Weekend escapes from London - UK weekend breaks I Cool Places

Weekend Escapes – under 2 hours from London

Weekend escapologists, look no further! We know that sometimes you just have to get away for a couple of nights and breathe in a bit of country air. We reckon two hours is about the furthest you want to travel from London on a Friday afternoon, so grab the car keys or jump on a train, and head out to one of our specially selected weekend escapes. We've got some cosy boutique hotels, country pubs, relaxing B&Bs and chilled-out glamping spots that you can easily reach in time for Friday night dinner. Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and even Suffolk and Norfolk in East Anglia – they're all easy from London for a great weekend away. That's the Cool Place taken care of – the rest of the weekend is all yours; see also Cool Places and Rough Guides founder Martin Dunford's tips for places to visit within half an hour of the capital.

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Best Places to Stay in Weekend Escapes – under 2 hours from London

The Windmill Suffolk Lavenham Road, Cockfield, Near Lavenham, Suffolk IP30 0HX i

The Windmill Suffolk

Lavenham, Suffolk, East Anglia
Montagu Arms Beaulieu New Forest Hampshire SO42 7ZL i

Montagu Arms

Beaulieu, Hampshire, South East England
Little Fleece at Folly Farm Folly Farm, Bury Lane, West Ilsley, Newbury, Berkshire RG20 7AZ i

Little Fleece at Folly Farm

Newbury, Berkshire, South East England
Available: 1 Shepherd’s hut
Careys Manor Hotel Lyndhurst Road Brockenhurst Hampshire SO42 7RH i

Careys Manor Hotel

Brockenhurst, Hampshire, South East England
Upper Barn High Titten, Amberley, West Sussex BN18 9LY i

Upper Barn

Amberley, West Sussex, South East England
Half Moon Lane Cottage Redgrave, Suffolk IP22 1RU i

Half Moon Lane Cottage

Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, East Anglia
The Crown Inn, Dial Post Worthing Rd, Dial Post, Near Horsham, West Sussex RH13 8NH i

The Crown Inn, Dial Post

Horsham, West Sussex, South East England
The Ship at Dunwich St James Street, Dunwich, Suffolk IP17 3DT i

The Ship at Dunwich

Dunwich, Suffolk, East Anglia
The Packhorse Inn Bridge St, Moulton, Near Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 8SP i

The Packhorse Inn

Newmarket, Suffolk, East Anglia
The Carpenters Arms 10 High St, Great Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire CB21 5JD i

The Carpenters Arms

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, East Anglia
The Cricketers Clavering, Essex CB11 4QT i

The Cricketers

Saffron Walden, Essex, East Anglia
The Bell Hotel Saxmundham 31 High Street, Saxmundham, Suffolk IP17 1AF i

The Bell Hotel Saxmundham

Saxmundham, Suffolk, East Anglia
Driftwood Beach House 230 Faversham Rd, Seasalter. Whitstable, Kent CT5 4BL i

Driftwood Beach House

Whitstable, Kent, South East England
Salthouse Harbour Hotel Neptune Quay, Ipswich, Suffolk IP4 1AX i

Salthouse Harbour Hotel

Ipswich, Suffolk, East Anglia
Forest Holidays Thorpe Forest Shadwell Thetford Norfolk IP24 2RX i

Forest Holidays Thorpe Forest

Norfolk, East Anglia
Vinegar Hill Pottery B&B The Pottery, Vinegar Hill, Milford on Sea,Hampshire SO41 0RZ i

Vinegar Hill Pottery B&B

Milford on Sea, Hampshire, South East England
Boys Hall Boys Hall Road, Ashford, Kent TN24 0LA i

Boys Hall

Ashford, Kent, South East England
The Lion Inn Main Road, Boreham, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 3JA i

The Lion Inn

Chelmsford, Essex, East Anglia
The Jointure Studios 11 South Street, Ditchling, Sussex BN6 8UQ i

The Jointure Studios

Ditchling, East Sussex, South East England
Rectory Manor Great Waldingfield, Near Lavenham, Suffolk CO10 0TL. i

Rectory Manor

Lavenham, Suffolk, East Anglia
Artist Residence Brighton 34 Regency Square, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 2FJ i

Artist Residence Brighton

Brighton, East Sussex, South East England
Free Range Glamping Bore Place, Bore Place Road, Chiddingstone, Edenbridge TN8 7AR i

Free Range Glamping

Sevenoaks, Kent, South East England
Available: 2 Yurt or Gers 2 Shepherd’s huts
Graywood Canvas Cottages Graywood Canvas Cottages, Graywood Farm, Graywood Lane, Graywood, East Hoathly, East Sussex BN8 6QT i

Graywood Canvas Cottages

Uckfield, East Sussex, South East England
Available: 3 Yurt or Gers
Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa Bury Rd Newmarket Suffolk CB8 7BX i

Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa

Newmarket, Suffolk, East Anglia
The Stag on the River Lower Eashing Lane, Eashing, Surrey GU7 2QG i

The Stag on the River

Godalming, Surrey, South East England
Gulliver - The Quirky Camper 8 Honey Hill, Blean, Canterbury, Kent CT2 9JP i

Gulliver - The Quirky Camper

Canterbury, Kent, South East England
West Stow Pods West Stow Pods, Ingham Road, West Stow, Suffolk IP28 6EX i

West Stow Pods

Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, East Anglia
Herons Wood at Greyfriars Greyfriars Friars, Road, Winchelsea, East Sussex TN36 4ED i

Herons Wood at Greyfriars

Rye, East Sussex, South East England
The Alma Inn 25 King’s Head Street, Harwich, Essex CO12 3EE i

The Alma Inn

Essex, East Anglia
The Angel 3 Angel Hill Bury St Edmunds Suffolk IP33 1LT i

The Angel

Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, East Anglia
Artist Residence Oxfordshire Station Road South Leigh Oxfordshire OX29 6XN i

Artist Residence Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire, South East England
The Bildeston Crown 104 High St, Bildeston, Suffolk IP7 7EB i

The Bildeston Crown

Lavenham, Suffolk, East Anglia
Birch Selsdon 126 Addington Road, South Croydon CR2 8YA i

Birch Selsdon

Croydon, Greater London, South East England
The Bull Hotel Market Place, Fairford, Gloucestershire GL7 4AA i

The Bull Hotel

Gloucestershire, South West England
Danesfield House Henley Road, Marlow-On-Thames, Buckinghamshire SL7 2EY i

Danesfield House

Marlow, Buckinghamshire, South East England
Denbies Vineyard Hotel London Road, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6AA i

Denbies Vineyard Hotel

Dorking, Surrey, South East England
The Double Red Duke Bourton Road, Clanfield, Bampton, Oxfordshire OX18 2RB i

The Double Red Duke

Burford, Oxfordshire, South East England
Down Hall Matching Road, Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire CM22 7AS i

Down Hall

Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, South East England
The Driftwood 40 Sackville Road, Bexhill, East Sussex TN39 3JE i

The Driftwood

Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex, South East England
The Duke William The Street Ickham Canterbury Kent CT3 1QP i

The Duke William

Canterbury, Kent, South East England
The Farmhouse at Redcoats Redcoats Green, Hitchin, Hertfordshire SG4 7JR i

The Farmhouse at Redcoats

Hitchin, Hertfordshire, South East England
The Fox at Willian Willian, Hertfordshire SG6 2AE i

The Fox at Willian

Letchworth, Hertfordshire, South East England
The Georgian House at Haslemere, Coppa Club Coppa at The Georgian, High Street, Haslemere, Surrey GU27 2JY i

The Georgian House at Haslemere, Coppa Club

Haslemere, Surrey, South East England
Goswell House Goswell Hill, 135 Peascod Street, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 1DS i

Goswell House

Windsor, Berkshire, South East England
The Great House at Sonning, Coppa Club The Great House, Thames Street, Sonning-on-Thames, Berkshire RG4 6UT i

The Great House at Sonning, Coppa Club

Reading, Berkshire, South East England
Greyfriars High Street, Colchester, Essex CO1 1UG i

Greyfriars

Colchester, Essex, East Anglia
The Greyhound Inn Main Street Letcombe Regis Wantage Oxfordshire OX12 9JY i

The Greyhound Inn

Oxfordshire, South East England
The Guinness Arms The Street, Icklingham, Suffolk IP28 6PS i

The Guinness Arms

Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, East Anglia

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Weekend Escapes from London


Where is the best place for a short break from London?

London is a big, sprawling city, so where you start from makes a difference. From Hackney and the east, Essex is the best bet, from Greenwich and the south east it’s a stone’s throw from Kent. Brixton and the south leads to Sussex, and Richmond and the west points to Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

Which towns are 2 hours away from London?

That all depends on your mode of transport (and the traffic, of course). Driving from central London, Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk is a terrific destination, Brighton remains a fabulous place for a weekend and is quickly reached from south London – much like its resurgent neighbour Eastbourne. While just outside Dorking you can even stay in a vineyard!

Where are good places to stay for a weekend trip from London?

South of London, Sussex is an easy and popular destination, with great boltholes for a quick weekend away such as the luxurious Piggery on the South Downs. Going east, the Kent and Sussex coastline hosts self-catering splendour from Bramley & Teal. For fine food in an East Anglian pub, you can’t do better than the Ship at Dunwich, and north of London lies the stately Flore House in Northamptonshire.

Looking for something different? Check out our other out-of-London guides:

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