London is fun and exciting, but it certainly isn’t home to everything that the south of England has to offer. After all, last year visitor numbers dropped at the capital’s top tourist attractions, as people turn their attention elsewhere. With the extortionate cost of parking, the price of the congestion charge and the high cost of accommodation, London can be a pricey place to spend a few days, so why not explore further afield? There are great rail connections throughout the south of England, leading to other interesting towns and cities that have a wealth of exciting tourist attractions. So here’re the top tourist attractions to see outside of London, in the south of England.
Brighton Pier
Brighton Pier is easily accessible, with the impressive Thameslink railway line providing speedy transport from Gatwick airport to Brighton in good time. Sun, sea and a range of fun rides are the order of the day here, as well as plenty of fresh air that’s free of urban pollution. Brighton Pier attracts many visitors simply because there are so many different things to get up to and most are family friendly.
If you are not afraid to be scared, it also has the infamous Horror Hotel. Here visitors can explore eerie hotel rooms and shadowy hallways, all culminating in a series of scares and thrills. Whether you’re looking for laughs or screams, Brighton Pier is more than capable of meeting the challenge head-on. When you are finished with the fun of the pier, go shopping in Brighton's many independent shops, or visit the magnificent Brighton Pavilion. Brighton makes a great day out for all.
University of Cambridge
You don’t need to be super smart and enrol to visit one of Britain’s best and famous universities. Fortunately, Cambridge is also accessible on the Thameslink line, and once you’ve arrived you can tour the institution where the likes of Charles Darwin, Alan Turing, and Stephen Hawking all refined their intellectual brilliance.
There’re numerous opportunities to appreciate the history and architecture of the place too and be mesmerised by all the things that have transpired at the university. Additionally, you can even tour around with current graduates, who’ll give some insight into what it’s like to study there. It’s not an obvious choice, but still, it’s not every day that you can snoop around one of the world’s most prestigious universities! Don't forget to explore this university town too. Perhaps go punting on one of the canals, visit the first rate Fitzwilliam Museum or stroll around the botanic gardens.
Windsor Castle
London is admittedly great for the tourist who wants to see all the royal-related landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, and the Tower of London, but go further afield and you will find another place full of Royal history.
Windsor Castle is located a short train ride outside of London, and it’s the largest occupied castle in the world. Founded by William the Conqueror in the 11th Century, it's worth going on a guided tour of the luxury state apartments here as well as visiting St. George’s Chapel, which is located inside its walls. Check out the extravagant art collections, see the moat room and experience the Changing Of The Guard, all without visiting London. Windsor Castle is a world-class attraction and one of the south of England's best.
So here are three top tourist attractions to see outside of London. Let me know have you been to any of these? *AD
The Beech Hill Hotel and Spa is a boutique four-star hotel on Lake Windermere. We were invited recently to visit the hotel and report back to my readers on our experience.
It was a long drive from South Wales, but we welcomed the change of scene and stopped in Liverpool along the way. The area around the hotel is beautiful. and just as Mr W said, 'shall we stop here to take a photo?' we came across the hotel!
We parked our car in the large car park and then went to check in. From the road, the hotel didn't look as grand as it was inside.
Beautifully decorated with lovely furnishings and a magnificent chandelier, we were both impressed.
Although the room was not quite ready as we were early, we didn't mind as it was a lovely sunny day, so we sat outside and took in the wonderful view.
We took some photos and then I ordered some lunch and sat with Marcus talking to other guests. The egg mayonnaise baguette was crusty and super fresh, served with coleslaw and crisps, it was enough to share.
One elderly lady had come here from Blackpool by taxi and was impressed with the view. Another lady said it was her first time year and couldn't believe how peaceful it was. The Room
Before long our room was ready and we were on the second floor. Our room was a 'select' room, a little bigger than a standard size but with a lake view. There are 57 different rooms from suites to family rooms. The decor was modern with an impressive leather headboard, beech looking wooden furniture and a wall mounted flat screen TV.
The chocolates on the bed were a lovely little touch. There were two large mirrors in the room which I was pleased about as Mr W always hogs one, as well as an illuminated mirror in the bathroom. The room was in good condition, the carpet actually looked new although there was the odd scuff on the furniture.
