Wanderlust

The town of Kendal is not only a short distance from the Lake District but also only a short distance from the coast as well. Both Windermere and Keswick are a short car journey away and unless you’re driving in the height of the season, both are less than half an hour away. The other lakes which make up the Lake District are within an hour or two from the town as well. 

The Lake District is famous for its beautiful scenery but the town itself has much to offer its visitors as well. In this article we take a look at some of the attractions that one can enjoy when you make a visit to this part of England.

Abbot Hall Art Gallery can be found in the centre of the town, in a converted Georgian villa and is home to some notable works of art. As well as exhibitions taking place throughout the year there are plenty of lectures and events taking place also. So you can take your admiration of its art to new levels.

Sizergh Castle and its gardens is a popular tourist destination just a few minutes drive from Kendal. The original part of the house was built during medieval times and extended further when Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne. Along with viewing its wonderful oak paneled rooms which lead to the Inlaid Chamber there are many fine portraits and ceramics for you to view which have been collected over the years. Today the house is still home to Strickland family who first had the house built for them during the middle ages.

Plus after exploring what is on offer inside the house one take a leisurely stroll around the gardens. These include a rock garden and two lakes. Plus there are plenty of viewpoints as you walk around the Castle grounds where you get views of Morecambe Bay and the fells which make up the Lake District. 

For those who don’t have a car then in a prominent position in the town is the Quaker Tapestry Exhibition Centre. This can be found in the Friends Meeting House built in 1816 and this Georgian building houses exhibits celebrating the formation of the Quakers Religious Society in 1652. 

However, if you’re looking to find out how life in the Lakes has changed over the years, make your way to the Museum of Lakeland Life. This is opposite the Abbot Hall Gallery, in a converted stables and you will find that there is something here for the whole family to enjoy. 

As you wander around the rooms including the 18th Century kitchen and down the Edwardian street you will get a flavor of how life has been in the area for the last one hundred and fifty years or so. This museum is an excellent “time machine” for you to enjoy.

When you next stay in Kendal, choose your Kendal hotel or guest house here.

Liverpool, the European Capital of Culture City. Which means there are lots of things to see and do when you visit this city. You may not be aware but Liverpool is second only to London in terms of art galleries and museums per person. 

But it isn’t just the city of Liverpool which has much to offer its visitors there are plenty of things to do and see in the surrounding areas. In this article we take a look at some of the attractions which when you stay in Liverpool you may find interesting.

Liverpool is of course famous for the Beatles and you can trace much of their history here. The Beatles Story can be found in Albert Dock where one gets transported back to the very start of this groups life. The Story traces their route to fame and fortune. But not only does it look at their music but at their childhood lives including, of course, how the group was formed.

Once you’ve been to the Beatles Story, here are some other sights you may wish to visit:-

1.     Merseyside Maritime Museum – Again situated in the historic Albert Dock this museum houses a wide array of items reflecting the importance of the sea to this city. Including how important both Liverpool and its docks were during World War Two and how members of the merchant navy coped with life on the ocean.  You also get to view what the Titanic, Lusitania and Forgotten Empress ships were like.

2.    Speke Hall – This looks at how life was in Liverpool as far back as the fifteenth century. Speke Hall is a famous half-timbered building and was originally built during the 1490’s. As you wander through it you will learn about the lives and times of those who have lived in it throughout the last five hundred or so years. 

3.    Knowsley Safari Park – This was opened by the 18th Earl of Derby in 1971. Although most people go to visit the safari park there are plenty of other attractions for the whole family to enjoy. These include parrot and sea lion shows, a reptile house and a children’s petting farm. 

4.    Western Approaches – These are actually below the streets of Liverpool and provides you with an insight into what life was like during the 1940’s. Including how the city helped to protect England from invaders across the Atlantic.  As you wander through the labyrinth of rooms you will be transported back to one of the most dramatic periods of time in the UK’s history. 

When you next visit Liverpool, make sure you find the best Liverpool hotels and guest houses here.

The seaside town of Southport is set on the coast looking towards the Irish Sea and is just over 16 miles from the city of Liverpool. When it comes to things to do and see during a visit to Southport there is plenty to keep both young and old alike amused.

Young and old alike can enjoy the Splash world whilst the Atkinson Art Gallery is gentler and which one can take time to wander around very slowly indeed. But along with these attractions there are plenty of others that one can enjoy during a stay in the seaside resort of Southport and below we take a look at few of them.

1. Southport Botanic Gardens – These were first opened back in 1874 and are what a classic Victorian garden would look like. The gardens have various walks for you to follow allowing you to view the wildlife and floral displays why not spend time taking a boat trip on the lake which stretches the full length of the park as well.

You can have a bite to eat at the park’s cafe and there are pottery and gift shops for any souvenirs you may need. It is open to the public seven days a week from 8 in the morning until a half hour before dusk.

2. Eco Visitor Centre – There are regular buses from the centre of Southport to this centre. There are displays of environmentally friendly building construction and also how the energy we use is impacting on the world in which we live. The centre practices what it preaches and you can discover how it uses renewabale energy to heat its buildings and supply their power.

3. Martin Mere Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust – This is the largest wetland conservation charity in the UK where one can have a fantastic time learning about the various different breeds of wetland birds. Plus if you feel up to it and want to get a little closer to them you can feed the birds as well. But, if the kids are starting to get a little bored and hungry then there is a licensed cafe where you can stop for a while, there are also various playgrounds for your children to work off any excess energy.

4. Southport Model Railway Village – Model railway enthusiasts have been coming here ever since it opened in 1996. The trains run continuously on a 500 meters of track around the various landscapes that have been devised. The keener model railway enthusiasts will get engrossed in all the displays.

