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duncanbarker-blog · 5 years

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We’ve been travelling the world full-time as digital nomads for nine years!

Our ninth year on the road was unusual—we spent the entire year in expensive countries and could afford to do so because we had a surprisingly extraordinary year for our business (more on that below).

We also spent much more time in the UK. We enjoyed seeing more of friends and family and having an easy base between European trips. Nine years of travel is tiring—pretty much every other nomad we know has now set up a home base—and we appreciated being in a place where we know how things work and found we could be more productive. Plus we got to explore more of our home country which really is a beautiful place (especially when the sun shines).

So do we have any plans to settle down? Nope. We are feeling tired right now after a busy two months and do need to slow down—in Year 9 we only spent more than one month in a place once (Austin for two months), which is unusual for us. But we still appreciate the freedom of this lifestyle and don’t want to be tied to one place between trips or have to bother with the hassles of setting up a home.

Year 9 was another fantastic year that took us to seven countries. While only one of them was new to us (Iceland), we visited two new states in the US (including Hawaii!) and enjoyed digging deeper into some of our favourite places in Italy. We also got out of our comfort zone with an unexpected long distance hike that turned out to be one of our favourite ever travel experiences (and in our own country too).

United Kingdom

Running the London Landmarks Half Marathon

In last year’s nomadiversary post I discussed our strangely enjoyable winter in the UK. In March we finished our time there with housesits in Stratford Upon Avon and London and I completed my training for my second half marathon.

Running the new London Landmarks Half Marathon was a fantastic experience. I loved running past the sights of London—both major and hidden—with lots of entertainment along the way. It was a treat to experience the city without any traffic as all the roads were closed for the race.

The benefit of being back in the UK was that my parents were able to join Simon as my cheering squad and due to the loops and switchbacks of the route, I saw them multiple times which helped keep me going and get a new PB (1:56:30). I also raised £1000 for the Alzheimer’s Society.

Going to the Theatre

Being in an English speaking country meant we had the opportunity to go to the theatre which isn’t something we often get to do. We saw the Duchess of Malfi in Stratford Upon Avon and Animal Farm later in the year in Brighton, but best of all was finally getting tickets for Harry Potter and Hamilton in London which were both brilliant! The trick we found to getting tickets was to check the website a few days before for last minute returns (they also have lotteries but we had no luck).

France

The Perfect Day in Paris

Cherry blossoms at Jardin des Plantes in Paris

In early April, after a wonderfully chocolate-filled Easter in London, we began our train trip to Italy, stopping as we always do in Paris.

We only had time for a day in the city, but we made the most of it with an epic 14-mile walk to classic sights and hidden gems that included our favourite croissants, beautiful parks, grandiose buildings, breaks for thick hot chocolate and macarons, and strolling along the Seine. It was an exhausting but perfect day. See our Paris in a day itinerary for details.

Italy

Bologna

The view of Bologna from Asinelli Tower

We never get enough of our beloved Italy and on our 12th trip there we began with a week in Bologna. It’s a beautiful, less touristy city with a rich food culture (balsamic vinegar, parmesan cheese and Parma ham all come from the region).

We did a fun food tour, climbed medieval towers, visited a traditional balsamic vinegar maker in nearby Modena, and ate a huge amount of fresh pasta and gelato. We have more tips in our best things to do in Bologna post.

A Month in Lecce

Our street in Lecce

On our previous two trips to Lecce, a small University city in Puglia, we’d commented on how liveable it felt and this time we finally returned for a full month.

We loved having time to get to know all the delicious restaurants and wander the gorgeous golden Baroque streets. The weather was perfect in April/early May and sitting outside with a glass of rose for a leisurely lunch was just wonderful.

We ate a lot in Lecce!

Road Tripping Around Puglia

Us in Otranto

From Lecce we rented a car for a two-week road trip up the length of Puglia to a mix of new destinations and old favourites.

We started with a few nights on an olive farm near Ostuni, Il Frantoio, which is our favourite place to stay in all of Italy. It’s rustic but stylish, full of character and history, and the meals are amazing—all made with produce and oil from the farm.

