Uffington White Horse + Bath + Bristol

Ticket 1: West Drayton to Didcot Parkway – £9.2 p.h.
Ticket 2: Didcot Parkway to Bristol Temple Meads – £21.00 p.h.
Two different tickets because network rail discount is applicable only for the first leg. Else, the total fare comes to around £45.00 p.h.
On the route from Didcot to Swindon, on your left side(in the direction of travel), Uffington White Horse will be visible in a distance. The only indications you have is a hunch that there is a white streak on a green hill. You can’t see it clearly with naked eye, but zoom it, it’ll be clear. The angle is very good.
Aim to reach Bath by 9:00 AM(7:06 to Reading, 7:47 from Reading to Bath Spa)
Get a walking guide from the station itself. The one I took is Walkabout Easy Map and Guide to Bath. There’s no need of a one day tour.
Places to see –
1. Roman Bath and Pump Museum. I am not interested personally into this. £15.75(including Fashion Museum) as ticket is too much.
2. Thermae Bath Spa. Not interested here as well. Go back to India for some Keralite Ayurvedic Treatment. That’s much worth the money I believe.
3. Queen Square
4. Georgian Garden – not worth a visit, but you’ll visit just because it’s in the path
5. Royal Crescent. Instead of Number One Royal Crescent, prefer Georgian House in Bristol. Atleast, Bristol one is free.
6. Circus
7. Assembly Rooms and Fashion Museum – Go inside only if you are a member of National Trust. It’s not worth the ticket price. Probably, you may see only the Assembly Halls for a lesser price(£2.00 p.h.)
8. Don’t go to Bath Aqua Theatre of Glass. Instead, visit the one at Alum Bay in Isle of Wight.
9. Postal Museum. It’s worth a visit. Ticket – £3.50 p.h. There are some cheap stamps for collectors as well.
10. Medieval walls is trash.
11. Corridor
12. Guildhall
13. Market
14. Pulteney Bridge – the view is very good from the Parade Gardens(£1.20 p.h.) The place is a very photogenic spot.
15. Sally Lunn’s – from outside
16. Bath Abbey. Be there the first thing in the trip. Else, you won’t have space to take a photograph.
17. Any other museums not mentioned, I believe, you will have equivalents or better things in London
If you go by this, you will be done with Bath by 12 PM. Catch a train from Bath to Bristol Temple Meads. Travel time – 15-25 min.
In Bristol:
Take a one day pass – Zone 1 & Zone 2. Off-Peak – £4.00 p.h.
Since you are reaching Bristol by noon, plan to see those things which close early. The architecture in Bristol is very nice to see, better than Bath, Oxford or even Edinburgh. Probably it’s well maintained there than the rest or whatever.
1. Take a bus to the city centre.
2. Nelson Street in Bristol city centre – street art
3. From there, walk till @ Bristol by the water side. Tourist Information Centre is enroute. Pero’s Bridge is a thing to look at.
4. First take a bus till the opposite side of the river for SS Great Britan. Don’t think there’s any need to go inside.
5. Come back to A Bristol Bus Stop where you caught the bus. Cross the road into the lane for Bristol Cathedral. It’s good to look. Before it, there’s a statue of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, don’t know why. Walk straight ahead till you find a bus stop to catch Bus 8 for Clifton Suspension Bridge.
6. Clifton Suspension Bridge, Leigh Woods. Take bus no 8 to Clifton, get down there and walk towards the bridge. The directions are misleading in the bus. If you are not sure, ask the driver. Thing to note in the bus journey is the city architecture.
7. The Georgian House Museum, Great George Street – Free 10:30 to 4
8. The Red Lodge Museum, Park Row – Free 10:30 to 4
9. If there is time still, try for a boat trip.
Try to take the 19:30 return from Bristol. You’ll reach West Drayton by 21:15

