Love Travelling Blog

Travel diaries providing inspiration for planning the perfect trip

South West

  • Christchurch Priory

    A walk around Christchurch, Dorset

    The picturesque riverside town of Christchurch lies a short distance from its larger neighbour Bournemouth on the south coast of England in beautiful Dorset.  The town is easily accessible as it is on the main rail line between London Waterloo and Weymouth and is well connected to nearby larger towns by regular bus services. It…

  • Red Arrows, Bournemouth Air Show

    Bournemouth Air Show 2021

    The Bournemouth Air Show takes place at the end of August/ early September each year featuring air displays over four days against a backdrop of the beautiful sweeping bay. There is no admittance charge to the festival and thousands of plane lovers flock to the Dorset resort on the south coast of England to watch…

  • Your Apartment, Bristol, Frederick Place

    Review: Your Apartment Bristol

    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…

  • SS Great Britain

    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…

  • Bristol Observatory

    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…

  • Colourful houses in Bristol harbour

    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…

  • Christ Church College, Oxford

    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…

  • Lanhydrock, Cornwall

    A Day Trip to Fowey and Lanhydrock Estate in Cornwal

    The final day of our Cornish holiday had come around all too quickly and as we’d enjoyed ourselves so much the time had just sped by.  After checking out of our hotel in Bodmin we drove into the town centre for breakfast and to have a short walk through the town.  Earlier in the week…

  • The Eden Project

    How to Plan Your Visit to The Eden Project, Mevagissey & Lost Gardens of Heligan

    It was raining hard as we set off from our hotel in Bodmin on the 10 mile journey to St. Austell where we’d planned to have breakfast and a little look around the town.  Apart from a cosy pub for some breakfast, there seemed little in the town to interest us but to be fair,…

  • Padstow harbour

    Cornwall Travel: Padstow & Newquay Visitor Guide for First-Timers

    After stopping off in Bodmin for some breakfast we headed to Padstow which took around 35 minutes along some exceedingly narrow lanes.  Fortunately we didn’t meet any vehicles coming the opposite way so unlike the previous day there was no reversing required. As we were visiting off season and reasonably early, we managed to find…

  • Tintagel, Cornwall

    Doc Martin Locations: How to Explore Port Isaac and Visit Tintagel, Cornwall

    Despite it being an overcast morning, my spirits were high as we started the day with a drive to the small fishing village of Port Isaac on Cornwall’s north coast.  We left our car in the main car park paying £3 for a three hour stay.  The car park is located 725 metres from the…

  • Bodmin Prison, Cornwall

    Truro and Bodmin Jail: Top Things to See and Do in Cornwall

    The time had flown by and before we knew it, we had already reached the halfway point of our 10 day Cornish road trip.  After enjoying a final breakfast in the bar of the John Francis Basset Hotel where we had been staying, we packed up the car and were soon on our way to…

  • Falmouth High Street

    Cornwall Travel Guide: Falmouth and Glendurgan Gardens Highlights

    It had rained overnight but fortunately we woke to another bright, sunny morning.  After breakfast in Camborne, we set off for Falmouth located on the south coast, which is one of Cornwall’s largest towns.  The journey took us 40 minutes and our 10.15 a.m. arrival afforded us ample street parking opportunities along the seafront cliff…

  • Porthleven harbour

    Day Trip to Porthleven, Lizard Point & Helston: Exploring Cornwall’s South Coast

    After enjoying a cooked breakfast in our hotel in Camborne we were ready to go by 9.30 a.m. and the first place on our list was the village of Porthleven, located 11 miles away.  We easily found some unrestricted street parking very close to the centre and were soon on our way to its picturesque…

  • The entrance to Land's End, Cornwall

    Your Guide to a Day Trip to Land’s End, Minack Theatre & St. Ives

    It was a bright and sunny morning as we pulled back the curtains in our hotel room and after tucking into some tasty bacon sandwiches we were back in the car for another day of sightseeing.  Our starting point was to be Land’s End, the headland that sits at the most westerly point of England…

  • St. Michael's Mount Cornwall

    Visiting St. Michael’s Mount & Penzance: A Perfect Cornwall Day Trip

    After enjoying a hearty breakfast in our hotel, we hopped in the car for the 25 minute journey to Marazion on Cornwall’s south west coast to visit St. Michael’s Mount.  We parked in the main Folleyfield car park which charges a flat rate £4 all day fee.  The car park is only a few minutes…

  • The Museum of Somerset

    One Day in Taunton: Discover Somerset’s County Town

    I couldn’t have been more excited as we packed up the car for a ten day road trip.  Cornwall lies at the south western tip of the country and is noted for its rugged coastline and sandy beaches.  I had vague recollections of a two week family holiday in Newquay as a young child and…

  • Bristol waterfront

    Bristol Travel Guide: How to Plan the Perfect Trip

    Getting there Bristol is ideally situated with excellent transport links and enjoys good road access being at the intersection of both the M4 and M5 motorways.  For visitors preferring to travel by train, Bristol Temple Meads railway station is the largest rail hub in the west of England with direct services from London, Scotland, Manchester…

  • View from Hengistbury Head, Dorset

    Exploring Hengistbury Head, Dorset: A Scenic Coastal Walk Guide

    Hengistbury Head is a dramatic headland located close to Bournemouth and to the south of Christchurch harbour.  It’s a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a local nature reserve. There are two large car parks near to the start of the walk situated next to the popular Hiker Cafe.  For the less energetic, a…

  • Pastel coloured Houses, Weymouth Harbour

    How to Spend a Day in Weymouth: Best Things to See and Do

    During our stay along the Dorset coast we decided to spend a day in Weymouth which is the gateway to the Jurassic Coast, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site located along the Dorset and east Devon coast. After parking near to the town’s marina we admired some of the many yachts moored there on our…

  • Bournemouth Pier

    A Walk from Bournemouth to Sandbanks: A Stunning Dorset Coastline Route

    After having recently enjoyed a walk eastwards from Bournemouth pier to Boscombe, we decided it was time to explore the coast along the opposite direction. Our walk commenced at Pier Approach which is the gateway to Bournemouth’s seafront and links the town centre to the beach via the pretty Lower Gardens. Pier Approach has changed…

  • Lymington town centre

    Lymington Travel Guide: What to See and Do in the New Forest’s Coastal Gem

    Lymington is a Georgian market town located on the western bank of the Lymington river in Hampshire and is surrounded on three sides by the New Forest National Park.  The town has a railway station which is on a branch line to Brockenhurst with links to the south coast main line between London and Weymouth.…

  • Poole Old Town

    A Walk Around Poole, Dorset: Explore the Historic Quayside and Coastline

    Poole is a coastal town in Dorset close to the larger resort of Bournemouth and is noted for its large natural harbour and historic quayside.  I started my tour of the town next to the Dolphin Shopping Centre so I had a little look around the shops there before continuing along Poole High Street.  This…

  • Dorchester town centre

    How to Spend a Day in Dorchester: Top Things to See and Do

    Dorchester is the county town of Dorset in south west England and on one sunny Sunday morning recently we decided to go along and explore this historic market town.  We left our car in the Fairfield long stay car-park which we were pleased to discover offered free parking all day Sunday making this a welcome…

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