Where would you stay if you wanted unique but affordable accommodation, reachable from London by public transport?

Posted by Snoo-67164@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 15 comments

Looking for ideas to get a weekend away for my partner. We both travel a lot for work so something that feels different from a standard hotel would be great! I've heard of Landmark Trust/National Trust stays which look perfect, but there's no way to filter by public transport accessibility so I'd love any suggestions of unusual places to stay for people who don't drive. Castles, canal boats, cabins, quirky properties and so on.

Criteria aren't super fixed but approximately 2-3 hours max travel from a London mainline station, a short bus/taxi at the end is fine, I was thinking £500 budget for 2 nights/2 people/travel and accommodation, location should have something to do whether it's nice walks or a cute village to explore.

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hollsybolls@reddit

There's a great website called Host Unusual that you can search for really interesting holiday lets. Me and my friends stayed in a folly temple on the grounds of a stately home in Shropshire last year.

I think it has a map view so you can see where the nearest stations are.

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Ok_Builder_3416@reddit

Personally really like Citizen M Hotels. you can have a view over the tower bridge. i did that with my sister and it was fab.

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Ok_Builder_3416@reddit

Go to Bath! Its apparently brilliant. Also come to Cambridge (1h from London)

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hdhxuxufxufufiffif@reddit

approximately 2-3 hours max travel from a London mainline station

I think the OP meant actually going 2-3 hours on the train rather than walking quite slowly through the streets of London.

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Ok_Builder_3416@reddit

lol totally missed that.

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Livid-Needleworker65@reddit

How about Fair Oak Farm in Mayfield? I've stayed at the luxury tree houses and they're really nice.

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pixeltash@reddit

Wee retreat in Sheringham. It's a cliff/beach front converted Victorian loo. Stunning views and definitely unique.

Trains are more like 3 hours, and include a change at Norwich.

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PepsiMaxSumo@reddit

Go to the Peak District, then you’ve got oodles of options.

Train to Sheffield is 2 hours on the dot, book in advance about £60 return. Slow train to Manchester from there is under a tenner each way and has about a dozen small villages, and then you can bus/taxi to your yurt in the woods or whatever option you want.

Loads of walks, pubs, restaurants etc in the peaks.

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Mondays-fundays@reddit

Somewhere like Arundel or Lewes i Sussex are well within that window, have well serviced stations and feel a long way from london

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Bitter_End_5643@reddit

Stratford upon Avon

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Sea-Still5427@reddit

West Stow glamping pods, especially the hobbit one. Train to Bury St Edmunds, then taxi c.7 miles. Edge of King's Forest, with miles of tracks for walking and cycling and the Icknield Way running through it, walkable to Fuller's Mill, a beautiful garden now run by the RHS, the Anglo Saxon Village that does reenactments, a country park with fishing and a lake for midnight wild swimming, possibly with otters. Bury itself is a foodie destination but there are plenty of country pubs closer.

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