12 brrrilliant winter day trips from London

Is there anything more magical than a train journey? Okay commuters, let’s rephrase that. Is there anything more magical than jumping in the upholstered carriages of an old-fashioned steam locomotive, the whiff of burning coal whipping past the windows? There are steam-powered train routes across the country, and one of the closest and most charming is the Kent & East Sussex Railway – a route which runs from picture-perfect Tenterden to the small village of Bodiam. All aboard! 

Kent and East Sussex Railway. Tenterden, Kent. Trains only run on select dates during the winter months, so be sure to check the website for details of departures before setting off.

Get there: 57 minutes by train from London Bridge to Headcorn, then 20 minutes by bus.

If walking is your thing, make the trip to Oxford for this gorgeous stroll over ancient meadows. Spot ponies, wildflowers and the River Thames looking pretty on this tranquil stretch of common land. And city folk relax: it’s tantalisingly close to civilisation and the streets of this quaint university city, so you won't feel like you're going incredibly off-grid. After stretching your legs and admiring the views, find a spot by the fire at The Perch, at seventeenth-century thatch-roofed pub framed by an old willow tree. Their mulled cider is worth the trip alone. 

Port Meadow, Oxford. Free.

Get there: Around one hour by train from Paddington Station to Oxford. 

When you want to go out but don’t want to endure the winter cold, your best bet is to find a fire to warm your toes by. And nowhere does roaring blazes better than a country pub. Spend an afternoon hopping from one cosy boozer to another along Rye’s cobbled streets. Grab a log-side seat and a Sussex real ale in The George (High Street) before heading to the Globe Inn Marsh (Military Road) for a toasty hour or two with a warming glass of red in hand. As the temperature plummets, trot back into town and pull up a chair beside the ancient Mermaid Inn’s enormous fireplace (Mermaid Street). Fun fact: it comes complete with priest’s hole (no sniggering, please) and is where local smugglers used to hang out in the 1700s.

Rye, East Sussex.

Get there: around one hour 30 minutes by train from London St Pancras International; around two hours 30 minutes by car.

Stripping down to your swimmers might not seem like an obvious wintertime activity, but Thames Lido is a real delight, whatever the season. Brave the chill in the air to spend a softly lit evening in this whimsical, Grade II-listed stunner. The pool, heated to around 23 degrees, might feel a little fresh, but you’ll soon warm up after a turn in the open-air hot tub and colourful sauna. Your post-swim reward is a festive two-course dinner in the twinkly poolside restaurant. Lidos are for life, not just for summer. 

Swim. Reading, Berkshire. Starts at £20.

Get there: 25 minutes by train from London Paddington to Reading; around one hour 15 minutes by car.

Reckon you deserve a special treat after making it through the whole of Dry January? Brush up on your cocktail-mixing skills at the Bombay Sapphire Distillery, where you can learn all about the gin-making process and explore its botanical glasshouses. Take an hour-long tutored cocktail masterclass to learn how to shake up fruity blends and perfect gin martinis. Don't worry, you'll get to sample your handiwork, too. 

Cocktail-making masterclass. Whitchurch, Hampshire. From £30.

Get there: 55 minutes by train from London Waterloo to Overton, then bus; around one hour 30 minutes by car. 

A windswept seaside town might not be an obvious choice of destination during the coldest months of the year, but there’s nothing quite like a bracing stroll across an empty beach to jolt you out of a winter slump. Combine it with a trip to one of the UK’s best contemporary art galleries, which is usually blissfully quiet at this time of year (just take note of its Wednesday to Sunday opening hours.) Afterwards, head to nearby restaurant Buoy & Oyster to feast on fish and chips while staring out over the starkly beautiful winter seascape, or grab a warming pint of real ale at cosy, CAMRA-lauded micropub The Two Halves.

Turner Contemporary Gallery. Margate, Kent. Free.

Get there: One hour 56 minutes by train from London Victoria to Margate; around two hrs 40 minutes by car. 

When the crowds in central London get too much, jump on a train and find some sweet relief in a field in the middle of nowehere. For a day of wintry repose, head to the Cotswolds and stride across some frosty fields. The village of Broadway, with its honey-coloured cottages, sweet shopfronts and rustic pubs, is an excellent place to start. Earn a pub lunch by strolling up to the grand turrets of Broadway Tower and admiring the view or, if you’re feeling energetic, hike part of the bucolic Cotswolds Way from Broadway to pretty market town Chipping Campden.

Broadway, Worcestershire.

Get there: One hour 35 minutes by train from London Paddington to Moreton-in-Marsh then bus to Broadway; around two hours by car.

Home cooks beware: a trip to this humble pub will put your roast dinner to shame. It’s worth it though, just to say you’ve been to the only pub in the UK with two Michelin stars: Tom Kerridge’s The Hand and Flowers. There’s no dry Sunday roast here, more like loin of Cotswold venison with maple-roast pumpkin or beer-roast chicken with salt-baked celeriac. And if all that sounds catastrophically out of your budget, pull up a stool at Kerridge’s pub, The Butcher’s Tap, scoff a pork pie and take on the locals at the weekly pub quiz. Victory will be just as satisfying as a roast. 

The Hand and Flowers. Marlow, Buckinghamshire.

Get there: One hour 30 minutes from Paddington to Marlow, changing at Slough and Maidenhead; one hour 20 minutes by car.

Watching the light fade out of your office window hours before you leave for the day can make even the cheeriest of us feel a bit down. Rather than hibernating till March, channel your inner night owl and embrace the longer nights. The night of Saturday December 21 – aka the winter solstice – is as long and dark as it gets, and Brighton is marking it by getting lit. The annual Burning the Clocks parade takes over the city with vibrant lanterns that snake around the streets before being passed on to a huge midwinter bonfire on the beach. Summer who? 

Burning the Clocks. Dec 21. Brighton, West Sussex. Free for spectators.

Get there: one hour by train from London Victoria; around two hour 20 minutes by car.

London isn’t the only place lit up with shimmering LEDs at this time of year. Swap Oxford Street’s baubles for a magical winter garden in West Sussex. Wakehurst – Kew’s bigger, rural sister site – is all aglow this November and December thanks to hundreds of otherworldly lanterns adorning its trees, water features and forest floor. Expect owls glowing in ancient oak trees, strings of astral shapes, kaleidoscopic blooms and ponds filled with flickering flames. The mellow hues make for a pretty mega afternoon out. Plus, you get to enjoy the botanical beauty of Kew Gardens without setting foot on the District line. 

Glow Wild 2023 at Wakehurst. Ardingly, West Sussex. Selected evenings from Nov 28 to Jan 1. £13-£25.

Get there: 43 minutes by train from London Bridge to Haywards Heath, then bus; around one hour 30 minutes by car.

We’d have to concede that there aren’t many British winemakers who can hold a candle (or a flute?) to our cousins across the Channel, but the fizz fanatics at Chapel Down are a celebrated exception. Skip the trip to Bordeaux and instead head to this Kentish vineyard for a tutored wine tasting to whet your appetite, before settling in for a three-course meal at Bib Gourmand-winning on-site restaurant The Swan. Be sure to chuck on your stretchiest trousers. 

Chapel Down Winter Wine Experience. Tenterden, Kent. Various dates. £85 per person.

Get there: 55 minutes by train from London Bridge to Headcorn then taxi; around one hour 45 minutes by car.