ENGLAND
When most people think about England as a tourist destination their thoughts immediately focus on London and all the iconic landmarks. These places are definitely worth checking out whilst you are there, however this little piece is designed to give you a few other cool ideas of places worth exploring.
I (Dan) am from England as you may know, but Maggie is from Argentina so our travels revolve around two different perspectives. Though for this trip to England most of our visits were to London and surrounding counties, the first adventure we took was to Dorset and along the Jurassic Coastline.
When in Dorset, we had to visit the amazing Durdle Door. Around this area there are also some unreal castles you can see and Lulworth Cove, which is a stunning little beach cove, set in a quaint fishing village. It feels like your stepping back in time with all the cottages and tiny little country lanes. For more info on this area check out our blog on “Durdle Door, England's hidden gem on the Jurassic Coast”.
Whilst in England we were based in Surrey, a home county to London which is known for the Surrey Hills – an area of outstanding natural beauty packed with amazing walks, countryside and still just a stones throw away form the hustle and bustle that London has to offer. If you are in the area, be sure to check out box hill and the wineries close to the area, with all the chalky hillsides, they have some seriously tasty wine and great country beers.If you wanna be amazed by lavender fields, right on the boarder of Surrey and London you will find the Mayfield Lavender fields. Glowing purple, it is greater London’s answer to Provence and is a great day trip. See more of this in our blog “Mayfield Lavender Farm, a lil' piece of France in England”.
As we all know London in its self has a whole heap of places to go, which begs the question, where should you go then? Obviously you have the main tourist attractions – Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, The London Eye, Buckingham Palace, etc; however it also hosts a load of awesome arty and slightly less obvious places that you can see such as Shoreditch, Notting Hill, Camden and Brixton to name a few. These places are absolutely packed with old shops selling vinyl, antiques and trendy vintage clothing. Walking down the street in these areas is so much fun as there is heaps of street-art everywhere and it’s so buzzy and alternative. You will also find a big underground scene with hidden bars and amazing night outs too!
In saying that, Brighton is also a must whilst in England. Some may know it for hosting some of the most famous beach parties ever in the UK especially from Fatboy Slim, others might know it for its amazing diverse population, especially being the gay capital of England. Being a seaside city and well known for its art, music and quirkiness Brighton has an amazing feel to it. From walking along the beach with fish and chips to shopping in the laneways with all the cool antiques, vintage clothing and coffee shops.
Another iconic place we had the pleasure to visit was the beautiful city of Cambridge, located North East of London. Most famous for it University, the city is packed full of history having some of the smartest people in world study there in current and past times, such as Stephen Hawkins, Issac Newton and Charles Darwin. The city is a very vibrant and lively place with a strong feel of youth to it. If you want to punt along the river you can pay to be taken or hire a boat yourself. If you do take a tour definitely haggle on the price as they promoted the cost at £20 and we got it for around half that price with out really trying.