In our years of living in London we took a fair amount of day trips to interesting locations in the South East region of England. There are at least a couple dozen places to see within an easy driving distance from London – and here is a handful of my favorites.
The first picture is a side view of the charming Hever Castle, along with a portion of its estate.
The castle itself is quite interesting, but we visited the place several times just for its grounds, complete with beautiful formal gardens and a quiet boating lake.
Next is a shot taken in the gardens of Sissinghurst Castle.
The gardens are the primary attraction themselves, combining orchestrated beauty with serene nature. The castle tower in the background serves as a magnificent elevated viewpoint.
Next is the view onto the English Channel from the ramparts of the Dover Castle.
Dover was one of our first day-trip destinations soon after settling in London. This shot perfectly captures for me the essence of the crisp November day on the coast.
Then, there is Windsor Castle.
It is not Versailles, but it is definitely in the exclusive company of the most impressive royal castles of the Old World.
And here is one of my most favorite places in England – banks of river Cam in Cambridge.
Cambridge is north of London and belongs to East Anglia – a different region from what is known as South East England. But its proximity to London made it accessible to us and we visited on several occasions. It joins Hever Castle as our most frequent day trip destinations around London and the two form perfect bookends to this brief photo-essay.
As much as I prefer to go and visit new places, returning back to something that I love would be a grand occasion. I wonder if I ever get the chance.