London – Battersea Power Station

Posted on 22/06/2025 by ainarsbl

Every respectful tourist destination offers travellers a wide variety of entertainment, from exhibitions, museums, and art galleries, to amusement parks and even shopping centres.
After a while, something new has appeared in London and that place is worth visiting – Battersea Power Station. And this site may not even been included in all tourist guides yet.

One of the well-known categories of these objects is landmarks. Along such famous landmarks as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Statue of Liberty in New York or the Colosseum in Rome the Battersea Power Station looks quite impressive.

The methods of building and presenting these objects as well as their offerings to visitors can be very different, but they have one thing in common – they are all well known internationally and become symbols of those places they are located.

From the second half of 2023, a new object in London has been opened for viewing and visiting. Battersea Power Station complements such existing attractions as the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Kensington Palace, St. Paul’s Cathedral and others. Battersea Power Station offers a historical insight into London’s history, as well as many opportunities to eat, relax and shop. And you get a chance to see the London skyline from over 100 meters above sea level. In addition, all this is created in a modern style using the latest technologies. Recently, as of early 2024, 11 million people have visited this site.

The story about Battersea Power Station

Battersea was a coal-fired power station which became a National Historic Landmark when it was decommissioned in the second part of the 20th century. The first stage of the station was built between 2029 and 1935, and the second stage was put into operation in 1955. Accordingly, the first stage of the power plant ceased operation in 1975, and the second stage was three years after that.

The architecture of the power plant was made in the style of a brick cathedral, of which there are not many examples. Apparently for this reason, in 1980 the entire complex of buildings was given the status of a listed building. Despite repeated attempts to rebuild the area, for a very long time, nothing new was started due to lack of funding. While all the buildings were standing empty and abandoned until 2014, it led to the situation that they started looking like ruins.

The situation finally changed after investors from Malaysia agreed to renovate the buildings and nearby structures. The intention was to create a business and entertainment centre, as well as a new residential area. However, it was also required that the restored complex retain its historical appearance.

Since the money was found, the reconstruction of the main building of the power plant was completed in 2022, and the entire complex with a total area of 17 hectares was put into operation in 2023. The total investment in the reconstruction of the complex reached almost 9 billion pounds (10.5 billion euros).

There are other noteworthy facts associated with the restoration of this place. For example, the London Underground’s Northern line was extended by 3 kilometres and two new metro stations were built. Total investment in the development of the metro network exceeded £1 billion. It was the first major expansion of the London Underground network since 1999, and the new section opened in 2021.

Getting there

Unlike most London attractions, Battersea Power Station is located on the right bank of the Thames River.

We headed to Battersea Power Station after visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum, so it was most convenient to take a bus to Chelsea Bridge. When you get off at the bridge on the left bank of the Thames River, you will have to cross the bridge, walking a total of less than a kilometre. It’s worth doing this way as you can observe the surrounding area from the bridge.

The easiest way, of course, is to take the Northern Line underground line to the Battersea Power Station stop, and from there walk about 400 meters to the station. Just be aware that not all southbound Northern Line trains go to this station. If you miss the correct train, your last chance to change is at Kennington Station (near the Elephant and Castle – if you’re there, it means you have to change trains).

Attractions

In total, the site has about 140 establishments of various types: from shops and bars to a cinema.

Upon entering the power plant complex, you will immediately notice the fact that the whole interior does look like an industrial facility. Even individual rooms have retained their original appearance. For example, if you enter the bar in Control Room B, from the bar tables will see the power plant’s control panel.

The prices overall are not lower than the London average, but in some cases, they can be a little higher. The main reason for this is that this is a fairly new and relatively posh area of London. This is evidenced by the fact that such a company as Apple has chosen this area as the location for its central London office, where around 3,000 employees are expected to work across six floors.

Shopping mall

The shopping centre features such famous brands as Apple, Boss, Calvin Klein, Chanel, Jigsaw, L’Occitane, Lacoste, Lego, Mango, Nike, Omega, Ralph Lauren, Superdry, Tag Heuer, Tommy Hilfiger and Zara.

Entertainment

If you add to the entertainment such establishments as a cinema, an exhibition hall and mini golf, food and refreshments in bars, the choice is also quite impressive. Including such well-known brands as Pret a Manger, Starbucks and Wagamama, in total more than 50 different venues for entertainment are available.

