The Summer of Love-ing Train Trips from London
If your kids are a bit older, out of pushchairs and not requiring so much kit, you may want to take a train trip out of London this summer and head to one of the many fantastic destinations that are not too far from London. If you buy a Friends and Family Card for £30, you will receive a 50% discount on off-peak train tickets. Keep in mind, children over 5 must have a ticket to travel.
Before you read about delightful journeys to magical places, please take a moment to read about Dr. Bob Gill, a GP and NHS activist. Dr. Gill is a lovely man, with kids and a busy life who is valiantly fighting to make people aware of what is happening, behind the scenes, to our beloved NHS. There are a myriad of important facts that Dr. Gill shared at a talk I recently attended, but the most pressing is the Naylor Review. In a nutshell, all the property in the NHS (worth about £5 billion) has been given to a publicly-owned firm called NHS Property Services. Hospitals needing capital expenditures will be required to sell off land and buildings to secure the funds for their MRI machines. What makes this even more worrisome, a big pot of money has been found to give hospitals a 2 for 1 offer - if a hospital completes a sale, the government will step in and give the hospital double the cash the developer has paid as a bonus. A very tempting offer for cash-starved hospitals, but incredibly frightening as we consider this in terms of Brexit. The National Health Action Party has a quality summary which you can read here.
Please consider “liking” The Great NHS Heist Facebook page as Dr. Gill posts many relevant and interesting articles that can be easily shared. Also, please consider making a donation to his Go Fund Me page for completing The Great NHS Heist Documentary
Thanks for reading all of that
Get Away - Great Trips from London by Train
- Brockenhurst, Hampstead - a fabulous family break in the New Forest. Even if you don’t stay the night, its a great day trip as you can hire bicycles just next to the station. They have baby seats, tag alongs and carriages at the shop and you can cycle directly into the forest and mingle with the ponies.
- Harry Potter with Kids: This little write up explains how to get there by transit and what to expect. We haven’t been since the recent expansion, but the rest of the information is still good.
- Whitstable: Oysters, seaside, ice cream and beer - just 1.5 hours from London. This is a fantastic outing, a day trip where you really feel like you have travelled far and you have only been gone for the day.
- Broadstairs: London’s closest sandy seaside town - a little over 2 hours by train. Read about this charming town and sandy beach.
- Knole Park, Sevenoaks: 30 minutes from Victoria and Blackfriars - a magical day out with medieval deer, beautiful countryside and great walking. The children will be enchanted by the docile deer and the grounds are just gorgeous.
- Downe, Kent: 1 hour from London Victoria, you can browse through Charles Darwin’s Down House, go for field walks, a choice of two great pubs, you could even go horseback riding with some organising and more.
- Tunbridge Wells, Groombridge Place: go and enjoy Royal Tunbridge and head over to Groombridge Place, a great day out either way.
- York with Kids: take the children to this fabulously charming town for young and old alike. More than a day-drip, but York is a fantastic city to visit, particularly with the kids. Beauty, history and fun all wrapped up in one city.
