Spend a late-summer day in Canterbury: catch the high-speed from St Pancras, graze at the Goods Shed market, book a timed tour of the Cathedral, then drift through Mercery Lane and Westgate Gardens before a Westgate Towers view.

One long day takes you from St Pancras to Dover’s medieval keep, through evocative WWII tunnels and out onto the wind-swept White Cliffs. Sensible shoes, tide checks and a light daypack turn this fast-train trip into a restorative coastal escape.