A Day Trip to the United States: Visiting Runnymede

My most recent day trip from Reading was to the United States! That may sound close to impossible - you would expect it to involve at least a seven-hour flight there and another seven-hour flight back. However, I wasn't doing an extreme day trip (though this is a trend that is becoming more popular). In fact, it only took me a 40-minute train journey, a 15-minute bus ride and a short walk to get there.

So how was that possible? The truth is that there is a small corner of U.S. soil here in England, at the National Trust site at Runnymede in Surrey. I had read about this place a few years ago and had been intrigued to visit it someday. And at the end of February, we were lucky to have a sunny day with temperatures reaching 18 degrees, so I had the perfect opportunity to go to visit this outdoor area filled with sculptures and memorials.

First, I took the train from Reading to Egham. My next step was to take a bus, but as I missed the one five minutes after my train's arrival, I had about half an hour to spend in Egham. So I went to get a coffee and had a look around the town centre, which was very clean and modern.

On the bus later, I went past this incredible grand old building that looked like a fairytale castle! I was absolutely amazed by it. Looking it up later, I found out that it was the Founder's Building at Royal Holloway University. I actually came back to Egham with Claudio that weekend in order to visit it properly. (I'll be writing about that soon!)

A bit later on in the bus journey, I was surprised and happy to find I had views across to London, including Wembley Stadium!

I got off the bus at a stop with the interesting name of Bells of Ouzeley. It is actually the name of a Harvester pub next to the bus stop. It's a very charming old building opposite the river, and looked like a great, scenic place to enjoy some food and drink on this sunny afternoon.

I then walked along the river to the National Trust site. The path was a bit muddy, but the route was very picturesque.

Unlike a lot of National Trust sites, Runnymede is free to enter. It doesn't have a manor house like many National Trust properties do - it is an outdoor area with various artworks and memorials - but it does have  a small building with a tearoom and bathrooms.

The site is also really near Heathrow, so there were plenty of planes passing low overhead, which added to the international vibe of my day out.

The first spot I visited was the John F. Kennedy memorial, which is the part I had read about previously. You step through a wooden gate to enter the area where the memorial is and you are officially on U.S. soil!

There is a long pathway and fifty uneven steps that take you up to the memorial itself. It's definitely quite a unique experience to be able to say you've gone to another country (sort of) just by walking through a gate.

Runnymede is most famous for being where the Magna Carta was signed in 1215, and there is also a monument dedicated to that event.

There's also this really interesting artwork called Writ in Water, which is located inside a small building. Inside the building, you go around this sort of labyrinth, which leads you to a small, reflective pool, in which is written an extract of the Magna Carta. It's very clever and unique.

After having a good walk around the site, I walked back to the bus stop and then sat by the river in the sun while waiting for the bus.

This day out was a big reminder to me of how important it can be to get outdoors in the sunshine and enjoy some peaceful, beautiful surroundings from time to time. To be honest, I'm not always that much of a fan of life in the UK - a lot of places can look very run down and grim, especially at this time of year, and the cost of living crisis never seems to get any better - but there are some beautiful places to be found in this country, and spending time in them can make a real difference to your mood.

That's all for today, but I'll be writing again soon about more of my February travels!

Other Autumn 2025 Travel: Country Parks, Winchester, Christmas Markets and More!

After rounding up our recent travels around London, today I'm going to write about where we've explored closer to our current home in Reading.

The last couple of months have been a bit different, as I left my job at the end of October. It was a hard decision to leave, especially because I had no other job lined up, but I know now that it was definitely the right choice. I was very burnt out and depressed during my latter months in that job, and knew that the situation wasn't likely to improve. I had hoped to receive a job offer at some point during my long notice period, but that didn't happen in the end - probably for the best, as it allowed me to have a proper break after leaving. I took a full week off to focus on hobbies and relaxing, before reworking my CV and beginning my job search again. Nearly two months later, I haven't found a permanent role yet, but I have been accepted onto an online platform to work on AI training projects. So far, there's been plenty of work available, and the hourly rates for these projects are actually better (sometimes much better) than what I was getting in my old job. Though I do still want the stability of a permanent role, I'm really enjoying the independence and flexibility that I have now, and am glad to have a source of income to support me in my job search going forward.

Having this independence and flexibility has also given me more opportunities to take little trips to new places from time to time - something that I really like doing. Here are a few of the places I've visited by myself over the last few months, as well as a few that Claudio and I have visited together...

Reading Green Park

We're thinking that next year we're probably going to move away from central Reading, so we've been looking at different areas in and around the town.

One area we visited recently was Reading Green Park, a new housing development next to a lake. The style of houses reminded us a lot of the United States and Canada, and sure enough, the streets are all named after states in New England!

It's an extremely quiet area, and I'm not sure we'd live there, but it's a really nice place for an autumnal walk. It's like stepping into a Hallmark movie!

California Country Park

Another place with a North American name that I visited this autumn was California Country Park. I went there on the bus early one weekday morning - it's a bit of a long journey by public transport, but also quite a picturesque one through pretty villages. 

The park was very peaceful and quiet with a small number of visitors, mostly walking their dogs. I really enjoyed my time walking around the lake, admiring the autumnal scenery and the dogs and swans. It wasn't even a cold day, which meant I enjoyed the outing even more!

And of course, an outdoor outing is always made even better when it's followed by coffee and cake in a nice café!

Wokingham

In November, we visited Wokingham (a town near Reading) for the first time. We were intrigued to see what it was like, having read an article saying it was one of the best places to live in the UK!

We ended up being very impressed by its old world charm and peaceful atmosphere. It's definitely an area we'll keep in mind for when we do decide to move.

Caversham Winter Wonderland

In November, Reading's Winter Wonderland opened in Caversham. We've been a couple of times and are planning to go back before it closes on the 5th January. It's actually one of the quieter and calmer Christmas attractions we've been to this year, and we enjoyed having a Bailey's hot chocolate in one of the Alpine-style wooden cabins!

Dinton Pastures Country Park

On another November weekday morning, I visited another of the country parks near Reading, Dinton Pastures. Unfortunately, I took the bus to the opposite side of the park to the main entrance (thanks Google Maps!) and it ended up taking me a lot longer than I expected to reach the correct side.

However, once I got there, I had a really nice and peaceful time walking through the park, which has several lakes.

Sonning

I also had a nice walk on another morning around the village of Sonning, also a short bus ride away from Reading. Sonning is really an archetypal English village filled with pretty streets and old cottages.

Winchester

Our last trip of the autumn was to the city of Winchester. I went there previously with my family one summer when I was about 10, so a long time ago! But I remembered finding the place really beautiful, and my opinion didn't change with this new visit.

The city has so many charming old buildings, including the cathedral, Cheyney Court and Jane Austen's house, as well as some lovely riverside walks. Though the place (and especially the Christmas market) was heaving with people, we had a great day out there.

That's it for my quick run through of our autumn travel through Berkshire and Hampshire. Next I'll be writing about our recent little trip away to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. See you back here soon!