This blog post is different. It’s not about a holiday or an experience I’ve had, it’s an outline of a future holiday that I’m working towards.
When the Perry family travelled overseas in 2012 we had around 3 weeks and loads to fit in. With this future holiday I’d like to catch up on those places we missed and consider a couple of different options. You might like to post your ideas and recommendations too.
Flying to London, I’d choose a stop over in Singapore if flying with Qantas or Dubai if flying with Emirates, hopefully I have lots of frequent flyer points I can use like our 2012 holiday.
Spending 7 nights in London would mean that for our second visit we could take the big red double decker bus to see what we may have missed on the first trip and stop at St Paul’s Cathedral, Shakespeare’s Globe to perhaps see a show, cruise with the Thames Clippers and enjoy lunch at Borough Market in South Bank.
I’d like to walk through Kensington Park and Hyde Park, spend a day in Notting Hill and Portobello Rd Markets with a daily (or at least every second day) visit for lunch or drinks to an English Pub including London Pride / ESB (Youngs breweries)/Directors (Fullers). Abbey Road is another iconic place I’d like to see and have my photo taken on the zebra crossing.
Rather than driving around a considerable amount of countryside over a few days, I’d like to take day trips (car and/or train) to:
- Hampton Court Palace in East Molesey, Surrey and Windsor Castle in Windsor, Berkshire
- Brighton
- Warwick Castle, Warwickshire
- Perhaps Enid Blyton’s House in Buckinghamshire –http://www.cookham.com/adverts/miscellaneous/enidblyton.htm and the Old Thatch Garden http://www.oldthatchgardens.co.uk/finding.htm, Old Thatch, Coldmoorholme Lane, Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, SL8 5PS, UK
- Harry Potter filming locations
- Brentwood, Essex
- Cambridge
- Nottingham
I’m keen to go to Henley-on-Thames to:
- Visit the River and Rowing Museum – and greet statues of two great Olympians Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent; Wind in the Willows
- Go rowing or take a boat trip – enjoy the famous regatta course relaxing on a river cruise or energetically in a rowing boat all with one of Henley’s oldest companies, Hobbs of Henley or if you want a a one-off Henley Rowing Experience try The Henley Rowing Association – beginners welcome!
- Walk along the Thames Path – the route to Hambleden lock is 2.5 miles long
- Attend a performance at Kenton Theatre – one of the oldest performing theatres in the country
- Take afternoon tea – a perfect brew teamed with either scones and jam or a slice of cake
- Stonor Park – home of Lord and Lady Camoys, one of England’s oldest manor houses has a fine collection of contemporary ceramics
- Grey’s Court – National Trust run 16th-century mansion and tranquil gardens with outstanding 18th century plasterwork
- The Herb Garden – specialist Herb nursery and Saxon Maze with a mile of curving grass pathways
- Nuffield Place – visit the time-capsule home of the philanthropist William Morris, Lord Nuffield, the founder of Morris Motor Cars and one of the richest men in the world.
Easy Jet flies really cheaply to major cities and I’d like to see Dublin in Ireland, Belfast in Northern Ireland, Cardiff in Wales and maybe Livepool and/or Manchester.
So, do you have any recommendations, places to visit or avoid, pubs, activities or things to do in the UK? Please post your comments and experiences, thanks!
Written by Wendy Perry, Innovator | Thinker | Speaker | Writer