A Day Trip to Branscombe in Devon
If you’re in the Devon area, you should take a day trip to Branscombe. With its quaint pubs and pebble beach, this seaside village is great no matter what the season.
If you’re in the Devon area, you should take a day trip to Branscombe. With its quaint pubs and pebble beach, this seaside village is great no matter what the season. Settled between Sidmouth and Beer, it’s a great place to spend the day and grab either a hot chocolate or ice cream, depending the season.
I’ve been here a couple of times now, once in the winter and just recently {in August}. Each time I wore my wellies {rainboots for the American readers}, which has always been a good decision. You’ll find yourself wanting to explore the rocks along the beach, picking them up in search of sea creatures. You might even be lucky enough to find some fossils!
On your way to the beach, stop for a snack, hot drink or ice cream in the summertime at the Sea Shanty Beach Café. It’s a casual café with great snacks and killer lattes. The people are so friendly, you won’t want to leave.
There are walking trails along the cliffs, though I haven’t yet made it to those along this beach, but I’m sure the views are spectacular.
If you don’t fancy the beach, there’s plenty of streets to discover with the stone buildings and pops of colour. Stroll through the streets and say hello to the locals, they’re lovely. xo
Weekend Highlights: Cruising West London's Canals
I'm not sure if there's anything better than catching up with girlfriends over a bottle of roseé on a perfect London summer afternoon.
Since moving to London, I haven't cruised the canals via bicycle... Alright, so I may have been a bit scared to do it, I'm not going to deny that. But since getting my Mango Bike {Portland model, with added bling bling bell of course...}, I figured I need to overcome my fears and go for it. One of the girls rented a boris bike - so if you don't own a bike, there's no excuse.
I convinced 2 girlfriends to join me, promising that we'd be stopping for some rosé along the way. We set off from Notting Hill and got completely lost after Paddington station... I thought the canals in Little Venice were more obvious to find and follow, but no, they were not. We took a lot of wrong turns, went in a few circles, and had to dismount countless times. So before hopping on a bike and just cruising, map it out. But finally, we found a promising entrance that ended up being exactly what we were looking for.
We were along Regent's Canal that goes straight through Regent's Park. The weather may have had a hand in the beauty, but it was such a beautiful and relaxing cruise the whole way through to Camden. The gardens along each side, the estates and even the green duck weed that engulfed the canal was gorgeous.
We went through Camden, wiggling our way through the massive crowds getting their vitamin D intake. Camden has a buzzing energy that would put anyone in the right attitude. We didn't stop for the market with our bikes in tow, but it's definitely on my list of things to do before summer's end.
We decided to take a 'break' at King's Cross, right near the floating bookshop's landing. I'm not sure if this is where the bookshop is permanently located, but every time I've seen it, it's been here. If you're ever in the area, it's definitely worth checking out.
Rosé:30. Time to reward ourselves for biking what could have been over 10 miles {as it took us almost 2 hours to go 3.5 miles}. We were fortunate enough to find a patio spot to enjoy our rosé and catch up properly. After the rose was empty, it was time to find our way back to Notting Hill - which was a thrilling experience {terrifying, but exhilarating... haha!}.
I'm not sure if there's anything better than catching up with girlfriends over a bottle of roseé on a perfect London summer afternoon. Enjoy the rest of summer, it'll go faster than you'd like. xoxo
Find a Little Piece of Paradise in London at Kew Gardens
The endless amount of greenery that is in this park impressed my socks off. And if you go, don’t forget to check the map for other things to discover.
Since my new found obsession with plants {especially in the home}, Kew Gardens was a no brainer. The endless amount of greenery that is in this park impressed my socks off. And if you go, don’t forget to check the map for other things to discover. We almost made that mistake of thinking we had seen enough since we were well satisfied with the green houses and peacock we had seen grazing one of the many garden areas.
The greenhouses alone would be enough to visit with the lavish palms, putting you straight into tropic-ville. Make sure you climb the spiral staircase for a view from above. It will make you feel very small compared to the large palms towering to the ceilings. Not to mention the photo ops from above are worth it alone.
If the weather cooperates, make your way to the treetop walkway to feel like you’ve been dropped into Jurassic Park. After you’ve walked amongst the trees, wander the wildlife reserve and explore the vast amount of flowers along the pathways. There are plenty of activities along the way, and this place is huge for families if you have little ones.
Don’t forget to stop into the shop to pick up a new house plant or 4, they also have a lot of amazing coffee table books and other goodies to stock up on. And if you’ve taken the tube to get to Kew Gardens, stop into Tap on the Line for a pint and snack.
The Stunning Castle of Dover
When we ‘landed’ in Dover we were starving, so the search for a nice café with breakfast and a good latte was the top priority.
For a while now I’ve been telling everyone that I wanted to visit Dover for the white cliffs, and most people looked at me like I was mad. Though they agreed the cliffs are pretty, they found it a bit odd/random that I’d want to visit Dover. So when Sam said we could go for the cliffs and a castle, I, of course, took him up on it without hesitation.
