Whenever me and my friends (Joey, Martha, Keith and Sandra) are together, we all seem to click and we somehow know how to make the most of our friendship. Strengthening our bond of friendship , I planned a get away with my friends. Since we all are college going students, I wanted to ensure that we explore tourist attractions which are worth our money. All my friends extended their affirmation for the plan and we booked our tickets from Thomas Cook Airlines. So, let me narrate the places that we all visited.
1- Roman Baths – This is a historical site which draws tourists from different parts of the world. We get to see how public bathing was done in the 19th century.
In addition to this, we also explored the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House, and Sacred Spring. We were being told that this place attracts millions of visitors every year and this place also got featured in one of television programs ‘Seven Natural Wonders’.
photo credit: interway.es
2- Seven Sister Country Park – Situated in South Downs National Park, it has 280 hectares of chalk cliff which offers a picture-perfect view.
We enjoyed cycling, bird watching, canoeing, and hiking. I must admit, the beautiful coastlines were quite attractive and didn’t miss an opportunity to click it. The site is managed by East Sussex County Council.
photo credit: sevensisters.org.uk
3- Oxford University – This university has various colleges and trust me they all are capable of giving you an unforgettable experience.
We paid a small amount to explore the whole university and we were also shown the place where Harry Potter was filmed. We all thought it is a beautiful site and being one of the oldest universities in the world, it is worth visiting.
photo credit: telegraph.co.uk
4- Chinatown of London – We had a mesmerizing time as we explored Chinatown in London. If you are fond of eating, this place will surely entice you as can easily spot an eating joint. Here, we visited Chinese souvenir shops, restaurants, supermarkets and bakeries.
Trust me, we tried everything and we satisfied our taste buds. We thoroughly explored the whole Chinatown, where we found The corner of Gerrard Street, a stone lion on Gerrard Street, Chinatown pagoda and many other attractions.
photo credit: timstanleyphotography.com
5- Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City - We moved towards Liverpool, where we witnessed a brilliant example of mercantile world mercantile port city. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, it has been compared with Taj Mahal and Great Wall of China.
We did check all the six regions in this historic center and docklands and we get to know how the UK developed throughout the centuries. Today, it is home to some of the beautifully built public, commercial and civic buildings and St. George’s Plateau is one of them.
photo credit: whc.unesco.org
6- Hadrian’s Wall – We had a great time exploring Hadrian’s Wall. It is also a World Heritage Site and we enjoyed the Roman life and history in the beautiful locations.
Hardly 1-hour journey from Lake District, you come to Birdoswald Roman Fort. If somebody is traveling from the East, one can witness Corbridge Roman Town. We certainly enjoyed the nature at its best and we certainly clicked the pictures of different trails.
photo credit: northofthetyne.co.uk
7- Durham Castle – As the name suggests, the castle is in the city of Durham and it was made by William the Conqueror in the 11th century.
It is just parallel to Durham Cathedral which is also a worth exploring site. From the security point of view, Durham Castle bear great significance. The castle is also a part of World Heritage Site. It is an ancient Norman Fortress and its gorgeous location makes it a scenic place for the travellers to explore.
photo credit: wikipedia.org
8- British Museum – The museum was founded in 1753 and it was opened for the common man on 15 January 1759. Here, we saw Parthenon sculptures, Egyptian mummies, Rosetta Stone, we witnessed more crowd getting drawn towards Egyptian mummies.
Besides extensive permanent collection, the special exhibitions of the museum, events, and displays are designed to increase comprehension of the different cultures and collection that they represent. We also enjoyed lip smacking food at Great Court Restaurant, Court Cafe, and Gallery Cafe.
photo credit: wikipedia.org
9- Victoria and Albert Museum – We reached Victoria and Albert Museum, there was so much to see such as – paintings, textiles, photographs, theatre & performance, jewellery, ceramics, and glass.
I love art and painting, we explored both European and British watercolour and oil paintings. Some of the key highlights were Raphael Cartoons and some of the best work by John Constable and J.M.W. Turner. Moving towards the photography section, the museum has the world’s largest and important collection of photographs.
photo credit: visitlondon.com
10- Tower of London – Situated in Central London, it is one of the famous fortresses of the world and it has witnessed service as an armoury, prison, zoo and as royal palace.
Over the centuries, the tower has undergone various restoration processes. The tower still has the Majesty’s Crown Jewels and it is for display of the tourists. The Beefeaters are responsible for guarding the jewels and they also perform the role of tour guides.
photo credit: openbuildings.com
11- Chester Zoo – It is the largest zoo in the Britain and every year millions of visitors throng the zoo to witness wildlife at its best. Here, we discovered over 15,000 types of different animals and more than 300 different species that comprised of endangered ones as well.
