Hidden Hertfordshire

RSPB Rye Meads

I visited RSPB Rye Meads, having used google to find me a list of places I could go. Entry is free but it costs £3 to park your car in the car park if you are not a member. There is a loop trail you can follow, or you can turn back at the one way turnstile. It is wheelchair accessible too. There are lots of hides along the route, in which you can bird spot. I am not an avid bird watcher so I generally didn't stay long in the hides and predominantly all I saw was ducks. You can hire binoculars if you are so inclined and spend as long as you wish bird watching, as long as you know the car park is locked at 5pm (the lady at the desk made that very clear). I spent about 2 and a half hours walking the trail and looking at birds from the hides. It was very pretty and I even got in a little bit of plane spotting.

Paradise Wildlife Park
This is in Broxbourne and is home to some of the world's big cats. The highlight for me was seeing a jaguar cub and a cheetah. I would recommend buying your ticket online as it is cheaper than buying it at the door. I can't say that it was a great day out, although it did come with free parking. If you want to see animals you are better off going to the zoo - either London or Whipsnade. It was quite a small park and I felt sorry for the 2 zebra in the concrete pen. It also annoyed my that there was only one place near the entrance that sold a range of hot food, even if it was at high prices. There are a good few playgrounds for the kids, but at £16 for my online ticket I think it is definitely more of a day out to take small children out with you, as it is smaller than a zoo and maybe just a little bit cheaper.

Aldenham Country Park
This is a lovely place, although a little bit costly to park. It is the home of 10 Aker Wood, complete with associated Winnie the Pooh references. It is a good place to walk round on a nice day and comes complete with a restaurant. There is also a lake with ducks to sit by.

Tring National History Museum
This is a combination of the legacy of the Rothschild's and an association with the Natural History Museum in London. It is full of taxidermies and highly educational. It wasn't as busy as the London museums, but just as good. There is a car park tucked away in a nearby field, which allows you to explore the local area and high street should you wish.

Rickmansworth Aquadrome
Once you find the entrance to the car park, there are two loops you can follow around the reservoir. It is a nice place to go if you want to go for a walk and relax.

Frithsden Vineyard
This is a relatively small vineyard that you have to be careful not to miss and has a rather small carpark. It grows 3 different types of grape and only costs a few pounds to walk round and taste the wines (provided they still have stock). It has a shop where you can buy their wines and they do a very nice afternoon tea.

So given that Hertfordshire is only a short hop from North London and is relatively accessible by train and car, there is a lot to see and do. As always, check where you plan to go online, as sometimes the tickets are cheaper if you buy them online, even for the same day. Plus websites give you useful information about how to get there and parking costs.

Eastbourne and Rochester

Eastbourne

The pier

Eastbourne is one of my favourite places to go in the UK. I went to University here, so lived here for 3 years, so I always have lots of friends to see when I go. Eastbourne is not as busy as Brighton, but still has a lot to do. There is Beachy Head and the 7 sisters if you like walking. There are some great cafes and restaurants, as well as museums and Sovereign Harbour which is a nice place to go. Currently Eastbourne is under redevelopment, with new housing and development of the high street. I am not sure when these are due to finish, but will hopefully improve the facilities further. The beach, bandstand and the pier are all iconic places and in good weather the beach is obviously great. There are lots of events held throughout the year in Eastbourne including a beer festival, 999 weekend, extreme sports, an air show and international markets.

All Souls, Eastbourne

In good weather all these events are extremely popular. If the weather is good for the air show in August the beach is standing room only. The Western Lawns is also home to a motor show every May bank holiday and there is generally a lot going on if you are looking for something to do. It is not as expensive as Brighton and only 1hr35mins by train from London, so accessible for a great day (or weekend) away. There is a good chance there will be more blog posts for Eastbourne as I go there quite a lot and there is always something going on.

Rochester

I went to Rochester specifically for the Dickens festival. This is held annually over a weekend, with special events along the high street, parades and lots of period costumes. Rochester is less than an hour by train from London, so we went for the day along with lots of other people. There were lots of places to eat and some pretty good sweet shops. It makes for a great day out. Rochester also has a cathedral and a castle (see further down page)

My favourite sign

The photos below are from the parade, held at midday:

Dickens

One of many Miss Haversham's

A Christmas Carol

We also visited Rochester Cathedral, pictured below and looked at the castle from the outside as it was relatively expensive to get in. There were organised tours of the Cathedral, or you could walk around it yourself. It has lots of memorials on the walls and is alongside a lovely courtyard. The castle grounds were full of stalls and was rather busy. It was free to access the outer grounds and provided a nice place to sit in the sun with ice cream. The Dickens festival definitely made our day trip more exciting and we had a lovely day out.

Rochester Cathedral

Lesser Known London

London is a great place to be, but there is more to do here than just the big famous tourist attractions. Local areas in the suburbs are also home to their own array of events, especially in the spring and summer months. Here are just a few of the things I have done:

Heritage Festival
This was held over a couple of weeks and we had a whole booklet of events that were being held to choose from. Some were free and others required pre-booking. Where you did have to pay it was pretty cheap.

I went to see Henry Tate Mews, now a housing estate, but the grounds are listed and have some intriguing features from the time it was built.

Henry Tate Gardens

I went on a history based, guided tour of Emmanuel school. It has an archive in its library and has some rather famous alumni, including the founder of the world wide web. There is a new bridge to enter the school and when we went they were just preparing to open a new building.

The Wandsworth Prison Museum was also an interesting stop. It is open at times other than during the festival and is curated by a serving prison warden. It is tiny and is basically housed in a garden shed in the car park. There are some historical artefacts alongside information about famous inmates and events.

Wimbledon  Village Fair
This was a day full of events on Wimbledon Common. My favourite event of the day was the jousting. This was held in the main arena by the Middle England Jousting team and was a great re-enactment of a medieval joust. I think the 'good guys' one in the end. There was also a birds of prey display and a whole range of dog competitions. You can also eat and shop to your heart content, but nothing will beat the two cuddly toy Vikings I got from the Viking Cruises display. Look out for the freebies at fairs like this and you will not be disappointed.


Other
If you drive just out of London into Surrey you will find a whole array of villages with their own little tea shops and village Churches, which are generally left open for visitors. They are all beautiful little places. The one in the photo below is from Headley. Surrey is basically countryside and is very green and pretty. It is a short jump from city life to rolling country if you need a break from the city.