Masseria il Frantoio

We explored more of the Valle d’Itria from our next base in the off-the-beaten-track town of Ceglie Messapica before continuing up the coast to beautiful Polignano a Mare and the Gargano Peninsula.

Monopoli in Puglia

We’ve updated our Puglia guide with our new favourite places. We highly recommend this beautiful region of Italy.

A Month in Rome

At the Trevi Fountain

We’ve visited Rome many times before and it was just as glorious as we expected to have a full month living in our favourite neighbourhood Testaccio. We were a few minutes walk from the excellent Testaccio market as well as one of the best pizzerias in Rome (and we went there often!).

We spent our time seeking out unusual things to do in Rome to avoid the crowds which was surprisingly easy to do and even managed to have a Caravaggio painting to ourselves!

Another highlight was seeing a screening of the Gladiator film with a 200-piece live orchestra in the Circus Maximus, an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium (Russell Crowe even made an appearance!).

View of Piazza Navona from the Eitch Borromini rooftop terrace bar

United Kingdom (Again)

A Hot Summer in Brighton

Brighton beach on a sunny day

Our focus for the summer was getting work done so we accepted a housesit in Brighton, an artsy beach town on the south coast of England. What we didn’t expect was that the UK would actually have a summer (and therefore distractions from work)!

It was the longest period of hot weather that we ever remember having in England and it was rather lovely. We enjoyed beach picnics and festivals with friends and even swam in the English Channel!

We were also in training so we did quite a few day hikes up at Devil’s Dyke and best of all, from the Seven Sisters to Eastbourne which is just gorgeous!

The Seven Sisters

Unfortunately, our housesit was interrupted as the sweet elderly dog we were looking after got sick and the owners decided to come home, so we moved on. It ended up being a more disruptive time than we needed and we were sad to leave our lovely dog and housesit behind.

Selling Our House

In the meantime, we sold our house in Manchester which we’ve been renting out since we left in 2010. Things were always going wrong with a 100+ year old house and it was a relief to finally rid ourselves of it. Surprisingly it sold very quickly and for over the asking price.

We’re now very grown up and have an investment portfolio of low-cost index funds for the proceeds (after reading Millionaire Expat by Andrew Hallam). We hadn’t thought about retirement before (because it certainly won’t look like the average retirement), but saving for our old age seems like a good idea and we’re now contributing to the fund regularly.

Friends and Family

A family reunion and birthday dinner

It was lovely to have so much time with friends and family in the UK this year. We were able to attend birthday parties and a family reunion that we’d usually miss, visit friends in Worthing, Bristol, London and Manchester, and Simon even recorded a song with his occasional band Velocitiger.

Hiking the Dales Way

Simon on the Dales Way

Doing a long distance hike was not on our radar until Simon’s stepmum walked the Dales Way and the idea stuck in our heads. While walking 80 miles over six days was definitely out of our comfort zone, it was made easier by a luggage transport service and the lovely B&Bs and pubs we stayed in along the way.

It ended up being a wonderfully relaxing week and a real highlight of the year. The Yorkshire Dales is a gorgeous part of the country and exploring on foot is the perfect way to experience a place that feels like you’ve stepped back in time.

At the end of the Dales Way in the Lake District

Iceland

Road Tripping Around Iceland

Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall

Iceland lived up to the hype! It’s a truly stunning country and we spent a fantastic 12 days road tripping to the less visited areas of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and remote Westfjords.

September in Iceland was ideal as there were fewer crowds and no snow on the roads but some starting to appear on the mountains. We often had hidden waterfalls, hot springs, and dramatic beaches to ourselves.

See our Iceland itinerary for details of where we went.

On the huge and empty red sand beach in Iceland

Seeing the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights outside our cabin at Bjarkaholt in the Westfjords.

The highlight of our Iceland trip was seeing the northern lights for the first time. We didn’t even need to take a tour to see the magical light show—we just stepped outside our cabin in the Westfjords.

