anything. But the town, Rutland Water, Burghley house and the theatre makes a very nice 1.5 or 2 days visit.

A very pleasant little town, and if you stay there consider popping down the road to Oakham.

Stamford is a fine little town with a number of interesting churches, among other things to see. For history buffs, it has many 18th-century associations; the George inn was a major stop on the coach route to London.

A good place for summer visits I think, especially if timed with an event at Burghley House such as the Horse trials (first weekend in Sept) or one of the summer classical concerts that are run in the evenings (outside in the grounds).

Burghley House has been used for a number of film sets,recently in The Da Vinci code (plus another that I can't remember recently).

As others have mentioned there is a good open air Shakespere theatre nearby at Little Casterton that is good on a summers evening, esp for a picnic in the grounds before the start.

To get there just take a train from Kings Cross to Peterborough, then change there to a Birmingham bound train and Stamford is the first stop (12 mins train ride).

I like it, but then I have lived there and currently nearby for several years.

We spent 2 nights there on a circular driving trip. The George was a wonderful inn, and we had a spectacular room.

http://www.georgehotelofstamford.com/

Burghley House was indeed fascinating. It was funny at the time, because everyone kept asking me why are you staying there? We thought it was a delightful town.

I've visited cousins there - it's a lovely town, very walkable. Isn't it known for old books, too?

Agree with the above. In the middle ages Stamford was the town that Oxford University moved to when the plague came. Even today Oxford dons have to swear not to work in Stamford.

The town sits either side of a river which includes a nice field park. One very good pub/hotel (probably called the george or the crown) which has nice little shops out the back. Town has a station. One the border of Rutland which is the smallest county in UK. This is now mainly made up of an artificial lake and includes Oakham and Uppingham. Bith of these towns have pretty upmarket public (means private) school and Oppingham is the base for one of the poshest hunts in the country (P Charles rides regularly). County has the usual mix of tumulus, special rocks and an abandoned medievel village.

Not bad for a visit for a day