Other attractions

The complex has a virtual reality zone where you can visit Egyptian pyramids, fight dragons or meet zombies. Just to add that I haven’t been there yet, so cannot comment on those.

However, the most impressive place is Lift 109. You can take the trip on an elevator to get up inside one of the station’s pipes to a height of 109 metres and to watch the London skyline. I recommend this and it may be an even better alternative to the London Eye.
It’s best to book your tickets in advance as this attraction is in high demand. The adult ticket cost £17, in my opinion, this was a very reasonable price for what we got. Various multimedia effects are used to make the entire journey even more exciting.

Why to visit Battersea Power Station?

If you have already visited enough museums and exhibitions, then this is a place where you can have a good time, eat good food, watch a film and observe London from above. What I liked most was the fact that being in a historic building it feels in every way that you live in the twenty-first century – history, heritage, technology and the opportunity to relax as you wish.

Spa hotel in England

Posted on 07/06/2025 by ainarsbl

Late in May we went to relax for a weekend, the destination – SPA hotel in Buckinghamshire, England. Hotel name Crowne Plaza Marlow.

For those who have been to SPA hotels in countries such as Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic or Hungary, a Spa hotel in England may seem different from what they use to imagine about this kind of establishment, although overall, things look quite good there.

About Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire is a county in the south-east of England, but to make it clearer, it is located to the west from London. It borders Greater London to the south-east, Oxfordshire to the west and a few other counties in other directions.

Because London is relatively close by, many people who work in London live in Buckinghamshire, making the region quite expensive to live in. In total, the county is home to just over 800,000 people and covers an area of less than 2,000 square kilometres.

Buckinghamshire is the 32nd largest of England’s 48 territorial units (the largest being North Yorkshire, which is more than four times the size). In the south of the county is located the officially recognized Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, where people go to relax and enjoy nature, especially during weekends.

Spa Hotel

The hotel itself surprised in a positive way. Firstly, it has a large area, not the usual lack od space as it’s used often to be in England. Parking spaces are spacious, both just outside and around the hotel. Well-maintained driveways and greenery all-around with three-storey hotel buildings located in a fairly large area.

The rooms are also very large compared to what is common in other hotels. So a very good rating as the first impression.

The receptionist was professional, we checked in quickly and happy went to our rooms. However, everything else did not follow so smoothly. It was planned that a bottle of prosecco would be in the room after our arrival, but it did not arrive even after a number of repeated inquiries. After seven in the evening it was finally brought to our rooms. Of course, it’s better late than never, but it really can’t be recognised as a four-star service.
Of course, this did not prevent us from enjoying our stay in hotel’s bar and Spa located in another building.

Spa complex

The size of the spa complex was a bit surprising. It was definitely not as big as you might think, although in other places the spa complexes may even be smaller.

The complex has comfortable changing rooms, although we failed to make lockers work. It was not important though because we could leave all the valuables in our rooms in the safe that worked.

The pool has two relatively wide paths for swimming, where three people can swim freely in one and another for two people. There is a small children’s pool and a hot tub by the pool. However, it was impossible to sit in hot tub for longer time, because the water was heavily chlorinated.

The next day we visited the procedures (massage), the rooms of which are located in the same building next to the pool. Treatment rooms are relatively small, just as much as a massage table to install and to take off clothes. The procedure itself was normal, punctually executed – nothing special, but generally good.

Hotel restaurant

Apart from the rather chaotic service, the best thing about the hotel was the restaurant, where we had dinner and breakfast the next morning – all respect to the chef.

All the dishes we ordered were really tasty. Since we got our sparkling wine delivered in the room just before dinner, we took it to the restaurant and the staff did not object us drinking it there during the dinner. On some occasions some of the staff did not seem very professional, however they were nice and we were very happy about the dinner.

Overall, our late May weekend in Buckinghamshire was a success.

Cornwall – the second day

Posted on 28/05/2025 by ainarsbl

This is about the second day in Cornwall. After the first day in Cornwall we went to the nearby local pub The Shire Inn for dinner before going to bed. It is about a 15-minute walk from the guest house we used for staying at night.

The atmosphere and service were good, the food and the local Cornish beer were also delicious – just like in a gastropub. The bill surprised me a bit though – they know how to use supposedly normal prices in such a way that at the end you get a bill what is at least ten pounds more than expected.

Minak Theatre

In the morning, right after breakfast, we went to an interesting place – an amphitheatre built in the rocks, where real performances are held often. This place was a real surprise we got in Cornwall.