The bathroom was spotless, with large white tiles on the walls and black tiles on the floor.
There was a bath and over the bath shower. Toiletries were Gilchrist and Soames which smelt amazing.
A tea making tray was set up in the room, always a nice touch and expected in a luxury hotel. The room also had free Wi-Fi, although it was a little spotty on times but fine to check your emails. The room also had two chairs and a little table, right by the window and perfect for the lake view. A desk was also a useful addition.
The view was to die for! Dinner
Dinner was at the Burlington restaurant. The restaurant under the management of head chef Lukasz, specialises in French and English cuisine, using local seasonal produce. The restaurant holds AA rosettes and prides itself on its attentive but unobtrusive service.
The menu has new dishes on a regular basis and has some excellent set courses.
As we sat down we were given a menu. Now although Mr W isn't a vegetarian he doesn't eat fish, seafood and most red meat so I noticed on the website they had a vegetarian menu and asked for that, and they were happy to oblige. The menu options sounded good. Mr W being contrary, did decide to go for the chicken in the end but asked for it without mushrooms and they were happy to accommodate him.
Before our starters came they brought us bread. The bread was warm and came with salted butter, oil and balsamic vinegar. It tasted good but I thought it could have been a little fresher.
It wasn't long before our starters came. Both starters were well presented, and my ox cheek especially looked very appetising. The soup was well seasoned and had a good flavour whilst the ox cheek was tender and the apple sauce added a nice sweetness, with the cubes of crackling and a julienne of vegetables added a nice crunch. A very good starter indeed.
Once the starters were cleared, we waited a short while for our main courses. Again when they came the presentation was excellent. Mr W's chicken was part boned and served with dauphinoise potatoes and carrots with a light jus. My sea bass was on a bed of roasted potatoes and pea puree. The potatoes were roasted well and the pea puree added some lightness to the dish.
For dessert, we both ordered Tart Tatin. Tart Tatin is made traditionally in a cast iron pan, and it can be hard to get the caramel right without burning the sugar. This Tart Tatin was very good indeed, the caramel did not taste bitter and the vanilla ice cream was rich and added a lovely vanilla flavour.
Breakfast
The next morning breakfast was served in the same dining room. Unfortunately, it was misty and raining or we would have had a lovely view over Lake Windermere again.
There was a menu where you could order food cooked to order, such as porridge and a vegetarian breakfast. There was also a decent buffet which included fresh fruit, croissants, cereals and a hot buffet breakfast with bacon, sausages, mushrooms, black pudding, beans and grilled tomatoes. We helped ourselves to the buffet. The restaurant was busy this morning. The fruit was good, not tinned, although the juice wasn't fresh juice. We ordered tea and coffee and it was brought over quickly as well as freshly made toast. I asked for soya milk, and they had some which I was pleased about. The Spa
We had a peek at the Lakeview Spa and pool and it looked really lovely. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to take a dip in the undercover swimming pool or the hot tub with a view of Lake Windermere.
The spa treatments were Elemis and included manicures, pedicures, massages and all the usual treatments you would expect. Having a spa in a hotel like this is a big bonus and if we return we will definitely use the facilities. Here is a video Mr W made for our dedicated travel blog Fly Drive Explore.
Overall we liked the Beech Hill Hotel and Spa. The public areas are very nice and have a classy, luxury feel, the food in the Burlington restaurant was very good indeed and the lake view and position is hard to beat. Don't just take my word for it, check out what fellow blogger Jenni thought of theBeech Hill Hotel and Spahere. Having the added bonus of a pool and spa is also a big plus point. We will return if we are ever in the area. Recommended. The Beech Hill Hotel & Spa Newby Bridge Road, Windermere, Cumbria. LA23 3LR
Basingstoke has a really cool event happening this Summer. The Made In Basingstoke Festival is a month long event full of things to create, taste, discover and make.