Getting to Dover from London was easier than expected, with a fast train from London St. Pancras it took just about an hour. And to our surprise, it was less expensive to get round trip tickets than it is to get to Reading. I suggest looking into getting a railcard if you’re eligible because the savings can be major. We have a Two Together Railcard, which saved us 1/3 of the ticket price.
When we ‘landed’ in Dover we were starving, so the search for a nice café with breakfast and a good latte was the top priority. We luckily found a lovely café along the high street that had everything we were looking for. The adorable café was called The Allotment. The food was great, the staff was friendly and helpful and the décor was cosy and welcoming. If I’m ever in Dover again, I’ll be sure to come back for afternoon tea and a scone.
After filling up on espresso and breakfast, we started our journey towards the castle. There was a stone wall bordered walkway up a steep hill we found that brought us all the way up that was quaint and also exhausting, but well worth the trek. We’d arrived at the Dover Castle entrance with a stunning view of the tower entrance. There were even some goats staring us down that greeted us.
Dover Castle is the first castle I’ve visited in the UK, and it was a stunner. I imagined the times when the castle was in its prime operating state, with people bustling the hallways and kitchen prepping the evening dinner. Some of the most interesting areas were how they defended the castle. The moat and slits in the walls where archers would post up were really interesting. The castle was beautiful, but I’m sure those times were a bit scary and tense.
We walked the entire grounds, including the underground hospital that was in operation during the world wars. I suggest going on those tours, it’s a bit of history that wasn’t that long ago in retrospect.
We considered signing up for the English Heritage membership, since it had some really cool historic sites included, but in the end we decided to pass. If you are interested in the locations that are included, here’s the link and more information about the membership: english-heritage.org.uk
As for the white cliffs of Dover… they will have to wait. The weather wasn’t great, and we figured we’d rather spend the time inside getting warm over a pint at a quirky harbour bar called Cullin Yards in the harbour. After 2 pints, we were spent and called it a day. We had walked over 8 miles, and climbed over 75 flights of stairs according to Apple health… But those are the best types of day trips out of London – the ones that don’t make you feel guilty about drinking that extra pint of lager or glass of wine {or vodka}.
A Weekend Escape to Castle Combe
Since living in London/ the UK, I still hadn’t started exploring much of this beautiful country. So I decided it was time to make a trip to the Costwolds {finally}. After doing some research, and seeing its adorable charm, I thought Castle Combe was a must.
Since living in London/ the UK, I still hadn’t started exploring much of this beautiful country. So I decided it was time to make a trip to the Costwolds {finally}. After doing some research, and seeing its adorable charm, I thought Castle Combe was a must.
It’s not a far journey from London, just a short-ish train ride (just over an hour) from Paddington to Chippenham, and about 15-20 minutes in a taxi from there. I will say though, driving would have been a more preferred option as taxis can be a bit pricey back and forth if you aren’t staying in Castle Comb. There is a bus from Chippenham, but be sure to check the timetables – weekend service is limited, especially on Sundays and bank holidays can turn into massive headaches if you don’t plan ahead.
- Bus schedule from Chippenham: https://bustimes.org.uk/services/swe_47-35-_-y10
- Trains to Chippenham from Paddington: https://www.thetrainline.com/
- Coach to Chippenham via Megabus: https://uk.megabus.com/megatrain.aspx
We stayed in most likely the smallest village in the UK called Tiddleywink. It’s just outside of Chippenham, next to Yatton Keynell. Yes, the name is real, but it’s only been named that for since about 2015. We found our accommodations on AirBNB, it was perfect for what we were looking for.
When we first got there, we headed straight to Castle Combe. We decided to walk, which was fine, but a bit of a struggle as there wasn’t a public footpath for us to follow the entire way there. We did manage to find a footpath just past Yatton Keynell, which was great.
Once we got to Castle Combe area, I knew we were in for something amazing, it was almost magical. Entering the town centre put us right into a storybook, it almost didn’t feel real. Sam said it was the cutest village he’s ever seen.
Take a walk along the streets, take a stroll through the church and cemetery, and down past the tea room. There’s a little river at the end, with the ‘iconic’ photo opp of the bridge overlooking the village.
Day 2
Our second day during this trip, we attempted to find our way to the Avebury Stones. I had found a lovely hike, but since it was a Sunday – public transportation failed us {aka, I failed to look at the bus timeteables…}. But, if you do have time to see them – I’ve only heard amazing things. Plus, you’re able to get closer to the stones and it’s much cheaper than Stonehendge {prices here}.
We ended up back in Castle Combe, but decided to go for a hike around the village. Definitely make the time to do this while you’re visiting Castle Combe. Here are a couple that you can follow: https://www.wikiloc.com/trails/hiking/united-kingdom/england/castle-combe. You’ll get your nature fix in hiking around the area. Plus you might even spot some lamb along the way.
I highly recommend taking local trips as well as international – the UK is beautiful and there are so many different things to do and see!