The author and creator of the theatre idea was a local woman, Rowena Cade. The name Minak (meynek in the local language) means rocky place. The woman started creating theatre in the thirties of the last century.

Minack Theatre is located in the very south of the peninsula. You can see the theatre and the garden created around it (entrance fee 10 pounds), but in the afternoons and evenings there are live performances (performances do not take place every day though). The garden itself is worth a visit and the amphitheatre looks really impressive.

More information can be found on the theatre’s website.

Mount St. Michael

Mount St. Michael is an island in the sea near the coast, very similar to Mount Saint Michel in France. What both have in common is that during low tide you can walk from the land to the island on dry feet, but during high tide water separates the island from the mainland.

The difference is that the French counterpart has an abbey located on the island, while Cornwall has a castle on it, which is owned by the National Trust.

The place is interesting, worth a look if you are in that part of England. A few things to consider if you visit.

Finding a parking space for a car is quite problematic; the best option is to approach the castle as close as you can and wait for a parking space to become available. The nearby (recommended) long-term parking lots are usually occupied and you have to walk quite a distance to the island.

There are several types of entrance tickets: island and castle, island and garden and a combined ticket. Since we already visited a garden in the morning, we took a ticket only to the palace. The garden, by the way, could be viewed from the palace courtyard.

Ticket prices vary – for an adult, 14 pounds for entry to the palace, 10 pounds for entry to the garden, and a total ticket costs 24 pounds; for children aged 5 to 17, about half of that.

The end of the earth

As the name suggests, beyond the end of the earth there is only the sea. To be honest, we didn’t go to the very end of the earth, but we went to the nearby village of Sennen Cove. The only difference – parking spaces are cheaper, fewer people on the beach, more pleasant and restful feeling. The sea is the same, the beach and the surrounding views are the same. It was recommended by the locals and thanks to them for offering this option!

We spent a couple of hours on the beach, and even organized a picnic on the seashore before moving on.

St Ives

St Ives is a small pretty town and fishing port on the north side of the peninsula. Local internet marketers say St Ives is a shining jewel in Cornwall’s crown, one of the most valued in England. St Eves has been voted the best family holiday on the coast and one of the 10 best beaches in Europe.

In reality, I wouldn’t really say that. First, the beach is quite small, although the sand bar is wide. In any case, there was no special feeling of romance – just an expensive resort pretending to be posh.

Speaking of treasures – we booked a table in beach café to watch the sunset. Although we saw the prices while ordering snacks, after receiving the bill we understood why they mention gems describing this place – we must have had eaten quite a few of them.

The place (they call themselves a beach café, which is true) didn’t even have white tablecloths, but a piece of tuna the size of a piece of sushi was right there for £20. However, I have to admit that the taste of this mini dish was fantastic.

After dinner, we got lost in the city because we didn’t really remember where we had left the car. The town is located on a hill and if you take one street in the wrong direction you can get lost very quickly. However, we did not mind that accident as walking around the town was quite nice experience.

So the second day in Cornwall was spent and in the morning we planned to go back to Dorset, stopping for lunch on the seaside in Devon.

Cornwall

Posted on 27/05/2025 by ainarsbl

This time I will start with a short summary. We were planning to go to Cornwall for at least seven years. It didn’t happen because it was quite far from Scotland – travel costs also played serious role. While living in the south of England we couldn’t do it in the beginning because there were many other places to go.

We decided to go to Cornwall after listening to stories from others about how unique and beautiful it is. After the trip there, I can say one thing – the idea of visiting Cornwall could have been not the highest priority. Mainly because of associated costs. The cost of the trip was essentially at least the same as nice comfortable weekend in Rome. To be honest, the feeling and impressions after returning home from Rome were also better at the end.

The value you get for the money you spend plays significant role here and for me it would be in favour of Italy. Roughly speaking, everything in Cornwall was about half as expensive as it should be based on my travel experience in Europe. In short, the prices in remote places of Britain are inflated to the maximum and do not really meet expectations. In this case, the only exception might be the guest house where we stayed, although it was not cheap either.

About Cornwall in brief

Cornwall is a relatively large area in the very south-west of England. If you look at the map, it ends up with only water around it. For this reason, there is even a place called Lands End.

One peculiarity of Cornwall is that, unlike the rest of England, it has historically been a Celtic region. It can also be felt, for example, by many strange names of places or the way the locals pronounce them.