United Kingdom (Yet Again)

Cosy Life in a Welsh Village

The view from the top of Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons

As we discovered in the summer, it’s easier to be productive when you’re not also trying to get to know a new place and figure out what to eat and where to go for basic supplies. So in October we decided to rent a cottage in a tiny village in the Brecon Beacons. While we’d never visited that part of Wales before, being in the UK was easy and familiar.

We spent most of our time working by the fireplace and taking long walks along the canal, but we also took a few day trips to nearby Hay on Wye to browse its many bookshops and eat lunch in quirky cafes, and we climbed the Pen-Y-Fan mountain. We would love to return to explore more of the area (and maybe take a canal boat holiday!).

USA

Disney World

At Magic Kingdom!

Disney is Simon’s happy place so when we had the opportunity to visit for his birthday, of course, I couldn’t resist. We stayed onsite at a value resort for the first time and enjoyed the convenience of the free buses rather than driving ourselves.

As always we had a fun-filled week—see our favourite things to do at Disney World and our tips for visiting Disney on a budget.

Austin

Kayaking past downtown Austin on a sunny day in December

We really needed to settle down by this point, so we decided to spend two months in Austin, Texas because we have good friends there (Tom, Jenny and Abraham of Till the Money Runs Out) and we’d heard it’s a cool city. Our friends had a great Airbnb apartment we could rent in the quiet and attractive neighbourhood Hyde Park.

I haven’t written about Austin as we spent our time there more as locals than seeing the sights. Things we loved about the city: queso (oh my!), cheap margaritas, tacos, kayaking past downtown, running around Lady Bird Lake (10 miles of uninterrupted trail! I even managed a half marathon by myself), the ultra-comfortable Alamo Drafthouse cinemas, and Central Market supermarket (yay for bulk buy!).

I got to take a yoga class with the fabulous Adriene of Yoga with Adriene—as I do her videos every day it was amazing to practice with her in person.

Simon took part in his first ever poker game and won!

Mostly we loved Austin because we got to spend lots of time with our friends who made us feel so welcome. We spent Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas (we cooked Christmas lunch and made mince pies for the first time!) and New Year together and were even in town for the birth of their new baby.

Us with Jenny, Tom and Abraham at one of our Christmas events—the Luminations at the Wildflower Centre

Christmas was especially lovely as it’s always a difficult time for us to be away from home, but we did so many fun activities—buying our first tree in a decade (which Simon brought home on an electric scooter!), making tree ornaments and gingerbread houses and mulled wine, decorating cookies, wandering through various light trails, and seeing the Nutcracker ballet.

Texas winter weather is weird, though—close to freezing one day and 75ºF and sunny the next.

Us on our way to see The Nutcracker on a sunny day a few days before Christmas

Hawaii

Erin at Waianapanapa State Park on Maui

Our month in Hawaii was as glorious as we hoped! The scenery was stunning, the weather perfect (hot but not too hot—A/C wasn’t necessary), and most places we stayed had an ocean view which always makes me happy.

It was the most expensive trip we’ve ever done, but it was worth it. We enjoyed the tropical vibe but with all the comforts and conveniences of the US (although it was hard to believe we were still in the same country after a six-hour flight from LA!). ⠀

We focused on the islands of Kauai and Maui (with one night in Honolulu at the end) but already want to return to explore more of the islands.

Helicopter Trip over Kauai

The stunning Na Pali coast from a helicopter

The highlight of our time on Kauai was taking a doors off helicopter ride over this stunning island—we flew over waterfalls and through canyons and along the Na Pali Coast which has the most beautiful sea cliffs we’ve ever seen.

Whale Watching on Maui

Whale breaching in Maui on our Makai Adventures boat trip. Photo by Jill Niederberger as my camera broke a few days before.

Our favourite experience on Maui was seeing so many whales—on boat trips, from beaches, and even from our condo’s balcony. We saw them breaching, tail slapping, with babies, and even singing while we were snorkelling—magical! It really was a dream come true because we’ve wanted to see whales for ages but have never had any luck.

Hawaii in general was rich in sea life—we often saw turtles and seals sleeping on beaches and dolphins swam alongside our boat on Kauai. ⠀

Japan

Osaka

Us at Harukas 300 in Osaka

Back to one of our favourite countries, Japan! Honestly, chilly Osaka in February was a shock after warm and easy Hawaii, but we soon adjusted to the wonderful confusion that is Japan.

