Less than an hour by train from Liverpool Street, the Hertfordshire town of Ware packs millennia of history, riverside walking and family-friendly attractions into a compact, crowd-free package. Archaeologists count it among the oldest continuously occupied places in Western Europe, with settlement stretching back to the Middle Stone Age around a crossing point on the River Lea. Romans marched through on Ermine Street, and you can still trace that ancient route today.
The town's best sightseeing doubles as its best walking. The Riverside Trail runs nearly six miles along the River Lea to neighbouring Hertford, passing Hartham Common and the King's Meads — former jousting and grazing grounds now managed as nature reserves, thick with wildflowers and birdlife. Look out for the 17th-century riverside gazebos and, if you're travelling with kids, the sculptures local children created along the Chadwell Way Sculpture Trail. A Blue Plaque Trail links the key historic buildings, starting right at the station.
Two indoor spots deserve a detour. Ware Museum is free and run by enthusiastic volunteers, with exhibits ranging from a WWII command centre to the Great Bed of Ware, a famously enormous 10-square-foot bed. Scott's Grotto is stranger: an 18th-century network of passages lined entirely in shells, built by local poet John Scott. Bring a torch — it's dark in there — and note it only opens between April and September, though both attractions run Saturdays, making Ware a solid weekend day trip.
Families have plenty to fall back on if the weather turns. Ware Escape Rooms and the Inflata City inflatable park (obstacle courses, slides, even a bouncy football pitch) cover rainy afternoons. In summer, the Ware Priory Lido keeps its outdoor pool heated to around 27°C, with cold-water sessions running in the off-season. Book lido tickets online ahead of time; it regularly sells out. There are showers and changing rooms on site.
Food options lean casual and family-oriented. The Waterside Inn does classic pub grub by the water alongside kid staples like pizza and fish fingers, and the town covers Spanish, Mexican, Greek and Thai if you want variety.
Getting there is simple: trains run from Liverpool Street throughout the day in under an hour via National Rail, and drivers can reach Ware on the A10 towards Cambridge in about an hour from London. If one historic town isn't enough, Colchester — England's oldest recorded city — sits an hour from the same station.
For anyone worn down by London's queues and choice paralysis, Ware offers a genuinely low-effort escape: ancient streets, an easy riverside ramble, free history and a heated lido, all before you'd normally finish finding your bearings in the capital.
Original report by Islands.
