The Great British Travel Bucket List

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Mountains. Lakes. Exciting activities. Beautiful beaches. Tropical gardens. Stunning architecture. Art and culture. Fine dining. Street Food. Historic cities. These are the things I love to explore when I travel. And aren’t we lucky that we have all of these things right here in the UK? And there are plenty of destinations that I’m looking forward to visiting. These are the destinations that have made my inaugural Great British Travel Bucket List.

England

Just when I think I’ve explored all of England, I realise there are great swathes of my home country that are unexplored by me. Later on this month we’re taking a road trip around the South East, stopping in Brighton, Rye and Whitstable. I’ve only ever visited the Sussex coast for work (two lonely evenings spent in a hotel in Eastbourne where all the other residents were in bed by 7pm) so I’m looking forward to walking at least part of the Seven Sisters coastal path. (Although remember our last coastal path hike? I’ll make sure the coastguards are on standby!). We also intend to explore the eerie stark landscape of Dungeness, stargaze in the South Downs Dark Sky Reserve, sample the famous Whitstable oysters and visit the historic city of Canterbury.

A return visit to London is always on my wishlist, because there are always new things to do and new places to visit in the capital. I’d love to spend a boozy afternoon dipping into brewery tap rooms on the Bermondsey Beer Mile. Cocktails at the Shard. See a play at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

Also on my Great British Travel Bucket List for England is wild pony spotting in the New Forest, a balloon ride above Bristol, a city break in Lincoln and a canal boat holiday on the Norfolk Broads.

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Is Birmingham on your Great British Travel Bucket List? Don’t worry – I have you covered! Here are 50 (ish) Things To Do in Birmingham City Centre. Or how about visiting Brum on a Budget?

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Wales

It is true that I am led by my stomach when planning trips. I can sniff out good street food from miles away. Which is why this ace blog post about street food in Cardiff has put the Welsh capital high on my Great British Bucket List. I’ve only ever visited Cardiff for football purposes (once successful, once not so successful) but I’m assured there is far more to the city than the Millennium Stadium and a KFC, which was the extent of my previous sightseeing experience.

Although I’m not an adrenaline junkie by any means, I got a taste for ziplining in Mexico. So the fastest zipline in the world over the Penrhyn Valley is definitely on my Great British Travel Bucket List. If anyone wants to buy me a death-defying birthday experience, you can buy vouchers here.

I’ve also never made it to the fantasy village of Portmeirion, with it’s Italianate architecture and spectacularly landscaped gardens. We’ve been as far as the gate, but then realised it was far too late in the day to get the most out of a visit (we ended up getting fish and chips and watching steam trains at Porthmadog instead). With travel to colourful villages overlooking the Ligurgian Sea not on the cards just yet, Portmeirion could be the perfect alternative.

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We made two journeys to Wales in 2020 between lockdowns. First we stayed in the colourful and charming town of Llandeilo, and then we returned in October to explore the Four Waterfalls in the Brecon Beacons. Oh, and I also moaned all the way up Pen-y-Fan.

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Scotland

I fell in love with Scotland on our 2017 road trip. Edinburgh had already captured my heart previously – despite it’s best efforts to freeze our little Sassenach bits off – and the spectacular Highlands cemented that passion. But you can’t really see the best of Scotland in three days. Which is why a return trip will hopefully be on the cards soon. As with all capital cities, there’s always more to see in Edinburgh. With our last trip cut short, we didn’t get to hike up Arthur’s Seat, attend a whisky tasting event or stroll down to catch the sunshine on Leith.

I’m inspired by the blog posts of An Orcadian Abroad. She’s settled down from travelling for now and has been documenting trips in her native country. I particularly love this one about the Isle of Mull – a ticket to Tobermory please! And with a passion for a tipple or two, I’ve made a hitlist of Scottish breweries and distilleries that deserve a visit. Ben Nevis remains on the mountain-to-tackle list – or in my case, mountain-to-cry-on list – although there are many munros to bag if I want to build up to the big one.

Plus I’ve never had a deep fried Mars Bar.

Northern Ireland

Yes, I know it’s ridiculous that I’ve never been to Northern Ireland. So the entire country remains on my Great British Travel Bucket List. And don’t think I haven’t already planned out that perfect trip, taking in The Giant’s Causeway with it’s columns of black basalt against a backdrop of the North Atlantic Ocean. The majestic 9 Glens of Antrim. Puffin-spotting on Rathlin Island. Seeking out all of those Game of Thrones locations. And of course Belfast, a capital with a complex and complicated history but full of culture and craic.

Travel Link Up for June

This post was prompted by the June Travel Link Up topic: “Bucket List Places”. If you’d like to join in with the party this month, just pop your post up over the first week of the month (the 1st – 7th June) and add it to the link up widget found on Adventures of a London Kiwi, SilverSpoon London, Binnys Food and Travel Diaries or our guest co-host Sima The Curious Pixie from the 1st.

As ever there are no real rules – basically all we ask is that you check out some of the other cool bloggers that are involved in that months travel link up; tweet a few of the posts out to your followers that you think they will love and make a few comments here and there. It really is a great way to meet some new travel bloggers and share some blogging joy!