Crack a code at Bletchley Park
This 19th-century estate on the edge of Milton Keynes was the top-secret location where codebreakers cracked the Enigma code during the second world war. It’s seen by many as the birthplace of information technology. Immerse yourself in this fascinating part of British history with a visit to the Bletchley Park museum where you can learn about different types of codes, how they were cracked and the legacy that it’s left.
Station: take Southern Railway to Bletchley, from which Bletchley Park is just a five-minute walk.
Go on an Easter egg hunt – by canoe!
Add some adventure to the long weekend with a canoe trip organised by New Forest Activities, near Southampton. They’re running Easter egg hunts on the water, where you’ll be searching for chocolatey treats in between paddling up and down the idyllic Beaulieu river. This stretch of water has been privately-owned by the barony of Lord Montagu of Beaulieu for centuries. It’s also right in the heart of the New Forest national park, so expect gorgeous scenery and local wildlife – like the blue flash of a kingfisher.
Station: head to Brockenhurst, which is a one-and-a-half-hour train journey from London Waterloo. From there you can reach the Beaulieu river by bus in around half an hour, or taxi in approximately 15 minutes.
Clean up the beach
Want to spend your Easter weekend doing something for the environment? Join in the Great British Spring Clean. This nationwide movement, run by Keep Britain Tidy, already has more than 120,000 volunteers signed up. Add your name to the list and join an organised beach clean. You’ll be provided with all the equipment, but you’ll need to register in advance. There are several scheduled across the country, including one at Worthing Beach on Easter Sunday.
Nearest station: Worthing is just over an hour from London Victoria via Southern Railway.
Explore the antique shops of Rye
If you’re planning some home improvements this Easter, avoid getting caught up in flatpack hell and instead find something old and characterful on a day trip to the Sussex coast. Rye is one of England’s prettiest towns, famed for its antique shops. Wander its cobbled streets, past rows of timber-framed houses, while you ponder whether that dusty chandelier will really tie your living room together. Don’t forget to grab a pint in the possibly-haunted-but-nevertheless-very-cosy 15th-century pub The Mermaid Inn. It’s a Rye institution.
Station: take Southern Railway from London Victoria to Hastings in a little over two hours, then change for Rye, which takes just another 20 minutes.
Hunt for dragon eggs
Forget the Easter bunny, at Battle Abbey a far more mythical and fiery creature is at large. Children will be sent in search of dragons’ eggs as part of English Heritage’s Easter Adventure Quest. Those who succeed will be rewarded with goodies from Hotel Chocolat. For adults and history buffs, it’s also a chance to explore the spot where William the Conqueror and King Harold famously clashed in 1066. You can walk across the battlefield – now a wildflower-strewn meadow – as well as wandering the ruins of the Abbey, built on the spot where King Harold died.
Station: Battle, from which Battle Abbey is just a 15-minute walk.
Feed your mind at the Fitzwilliam Museum
There’s still time to catch the Feast and Fast exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, which runs until the last weekend of April. The show explores our relationship with food through representations in European art from 1500-1800, touching on topics including food security and society’s relationship with nature and animals. It also includes some tasty reconstructions, including a European feasting table and the workshop of a Georgian sweet maker. You won’t miss the entrance – as part of the show, a spectacular four-metre high pineapple has been constructed outside of the Museum by the famed comestible art duo Bompas & Parr.
Station: Cambridge can be reached directly from London St Pancras in just over an hour via Thameslink Railway.
Forage for your dinner
Fergus the Forager has been running full-day foraging excursions for 16 years. They’re something of a full-on immersive experience, taking you from hedgerows to woodlands to salt marshes in search of natural ingredients. There are two trips taking place over the Easter weekend, where you’ll be collecting plants, seaweed, and fungi from around the north Kent coast. (Locations for his other courses vary throughout the year.) You’ll also learn the many ways to prepare and eat what you’ve found. The day includes two wild food meals with dinner cooked over an open fire on the beach. In other words, a pretty special way to spend Easter.
Station: take the train to Herne Bay, just a one-hour-and-20-minute journey from London Victoria.
Hit the Turner Contemporary
Looking for an excuse to head to Kent’s hippest seaside town? Then catch the train to Margate for the Turner Contemporary’s new show. We Will Walk – Art and Resistance in the American South features the work of African-American artists from Alabama and its neighbouring states, made during the civil rights era of the 1950s and 60s. The exhibition includes, among other works, a series of quilts made by the women of Gee’s Bend, a remote hamlet in Alabama. It will be the first time these unique and beautiful pieces, made from reclaimed textiles, have been shown to the public in the UK.
Station: Turner Contemporary is a 15-minute walk from Margate station, which is a one-hour-and-25-minute journey from London Victoria.
Enjoy a colour explosion at a tulip festival
Squint and you could be in the Amsterdam ... more than 60,000 flowers will be on display within the walls of Arundel Castle for the month of April. Admire the floral designs while you explore the castle grounds. The majestic building has a history dating back to 1067 and was rebuilt in a gothic style in the late 1800s. You can still see some of the original sections, such as the medieval gatehouse. You also get spectacular views across the South Downs from here.
Nearest station: Southern Railway can get you to Arundel in just 90 minutes, from which Arundel castle is a 20-minute walk or just over 10 minutes by bus.
Take to the high seas
Why not spend the long weekend out at sea? Venture Sailing runs two-day voyages exploring the lesser-known bays of the Solent. You’ll spend one night anchored under the night sky. It’s open to complete beginners as well as salty old sea dogs. Now’s the time to discover whether a sailor’s life is for you.
Station: take Southern Railway from London Victoria to Southampton Central in just under two-and-a-half hours. From there, the Southampton to East Cowes ferry takes around an hour.
Book direct at southernrailway.com and pay no booking fees. Look for Super Off Peak and Off Peak fares which offer great value for money when you travel outside of peak times.
