Four midweek micro-breaks from London
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
This article is part of a guide to London from FT Globetrotter
“London is too big,” the novelist William Boyd once observed from his home in Chelsea. “It is quicker for me to go to Oxford than it is to Stoke Newington in north London, easier to travel to Cambridge than visit a colleague who works on a newspaper in Wapping.”
As we start to spend more time in the office once again, it can be easy to forget that the hills and valleys outside London are often closer than we think. Escaping into the countryside by train can prove quicker than the commute home, and on arrival there is no shortage of pubs and inns offering the kind of rural repose that no boutique hotel in Soho can hope to match.
So roll on the midweek micro-break. Whether you’re a Londoner in need of a breath of fresh air, or a visitor on a short break looking to see what lies outside the city, the following stays can all be reached by train in time for dinner, and will have you back in the capital again after breakfast.
The Crown Inn, Buckinghamshire
16 High Street, Amersham, Buckinghamshire HP7 0DH
Best for: Gastronauts
Distance from London: 25 miles
How to get there: Trains from London Marylebone to Amersham leave every half-hour and take 35 minutes. Metropolitan Line trains from Baker Street to Amersham take 50 minutes
Nestled in the Chiltern Hills, Amersham feels far more removed from the capital than its convenient Underground stop would suggest. A short woodland walk from the station will take you to the high street of the old town, where, among the picturesque red-brick façades (some of which date back to the 15th century), you will find The Crown Inn. The 45 rooms in the Elizabethan, Grade II-listed property and its outbuildings make the most of its beams and boards while adding modern touches like Nespresso machines and roll-top baths thanks to styling by designer Ilse Crawford. Choose one of the high-ceilinged courtyard suites should you wish to imitate Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell, guests of the inn in Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Beyond its quaint pubs, market hall and memorial garden, Amersham abounds with good restaurants: across the street is Michelin-starred Artichoke (open for dinner from Wednesday to Saturday), which leans on locally sourced berries, herbs and mushrooms, with two fully vegetarian tasting menus available. Even closer to your bed is Hawkyns, the Crown’s excellent in-house restaurant by chef Atul Kochhar, which offers pan-Indian cuisine with Modern British touches. From £118 B&B
The Cricketers, Essex
Clavering, Near Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 4QT
Best for: Wicket-keepers
Distance from London: 40 miles
How to get there: Trains from London Liverpool Street to Newport (Essex) leave every half-hour or hour (depending on the time of day) and take about 60 minutes. The Cricketers can arrange transfers from the station, which is about a 10-minute drive away
On one of the hottest days of the year, when railways were buckling and tarmac melting, I was hiding from the sun in a shady pub garden with a beer and a bucket of freshly fried whitebait. It was under the broad green parasols of The Cricketers in Essex that I found myself as the country collectively closed its curtains and fridged its flannels. Much like the sport it was named for, this 16th-century inn in the village of Clavering is quirky and reassuringly relaxed (also best enjoyed with a pint in hand). The room keys duly have red balls attached to them, and there is a well-kept wicket watched over by a thatched pavilion just down the road.
Dispel any preconceptions you might have about the county. Head out in any direction and you’ll soon find yourself in the countryside of its north-west corner, a pretty patchwork of wheat fields and, lending their name to the village, the odd patch of clovers. Much of the produce on The Cricketers’ menu is sourced from the surrounding area too, and this is reflected in the bright, seasonal flavours served in the pub’s elegantly styled spaces. Howzat? From £119 B&B
The Merry Harriers, Surrey
Hambledon Road, Hambledon, Surrey GU8 4DR
Best for: Llama-whisperers
Distance from London: 40 miles
How to get there: Trains from London Waterloo to Milford leave every half-hour or hour and take 50 minutes. The Merry Harriers can arrange transfers from the station, which is a five-minute drive away
Among the 15 rooms at the 16th-century Merry Harriers in the Surrey Hills are five colourful and comfortable shepherd’s huts. You won’t find sheep grazing on the gentle slopes around the inn, though. Instead, your neighbours for the night will be 15 affable llamas, who earn their keep trekking with guests and dabbling in the odd outdoor yoga session.
The herd is just one of the pub’s many charms. Walks (with or without llamas) into the surrounding Area of Outstanding National Beauty begin at the bottom of the garden — a gentle 2.7-mile circular route will take you through the village to a view across the South Downs. Bikes can also be rented from nearby Surrey Hills Cycle Hire, though the Lycra-clad regulars I encountered in the attractive beer garden had all brought their own.
The menu offers generous and well-executed classics — just the thing after an evening stroll — while many of the ales and gins come courtesy of the nearby Crafty Brewing Co and Village Spirit Collective. Perhaps best of all, The Merry Harriers is a locals’ pub as much as it is an inn for travellers, which brings the bar to life after the sun has set. Shepherd’s huts from £240 B&B
The Mermaid Inn, East Sussex
Mermaid Street, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7EY
Best for: Ghostbusters
Distance from London: 65 miles
How to get there: Trains from London St Pancras to Rye via Ashford International depart every hour and take just over an hour
You can tell that when The Mermaid was built in 1420, it was always intended to be an inn. With its courtyards, cellars and secret passages, it is as authentic a medieval tavern as you will find near London — a kind of “living museum”, to quote present owner Judith Blincow, who looks after both guests and ghosts across the 31 rooms. Actually, only six of them are supposed to host ghosts — my own had been largely spirit-free ever since an old rocking chair, inclined to start swaying of its own accord, was moved into the corridor. Regardless, the low beams and crimson curtains create a feeling both of profound comfort and period charm.
There is a two AA Rosette restaurant serving accomplished food, plus an atmospheric bar in which you can well imagine the Hawkhurst Gang of smugglers lounging, as they used to in the 18th century, with loaded pistols on the table. Rye itself is a hilltop maze of cobbles and timbers, one of the historic Cinque Ports on the south coast; and although the waters have since shifted south, the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, home to 300 rare and endangered animal species, offers a thousand acres of walking and birdwatching. From £150 B&B
Do you have any tips for a mini-break from London? Share them in the comments
Follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter
Comments