Beyond London

London is surrounded by the Home Counties, Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent, Surrey, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Middlesex, East Sussex and West Sussex.

Beyond the Home Counties are lots of interesting places that you probably will have heard of – and may well want to visit. Places like Stonehenge, Bath, Oxford, Cambridge and Windsor are all within easy reach of London.

And then there’s Stratford. In fact, there are two Stratfords – one in east London, home of the Olympics in 2012, and the other one, Stratford-Upon-Avon, which was the home of William Shakespeare, who lived between 1564 and 1616.

Yes, it’s all happening in the great metropolis we call London but there’s also a huge amount going on beyond the fringes of the capital.

There’s plenty to do in these counties and in the summer of 2012, when London will be jam-packed full of tourists (on top of its 7 million residents), they’ll be providing some much-needed accommodation space.

Near where Complete Sense are based (the company behind this website), for example, near Watford, there are several brand-new hotels which have spring up recently, and the events of 2012 will have been a significant factor as far as planning goes for the companies behind them.

And of course, certain Olympic and Paralympic events will be taking place beyond London. For example, Eton Dorney, near Windsor Castle (in Berkshire, around 25 miles west of London) will be the venue for Rowing, Paralympic Rowing and Canoe Sprint events.

Also, a new temporary Mountain Bike course has been created within Hadleigh Farm in Essex. The course is set against the backdrop of the 700-year-old ruins of Hadleigh Castle.

Lastly, the Lee Valley White Water Centre, formerly known as Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre, will be the venue for Canoe Slalom during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Situated 30km north of the Olympic Park, on the edge of the 1,000-acre River Lee Country Park, Lee Valley White Water Centre is part of the 26-mile long, 10,000 acre Lee Valley Regional Park in Hertfordshire, and was the first of London’s Olympic venues to be completed.

So consider these places as they may well provide some interesting and much cheaper options when you’re choosing where to stay and where to visit.