Day trips from central London

Windsor Castle is the obvious choice for a half-day trip. It's the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, still very much a working royal residence, and genuinely impressive in a way that surprises people.

Trains run from London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside and from Paddington to Windsor & Eton Central. Both take about 35–45 minutes. The town itself is pleasant for an afternoon: Windsor Great Park stretches away from the castle, and the Long Walk is one of the more dramatic views in England.

Bath is arguably England's most beautiful city — a Regency-era masterpiece of honey-coloured stone, the Roman Baths, and the Royal Crescent. It repays a full day easily and some visitors find themselves wishing they'd planned to stay overnight.

GWR trains from Paddington take about 1 hour 20 minutes. The Roman Baths are the centrepiece — book online in advance to skip the queue. The Thermae Bath Spa (rooftop pool, mineral waters) is worth booking ahead too if you want a soak.

Oxford is worth doing properly — not just the Covered Market and the Bodleian, but wandering through the college quads at Christ Church and Magdalen, walking along the river at Port Meadow, and finding a good pub for lunch.

Trains from London Paddington take about 55 minutes on fast services. Alternatively, the Oxford Tube bus runs direct from Victoria (90 min) and runs through the night — useful if you want an evening there.

Cambridge and Oxford are often compared but feel entirely different. Cambridge is smaller and flatter, the Backs (the riverside behind the colleges) are genuinely beautiful, and punting on the Cam is one of those things you should do at least once even if you're slightly sceptical.

Trains from King's Cross St Pancras take about 50 minutes to Cambridge. Hire a punt from Scudamore's or one of the other operators on Mill Lane — they can take you out with a guide or you can do it yourself (harder than it looks).

Brighton is the easiest seaside escape from London — an hour on the train from Victoria and you're on the seafront. The Lanes (the old fishing quarter) are good for independent shops and food. The Royal Pavilion is the most outlandish building in England and worth a visit for that reason alone.

The beach is shingle rather than sand, which is worth knowing if you're expecting sand between your toes. The food scene is excellent and increasingly well-regarded nationally.

Stonehenge is further but repays the effort. The stones themselves are more impressive in person than photographs suggest — and the landscape around them, Salisbury Plain, is unlike anywhere else in southern England.

The easiest approach: train from Waterloo to Salisbury (about 80 minutes), then a shuttle bus to the stones. The new visitor centre is excellent and much better than the old setup. Book tickets in advance, especially in summer.