Having recently passed my driving test, I’ve procured myself a new world of freedom. Now, as long as I have money for petrol, parking and the time to travel, I can go wherever I want really.
There are so many places in the UK that I have never been to even though I’ve lived here for my whole life, so I’ve made myself a bucket list of towns and cities that I want to explore.
I’m hoping to get a good amount of these ticked off over this summer, so expect some travel posts to be on their way!
My UK Travel Bucket List:
Aberdeen
I’ve never been to Scotland. Despite living 4 hours away from the boarder, I’ve never step foot near it, let alone across it. Aberdeen in one of the four Scottish cities on my UK travel bucket list. Not only is it a beautiful city, it’s also right on the coast so there’s also beaches to explore – supposedly a great place to spot dolphins (which I’ve never seen in the wild before).
Aberystwyth
I have several friends who go to Aber University, so I see a lot of photographs on my social media, especially of the coast and the sea front. It also has some great welsh heritage destinations including the ruins of Aberystwyth castle and an eclectic cliff railway. To me, it screams classic British beach holiday destination, so I think a day visit might not be enough in this case.
Anglesey
Anglesey’s beaches are supposedly some of the best beaches in wales. The golden sands and high dunes would make for the perfect beach day destination, especially with friends, with a beach BBQ in the evening. It’s also home to the Aberffraw biscuit which I really want to try.
Bakewell
Bakewell is the birthplace of the bakewell tart – my favourite type of sweet pastry! I 100% want to buy an original bakewell tart and try it, see if they’re much different from Mr. Kipling’s version. Bakewell also has the river Wye running right past the town centre and is supposedly a beautiful place to spend a hot summer’s day. They also have a lock bridge that me and Jonny can put a love lock on.
Bath
Bath is home to some of Britain’s most well persevered roman structures – the roman baths – as well as Britain’s only natural hot spring that you can bathe in. Since I was little, I’ve always wanted to see the roman baths, its something that I’ve found intriguing since I found out that they existed. I considered Bath University when I was choosing where to study, it’s a place I’ve always been drawn to (a little-known fact about me) but I’ve never ever been – lets change that ASAP.
Belfast
Belfast is Northern Ireland’s capital city. I’ve never been to Ireland either, and would also enjoy visiting the Republic of Ireland as well. Belfast is where the RMS Titanic was built, so there are several different museums to learn about this part major of history. I also want to visit the CS Lewis square. I loved the Chronicles of Narnia as a child and this is a tribute to him in his home town. (There’s also a lot of hot spots for alcoholic experiences which is always a plus on your travels).
Brighton
I keep trying to get people to come with me to Brighton, but I’ve never been able to arrange something. Hopefully, being able to drive there now someone will accompany me since it wouldn’t be as expensive to travel down. I specifically want to go for Brighton Pride. Brighton is one of the most accepting places in the UK for the LGBT community – a hotspot for LGBT events and businesses – and its pride event I one of the best in the country. It’s also renound as a classic British beach front town with a beautiful pebbled beach, and its pier is one of the most famous in the UK. The night life is also meant to be great, so I’d have to get a night out squeezed into this visit.
Bristol
Bristol is home to the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, which would be my main reason for visiting Bristol. I first saw this spectacle as one of the wallpapers that come with your laptop. It’s Europe’s largest gathering of hot air balloons and I just want to go just to get some crazy photos. I think it’s the most random festival, but I also think it’d be a great day out no matter how weird it seems. There’s also a lot of historic sites and museums in and around Bristol to visit.
Cambridge
Cambridge is another spot that is very high up on this bucket list. I think its one of the most beautiful places in England. I’ve never bee, but I’ve seen pictures. In an ideal world I’d be amazingly clever and have enough money to go to Cambridge University and just be here all the time. Its historic architecture – often compared to that seen in Harry Potter – and picturesque rivers and parks really just make me want to move there. A day out in Cambridge would HAVE to include a punting tour along the river, so I need some guaranteed gorgeous weather.
Canterbury
When I think of Canterbury I think of the Canterbury tales and its cathedral. This is another historic town (who knew Britain had THIS MUCH history), probably the most historic town on the list. Canterbury cathedral is the headquarters of the Church of England, possibly the most famous cathedral in the UK. Filled with well-preserved medieval and roman buildings I'd definitely be in awe.
Cardiff
Cardiff is Wales’ capital city. I’ve been to wales many times but never to its capital city. I’d like a good explore around the city centre, as well as a visit to Cardiff castle. I also want to eat at one of the many restaurants at Mermaid Quay, right on the sea front.
