As holidays everywhere are cancelled as the UK stays home to help stop the spread of Corona Virus, we’re dreaming of the day when we can book a getaway, pack a suitcase and hit the road for the weekend.
Britain is blessed with breathtaking coastlines
While far-flung holidays to exotic destinations hold the wow factor, you don’t always need to board a long-haul flight to get your wanderlust fix. Britain is blessed with breathtaking coastlines, quaint countryside retreats and world-class cities right on our doorstep.
With this in mind, we’ve revisited some of our favourite UK staycation spots from posh camping in the South Downs to experiencing Manchester’s nightlife scene. No passport or airport hassle necessary!
Lareese – Cambridge
There’s so much of the UK I haven’t seen and would love to explore – The Cotswolds, Scottish Highlands, Durdle Door, the list is endless! Last year, we took a spontaneous trip to Cambridge for the day and loved wandering around the botanical gardens and getting a famous sticky Chelsea bun from Fitzbillies. It’s worth a trip for them alone!
It’s full of quaint streets, coffee shops, museums and of course punting! It was quite rainy when we went so we missed out on the river tour (boooo) but it’s meant to be the best way to see the city. It’s equally nice to stroll around and explore on foot though.
We had an excellent roast meat sarnie at Bread and Meat. I wish I could eat it again!
Danielle – Cornwall
I’m lucky enough to have parents with a second home in Cornwall and loads of family down there so every year we go a couple of times and it’s honestly always the BEST weekend!
The beaches are incredible, the views are insane, and the fish is delicious. My favourite thing to do is rent a bike in Wadebridge and cycle the ‘camel trail’ to Padstow, then we look round the shops and eat Rick Stein’s fish and chips, sometimes we also get the ferry boat over to Rock and go to the restaurant that serves huge pizzas.
Other amazing beaches are Fistral beach and Lust Glaze in Newquay. I normally have a phone detox every time I’m down in Cornwall so I had to pinch these beautiful photos from my Cousin Gina!
Darcey – Manchester
My favourite UK staycation has got to be Manchester. I love the buzz of the city, it’s just as fun as London (I’d say even better), but much better value for your money.
Manchester has so many fun things to do, including shopping with two massive shopping centres (my heaven). I love the bars and pubs there too, they are so fun! They’ve got some great restaurants like Dukes 92 (which is also a bar, result), great brunch places and the best fast food burger place Archies, you cannot go to Manchester and not have an Archies!
Manchester is a great place to go if you are someone like me who loves being in a big city!
Charlotte – Margate
I love a seaside break as someone who had never lived on the coast until Brighton, and Margate has all the quintessentially British fun you could ask for!
The sandy beach is lovely to relax on in the sunshine, and Dreamland is quite honestly a DREAM. Retro rides, live music, a roller-skating park, arcades and countless food stalls- I’m ready for another visit already!
Brunch at The Bus Cafe on the seafront is amazing, and make sure to visit GB Pizza for delicious dinner in Instagrammable surroundings- who doesn’t love a neon sign?!
Zoe – Liverpool | Edinburgh
One of my favourite places to visit at any time of the year is Edinburgh. I love the architecture, the layout of the city, the shops, the people and the overall vibe! Especially on a sunny day with the sound of bagpipes playing, you can’t help but feel instantly happy!
One of my favourite things to do is wander down to The Grassmarket and weave in and out of cobbled streets and independent shops. One year, Alfie, Poppy, Sean and myself drove up, stopping at Liverpool for one night on the way. Liverpool is also a city I love to visit, so it was nice to incorporate them both into one trip, and it turned out to be one of my favourite trips we’ve all done together. Something I always recommend doing is the open bus tour, I learnt so much about Edinburgh whilst seeing the best bits, and you can hop on and off at any point.
We’ve also visited a few times at Christmas too. The decorations and the Christmas market make for a fully festive experience! I’ve written about my trip here on the blog, you can find it in the archives!
Maddie – Southdowns
Looking for something a bit different for your next UK staycation? A few years ago I surprised my husband with a weekend away in the beautiful South Downs where we stayed in old converted Shepherds huts called the Wriggly Tin. No electricity and no heating other than from a little log burner you’ve got to get going yourself, it’s back to nature but in the cutest most glampy way.
We took bike rides around the countryside, ate amazing pub lunches, made campfires, roasted marshmallows and soaked away the day in our very own log fire hot tub.
It was absolute bliss and just thinking about it makes me want to go back immediately.
Holly – Sandwich
I LOVE a UK Break. Closer, Cheaper and you get to explore somewhere you’ve potentially never been. My auntie and Uncle own a house in Sandwich (Kent) so I’ve been going there once a year for about 6 years and it’s lovely.
Not many people know about it so not too busy but so quirky. There’s good restaurants, quaint coffee shops and pubs and you kind of feel like you step back in time. They have one of those sweet shops where you go in and ask for a pound’s worth.
With great walks, nature reserves and even a seal watching boat trip, there’s plenty to do but also a great place to go to switch off. If you want to go, check out what’s on in Sandwich, wheres always some kind of cheese rolling contest or pub crawl. Also, check out the ‘no-name cafe’.
