Day out

[cheyanne]

Hi, just wondering if anyone has got any suggestions on a nice day out, not more than 2 hours car journey from ED?

Have heard New Forest is a nice place to visit, bt not sure what to do there or how far it is?

Thanks in advance.

[indiepanda]

What would be a good day out really depends what you are looking for in a day out, whether you have children with you etc.

Northern part of the New Forest is probably just about within 2 hours drive if you get a good run out of London to the M3, although the interchange with the M27 north of Hampshire can be a nasty bottle neck in the summer and the main road into the forest off the A31 into Lyndhurst can get busy too. I'd be more inclined to go to somewhere in Kent / Surrey / Sussex if I wanted to keep the journey time under 2 hrs but I don't know if you've already exhausted options nearer to East Dulwich.

The New Forest is lovely for walking - not all areas are as closed in as the "Forest" name might suggest and not many hills and there are lots of charming little towns / villages with quaint old pubs and the smaller ones tend to have the odd New Forest pony pottering around (you have to be a bit careful when driving through the forest as they will just wander out on minor roads at times)

You can see lots of useful info on their official visitor site:

http://www.thenewforest.co.uk/discover/

[bon3yard]

This thread should offer a few ideas. :))

[BeccaL]

If you like seaside then Hastings is good - beach, new gallery, funicular going up the cliff top to some nice grassland if you fancy a walk, few interesting shops, fish and chips, amusement park if that's your bag, and can get there by car in about 1.5 hours from ED, less if you're lucky. Straight out through Bromley then A21 all the way, except for a couple of miles where it turns into the M25!

[bon3yard]

Hastings old town is lovely, not too keen on the newer part though. Rye, just up the coast is particularly beautiful.

[absentminded]

I used to love going to Groombridge Place near Tunbridge Wells.

It's about an hour or so from East Dulwich, and there are lovely gardens and woodland walks.

Plus, you can pop to Tunbridge Wells for some shopping or lunch (although there's a restaurant at Groombridge Place.)

Here is the Groombridge Place Website

[absentminded]

.

[uncleglen]

Box Hill near Dorking, Blue Pool Friday Street, on the A25, Eastbourne+Beachy Head, Bodiam Castle near Hastings-the possibilities are endless

[????]

New Forest is a push in two hours on a standard day and there's plenty of lovely bits of countryside etc far nearer - uncleglen mentions many, I'd add the Chilterns, Epping Forest, Leeds Castle, even that place near Sevenokas that everyone's always banging on aout (Edenbridge?), all far nearer than the New Forest, that's a weekend imo not a day break,

What about Brighton, Cantebury if you want cities or Broadstairs for a sandy Beech.

[Alan Medic]

Lullingstone Country Park is about an hour away. As well as walks, there's a Castle and the World Garden. Just up the road from it are Roman ruins.Read about it here