United Kingdom
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How to Spend a Day in Leith and Cramond: Hidden Gems Near Edinburgh
We began the day with a walk around some of the buildings of the University of Edinburgh starting at the Old College quad located on South Bridge. It was an overcast morning but the sight of the historic buildings housing the School of Law and the Talbot Rice Gallery surrounding the quad lifted our spirits.…
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How to Explore Edinburgh Old Town on Foot: History, Sights & Tips
It had been more than a year since my last visit to Edinburgh and I couldn’t wait to return to one of my favourite cities. We travelled north on board an LNER train which whisks passengers from London in just four and a quarter hours. If you plan to travel by train try to book…
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Altido at Vita, Edinburgh Review
Location: Located in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh overlooking the Union Canal is the modern and well appointed Altido Vita aparthotel. Just a 10 minute walk from Princes Street and a short walk from Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile it’s in a perfect location to explore the city. Both Haymarket and Waverley railway stations are accessible on…
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The Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate: What to Expect at England’s Premier Agricultural Event
After the disappointment of last year’s show having to be cancelled due to the pandemic I was excited to be returning to Harrogate this summer. The Great Yorkshire Show is one of the largest agricultural shows in the country and a wonderful showcase of rural life. Organising an event of this size to make it COVID…
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Your Apartment Bristol Review
Review: Your Apartment, 3 Frederick Place, Clifton, Bristol Location The accommodation is managed by Your Apartment and located on Frederick Place in the desirable Clifton neighbourhood of Bristol. This suburb is within easy walking distance of the city centre and features leafy streets, stunning architecture and rows of pastel coloured Georgian terraces. Arrival and check-in…
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Exploring Bristol Harbourside: SS Great Britain & M Shed – A Historic Day Out
After spending the previous day exploring Clifton Village, we turned our attention to Bristol’s vibrant harbourside with a visit to Bristol’s No.1 attraction the SS Great Britain (standard admission £16.50 including unlimited return visits for a year). Launched by Prince Albert in July 1843, she was at that time the largest passenger ship in the…
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A Day at Clifton Observatory & Clifton Village: A Perfect Bristol Day Out
After sleeping soundly, we headed out of the lovely apartment in Clifton where we were spending the weekend to explore the local neighbourhood. It’s an affluent suburb of beautiful Georgian townhouses, close to the centre yet far enough away to have its own charm. Bristol Zoo Gardens was our first planned attraction of the day, just…
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A Perfect Day at Bristol Harbour: Walking Tour Highlight
We’d planned a return visit to the city of Bristol, this time in midsummer making it a complete contrast to our festive break in the city a little over three years ago. Summer it might have been, but with the weather forecast predicting heavy rain all weekend we had come prepared. Bristol is located in…
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How to Spend a Memorable Day in Stroud, Gloucestershire
We decided to spend a day in the small market town of Stroud nestled in the south west Cotswolds, ten miles south of Gloucester. The town had piqued our interest as it had recently been named by the Sunday Times as the best place to live in Britain so we were interested to find out…
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How to Explore Cheltenham by E-Bike: A Complete Guide
After spending the previous day visiting Sudeley Castle and nearby Winchcombe we moved our focus onto the Regency spa town of Cheltenham where we were staying. After breakfast we headed over to The Bicycle Hub located at Cheltenham Spa railway station where we’d arranged the hire of e-bikes so that we could take the Regency…
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Exploring Sudeley Castle & Winchcombe: The Ultimate Day Trip Guide
We planned a weekend based in the Regency spa town of Cheltenham and on the way there spent an afternoon at Sudeley Castle nestled in the Cotswold hills. It is located just outside Winchcombe and only eight miles from Cheltenham. The castle and gardens are open daily from 10.00 – 5.00 p.m. until the end…
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The Stoke-on-Trent Ceramics Trail: Explore Britain’s Potteries Heritage
Back in 1910 the six towns that came together to form Stoke were known collectively as The Potteries and comprise Hanley, Tunstall, Burslem, Longton, Fenton and Stoke. Although one might expect Stoke to be the actual city centre, it is usually regarded as Hanley. The Ceramic Trail is based around these towns which are located…
