UK Travel Blog

If Royal Wedding fever hasn’t quite gripped you, where are some good places to head out and hopefully avoid too many mentions?

These are purely picked from experience so we might not of course include your favourite, but if there’s somewhere you think people should visit click here to enter your own comments at the bottom of this page.

1) Brighton is probably a good option if you’re living along the south eastern corner of the country as it’s easy to reach from London by both rail and car. The seaside town always seems to have a smile and a very modern take on life, so as long as the sun is shining it should be perfect.

2) Bath is one of those places where you’ll find something completely new everytime you visit, and it’s surprisingly easy to reach. With the renovated Roman bath houses now including interactive displays alongside actors to explain how the whole process of communal bathing worked. Plus if the weather is like today, you might be glad of the shade.

3) Bournemouth is for the south west what Brighton is for Londoners, with family friendly fun and not as hard to reach especially by car as say Cornwall. A good day trip out with the miles of sandy beaches – bucket, spade and ice creams at the ready.

4) Moving up and across, if you really want to escape the wedding then we’d recommend the central hills of Wales, especially around the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia. The little mountain railway is perfect for kids and quite an event, plus as long as it’s not raining you can see for miles around from top.

5) If anyone ever asks me what to do around North West England, I always recommend a day out in Chester. Do yourself a favour and use the park & ride if you’re driving, but there is so much to see in the town especially the spectacular narrow streets and overhanging buildings. Plus there are loads and loads of shops, but because it’s preserved the whole area feels much more historic than your bland high street.

6) If history is your thing then why not pop over to see The Bard (Shakespeare) at Stratford-upon-Avon in Staffordshire, which even has a decent Shakesperian theatre now run by the RSC. There are numerous tours of the various places Shakespeare lived and not forgetting Anne Hathaway’s house which is just outside the town.

7) Going right across the country you’ll find York which has to be the east coast’s answer to Chester. Again the preserved ancient buildings mixing with the modern shops are great, and if you have time we could highly recommend the National Railway Museum which is free and the Jorvick Museum, but do be prepared for a wait in Spring & Summer.

8) Skipping right up the country, we can’t miss out Scotland especially if you’re more based in the north of England or of course Scotland itself. From personal experience I would say Edinburgh is a nicer city than Glasgow, although the latter is improving but Edinburgh just seems friendlier somehow, although it does have horrifically expensive parking. Possibly best done by train for simplicity.

9) On the other side of the country, the area above Glasgow is a great choice if you want to really get away from all things royal. Head up the A82 from Glasgow towards Fort William for one of the best drives in the country and top quality fish restaurants along with fish n’ chips when you get there as a reward.

10) If you’re planning to get even further from London, or heading off on a weekend trip via Fort William then the last recommended place would be Inverness. As cities go, this one is still a personal favourite for clean, friendly and easy to get around. Plus there are loads of places to eat, drink and be merry.

More Helpful Links:
Hotels all around the UK
Visitor attractions not wedding related
Self-catering cottages (making a week of it)