The territory of Cornwall is 3.56 thousand square kilometres, it is the 12th largest of 48 regions. More than 550 thousand people live there and it is only 40th in terms of population. The population density per square kilometre is only 160 people. The administrative centre of the region is Truro.

The Eden Project

The first place we visited was the Eden Project. It is a complex of gardens and greenhouses where plants from all over the world have been collected. You need about three to four hours to see everything. All in all, quite interesting, especially if you get to stand in line and climb up to the dome itself and look at the tropical world from above (the observation deck is open periodically and there are quite a lot of people who want to participate in this 5-minute dizzying attraction).

The entrance ticket costs around 35 pounds (around 40 euros) for adults (prices vary depending on the season) and 11 pounds for visitors aged 5 to 16. In essence, it is a ticket for a year, but it does not make much sense, because hardly anyone will want to drive that long way again during the same year. In my opinion, it would make sense to reduce the price for one visit (up to £20 per adult’s visit would be more appropriate price).

Accommodation

We booked a guest house in Cornwall a long time in advance, because during the high season the prices skyrocket, often the accommodation is simply not available. The main reason – those Britons who do not go overseas visit Cornwall and other similar regions of Britain.

As I said at the beginning, the price for this accommodation was reasonable in given circumstances – £245 for two nights in a two bedroom apartment with a fitted kitchen, living room, bathroom and a nice little private courtyard at the side of the house. The beds were comfortable, the hostess had left local eggs and ham in the fridge for breakfast, so I can definitely recommend this Church House guest house to other travellers (we booked this through Airbnb).

That’s it about our first day in Cornwall in 2022, you can also read about our second day in Cornwall.

From Riga to London – Brussels

Posted on 16/03/2024 by ainarsbl

After a trip from Latvian capital Riga to Berlin in Germany by coach and from Berlin to Belgian capital Brussels by train on the second day of our trip, we woke up at the hotel in Brussels on the morning of the third day of our trip from Riga to London in England.

We bought tickets for the Eurostar high-speed train well in advance, the departure was scheduled for early afternoon, so we had a relaxing breakfast without any hurry and then spent our time lazy on the ground floor of the hotel. The first two days of our trip were quite exhausting and we did not want to visit any city sites before leaving Brussels.

Brussels

Brussels is the capital of Belgium, although it often means the European Union and its institutions. It also houses other important institutions, such as the Benelux Secretariat and NATO headquarters.

About 1.2 million people live in Brussels. It is interesting to note that, although the city is considered to be French-speaking, it is part of the Flemish part of Belgium, forming an enclave. Until the end of the 19th century, the dominant language in Brussels was Flemish, but then French prevailed. There are two official languages in the Brussels region nowadays: French and Flemish, however, English is used widely too.

We deliberately chose the hotel near to the south station Gare du Midi, because the train arrived there from Germany the night before and from there, we planned to continue our trip to London.

High-speed trains run from Brussels South Station to the United Kingdom (St Pancras station) and European Union destinations such as Paris in France. The difference is that before boarding a train to London, you have to go through customs and border controls as you would have to do at any international airport.

Trip to London

It also means that you must arrive at the station sometime before the train leaves and there are duty-free shops at the station. However, it must be said that the prices in those duty-free shops are abnormally high, and it is likely that shopping in the city could be even cheaper. At least, those are my personal observations.

We had calculated the time correctly so that we would not have to wait long for the trains to arrive. After a short time in the waiting room, we could already go to the platform to get on the train.

The journey itself was not particularly admirable, apart from the fact that the speed of the train was close to 300 kilometres per hour (perhaps the feelings would be more impressive if we were using this train for the first time). The only stop on the way was the French city of Lille. Passengers were picked up there and we went on without any delay.

The journey from Brussels to London took just two hours and ten minutes and a ticket in a standard car cost £ 60 (€ 75) per person. It must be said though that this is a relatively low price for a trip that can cost 100 to 200 pounds or even more if you do not book your trip in advance. Prices are often lower on weekends (especially around noon) but higher on weekdays. There are usually about five one-way trips on weekends and six on weekdays (seven on Mondays).

London St Pancras Station

Eurostar trains arrive at St Pancras International Station in London. It is connected to London Euston station, one of the busiest stations in the UK, with domestic trains departing and arriving there.

