So there is only 32 sleeps till my trip to England – or 19 work days but whose counting! So I thought I’d give you a bit of an update of what I have planned.
Abu Dhabi
I have one full day in Abu Dhabi and the one thing I must do is go to the Grand Sheikh Zayed Mosque. A few years ago I was delayed in the city and we got taken to a hotel for the night. We drove past this giant white building and ever since then I have wanted to go back and check the place out.
One of my nieces went a couple of years ago and took some amazing photos, it only increased my desire to go there.
London
This will be my 4th time in this city and there is still so much that I want to do. This time, however, I only have 4 days to do those things.
There are a couple of things I MUST DO whenever I’m in London, they are grab a Kiwi burger at GBK; go to Greenwich and set my sights on St Paul’s Cathedral.
Given that my time in London is short this time round, there is one other thing that I absolutely must do and I can’t believe that I haven’t done it before! And that is check out some of London’s street art.
Cotswolds
Visiting Castle Combe in 2015 made me fall in love with the Cotswolds area – which I know is kind of huge. So this year, I am basing myself in the north of the Cotswolds area and will spending some time exploring.
The must do things for the Cotswolds are:
- Stratford-upon-Avon, which I know technically is not part of the area but it’s close enough. With my love of Shakespeare, this visit is a long time coming.
- Blenheim Palace. I was surprised to find that Blenheim Palace would be open during my visit since a lot of Stately Homes close down for the winter period.
- Exploring the Cotswolds. I don’t really have any set plans, just jump in the car and drive basically – see what I can find
Peak District
This is one area I have never been to so I honestly really have no idea what to expect. However the number one must do item on my list for this area is to visit Lyme Park, from the BBC Pride & Prejudice fame – you know the one.. where Mr Darcy comes around the corner after taking a swim in the pond and meets Elizabeth Bennett!!
I am staying in the Peak District area for 3 nights so plan on doing a couple of day trips to fill in the time – or I could stay cosy and warm in Wortley Hall, where I will be staying.
North Yorkshire Moors
I only have two nights in the Moors but my time is chocka block with things I am doing – including the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, which I am SUPER excited for. I honestly don’t know where my love of steam trains comes from – I blame my dad though. But I really do love them and I am looking forward to spending the day exploring the quaint little railway stations along the way.
The other place I must visit is Whitby – simply because it looks amazing!
York
York has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. It all started when I was a kid and my dad use to bounce me on his knee while singing “The Grand of Duke of York”. It became his signature – it was so much a part of him that we actually sang it at his funeral, it was quite the thing!
I have been planning to go to York for so many years and nearly did get there in 2015, but things didn’t quite work out. Which in retrospect, I think is actually a good thing. The reason York is so important to me this time is that I am going to be there on the 9th anniversary of my dad passing away. It’s going to be a rather poignant trip but one I am looking forward to nonetheless.
I’m spending 3 nights in York and have a couple of other things I am planning to do in the area – visit Castle Howard and pop up to Newcastle for a quick visit.
Manchester
I’m only going to be in Manchester for one night and will be getting there around 11am so there isn’t much time to explore the city. But I do plan on spending a couple of hours wandering around and hopefully checking out the John Rylands Library.
So there you have it.. 3 weeks in England. I can’t wait to share my adventures with you all.
Hello World. It's Me, Sarah 
great plan!
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You’re making me more excited about my trip as well as yours! We will be going to London, hopping down to Paris (never been, and want to go at least once in my lifetime), then up to Leeds where the boyfriend’s mom lives, then day trips to Newcastle (where boyfriend went school), Manchester (to see a musical based on Meatloaf songs), Cambridge (where boyfriend grew up), then back to London for a night; all in one week! I’m kind of sad that we will be missing each other. It would have been great to meet you in person. Maybe some other time! 🙂
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Oh wow that sounds awesome! Are you in Paris at night? If you are, makes sure you head over to the Eiffel Tower – amazing during the day but at night she sparkles 🙂 every hour on the hour for about 10 minutes. It’s amazing to witness. I’ve never been to Cambridge but it’s on my list for the next visit haha. I hope you have an awesome time! I am waiting in eager anticipation to see how you like it. It would have been awesome to meet up!! I’m sure our paths will meet one day – in some completely random way haha
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We are staying in Paris for one night and I was sure to book a hotel a few blocks away specifically to enjoy the Eiffel Tower at night. I’m so excited! I’m also trying to schedule a lunch cruise to get a tour of Paris with a twist. We’ll see if it actually happens. 🙂
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That is so cool! I wasn’t a huge fan of Paris itself but it is still a pretty amazing city. The Eiffel Tower was my absolute highlight.
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I’m expecting the same. I’m not really a city person, but I’m excited to visit for the first time; that’s why we’re only staying for one night. I think I’m most excited about riding the train everywhere. I’ve never been on an actual train; only the Metro in Washington, D.C…
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I didn’t try the metro in Paris.. i was too scared haha. But I love the Tube in London. So easy to use! Looks a bit daunting but it’s really actually quite easy. My next rhing is to conquer the buses there haha.. they’re a little bit more complicated (but way cheaper!!)
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Since I will be traveling with a native, I hope he will take the reins with transportation, though we’ve already decided that if we are going to rent a car, I will be the one to drive since he doesn’t know how to drive a manual. That’s going to be a whole other experience for me driving on the opposite side of the road, but I’m kind of excited about that too.
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Wow.. even I haven’t attemped driving on the other side of the road yet! We drive on the same side as the UK so for me driving there is easy (well except the tiny country roads.. they are an experience haha). Renting a car is good because it means added freedom but at the same time its extra cost… travelling with a native is always good though haha.. you can follow theit lead & not look like too much of a newbie haha
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Because of my age, if we do rent a car, we have to spend and extra 150 pounds because I’m considered a young driver, though I’ve been driving technically since I was 12; a lot longer than most my age. The other option is using him mom’s car. I’ve taken my boyfriend down back country roads here in the U.S. and I usually freak him out at how fast I go on a road wide enough to fit 1.5 cars, but I grew up on them… I know what I’m doing.
I’m really excited that you’ve decided to rent a car for a bit of your trip… mainly so I can see your pics you post of parts of England that I won’t get a chance to see. 🙂
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Oh yeah the age thing can be a bit of a pain.. luckily I don’t have the problem coz I’m so old haha. I actually love driving in England – there are so many villages that are really like they’re out of a story book. It really is a great country to drive around and discover. I actually can’t wait for my road trip – as much as I love London, I’m actually more excited about the parts outside of the city than London itself this time 😀
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I would be too!
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