UK by Rail
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Christmas in Edinburgh: A festive city break
Visiting Edinburgh at Christmastime is one of my favourite places to be. Twinkling lights, historic streets, superb shopping and a wonderful Christmas market make Scotland’s capital the perfect winter city break. Arriving in Edinburgh by Train: Waverley Station There’s something special about arriving in Edinburgh by train, as walking up the steps out of Waverley…
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The Old Police Station at Montgomery House, Leeds Review
Hotel Review The Old Police Station at Montgomery House has just opened its doors in the vibrant suburb of Headingley, a ten minute drive from Leeds city centre. The former police station had been abandoned for almost twenty years and was in a poor state of repair until Alex Ball, his partner and a couple…
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What to See and Do in Margate, Kent: A Visitor’s Travel Guide
Margate: Margate is the largest of the three towns in East Kent comprising the Isle of Thanet. It’s a popular seaside resort that became fashionable during the 19th century and this is still evidenced today by its splendid Georgian seafront terraces. The resort’s hey day continued with the arrival of the railway bringing hordes of…
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The Reading Walks Festival: A Guide to exploring Reading on foot
The inaugural Reading Walks Festival took place over five days in May and was such a huge success that it’s now been firmly placed onto the town’s calendar as an annual event. We were invited to attend and with over 40 guided walks taking place and most of them free, we were spoilt for choice.…
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How to Spend the Perfect Weekend Break in Reading
Getting there: Reading lies on the River Thames in the county of Berkshire, south east England and is easily accessible by car as it is just two miles from Junction 11 of the M4 motorway. For visitors arriving by train GWR operate regular services between London and the west with Reading being the first stop…
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Discover Nottingham: The Ultimate Weekend Itinerary
Nottingham is often referred to as the ‘Queen of the East Midlands’ as the English Kings held court there when they went hunting in its surrounding forests. It’s famous for the legendary Robin Hood, lace making and much more. We’ve just returned from a fabulous short break so why not take a look at my…
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Hotel Indigo Chester Review
Hotel Review Hotel Indigo Chester is a boutique hotel located in the heart of Chester’s beautiful and historic city. Newly built in 2019, it was designed to reflect the Roman city’s architecture and its famous racecourse. Location: The hotel is conveniently located being just a ten minute walk from Chester railway station. Direct trains from…
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Chester Travel Guide: Top Things to Do, See & Explore
Chester is a beautiful historic city located on the banks of the River Dee in north west England. It’s famous for its half timbered buildings, Roman ruins, medieval city centre and for having the oldest racecourse in the country. Check out my suggestions below of how to make the most of a weekend break in…
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A Weekend in Chester: Top Things to See and Do
After enjoying weekends in the historic centres of York and Lincoln we decided to turn our attention to Chester. Located in the north west of England the M53 motorway links the city to the main road network with a frequent rail service connecting to major cities. We opted to travel by train and leaving home…
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How to Spend a Day in Stirling from Edinburgh: Best Day Trip Itinerary
We decided to spend the day in Stirling and booked anytime day return tickets from Edinburgh Waverley at £16.90 per person. Stirling lies 37 miles north west of Edinburgh and is often referred to as the gateway to the Scottish Highlands. The journey time was only 45 minutes and it seemed no time at all…
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How to Spend a Day in St. Andrews from Edinburgh: A Scenic Day Trip Guide
From our base at the Altido Vita aparthotel in the Fountainbridge district of Edinburgh it was just a ten minute walk downhill to Haymarket station for our train to St. Andrews (Leuchars station). We’d pre-booked our tickets (£18.50 standard off peak day return) for the one hour journey and as we were sitting on the right…
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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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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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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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Exploring Liverpool’s Waterfront: Pier Head and Albert Dock
After almost four months of lockdown the sheer novelty of boarding a train was an uplifting experience, just sitting gazing out of the window at the changing scenery as our journey progressed. We’d planned a four day city break in Liverpool which is located in north west England on the banks of the River Mersey. …
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Top York Attractions: What to See and Do in the Historic City
Getting there: York is easily accessible from all parts of the country with trains between York and London taking only one and three quarter hours meaning that visiting the city can easily be combined with a trip to the capital. Attractions: York Minster This is one of the world’s most magnificent cathedrals (adult admission £11.50). …
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Lincoln Travel Guide: Best Places to Visit and Things to Do
Getting there: Lincoln is a historic city located in the East Midlands and conveniently situated for travel from most parts of the United Kingdom. Last year LNER began operating AZUMA rail services direct from London King’s Cross station with a journey time of just under two hours making the city even more accessible and perfect…
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Exploring Manchester City Centre on Foot: Top Attractions & Walking Routes
I was so excited to be spending a weekend in Manchester as it’s one of my all time favourite cities and somewhere I visit often. Five long months seemed much too long to be away and as our train approached Victoria station even the sun broke through the clouds to welcome us back. We’d arranged…
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How to Spend a Day in Greenwich, London: Must-See Sights & Activities
I had a spring in my step as I boarded an LNER early morning train between Leeds and London Kings Cross. Using public transport and travelling by train is something I do constantly but alas not in these strange times so I was excited to be taking my first journey for over four months. I’ll…
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Lincoln Sightseeing: A Walk Up Steep Hill and Visit to the Bomber Command Centre
Lincoln is a historic city located in the East Midlands and conveniently situated for travel from most parts of the United Kingdom. Recently, LNER began operating AZUMA rail services direct from London King’s Cross station with a journey time of just under two hours making the city even more accessible and perfect for a weekend…
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Explore York: Top Attractions and The Chocolate Story Experience
We set off bright and early in order to maximise our time in York as there were so many things we wanted to see and do during our short stay. Arriving mid-morning at our riverside accommodation, the newly opened Roomzzz Aparthotel, we were pleasantly surprised to find that our room was ready so we dropped…
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Things to Do in Blackpool: Blackpool Tower, SeaLife Centre & Madame Tussaud’s
I’ve visited Blackpool several times but always either in the summer or during the autumn illuminations when the resort has been in full swing so I was curious to find out what it would be like to visit the resort out of season. Plans made, we were up at the crack of dawn (well, earlier…
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Why you should visit Hull – the complete guide
Hull is a port city in East Yorkshire, northern England, located on the north bank of the Humber estuary. It was awarded the title of UK City of Culture in 2017 and I was interested to visit the city to take a look at its cultural attractions for myself and discover if the accolade was…
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