You can sit back whist your children watch the trains, fascinated by the intricate detail. Plus after all that effort there is the teashops where one can take some refreshment. The pathways around the village allow wheelchairs and buggies to move around it easily and freely so everyone can enjoy this not just those who like trains.

When you next visit Southport, check out this list of Southport hotels and bed and breakfasts.

Book a hotel in Gatwick for the tourist attractions here are in endless supply! In fact, I could go as far as to say, there is something for everyone here. A headlining feature of the area is that of the remarkable roman remains out at Fishbourne. Only recently discovered (in 1960), it is argued that this site dates back to 43AD and once housed a Roman Palace. People enjoy the site in particular for its collection of magnificent mosaics. For more roman attractions, head over to the Roman Villa at Bignor.

The roman city of Chichester provides more interesting sights including its roman walls. Chichester is also enjoyed for its medieval market square, its nineteenth century Corn Exchange, Chichester Cross and its recently remodelled 11th century Cathedral. Chichester has a lot to offer but if a visit is planned, a well timed trip in July will reward you with the three week festival dedicated to the Arts.

Bournemouth can be found nestling upon the south coast. It is situated in lovely Dorset and occupies part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Jurassic Coast.

The coastline, all ninety five miles of it, is largely unspoilt with lots of places to explore and hide from the world should the urge overcome you!

Over at Bournemouth’s sea front, you must get onto the pier and enjoy all the traditional rituals of an English seaside such as rolling up those trousers and tying corners to your handkerchiefs. Eating fish and chips on the sand with pink candyfloss (making note, that it tastes better if you’ve actually won it at the fair as opposed to merely buying it!) for dessert.

You can’t beat a drive out in the hire car in Bournemouth for a look around at what’s on offer around Dorset? Where better to start than the New Forest, a national park that is packed with untouched and unspoilt beauty. If you’re really lucky, you might even enjoy the thrill of spotting an adorable resident New Forest pony.

You can’t go too far in Southampton without discovering one of the city’s numerous medieval features. Many features are fairly close to one another, so you could book into a comfortable Southampton hotel so that all your sightseeing needs are accommodated with a fair amount of ease!

Symbol of the city, the Southampton Bargate is what is considered one of the longest walls from the medieval era found in England. The city was once a city where impressive architecture could be found in abundance but Second World War bombing put paid to this. Many brilliant examples of Georgian architecture were devastated during this period although an old building dating back to the beginning of the fifteenth century, the Wool House (today a Maritime Museum) at the Town Quay survived, thank goodness!

For a change of scenery, drive off to the nearby New Forest Park and see if you can swap spying for old houses for lovely New (Forest) Ponies!

Prague is always going to be an intriguing holiday destination. One that is full of ancient sights, attractions and character! However a good time to enjoy Prague is in the run up to Christmas! From the 26th November to the 1st of January, the streets come alive with dancing fairy lights and traditional markets so book your accommodation in Prague as early as you can.

Everybody seems to gravitate towards the Old Town Square where Christmas entertainment is provided in the form of dancing and the singing of carols beneath the old tree. You can’t beat this kind of atmosphere!

A town that offers a square called “Wenceslas” is the only place to be at Christmas. Choose from a range of hotels that line the square named after the national hero, “Good King Wenceslas”. Another bonus of staying in this particular square is that you are ideally situated for many of the great local tourist attractions like Charles Bridge and the river (as well as many pubs!) and won’t necessarily be making use of the hire car all the time.

I wonder if it is possible to get bored in Newcastle? There is the Quayside and all that entails, the shopping centres, all the nature on the city’s outskirts and much more besides. Many people find themselves in Newcastle for a hen or stag night and are impressed with the range of things to see and do outside of the pubs and clubs. You don’t even need to hire a car at Newcastle Airport to eke some enjoyment out of the place!!

If you are craving some culture, there is a broad choice of venues. For theatre and musical events, there is the popular Newcastle Playhouse, the Gulbenkian Studio Theatre and the Theatre Royal. Alternatively, there is life outside of London, as Newcastle has its own Victorian Opera House.

Museums are in plentiful supply too, as you can choose between the Discovery Museum, the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and the very impressive Hancock Museum Egyptology venue.

In answer to the opening question, you would have to be pretty boring yourself to find yourself bored in Newcastle. Go there and fill your boots, as they say!

Where is Liverpool? If you travel north, up high on the north west coast sits the European Capital of Culture itself, the city of Liverpool! Home of the Beatles and the Mersey Beat, Liverpool has changed considerably over the years!

Pick a Liverpool city centre hotel because there is nothing like being in the heart of all the action! This is a popular destination for tourists because of the wealth of architecture, culture and atmosphere. There is always something going on in Liverpool! A city where the locals are passionate about music and football, this is the obvious place to head to if you feel the same. With live music venues at every turn and Liverpool and Everton Football Clubs you will soon feel at home!

There is a good transport system about the city centre and many popular attractions are within close proximity of another so if you want to leave the hire car behind for a day it will not present a problem!

One other thing about Liverpool the people are great! You will feel at home straightaway!

Centuries ago, Leeds was a fairly sleepy farmers market town and before it became what you see before you today it metamorphosing into an incredible powerful industrial town.

It continued to grow through the years and has become a highly accessible location, which is perfect for business travellers and has become a major centre for distribution of products fro retail. Drivers will revel in the greatly efficient local motorways of the A1(M), M1 and M62, for they are a godsend.

With its impeccable transportation infrastructure, if you don’t plan on driving the Leeds Airport rental car the whole time, you will have no difficulty getting about. While in Leeds, thanks to the Metro trains, the whole of west Yorkshire is at your fingertips, just get over to Leeds Station and you’re away to the market towns and traditional country villages of the county!