If you happen to be nearby, it’s worth to go and look inside. The hangar, where the trains arrive, is both huge and at the same time cosy with a large clock on the wall and a statue at the end of the platform, which represents the joy of meeting.

Further from the station, there are a lot of opportunities to find the desired means of transport to go to the city. There is London Euston Train Station, the London Underground, buses and taxis outside and King’s Cross Railway Station nearby, which has a ‘Harry Potter shop on Platform 9 3/4’. Of course, the souvenirs related to Harry Potter are sold there.

So, our a bit less than three days long trip from Riga to London ended successfully in London. If you want to read more, there are other two posts about this trip from Riga to Berlin and from Berlin to Brussels.

Abbotsbury Swannery

Posted on 08/12/2023 by ainarsbl

Visiting Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset

We have visited Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset, England twice. The first time at the end of March and the second time at the beginning of May when new swans and other birds just had the first new babies born. Either of the visits were nice and we would go there again even just to have an amazing walk around and enjoy this peaceful relaxing place in the company of these amazing creatures.

birds nesting place — Birds nesting place

The Swannery was established by Benedictine Monks in the 11th century where they farmed the swans to produce food – how practical! They say that the Abbotsbury Swannery is home to the world’s only managed colony of nesting mute swans, although that is not the only thing you will find there. From the entrance gate, you will have to walk almost one kilometre (about 2,400 feet) to reach the colony of swans; free car parking is located in front of the entrance. On the way to Swannery, you will find other attractions such as a labyrinth and a small ricing arena where usage of pedal-driven means of transport are available free of charge.

Swannery

There is something else you benefit from visiting Abbotsbury Swannery – you may buy a ticket with a huge 25% discount to also enter another site located nearby – Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens. At the time we visited the Abbotsbury Swannery, there was an option to also enter another site designed very well for visitors with kids. However, this has been changed, hopefully temporarily, since the pandemic began in March 2020 (there still are some restrictions for visitors in 2020 due to the coronavirus).

Feeding swans

One of the most exciting things about Abbotsbury Swannery was feeding swans. At the time we visited the swannery, the feeding was at noon – keep this in mind when planning your trip and booking tickets.

It was allowed for volunteers, especially kids, to enter the feeding area and feed swans with the food they provided on-site. This process was long enough to take a lot of photos and shoot videos. All swans from the surrounding area were gathering together to get food. Before and after feeding you may walk around the territory using convenient paths and many other birds living in the area. There is also a small museum providing more information about swans and the history of the site.

Usual swannery opening times are from 10 am to 5 pm all week, with the last entry at 4 pm; online ticket price for an adult is £10, for a child £5. Be aware that dogs are not allowed to enter the swannery. The minimum time for the visit might be two to three hours, although you may spend even more time easily.

Abbotsbury subtropical gardens

After visiting the swannery, we went to Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, a site located two and a half kilometres away by car. And again, there is a huge free-of-charge car park across the road just in front of the entrance to the gardens.

abbotsbury tropical gardens — Abbotsbury tropical gardens

About the history you may read on their website, the information provided is comprehensive. Amazing place both for adults and children to enjoy. All I may add is that gardens are really beautiful, especially during spring. There is a viewpoint where you may observe the coastline and even see a bit of Abbotsbury Swannery; getting there is quite nice physical exercise though.

Opening times of the gardens are from 10 am to 5 pm all week, with the last entry at 4 pm. Advance ticket costs £10 for an adult and £5 for a person aged from five to fifteen; children up to five years enter free, buying tickets on-site would be more expensive. Good news – dogs are allowed to enter the gardens!

London – first quick look

Posted on 25/11/2023 by ainarsbl

Visiting London

The capital of England and the United Kingdom London has many interesting and even unique sites, but I will start with bridges. There are 24 bridges across the River Thames in London.

The oldest is London Bridge, which was made from wood initially, but afterwards rebuilt in 1209, 1831 and 1973. Probably, the most famous is Tower Bridge, which was built in 1894 and is known around the world.

tower bridge in london — Tower Bridge in London

One of the most interesting bridges, in my opinion, is the Millennium Bridge which is a pedestrian bridge, connecting St. Paul Cathedral and the Tate Modern Art Gallery.

A very beautiful scene appears if you look at the bridge from the art gallery to St. Paul Cathedral. However, you can cross the river using any of the other bridges (except a few railway bridges) and every time panoramic view will be different and equally interesting.