Highlights were visiting Harry Potter World at Universal Japan, the beautiful 360º view of the city from Harukas 300 observatory, the vibrant Dotonbori area, and eating our way around the city (so many fantastic vegetarian options!). I also bought a new camera—the Sony A7iii!

Harry Potter World!

Singapore

A Family Wedding

We took a week-long side trip from Japan to Singapore for Simon’s brother’s wedding and it was a wonderful day. It was great to catch up with family and we even dragged them to Universal Singapore for a fun day out (yes, we’ve been to lots of theme parks in the last few months!).

Japan (Again)

Finally, we’re back in Japan for a few months where we’ll be revisiting some of our favourite destinations as well as exploring new ones, experiencing the sakura (cherry blossom) season for the first time, and continuing to hunt down the best vegetarian eats.

Business Growth

In last year’s nomadiversary post I wrote about how we’d been experiencing a worrying decline in our blog traffic. It was a wake up call and we refocused our efforts on the blog—Simon finished the new website design and I learnt more about SEO in order to increase our Google traffic to the blog (which has always been our number one source of visitors).

I updated old posts and wrote new posts based on what people were actually searching for (rather than what I thought they might be interested in). The website Digital Nomad Wannabe and the KeySearch tool have been particularly helpful.

Well, the work paid off and our business has grown hugely over the last year. Traffic doubled in Year 9 with 1.7 million visitors to the blog and our income more than doubled. Our income is entirely passive (from affiliates, advertising, and our app and book), so if we take a few months off work, we continue to earn.

After many years of needing to balance inexpensive and expensive destinations, this has given us a lot of financial freedom and we’ve been able to visit wherever we wanted this year (without any press or sponsored trips).

In addition, it has enabled Simon to realise a dream and work on making an adventure game without worrying about money. He’s also had time for creating fantastic artwork on Instagram and venturing into video game streaming on Twitch.

Simon’s illustration of a pub in Brighton

It has been another fantastic year and we look forward to seeing what Year 10 (!) brings.

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us this year by reading the blog, recommending it to friends, and buying our Trail Wallet app and The Carry On Traveller book.

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theglobetrottergp-blog · 5 years

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Sometime’s I become so preoccupied with exploring the world that I forget about all the beautiful English Countryside getaway locations right on my doorstep.

The English countryside is often, sadly, overlooked. Visitors from abroad flock to London, stay a few days before moving onto the rest of Europe. But they are missing the best bit!

Whilst England is famed for its pretty countryside with rolling hills, forests and rivers, the charming villages themselves are well worth a visit. There is so much history in England and old buildings, castles and churches galore to reflect this.

The English are notoriously a friendly bunch with a cracking dry sense of humour (if a little eccentric at times…)

Ok, full disclosure; I am English though living in Wales so I may be a tad biased when I tell you the English are the most friendly people worldwide. I’m sure there are some facts out there somewhere to back me up..?!

My favourite thing about an English countryside getaway is the multitude of cafes for afternoon tea, the beautiful walks and spending evenings in a cosy old pub, warming myself by a roaring fire and tucking into some hearty pub food.

So if I’ve convinced you to explore beyond London next time, here are 12 beautiful English Countryside getaways suggested by travel bloggers to inspire your trip to rural England!

But first a few of my own favourite places…

** Pssst, this article may contain affiliate links. If you have no idea what this means, click here and everything will be explained!**

English Countryside Getaway to The Lake District

I spent many a fond summer in the Lake District as a child. My Mum’s family live in nearby Cumbria and it was the perfect springboard for outdoor adventures as we grew up.

Back then I spent many a summer swimming in the freezing cold lake and I have to admit, that doesn’t hold QUITE as much appeal any more! But on a recent trip, I took to the lake on a kayak instead – a much more civilised way to enjoy the beautiful lakes!

There are quaint villages galore and plenty of places to stop for afternoon tea. If hiking is your thing then you are in luck as there are plenty of mountains for you to explore here in what I personally think might be the prettiest countryside England has to offer!

