South East (England)

From MaxTravelz

The South-East of England is one of the most-visited regions of England and the United Kingdom, being situated around the English capital city of London and located closest to the Continent. Together with London, the South-East represents the main economic powerhouse of the country and is one of the most densely-populated of the English regions. The region holds much of interest to the traveller, from varied landscapes to historical towns and cities.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By train 5.3 By boat 6 Get around 6.1 By taxi 6.2 By bus 6.3 By car 6.4 By train 6.5 Caution 7 Eat 8 Drink 9 Stay safe 10 Get out 11 External links

Regions

The South England region consists of the following counties (in alphabetical order):

• Berkshire - to the west of London, includes the cities of Slough, Windsor and Eton
• Buckinghamshire
• East Sussex
• Hampshire
• Isle of Wight
• Kent - the "Garden of England"
• Oxfordshire
• Surrey
• West Sussex

Cities

South-East England has the following major towns and cities of interest to the traveller:

• Brighton - Super trendy Brighton on the south coast boasts the best cultural events in the south outside of London and is home to the largest arts festival in England, the royal pavilion, Brighton pier, the lanes for boutique shopping, the north laines for bohemian style shopping, gay quarter and some of the best nightlife in Britain.
• Canterbury - England's premier cathedral city
• Chichester
• Dover
• Eastbourne
• Gosport
• Guildford
• Hastings
• Maidstone
• Oxford - the great university city
• Portsmouth - the great British naval city, home to Nelson's Victory, amongst other attractions
• Reading
• Southampton
• Tunbridge Wells
• Winchester
• Windsor - location of Windsor Castle
• Worthing

Note that although geographically within this region, London is actually a region in its own right.

Other destinations

• The Cotswolds - a range of rolling hills
• Hever Castle - childhood home of Anne Boleyn, and where Henry VIII spent his honeymoon(s)
• Blenheim Palace - birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and a World Heritage site
• The New Forest - home to wild ponies, and not particularly new (William the Conqueror designated it a royal forest over 900 years ago)
• The Thames - it flows through more than just London

Understand

Get in

By plane

The South of England is well serviced by air by virtue of sharing London's international and domestic airports

By train

The Eurostar runs from mainland Europe to Folkestone, Ashford and Waterloo Station in London.

By boat

The South's major ports are Dover, Folkestone, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Get around

By taxi

There are taxi firms everywhere (many are by booking only - find the phone number of the local company and phone ahead).

By bus

Every town has a bus service, although these are - confusingly - privatised and you will need to make sure you contact the right company for information.

• Hampshire (Stagecoach)
• Isle of Wight (Southern Vectis)
• East and West Sussex (Stagecoach)
• Surrey, Kent and Sussex (Arriva)
• Surrey and East Sussex (Metrobus)
• East Kent (Stagecoach)
• Southampton area (Solent Blue Line)
• Southampton area (First)
• Brighton and Hove (Brighton & Hove)
• Hastings and Bexhill (Stagecoach)
• Eastbourne and Hailsham (Eastbourne)

By car

The South-East has a very dense and usually easy-to-navigate road network. The M2, M3, M4, M20 and M23 motorways all connect the region radiating around London via the M25 peripheral road.

By train

England has one of the highest densities of railway lines per square mile in the world, so rail travel is a very viable option...but much of it dates back to the early 20th century and as such there are frequent train delays and cancellations due to engineering works. These costs are passed on to the customer - be prepared for expensive tickets.

Caution

Be aware that the train lines in the South and South East are some of the busiest and most overcrowded in Britain, especially during the week day rush hours (7:00 to 9:00 and then 16:30 to 18:30). Also be aware that the M25 is nearly always busy, and there is congestion, sometimes severe, during the rush hours virtually every day.

Eat

Drink

Stay safe

Get out

External links

• South East England Tourist Board
• Southern England Tourist Board

This article is still a stub and needs your attention. It does not have a template and contains minimal information. Please plunge forward and help it grow!