I think everybody has some sort of dream of travelling the world. Meeting new people, learning about other cultures and enjoying the weather… But do we really need to travel too far to have a great experience?
I have never had a passport,I’ve never been to exotic places… The furthest I have ever travelled is Scotland. Do I feel left out? No. Would I like to experience being abroad? Of course! But it is not essential to me.
There are so many places in the UK which are beautiful and worthy of exploration, and here I want to share a few of them with you!
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a huge area, and has so many great areas to explore and lovely walks. We went to Ingleton a few years ago and had a really great week. This is a great destination if you have dogs, because most places are dog friendly and there are so many places to go for a walk!
Malham Cove
Have you ever watched Harry Potter and the deathly hallows part one? Remember this scene?
That eerie landscape is called Malham Cove. It’s actually a lovely location, and in the daylight it looks more like this…
Colwyn Bay
This is very possibly my favourite place. Me and Sam went here for our first holiday together at the age of 18, taking the bus from Manchester a couple of hours after I had completed my final A-Level exam! We returned the next year (with a car this time) and this is honestly my favourite holiday ever. The weather was glorious, we travelled up to Anglesey and explored castles… it was immense!
The Great Orme- A stunning view over the sea and Llandudno
Baumaris Castle (Angelsey)- This is great because you are able to climb the walls of the castle and the views are incredible!
Welsh Mountain Zoo- I love this zoo! They have a free bus that runs from Colwyn train Station a few times an hour and it’s only £12 admission. They have bird shows and sea lion shows every day!
Llanddulas- it has this really cute little beach which is great for an afternoon out
Brecon Beacons
Brecon is just stunning. The whole area is full of quirky little shops, lovely pubs and great place to walk. We actually went here for my cousin’s wedding, but stayed for a week after it.
We had loads of great days out, including a farm where you could go into the enclosures with goats, and the Llanddeusant Red Kite Feeding Station. If you have never seen 1000 birds of prey all feeding at once, you need to make this your next day trip. It’s a spectacle which I am in awe of.
My 21st Birthday- Northumbria
Oh. my. goodness. This day was just amazing! My parents booked us a week in the left wing of a mansion for my birthday, and they even sent things ahead of my birthday for the owner to decorate the room with.
I can’t think of anything better than this for a birthday present!
Cragside – A National Trust sight, this is a huge area to explore- you could visit here 4 days in a row and never reach the same part twice.
Bamburgh Castle
Sam’s 21st- Lake District and Predator Experience
Sam’s favourite animals are Wolves, so to celebrate his birthday I bought him an experience, walking two wolves in the lake district. As well as that, I bought him an eagle experience for the day after. We stayed in Windermere for 4 days, a mini holiday.
Predator experience is a couple who live in Grange-over-sands, they have a selection of different animals on their land, including wolves, foxes, birds of prey and even cheetahs. The couple who run it are lovely, and they had no issues with switching around times due to bad weather for us. Honestly, if you or your other half love wolves, birds of prey or foxes- this is the place to go. It’s worth every penny. Walking wolves on a lead? Yes Please!
Visit their site here for more info: http://www.predatorexperience.co.uk/
We also visited Southlake Zoo while we were away, and there’s just nothing as good as being able to come up close and feed lemurs.
I have also talked about Lymm Dam in a previous post, which you can see here: Lymm Dam: Afternoon Stroll
Chester Cathedral Falconry is a personal favourite of mine too (you’ll notice a lot of my favuorite things involve animals). Check it out: Chester Cathedral Falconry: Hidden Gem
If you missed my recent post about southport, you’re missing out! A Sunny Day in Southport
But… if you don’t want to travel at all, there’s really no place like home
What’s your favourite place in your home country? I’d love to know!
I agree that there are so many beautiful places to see in the UK. I’ve been to a few places but not enough. There are so many wonderful places to see in this world, just not enough time! 😉
Exactly! Far too much to explore 🙂
Lots of amazing places in the UK,Yorkshire is one of my favourite places in the UK. I loved cream tea. In my home country,my favourite has to be my home town Durban.It’s a holiday makers paradise 🙂
Love this post Imogen! I am a strong believer that one should be a local tourist. Oh, and great pictures. Baumaris is calling my name☺
Thank you! Baumaris is just amazing!
Epic photo journal & descriptive. I have such a weakness for red heads lol. I Love Love that you included that Harry Potter scene, made me instantly want to travel there. It’s great to see alittle of Yorkshire too.
Thank you! Haha I had to include Harry Potter!
I loved reading this blog. I’m exactly the same, only been abroad twice and although both holidays were great I HATE flying. Some of the places you mentioned like Colwyn bay and Beaumauris are some of my favourite places to go. We used to go every year. I’ll definitely have to make some time to go there soon if the weather is nice. There are so many great places to go in the UK we are so lucky.
Thank you 🙂 Yeah I love colwyn bay, wales in general is on of my favourite places!