Just checked 2 hrs 45 is possible, but 3 15 is standard duration. Travelling to the east (or west) in this country is a nightmare.
I briefly stopped in Southsea on the way back from Dorset last summer. It did seem really nice, Iām planning on visiting it in its own right this year.
That still seems absurd and much longer than I remember but I donāt doubt you. Greater Anglia are shit. I used to really resent giving a significant amount of my income to them. I have always found Kent to take a ridiculous amount of time to on a train from London.
Anyway North Norfolk is lovely if you fancy a long train journey from london.
Probably ought to talk it up a bit @hip_young_gunslinger
Southsea
- By the sea, big walks along the prom. 2 piers to play arcade games at. Good playgrounds at Canoe Lake if kiddo is with you.
- Some great pubs (Hole In The Wall, Greenwich Brewpub, The Wave Maiden, Wine Vaults, Huis, The Brewerās Tap. Also has Staggeringly Good brewery and The Southsea Brewing Company (based in the castle on the seafront, open at weekends. The Brewerās Tap is their tap room). And thereās The Beer Musketeer for bottle shop needs
- Lots of great independent restaurants ranging from burger and pizza joints, to great curries, Bristros and a Michelin starred restaurant. Personal recommendations would be pizza in Greenwich Brewpub, The Canteen in āHot Wallsā in old Portsmouth (an area with lots of artistās studios that open at the weekend) and the Southsea Beach CafĆ© for lunch. Pie and Vinyl does good records and pies (Never!) and the food in Huis is good quality Belgian stuff.
- Some of the best coffee Iāve ever had in The Southsea Coffee Company. Bread Addiction is also great for coffee, bread and cakes. The tenth hole does some seriously awesome cakes.
- Thereās an aquarium (not too bad, but is pretty spendy iirc), the historic dockyard, Gunwharf Quays for outlet shopping, chain restaurants and activities like cinema and bowling if the weather is shite.
Further into Portsmouth thereās the Indoor Food Courtyard (lots of little street food vendors), Hideout Coffee for coffee and insane doughnuts, 7Bone for burgers and right up the top of the island is urban island brewery. Could also get the ferry across to Gosport and visit the Royal Navy Submarine museum and Hampshireās CAMRA pub of the year, and thereās a good micropub there too.
Feels like Iāve barely scratched the surface tbh. Any more ideas or questions, fire away
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spent so many childhood holidays in millport, loved it. 
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Pretty sure Liv St to Norwich has been 2 hours for at least the last decade, and as has been mentioned it requires a certain amount of bravery to take on GA at the moment. Thatās my excuse for not visiting my brother or my parents anyway. [Also hyg is a good 40 minutes from Liv St to start with.]
But youāre right about the North Norfolk coast, but with a toddler Iād be tempted to go when the Horsey seals are out and about with their pups. Donāt know when that is mind.
Still now i think (but maybe not much longer) - went to see them in december
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Cheers all, will investigate some of these, Whitstable and Southsea both sound promising!
I wanna go there now!
See you there, yeah. Iām there on Saturday