I would highly recommend staying at Rothay Garden Hotel in Grasmere. They have this beautiful conservatory complete with spa where you can sit in a jacuzzi watching the sheep stroll past. It’s so incredibly relaxing. There’s no swimming pool here but who needs a pool when you have a jacuzzi with a view like that?!

Grasmere itself is one of the cutest villages in the Lakes and is home to the smallest shop in the world which sells the most incredible ginger biscuits.

English Countryside Getaway to Monmouth

Well, you could argue that this is a Welsh countryside getaway as in truth, Monmouth borders both England and Wales. It’s the town where I grew up and recently I heard it was Britains happiest town according to Capitol radio!

It’s no wonder why really. Monmouth is one of those places where community spirit is really strong. There’s always so much going on whether that be a free music festival or a country fair. The pubs are always bustling and lively and there are plenty of cafes for a cream tea or two.

Monmouth is also home to the only remaining fortified medieval bridge in the UK making it a popular place for history buffs to visit. Read more about Monmouth in my Monmouth Visitors Guide.

Bristol City Guide by a Local

Cambridge City Guide by a Local

Monmouth Visitors Guide

A Weekend in Stroud

Brighton weekend guide

The Ultimate Europe Bucket List – 30 reasons to visit Europe

Get a free £25 Airbnb coupon

Over to the other bloggers…

English Countryside Getaway to Exmoor

By Suzanne Easton

Exmoor is located on the border of Somerset and Devon and is one of the smaller National Parks in England.

It is a beautiful area to explore with deep wooded valleys, streams and high moorland. It was used as the inspiration for the Lorna Doone book by RD Blackmoore and still has a romantic wilderness feel.

Exmoor reaches the coast with the seaside town of Minehead being on the boundary of the national park, perfect for a beach walk or supplies before heading away from the town.

One of our favourite places is Tarr Steps. An ancient clapper bridge with beautiful walks and wild swimming in the river during the summer months. Nearby is Liscombe Farm with gorgeous dairy ice cream from the cows that you see grazing near the river.

Exmoor is also known for its deer rut. High on the moorland in the autumn months, the stags collect their hinds and congregate showing great displays of their strength, fighting other stags and generally being aggressive and loud.

Staying on Exmoor is really special as it has Dark Skies status and the stars really do shine on the moors at night. We love the Dunkery Beacon Hotel, indulgence but worth every penny.

Credit @ Suzanne Easton

English Countryside Getaways in The New Forest

By Nienke Krook

The New Forest is a favourite UK holiday destination with plenty of nature, museums, pubs and wonderful towns & villages. You can reach The New Forest in just 90 minutes by train from London.

From the town of Lyndhurst, you can do a circular hiking trail that takes you via the meadows through a denser area of the forest, then to the South and back via Clayhill to Lyndhurst. You’ll see plenty of wild ponies along the way!

Lyndhurst is also the town where Alice Hargraves (Liddell) lived, a lady who became the inspiration for the main character from the famous book “Alice in Wonderland”.

Other nearby places worth visiting are Lymington (where you can explore the marina, the wildlife conservation areas and the typical landscape of the salt planes), the Isle of Wight (a great place for wildlife spotting and other outdoor activities) and the Jurassic Coast (with dramatic cliffs and steep green hills).

To save money on your accommodation, we recommend checking out the local Airbnb options. We stayed in a small town called Bransgore, which proved to be a perfect base from to explore the different parts of this region.

(Get a free £25 Airbnb coupon here.)

Credit @ Nienke Krook

English Countryside Getaway to Hambledon in Hampshire

By Kelly Mongan

With its stunning vineyard and charming village pub, there’s no better place for a weekend away than Hambledon.

Located in Hampshire, this town is often referred to as “the cradle of cricket”, since it is where the modern cricket rules were first played (head to the Bat & Ball pub if you’re a cricket fan!).

Hambledon is located in South Downs National Park and therefore offers stunning countryside walks, through the vineyard and cabbage fields, or even up Butser Hill.

