South West
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
A Day Trip to Fowey and Lanhydrock Estate in Cornwall
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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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 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…
-
Travel Guide to Tewkesbury: Top Things to See and Do
Our travels took us to the medieval town of Tewkesbury, noted for its well preserved half timbered Tudor buildings and its 12th century Abbey. We started our walk around town at The Cross adjoining the High Street which has a wonderful collection of Tudor buildings including the cantilevered 18th century Golden Key House, the top…
-
Top Things to Do in Cirencester: Discover the Cotswolds’ Historic Capital
Cirencester is located 80 miles west of London and is often referred to as the capital of the Cotswolds as it lies in the heart of this beautiful part of England. It was our first visit to this prosperous market town and after finding somewhere to park on the edge of the town, we were…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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 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.…
-
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…
-
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…
Love Travelling Blog 