There are many different activities running throughout the town for young and old alike between the 14th July to 13th August. Some of my favourites include cupcake decorating workshops, musical jamming sessions, celebrity chef demonstrations, a Punch and Judy festival, storytelling, decoupage and crocheting to name a few. That's a lot of activities! The team at In Basingstoke know about my love of food, so they invited me down to Basingstoke to discover some of the activities for myself during the Taste week from the 21st of July and see what Basingstoke has to offer. Sitting With Jane
My weekend in Basingstoke started with a tour of the Sitting With Jane book benches. Sitting With Jane is a public art trail of 24 book benches all designed with a Jane Austen theme. Jane Austen came from Steventon, just down the road from Basingstoke and lived there for half her life. This year is 200 years since her death so there are many Jane Austen activities going on in the area. When you think of Jane Austen and her connections to UK towns you may not think of Basingstoke so the Sitting With Jane book benches has been developed to change that.
These stunning art benches were created by individual artists and all are uniquely themed in the artist's own interpretation of a Jane Austen theme.
My personal favourite is the 'Golden Peacock' design by Sian Story Art. This book bench is a vibrant colourful design based on the famous Pride And Prejudice book cover.
One of the book benches was designed by the artist who designed the new £2 Jane Austen coin, Dominique Evans. The book bench was created from her sketches and was so interesting to see. If you want to seek out these book benches you can download the free app and when you use it to check-in at the benches, it unlocks information and free gifts like free tea, coffee and cake! About half the benches are in the centre of Basingstoke although some are further afield with one in Winchester Cathedral where she was buried. In September these benches are going to be auctioned off for the Ark Cancer Centre Charity so check them out now while you can. Celebrity chef demonstration with Phil Vickery
I was thrilled when I noticed Phil Vickery the celebrity chef from TV's This Morning programme was cooking at The Malls Shopping Centre as part of the festival. I am a bit of a foodie and love watching celebrity chefs on TV and a few years ago I met James Martin and Anthony Worrell Thomson at The Good Food Show. Well, Phil Vickery was doing a cookery demonstration so I couldn't miss it! I first saw him on Ready Steady Cook years ago but didn't realise he held a Michelin Star when he was the chef at The Castle Hotel in Taunton too. The dishes he cooked were all Vietnamese - a sumptuous belly pork with sweet and sticky combinations as well as a mackerel salad with Vietnamese flavours and a tasty looking stir-fry. It's amazing how natural he appeared on stage and how personable and easy-going he was when I met him. I was a little nervous but I shouldn't have been as he was really lovely.
He told a story on stage about how he ate snake in Vietnam so I started the conversation with what his favourite foodie city was. Phil has travelled far and wide and talked about how the food in southern Sri Lanka and also Singapore was particularly delicious with a mix of Indian, Chinese and Thai influences. He had some interesting stories to tell I can tell you.
I also had the chance to ask him a few questions, check out the answers are below.
What is your favourite cake? I like a great fruit cake like a Genoa cake. I also like a Madeira cake and an Angel cake, you know the one, yes it may not be good for you but it's delicious!
When you eat out do you have a favourite restaurant? I enjoy going to Rick Stein's restaurant in Padstow Cornwall.
What's your guilty food pleasure? Rodder's clotted cream. Has to be this one as it's had the most fat content, with that delicious crusty layer on the cream.
So with a scone is it cream first or jam? Jam first then cream.
If you could invite three people to dinner, alive or dead who would you invite? Keith Floyd as he was good to me and it would make a fun event. Maggie Thatcher to wind Keith Floyd up. The third person I would invite would be the Queen as I'd love to have a one-to-one with her and a nice chat over a cuppa.
It was fabulous to meet Phil and something I won't forget for a long time. The Willis Museum
After the demonstration, we decided to check out The Willis Museum. This museum is a great little museum that is free to get in (but does rely on donations so please give generously).
Outside this lovely building is a fantastic life-size bronze sculpture of Jane Austen, very recently unveiled on the 18th of July. By local artist Adam Roud it commemorates 200 years of her death and her connection to the area. We saw many people having photos taken with the statue and the detail was amazing to see. How the artist can get her flowing coat just right in the medium of bronze is truly amazing.
Inside The Willis Museum is everything from archaeology to fine arts and social and industrial history. It was interesting to see a household kitchen from the 1950's and kids will find the massive mammoth tusk amazing too. Jane Austen themed afternoon Tea at The Royal Lion Hotel
Whilst we were in Basingstoke we had an opportunity to have a Jane Austen themed afternoon tea at The Red Lion Hotel. The Red Lion Hotel is a three-star hotel in the city centre. Inside the hotel was beautifully decorated in a traditional but fresh style.