It’s also a Dark Sky zone, meaning you’ll be treated to the most wonderful view of the stars at night.

If you want to truly experience the English countryside, there is no better place to stay than Wriggly Tin Shepherds Huts. Wriggly Tin offers glamping in its finest form and is just a ten-minute walk from Hambledon Vineyard.

At the vineyard, it’s possible to do a tour and taste their award-winning sparkling wine.

If you’re looking to explore more of the area, Winchester is an easy day trip, as is Arundel Castle. Or, for walking/cycling trips, you have the whole of South Downs National Park at your disposal!

Credit @ Kelly Mongan

English Countryside Getaway to Wensleydale in The Yorkshire Dales

By Sarah Poitras

This summer, we spent four days in the Yorkshire Dales for our first English countryside getaway. We based ourselves in Wensleydale for our Yorkshire Dales holiday.

If you like walking, Wensleydale is a great place to visit in the English countryside. You’ll be treated to rolling green hills, picturesque stone fences, and of course tons of sheep. And it’s a great place for people of all abilities as there are many different walks of varying difficulty levels.

There are also castles! We particularly enjoyed our visit to Bolton Castle, which is quite well preserved and has beautiful grounds to explore. It would also make for a good family outing (we saw a lot of kids enjoying themselves).

We based ourselves in two towns, Hawes and Masham, for their locations and for their local culinary delights. Hawes is home to Wensleydale Creamery which makes truly delicious cheese. And Masham has not one but two local breweries: Theakston Brewery and Black Sheep Brewery.

In Hawes, we stayed at Spring Bank House, a traditional B&B, and in Masham, we stayed at The Bay Horse, a traditional pub. Both served tasty and hearty breakfasts and had friendly and helpful owners. We would highly recommend both if you’re looking for places to stay in Wensleydale.

Credit @ Sarah Poitras

English Countryside Getaway to Lacock, Wiltshire

By Chandrima Chakraborty

If you’re looking for some beautiful English countryside getaways, the village of Lacock definitely needs to be on your list.

Located in the English county of Wiltshire (around 30 minutes from the city of Bath by car), this little village will transport you back in time, to almost 200 years ago. It’s maintained entirely by the National Trust. And mind you, it’s not a museum. It’s very much a functioning village.

Take a stroll down its many alleys and admire the cute traditional cottages in the village. There’s also an old tithe barn, church, and workhouse.

Here you can see the honour system still in use. Residents lay out their homemade jams, marmalades, buns, and scones outside their homes – unguarded and unsupervised. You’re expected to take what you want and leave the payment right there.

If you feel hungry, stop for a bite at one of its cute little bakeries or cafes. Also, don’t forget to check out the Fox Talbot Museum and the Lacock Abbey (especially if you’re a Harry Potter fan).

The village has also been a filming location for many popular movies and TV shows including Harry Potter, Downton Abbey, and BBC’s Pride and Prejudice.

Lacock can easily be covered on a day trip from London. You might even want to combine it with a visit to Bath and Stonehenge like we did.

Credit @ Chandrima Chakraborty

English Countryside Getaways in Northumberland, North England

By Gemma

Northumberland, the northernmost county in England, is jam-packed full of beautiful countryside and activities.

During a recent long weekend visit, we packed in lots of great day trips.

Bamburg Beach was a highlight for us. With long, open stretches of sand, it is overlooked by the impressive Bamburgh Castle. It can be busy in the height of the summer, so arrive early if you want to enjoy some tranquillity.

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne is another not-to-be-missed destination. Check the clearly marked tide times though for a safe crossing. While away the hours exploring the traditional village and ruins on the Island. it is also an ornithologists dream!

Moving inland we also enjoyed a visit to the Cragside Estate, although be prepared for a pricey admission fee.

Dogs are allowed on lead and there are lots of beautiful woodland walks and manicured gardens to appreciate. The large Rock Garden is particularly impressive.

We stayed in a cosy Airbnb cottage on a working farm on the Northumberland border near the Village of Hamsterley Mill. It was a little worn around the edges but well equipped and comfortable and we had a view of the stabled horses from our window.