Southend

Ticket 1: London One Day Tube and Train Pass – £11.20 for two persons
Ticket 2: Barking to Southend Central Return Ticket £6.20 for two persons(with 50% discount on the ticket price, no clue how)
Travel route: West Drayton-Ealing Broadway-Stratford-West Ham-Southend or West Drayton-Uxbridge-Aldgate-Fenchurch Street(by walk – 5 min)-Southend or West Drayton-Ealing Broadway-Mile End(Central)-Barking-Southend
Note that the train should stop at Barking.
Note the ruins of Hadleigh Castle on a hill to the left in the direction of travel between Benfleet and Leigh-on-Sea. Once you see the castle, switch on to the opposite side window to get views of the sea. It’s so so. At least, Ennore backwaters or Chilika was much better. Even I am not sure if this is the sea or just a salty estuary of Thames.
There is nothing much to do in Southend, but it’s worth wasting a day.
Pass the time in the High Street and in the malls on both ends of the High Street. The prices are cheaper as compared to London as what I noticed.
Walk the whole length of the Southend Pier(2158 m one way). Walking ticket cost is £2.00 p.h. Once done, get a certificate for £1.00 citing the same. That will take around 45-60 min one way.
The beaches are good. You can pass some time there and in the casinos on the seafront.
Pass some time in Leigh on Sea and in the Beecroft Art Gallery. If you want to do that, possibly, you will need a one day bus pass@ £3.40 p.h. Also, there are some watersports available.
Adventure Park is another nice way to pass time. The rides are good and entry into the theme park is free. You’ll pay only if you take some ride. Either pay on ride-by-ride basis or take a bulk ticket.
There’s Southchurch Hall(I haven’t been there) just ahead of the Casinos and all.
Always watch for what is happening in Southend when you are thinking to go. The day I went, was a Saturday in October and there were fireworks on the beach front at 8:00 PM. There was a book fair going on as well where the authors themselves were present in the stalls. It was an interesting and touching thing to watch. Only problem I faced was, because of the fireworks, I left Southend by the 20:45 train and reached West Drayton by 11:30.

Hampstead Heath + Freud Museum + Alexandra Palace

Ticket: London One Day Tube and Train Pass – £11.20 for two persons
Get down at Finchley Road Station(Metropolitan Line from Uxbridge)
Follow the markers to Freud Museum. Address is 20 Maresfield Gardens. It’s worth a visit. Ticket cost – £6.00 p.h.
Come outside, take bus number 268 to Jack Straw Castle and 210 from there to Kenwood House for Hampstead Heath. Entry is free for the House. Roam around in the house and the gardens and go towards Parliament Hill. Ensure that your detour involves the ponds in the heath. After you are done with everything in the heath, walk towards the Parliament Hill and go down the hill towards Gospel Oak or Hampstead Heath Stations.
If you are interested, you can go to Highgate Cemetery for Karl Marx’s Grave(C11 from Hampstead Heath via Gospel Oak. Bus stop – Chester Road Raydon Street).
From Gospel Oak, take the train to Barking and get down at Crouch Hill. Walk onto the main road to take the bus W3 towards Northumberland Park and get down on the hill once Alexandra Palace is in view. It’s a photogenic spot and night time views of the city are very good. There’s nothing exceptional though. If you still have time, foray into Central London.

Tower of London + Monument

Ticket: London One Day Tube and Train Pass – £11.20 for two persons
West Drayton – Paddington – Tower Hill
Go to Tower of London by Historic Royal Palaces Membership or by Network Rail 2 for 1
There are some nice paintings in the way from the station into the Tower.
Main things there – a cursory glance at the ravens, the Crown Jewels and an idle stroll covering the museum, White Tower and ramparts. If you are in time for a guided walk with a Warden, go for it. It’s worth the time.
Once done, walk by the river side to the Monument. Climb only if you are capable, but the view from the top is worth the effort. There are around 300 steps in the tower. Cost – £3.00(Network Rail 2 for 1).
If you are still capable, cross London Bridge, walk back to the Tower Bridge and back to Tower of London Railway station. There are some nice views for photographs there. Some other places of note there – Roman Wall and the park around there, the sun dial and a nice building there to see from outside, Sweden House or something by name, in the back alleys, you’ll find the location of the original headquarters of East India Company.