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How to Spend a Perfect Day in Newcastle
To complete our weekend break in Durham we decided to spend our final day in Newcastle. Trains run frequently between the two cities taking just 15 minutes, with standard off-peak adult returns £7.90. As it was a Sunday we were able to travel on any service so we arrived into Newcastle station bright and early…
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Durham Cathedral and University: Exploring Two of England’s Treasures
Sunshine streamed through the windows as we drew back the curtains and it looked as if the previous day’s beautiful weather was continuing. We started the day with a walk through Durham’s Market Place where stalls had been set up for the weekly Saturday market. Being unable to resist a browse through the stalls, we…
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How to Spend a Perfect Weekend in Durham
Durham is a small city nestled on the banks of the River Wear in the north east of England. It’s famous for its Norman cathedral, 11th century castle and world renowned university, with this part of the city designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In his book ‘Notes from a small island’ Bill Bryson called…
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12 Unmissable Things to Do in Blackpool for First-Time Visitors
Getting there: By car: Blackpool has a motorway link direct to the centre of the resort – take the M6 to Junction 32 and the M55 will lead you there. By train: The town has 3 railway stations, Blackpool North, Blackpool South and Blackpool Pleasure Beach. With direct services from London Euston, Birmingham, Glasgow and…
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A scenic canal walk in Manchester: Etihad Stadium to Piccadilly
For our final morning in Manchester we planned a canal side walk that would be new to us. Making good use of our weekend tram ticket, we caught a service to the Etihad Campus taking less than ten minutes on the Ashton Line. The Etihad stadium is home to Manchester City football club and was…
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Explore Manchester’s Museums and Salford Quays Waterfront
After the previous day’s torrential rain, we opened the curtains to a dull but thankfully dry morning. After going out for breakfast our first planned activity was a visit to the People’s History Museum in Spinningfields. We’d booked a timed entry for 11.00 a.m, and arrived promptly to look around this, the national museum of…
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What to Do in Manchester on a Rainy Day: The Ultimate Guide
It was a dreary, damp morning as we made our way to the station for our weekend in Manchester. Conditions were no better on our arrival and as there seemed little likelihood of the rain easing we decided to spend as much of the day as possible indoors. We were more than happy to be…
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A Day Walking Around Oxford: What to See and Do
We planned a day in Oxford and arrived into the city’s rail station mid morning. Oxford is located mid-way between London and Birmingham both approximately 60 miles (96 km) away and with trains from London Paddington taking from only 52 minutes it makes an ideal day out from the capital. It was a bright, pleasant…
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Reading Riverside Walk: Discover the Thames and City on Foot
We decided to spend the day in Reading, a town in the Thames Valley to the west of London. It’s Berkshire’s biggest town and also the largest in the UK to not have city status. Reading is a popular commuter town with a train almost every five minutes into London and the fastest services taking…
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Aldermaston to Woolhampton Walk: Exploring the Kennet & Avon Canal
Aldermaston is a small village in West Berkshire near to the Hampshire border, 46 miles (74km) from London and close to the towns of Basingstoke, Newbury and Reading. It is best known as the home of AWE, which is located just a mile outside the village, and responsible for the UK’s nuclear deterrent. We’d planned…
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Top Things to Do in Belfast: A Complete Travel Guide
Belfast is the vibrant capital of Northern Ireland and the perfect destination for a city break with a host of attractions to keep the entire family happy. Getting there: By air: Aer-Lingus, British Airways, KLM, Eastern Airways, EasyJet, Ryanair, Jet2 and Wizz Air all operate flights into either George Best City or Belfast International Airport.…
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Day Trip to The Wirral by Train from Liverpool: What to See and Do
After checking out of our accommodation in the city centre we left our bags to collect later in the day and then walked the short distance across to Liverpool Central Station to take a train to Birkenhead Park. Our plan was to continue along the same line to New Brighton later in the day so…
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