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Three great day trips (even if the summer has been basically rubbish)

Huw Oliver

International Commissioning Editor

@huwoliver

The arty one

With its pubs, punts and sprawling meadowland, Oxford is a solid choice at any time of year. But right now is an especially good time to go, as two huge new exhibitions promise a whole load of eye-popping colour. The Ashmolean has ‘Tokyo’, bringing together 400 years of art inspired by the city, and Modern Art Oxford has Samson Kambalu’s ‘New Liberia’, exploring his rocky upbringing in Malawi.

The dog-friendly one

Smack bang in commuterville, near Tring, you’ll find the Ashridge Estate: 5,000 acres of woodland ripe for a big day out with the dog. Failing that, friends will probably do too. Around the park you may spot foxes, fallow deer and muntjacs – plus, there’s a very good juice van. Everyone loves juice.

The foodie one

Linked to the mainland by a causeway that floods, Essex’s Mersea Island feels properly remote at high tide. The big draw is The Company Shed, which serves seafood platters that pull in crowds from across the country. Catch-and-release crabbing is also encouraged – there are specially marked areas near the water, and shops selling the kit.

The best London events in September

There’s an absolute ton of cool things happening this month. You can see Idles at Wide Awake Festival, you can go to Fabric and do a yoga class, there’s the London Podcast Festival, and… wait for it… there’s only ‘Frozen: The Musical’. Earworms impressive enough to be in the new version of ‘Dune’. ‘Thirty days hath September’. It’s not enough.

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