Despite it being my own country, the UK is somewhere I hadn’t explored as much as I would have liked. But 2020-21 forced me to take a few more staycations…
Birmingham
“If interesting architecture is your thing then Birmingham has plenty to offer. As well as the Library Building, our famous Selfridges building (see the section on shopping!), and the Bullring’s Rotunda, you might be interested in seeing The Cube, so called for it’s dice-like shape and home to a few shops, restaurants, apartments and even a hotel.“
Exploring things to do and see in my home city.
Read my tips on Birmingham here.
Peak District
“Having spent most of our time in the south of the park we drove a bit further north instead to the Hope Valley region where we planned to walk up Mam Tor, a large hill in the High Peak area of the park...”
Yorkshire Dales
“Seeing the priory ruins in the distance, we decided to walk along the river in that direction. It was a pleasant walk and it didn’t take us long to reach the priory. We were able to look inside the chapel which is still used for services and then we walked around to explore the ruins behind the main building structure.“
Find out how I spent 3 days in the Yorkshire Dales here.
The Lake District
“For our first full day in the park, we had pre-booked a return boat trip across Lake Windermere, the largest lake in the park, travelling from Ambleside to Bowness-on-Windermere. Luckily…the weather had dramatically improved…and the sun was even trying to shine!“
My first ever visit to the Lake District. Find out what I got up to here.
Northumberland
“We took a circular walk heading out alongside Hadrian’s Wall, scrambling up and over some steep hills before finally emerging at Sycamore Gap where a lone sycamore tree lies in the valley between 2 hills.“
Continuing my UK National Parks road trip, I visited Northumberland National Park. Read about it here.
North York Moors
“we continued to follow the road north as it opened out into beautiful hill top moorland, driving carefully to avoid the sheep milling around on the roadside or even in the road itself and stopping at pull in points to get out and enjoy the view.“
Read about my 3 days exploring the North York Moors here.
Pembrokeshire Coast
“Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is a park very close to my heart after visiting it at least once every year for the last 27 years…Despite all the travelling I have done the last 10 years, I am yet to find anywhere that matches the beauty of Pembrokeshire.“
I revisited my favourite UK staycation destination. Read my tips on where to go and what to see here.
Scotland
“I always feel I should spend more time exploring the UK… Scotland is a country I’d never spent much time in… I was excited for the trip, ready to explore somewhere new and ready for adventure! “
Following a wedding in the Orkney Islands, I took a tour of the Scottish Highlands. Read about my Scottish adventure here!
Essex coast
“…we headed onto the quiet, mainly sandy beach, lined with its colourful beach huts. Walking away from the pier, Lily our dog playing happily in the waves lapping onto the seashore… “
Covid travel restrictions made me spend more time exploring my own country. I spent a few days staying on the east coast of England in the county of Essex.
East Sussex and Kent
” Following one of the well-trodden paths that had been made through the dunes, we soon emerged the other side to be greeted with an absolutely beautiful stretch of golden sands to our right which gradually turned to pebbles to our left. “
I took a trip to the South East of England exploring the East Sussex and Kent coast.
Lincolnshire
” We returned…late afternoon but after dinner, went out for another canal side walk… Our walk took us towards the village of Alvingham and, reaching a bridge crossing the canal, we crossed it into the village, past the village churches and looped back… “
We took a spur of the moment trip to Lincolnshire, finding an unexpected gem in the beautiful Lincolnshire Wolds and coast. Read about the trip here.
Dorset
“The next day we drove to Lulworth Cove on the Jurassic Coast wanting to see both the small horseshoe cove there and the popular Durdle Door a bit further along the coast. We parked at the large and rather expensive car park at Lulworth’s visitor centre and took the short stroll down through the pretty village to the beach…“
I took my parents and their dog Lily on a winter break to Dorset.
Liverpool
“Liverpool was one of those UK cities I’d been to multiple times but never really seen anymore than my hotel room…due to always being short on time. Visiting again…, I was determined that this time would be different. Despite having just the one night in the city, we had made plans to drive up early so we could have most of the day exploring…“
I took a short city break to the city of Liverpool. Read about my visit here.
Miss Travels 