The afternoon tea consisted of a selection of traditional finger sandwiches including egg mayonnaise, cheese and pickle, Coronation chicken, as well as sultana scones with jam and cream, Victoria sponge and chocolate cake. I presumed these were items from a traditional afternoon tea that Jane would have had in her day. Accompanying this was a selection of tea or coffee and a glass of Prosecco.
With afternoon tea, I find sometimes the sandwiches as made too far in advance, and the bread can be hard and stale, but not at The Red Lion. I think these were some of the freshest sandwiches I have had in a long time and incredibly tasty too. I particularly enjoyed the chicken and bacon sandwiches and the lovely scones, oh and of course the Prosecco.
For £15.99 per person, I thought the afternoon tea was good value considering the freshness of the food, the quantity and the fact that you also get a glass of wine. The staff were also incredibly friendly and couldn't do enough for us so I would definitely recommend going here when you want to treat yourself to afternoon tea. Evening meal at The Mayflower Chinese Restaurant
The Mayflower Chinese Restaurant is in the old town centre. We were invited to dinner there one night to sample their cuisine and hospitality. We were greeted by Brian and Hiro, with warm smiles. The food we had was from the set menu, and they were happy to substitute the odd dish. We went for a four-course set menu. After we ordered the food, a bowl of prawn crackers and sweet chilli sauce came to the table and before long our food arrived, which was good as we were hungry!
A scrumptious selection of starters included prawn toast, satay chicken, vegetable spring rolls and crispy seaweed arrived. The peanut sauce for the satay chicken was excellent, not too spicy but really authentic and we were informed it was homemade. I loved the hand-carved eagle, carved out of a carrot. The attention to detail was fantastic. A great selection of starters and the size of the portions were generous.
Next came a selection of crispy duck and pancakes with plum sauce. The meat was a mix of tender duck with crispy duck as well. This dish was mouthwatering, the combination of thin pancakes, plum sauce and meat were a great taste sensation.
Then our mains arrived. Szechuan chicken, sizzling beef with ginger and spring onion, and sweet and sour chicken Hong Kong Style. We couldn't fault any of the dishes. The Szechuan chicken was spicy but not too hot, the beef was delicious, the sauce light and the flavour of the ginger really came through and the sweet and sour chicken had a good balance of sweet and sourness. Served with hot egg fried rice everything was incredibly tasty and was really really good. We were too full for desserts which were toffee banana or toffee apple but were offered tea or coffee instead which we had. We thought this set menu for £22.50 each was excellent. There was lots of food and everything was high quality, served piping hot too.
We have travelled extensively and often find the service in restaurants in this country can be patchy. Not here. The Mayflower staff are obviously well trained and Hiro and Brian could not do enough for us. Service was with a smile and served in a fun atmosphere too. There were a number of birthdays and a hen party in when we were there (not the rowdy type though!) and you could see the staff making a big fuss of everyone, not just us. Just before we left Hiro got his guitar out and started singing, inviting people up to sing. Yep, a fun atmosphere and great food made a fantastic night.
Where we stayed
We stayed at The Apollo Hotel. This four-star hotel is a couple of miles out of the town centre so is great for exploring the Hampshire and Basingstoke area. With 125 contemporary rooms, a bar and lounge, a brasserie restaurant and A La Carte restaurant as well as an indoor pool with spa treatments available, the hotel has everything you need for a relaxing stay in the area.
Our stay included breakfast which had an extensive selection of hot and cold choices. If you want a full cooked breakfast, cereals, croissants, fresh fruit or even Parma ham for breakfast it was all available.
We thought the staff were lovely too. They called us a taxi and they were very helpful when I asked for information in the area.
Check out our video here from our travel blog Fly Drive Explore. You can find out what's on in Basingstoke by checking out the link. Be sure to catch the Made In Basingstoke festival before it ends on the 13th of August 2017. With themes of Create, Taste, Discover and Make still going on there are lots of activities to take part in. You can also find out more about Basingstoke and the area around by checking out Destination Basingstoke. Check out my post on Why You Must Visit Basingstoke this summer too. Have fun! * We were guests of Made In Basingstoke and Destination Basingstoke.