Dundee
Dundee is a great city for exploring Scottish history and heritage. With lots of museums, galleries and walks, there’s a lot to do here. It’s recently been named one of the top 10 destinations to visit in Europe by lonely planet – and who can argue with that?
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the top of the four Scottish destinations on this list. As Scotland’s capital city there’s literally so much I want to do. It’s host to a huge range of festivals including Edinburgh fringe festival – the world’s largest arts festival. I’m dying to go to this for the comedy greats that frequent the festival. It’s also a stunning city, I see it a lot on the TV and am just in awe of the architecture! I’m sure if I go on a day where the sun is shining I’ll be able to take some amazing photographs and utterly fall in love with the place.
Glasgow
Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city with several museums and art galleries to explore if the weather isn’t being your friend. However, if it is, the architecture is beautiful, and you can really explore the city to it’s full potential (as well as do a good bit of shopping!)
Glastonbury
When someone says Glastonbury, you probably think of the music festival, right? Well, its also the name of the beautiful nearby medieval town. I’ve been to the town centre before, but didn’t get the chance to explore all the awesome gothic shops, or see the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey.
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight has literal award-winning beaches. Its not one of the places on this list to just visit for the day, it’s definitely more of a holiday destination. I think it’d be the perfect place to try my hand at some water sports. You can explore some of the famous coastal attractions by kyak including hidden caves. This island also regularly features in many top 10 cycling routes in the world lists, and I think it’s be great fun to spend the day on a bike.
Liverpool
Liverpool is one of the cities I really want to visit and (again) have never ever been to. It’s the birthplace of the Beatles, and the Beatles museum is right on top of the list of things to do, along with visiting the docklands. I love the industrial era buildings in Liverpool, especially in the docklands. This blog post (https://www.visitliverpool.com/blog/read/2018/06/what-to-do-when-you-have-48-hours-in-liverpool-b306) holds a great insider’s tip itinerary of what to do in 48 hours in Liverpool.
London
I’ve been to London several times, but never to do touristy things. I’ve always been down just to see a band that rarely tours the UK. The most touristy places I’ve been in London are Harrods and Camden Market, but both times were whirlwind trips on our way back to Euston Station. A weekend away in London is definitely on the cards. For the same amount of money (especially in the summer) you can take a weeks holiday to Europe, so I have to sae up for this one. But, I really want to o all the tourist attractions; big ben, parliament, Madame Tussauds, London eye, London dungeons, Camden market, Harrods, Buckingham palace etc etc etc.
Manchester
I’ve also been to Manchester several times, once to visit a friend and several times for gigs as well. Although I’ve been around the city before, I’ve never been to the more historic attractions like the cathedral or the city library. That’s what I’d like to do on my next trip to Manchester.
Newcastle
I don’t know much about Newcastle Upon Tyne apart from the iconic millennium bridge and the angel of the north. A quick scroll through the what to do section of newcastlegateshead.com (https://www.newcastlegateshead.com/explore/must-see-attractions-newcastle-gateshead) points out that the Newcastle Castle Keep and the Life science museum would also definitely be places I’d want to visit while there.
Pembrokeshire
This is mainly on my bucket list because of my boyfriend. He’s been talking about taking me to Pembrokeshire for a few days and exploring for the past 5 years, but we still haven’t done anything about that yet. The main places I would personally want to visit are Tenby, The Green Bridge of Wales and Pembroke Castle. I’ve mainly only visited north wales (although I have been to Tenby before when I was younger) so venturing south would be a lovely change.
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is the weirdest wonder of Britain. Officially, no one knows what it is, apart from that it’s a load of big stone in a circle. Which is exactly what it is. No one knows why it’s there, or what it’s for. There are lots of theories, the most popular being that it’s an ancient religious monument/gathering space. The most fun ones though are that its alien or some sort of portal. It’s a famous tourist attraction and I feel as though I need to see it really.
Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle is another place I keep trying to get a plan together to go to. Every time I do other things come up, or its bad weather, or no one has any money (you know how it goes). Its not that far away from me either, and I love castles and architecture if you haven’t already figured that out from reading the rest of this. One of the best-preserved castles in the UK, it’s a great attraction for the whole family. Filled with history, medieval dress up, food and beautiful gardens, it’s a great day out that I’m itching to experience!
York
York is another beautifully architectured city. Like, the 10th one on this list? Probably. Home to Shakespeare’s Rose theatre, I think I’d have to book a ticket to see an event here during my visit. I also want to visit the JORVIK Viking Centre, a museum focused on the Viking era in York. Apart form these, just exploring the city would be a great day out in itself.
And that’s my bucket list! If you’ve learned anything about me from this, its that I’ve never been anywhere, I love old architecture and I love history.
Let me know if there’s any places you think I should add to this list!
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