Three Amazing Ways to Explore the UK

 

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As a child growing up we holidayed in the UK each summer, in fact, we were even more predictable than that and we basically only went on holiday to beach resorts within a couple of hours' travel of our home in Surrey. My Dad has never liked long drives and he's a bit of a homebody so we didn't even contemplate going abroad. 

Roll forward a few years when I had my own income I was desperate to travel and explore further afield, so each year I'd go abroad two or three times a year and always to somewhere new, so I could experience different cultures and places. It was great to have this time of exploration and excitement, but then once I had settled down into married life we had children, my desires changed.  The idea of taking babies, toddlers or even young children on a plane and dealing with the burning sun sounded like a nightmare!

So, for many years we chose to holiday in the UK and explore our amazing country. There is so much to see and such a lot of variety of places to visit, that you do not need to head to Europe, the Caribbean or the Americas. You can also travel the UK in all sorts of ways, so let's explore a few that my husband and I fancy taking on in the coming years.

Caledonian Sleeper Train to Edinburgh

None of our children have been to Scotland yet, so we are really keen to expose them to the delights of this amazing country. Edinburgh is a very easy train ride away from London, just 7 hours and 45 minutes away and we can book seats or sleeper cabins to enjoy our ride. I'm sure we'd have an early morning call to ensure we can see some of the sights as we travel into Scotland.

It feels like August is a perfect month to visit as the weather should be good and we will get to see the Edinburgh Tattoo, which is an amazing sight to behold. We've been to many military parades before, but I don't think any will come close to this and it will give us a taste of real Scotland. 

A few days in Edinburgh will be easy to fill with visits to the castle, the Royal Mile, the Underground vaults, Calton Hill and the Royal Botanic Gardens.

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British Isles Discovery Cruise

We've never experienced a cruise as yet and it is something I really fancy. I love the idea of visiting multiple places but without it being too difficult to move between them. A UK cruise is perfect for people like us, who have not yet cruised, as we can ease into it gently and see if it is for us.

There are multiple places in the UK to be able to board the cruise, a range of different cabin types depending on your budget and of course so much delicious food and drink to enjoy as you cruise. Depending on the cruise you choose you can be at sea for as little as three days or as many as you like if you decide to go long haul.

On a British Isles cruise, you may get to stop and explore places such as the Orkney Isles, Isle of Mull, Isle fo Sky, Belfast, Cork, Isles of Scilly, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Bristol, Liverpool and you might even choose to add in a little more excitement by choosing stops at the Channel Islands, Belgium or the Netherlands. 

Cornwall by Camper Van

OK, I say by campervan, but if I am honest, I am more of a woman who likes her comfort, so I'd probably choose the less cute motorhome option, and know I can have a decent night's sleep. We've never explored Cornwall as a family as it is a very long drive to get there, but I feel it is somewhere that I want to go to.

I'm an old romantic at heart and the amount of books I have read that are set in Cornwall has really whet my appetite to visit there. It's another trip that I'd like to do in the warmer months, but maybe in early May or late September so that we don't have the full summer holiday gang there at the same time. 

I'm picturing the motorhome parked up somewhere beautiful with a nice glass of wine and a book as the sun goes down and my husband and I enjoy being in each other's company, before heading to a small restaurant for some beautiful home-cooked food. 

Holidaying in the UK: Planning for All Eventualities

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More and more of us are choosing to stay in the UK for our holiday this year and I suspect it may become a trend over the next few years as well, as people recover financially and emotionally from the scars of Covid 19. 

Personally, I love going on holiday here as we have such a beautiful country and there is so much to explore, with great diversity in our towns, countryside and coastline. There is no need for holidaying in the UK to be looked down on as the poor relation to foreign travel. It is far more kind to our world, it can save you a decent amount of money and you know the language!

In the last couple of years, we have explored so much more of our home county, East Sussex and found some real gems for days out. Also, we have also stayed in West Sussex, Kent, Yorkshire, Surrey, Hampshire, Hertfordshire and London and I can honestly say the only thing we have missed is the guaranteed sunshine and massive swimming pools that you tend to get abroad. I've found that going on holiday with the right attitude and knowing that the holiday will be more about exploring a new area, eating great food and enjoying time as a family has allowed us to not feel as if we have missed out. 

Of course, things can go wrong on holiday here in the UK, just the same as they can anywhere else so it is important to be ready and prepared as you can be. Here are a few things to think about and organise before your holiday, so that you can have the most stress-free time whilst you're away. 

Planning our Travels for 2020

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As soon as Christmas is over, I am always keen to start planning the year ahead and plotting out when we might be getting some nights away and quality family time. We're not a family that has loads of disposable income, so I can't generally plan European short breaks and Florida summer holidays. I have to be a bit more creative with the money we have, and try to make it go as far as possible. It's also incredibly fortunate that I can secure some breaks away due to this blog.

2020 is panning out really well and I am feeling excited and looking ahead to the great times we'll have. The kids half term is next week and I'm always dubious to book anything much in the February half term as you can never tell what our weather will do. So, the kids and I will just be heading for February for a few days to spend time with my parents, and we always love doing that.

April - Spring Harvest at Butlins, Skegness
On Easter Sunday we'll head up to the in-laws to celebrate Easter and then on to Skegness for our yearly holiday at the Spring Harvest Christian festival. JJ won't be coming with us, as he will be staying with my parents and revising for his GCSEs that will start the next month.

So, it will be just the four of us and the one good point of that, is that it is cheaper, but I always miss my boy when he isn't there. I love this holiday as it is a mix of relaxation and fun, with swimming, the fun fair and chilling with my hubby, as well as great times of teaching and celebration. It is completely joyous and I haven't been to Skegness since 2011, so it will be great to experience the changes they've made there in the last decade.