We get to see different animals around every corner which vary from beautiful butterflies to rhinos and elephants. The zoo covers a total area of 125 acres, owing to which it is quite tiring to explore every corner of it.
photo credit: bbc.com
12- The Royal Academy of Arts – Founded in 1768 by King George III, it holds the reputation of being the oldest fine arts institution in Britain. We get to witness some of the finest touring and temporary exhibitions.
If you visit this academy of arts, you get to witness some of the best artwork from the upcoming artists at its Annual Summer Exhibition. The collection here has main focus on British art and artists from the 18th century. Among the main highlights, we witnessed major works by Leighton, Reynolds, Constable, Flaxman, Hockney and various others.
photo credit: visitlondon.com
13- York Minster – Built between 1220 and 1472, it is probably one of the best cathedrals that we have visited so far and it is situated in York, England.
It is also one of the finest structures of Britain, the largest cathedrals in Northern Europe and here as a visitor we enjoyed chapter house and Gothic nave. We loved Five Sisters Window that stretches over 52 feet and the medieval stained glass.
photo credit: telegraph.co.uk
14- Soho of London – It is an area of the city of Westminster and it is known for its live entertainment, lively nightlife, and sumptuous food. We went on a walking tour and relaxed at Soho Square.
The place is filled with luxurious hotels and here we also enjoyed snacks which were quite cheap. We also enjoyed live theatre and performances which really amazed us. In addition to this, we also get to budget musicals and enjoyed small stand up acts.
photo credit: lennykalcicphoto.com
15- Westminster Abbey – Moving towards the city of Westminster, the Westminster Abbey caught our attention. This is the place where coronations take place and it is the burial site for British monarchs of Commonwealth realms.
Every year this place draws is visited by millions of visitors from around the globe. We visited graves, memorials, tombs, statues and monuments. We had plans to visit Westminster Abbey on Sunday but on checking their official website, we learned that it is closed for the visitors on Sunday.
photo credit: visitlondon.com
16- Shakespeare’s Hometown – Sandra is a writer and loves literature as well, she was quite excited to visit the hometown of Shakespeare.
When we reached there, the place reminded us of the old days as the place has been well-preserved. We also visited the house where Shakespeare was born, grew up and became a successful writer.
photo credit: elegantgates.com
17- Warwick Castle – The castle was built in 1068 by William the Conqueror. Here, we got the opportunity to see some of the best symbols of 14th-century military architecture. It is known, around the world, for its captivating interiors, restored furniture, state rooms and hall.
We were mesmerized by the live entertainment which included jousting tournaments and we also saw the largest catapult of the world. I pulled out my camera and clicked pictures of the breathtaking countryside for which we climbed the castle towers.
photo credit: expedia.mx
18- Lizard Peninsula – I will describe this place in one word – Amazing. Walking around the coastline, we came across various fishing ports having huge seal walls made of granite that offers protection against Atlantic gales.
We were being told that this place maintains the same beauty no matter when it is being visited. Along the coast, we saw beautiful colourful fishing boats which signify that the small communities living here are totally dependant on fishing for their livelihood.
photo credit: lizardpeninsula.info
19- Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum - It is undoubtedly one of the most-visited tourist attractions. We got the opportunity of seeing the lifelike sculptures of some of the famous celebrities and well-known personalities.
There were so many such as – Michael Jackson, Kate Winslet, Audrey Hepburn, Whoopi Goldberg, George Clooney and much more. Here we found sculptures of fictional characters from some of the famous movies like Extra-Terrestrial and The Terminator.
photo credit: tripadvisor.in
20- Canterbury Cathedral – We head towards Canterbury, Kent and it is also one of the oldest churches in England. Founded in 597 and the church underwent complete makeover between 1070 to 1077.
Following a fire incident in 1174, the east end of the church had to be rebuilt in the Gothic style. We explored the library section of the cathedral and we found that there is a collection of over 15,000 books and series which got published in 20th and 21st centuries.
photo credit: wikipedia.org
21- Stonehenge – It is personally my favorite place which I believed is quite a mystical place. I used the word ‘mystical’ by seeing the way it is built.
It is a part of World Heritage Sites since 1986. We explored the ancient landscape by foot and Neolithic Houses were worth paying a visit where we saw different objects & everyday tools used during Neolithic life. Other things that we explored were the stone circle, museum, cafe, etc.
Lissa is a freelance writer by profession (currently writes for Followthesteps) with a passion for writing on latest innovations and other interesting ideas. She is an active member and contributor at some of the reputed tech magazines & communities.
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