Parks and gardens

Despite being a large city, London is very green. There are lots of small gardens and large parks even in the city centre. The largest parks in the central area are The Regent’s Park (166 hectares), Hyde Park (142 hectares) and Kensington Gardens (111 hectares).

Those are also called Royal Parks because initially they were created for the recreation of the royal family. Many people are using parks for running and walking every day.

Birthday of the Queen

If you decide to visit London, every year there is a big public celebration of Queen’s or King’s Birthday. A crowd of people watch the parade. It is called Trooping the Colour – a tradition coming from the 17th century. It is held annually in London on the second Saturday of June.

After a parade of the British Army, the Queen travels down from The Mall to Buckingham Palace in a Royal Procession. It is very interesting to watch Mounted Troops and Horse Guards. At the end of the event, Royal Air Forces fly over the palace.

Pubs and events in London

In my opinion, English pubs are something special. You can enjoy excellent beer having lunch or without it. You can get a very special traditional dish on Sundays – Sunday Roast. But the most amazing picture you may see on Friday evenings. Before coming home from work, lots of people after working week are gathering, making crowds outside centrally located pubs.

This is like a forecast that the weekend is coming and people start celebrating the end of the hard-working week. And this celebration often ends only when pubs are closing around midnight. Every weekend, during summertime, there are events and various celebrations all around the city. One of the most popular and populated events is Notting Hill Carnival. This event is held each August Bank Holiday since 1966 and is the largest festival celebration of its kind in Europe.

There are lots of costumes, lots of noise from sound systems all around and much more public watching these activities. Altogether, around one million people are participating in this carnival. One of the most interesting attractions during this event is the steel band competition.

London sightseeing

Visiting London offers a huge amount of different attractions. For example, the River Thames is a very busy public transport route. If you wish to have a river trip, it’s worth choosing Greenwich as a destination and using the very comfortable services of Thames Clippers (they are now called Uber Boat). These high-speed catamarans are fast and services are frequent, have many stops and you can watch from the river many sites during the trip. Greenwich is one of the last stops of the Thames Clippers.

After visiting the Royal Observatory and surrounding area in Greenwich, you can return to the city centre using DLR – Docklands Light Railway. This is one more thing to be experienced – DLR is one of the first light rail systems in Britain and has one of the world’s most advanced automatic train control systems.

All DLR trains from Greenwich arrive at Bank Underground Station. These are just a few tips on how you can spend your time in London for an extended weekend. In reality, even 10 years of living in London might be not enough to get familiar with everything that offers this city.

Oxford and Brighton

Posted on 21/11/2023 by ainarsbl

English cities

The United Kingdom is a country, which you can visit many times and every time you will discover something new. The same applies if you are in London. Just to mention that London contains 4 (!) UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the Tower of London, Kew Gardens, a complex consisting of the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, St. Margaret’s Church, and Greenwich.

On this page there are just two very short episodes from many visits outside London, although we have visited many many more – check this blog for other places.

Oxford

Oxford is one of the most beautiful cities in the UK. The city is widely known for its medieval Oxford University. Buildings in Oxford demonstrate an example of every English architectural period since the arrival of Saxons, but especially impressive are the buildings of the University of Oxford.

There are roughly 100 major academic departments, which are overseen by the four academic divisions: Medical Sciences; Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences; Humanities and Social Sciences. There are 38 Oxford colleges, which are financially independent and self-governing but relate to the central University in a kind of federal system.

The best way to get from London to Oxford is by Oxford Tube bus company, it takes less than 2 hours from central London. A bit more expensive option is using a train. If you travel by train to Oxford, you have to leave from Paddington station by Great Western Railway or from Marylebone station to board Chiltern Railways.

Brighton

Brighton is a very popular seaside resort town located about 90 kilometres (50 miles) from London. Brighton is a festival town with many attractive events during the summer season.

Brighton has a 5.4-mile-long shingle beach all owned by the city council. Each year during May, the city hosts the Brighton Festival and Brighton Fringe, which is the second largest arts festival in the UK after Edinburgh (Scotland).

To visit Brighton from London, there are very many frequent train services (Southern and Thameslink) and it would take about one hour to get there.

To the south-west from London there is another, perhaps, even more popular resort town Bournemouth. The best way to travel from London to Brighton and also to Bournemouth, might be by train, however ticket prices during the holiday season may get very high. For example, a return ticket to Bournemouth may cost more than one hundred pounds.