Visit England: My day trip to Tunbridge Wells

[sponsored trip via Southeastern Railway]

Just 45 minutes from London on Southeastern Railway, you can escape London to somewhere a little quieter, just as quaint, and extremely suburban English. Tunbridge Wells is filled with winding roads, colourful houses, cobblestone pathways, local shops and beautiful greenery that will make you feel like you’ve gone a lot further than just 45 minutes on the train.

I popped into two places for food, and a few shops along the way, and thanks to Kelly from Kelly Prince Wright’s (www.kellyprincewrites.com) recommendation to pop in to Bod + Ted, I almost ended up spending my entire pay check then and there.

My first stop for breakfast was The Plant Base, which is located just a 5 minute walk from the main station, and sits off of the main road on another side street that was filled with other cute cafes, exercise studios and clothing shops. The Plant Base is 100% plant-based (as it sounds). I opted for their smokey carrot on cashew-cream toast. It was sprinkled with dill and seaweed - and tasted absolutely fantastic. I was tempted to order another one, or steal their recipe! I was thinking I’d actually choose that over smoked salmon for breakfast.

I also ordered a tropical smoothie which had no milk in it AND no orange juice so I was extremely content as I try to avoid drinking large amounts of milk and any orange juice because it upsets my stomach. The smoothie was delicious and so smooth. I wish this spot was closer so I could go back because their other toast options and the pumpkin spiced latte sounded amazing.

Next, I strolled down to The Pantiles, an old Victorian area that is full of winding little paths and cafes for you to sit in the sun. It’s gorgeous but most of the shops are either shut or empty.

After a good walk and a wander into a cookery shop, a Chinese antique shop, and a camera shop (so many shops), I found my way back to the main road to have lunch at Juliet’s Cafe. I ordered an English Breakfast tea and one of their hot dishes - the pork stew. They change their menu seasonally, so this should be on for a little while in the cold months. The hot main comes with two large side salads, and I knew I wouldn’t finish my food so I got a large chunk of sourdough bread instead of one of the salads. Guess what? I still ended up taking half of it to go anyway. The stew was so delicious, and the tea made me feel like a little English suburban Princess getting to sip out of such lovely chinaware.

I was thoroughly stuffed to capacity, filled with tea and delicious stew, and packed with the rest of it to head back to London. The trains run about every 15 minutes to London, so I just slowly meandered back to the station and waited about 7 minutes until the next one back toward London Charing Cross pulled up.

If you’re looking for somewhere to explore, I’d definitely recommend it. The one thing I wished I’d done was paid for a taxi up to The Calverley Grounds which is a gorgeous estate that used to be for private residents that is now open up to the public. It looks stunning, give it a google!

If you end up going, drop me a note or a message on Instagram, I’d love to know what you think!