(Get a free £25 Airbnb voucher here.)

Credit @ Gemma

English Countryside Getaways to The South Downs

By Danielle Lawson.

Picture proper English countryside and there’s a good chance you think of bright yellow flowering fields, rolling green hills and winding tracks. That’s the South Downs.

This enormous Sussex and Hampshire national park is a prime picnicking spot, with great cycling and walking – and all just 20 minutes from the bustle of Brighton and Hove.

Come for the next eclipse or to stargaze (it’s a Dark Sky Park) or pop over on a sunny day to soak up the country air and get away from it all. Spotting wildlife will have you keen to stay and there’s a cracking pub, The Devils Dyke, where you can refuel with good food and drink.

For day trips, you shouldn’t miss exploring colourful spots on the South Coast like Brighton, Eastbourne and Worthing, which will also offer great hotels. The Courtlands Hotel in Hove is a great option for those looking to splash out, while The Brighton Breeze Hotel is somewhere budget that I have stayed and can recommend.

Got more time? Petworth House, Arundel and Goodwood (famous for the Goodwood Revival) are also close by.

Credit @ Danielle Lawson

English Countryside Getaways to Teesdale, The North Pennines

By Sarah Carter

Getaway to the little known Teesdale – part of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The River Tees flows down through the dale, providing stunning waterfalls at Cauldron Snout, High Force and Low Force, with spectacular and easy walks along her banks.

The gateway to this glorious dale is the market town of Barnard Castle, named after the castle of the same name which was built in the 12th century. Famous visitors to the town have included author Charles Dickens and landscape painter JMW Turner.

Here you’ll find great places to stay, including the friendly and welcoming 17th century Old Well Inn, which backs onto the castle walls.

There are other fabulous cosy pubs and the magnificent Bowes Museum which boasts links to the Queen Mother. Explore the famous Butter Market or Market Cross, now serving as a beleaguered traffic island, but which was once the town jail!

There are great walks – a short 6km round trip takes you between the two main waterfalls further up the dale from Low Force to High Force and back. This is a stunning area of England in which to take a break, no matter what the time of year!

Credit @ Sarah Carter

English Countryside Getaways to The Cotswolds

By Emily Cole

The Cotswolds is full of fantastic countryside; think thatched, honey coloured cottages nestling in the hollows of gently rolling hills, perfect for country walks.

There’s something for everyone in the Cotswolds. The most famous villages are Castle Combe, Bibury and Bourton on the Water, which are usually voted among the prettiest villages in the UK.

The Cotswold Way runs for 100 miles along the top of the hills linking Chipping Campden in the north of the region to Bath in the south. Any section of this walk gives fantastic views and access to quaint towns. Broadway Tower is a highlight along the route.

You can also discover a wealth of history in the region. Sudeley Castle is a former royal palace and lies half in ruins, half still lived-in stately home. Blenheim Palace is on the edge of the Cotswolds and is one of the most fantastic buildings in the UK. Cogges Manor Farm is a historic farm which was used in the filming of Downton Abbey.

There are numerous places to stay in the Cotswolds, although choosing a central location such as Barnsley House near Cirencester will allow you to get to both the north and south of the Cotswolds in less than an hour.

The Cotswolds are only a couple of hours away from London, making the region a perfect weekend getaway.

Credit @ Emily Cole

English Countryside Getaways to The Peak District

Just about an hour outside of Manchester lies the Peak District, a landscape like no other in Britain.

You will find rolling hills, moorland plateaus, and steep-sided deep dales. When you pair the amazing landscape with quaint villages housing amazing places to eat and drink, market towns, and historic houses, you are bound to have a vacation like no other.

Many people visiting the Peak District enjoy going out for a day hike that ends with a proper meal and ale at one of the many historic pubs you will find along the way.

Besides just hiking, you can go spelunking in a cavern, cycle the windy roads or even take a cable car up the famous Heights of Abraham.

If you don’t quite fancy the outdoor activities, there are plenty of villages to stop over and shop till you drop.

There are also plenty of charming bed and breakfasts to choose from if you would like to stay the night. While we were visiting we found a quaint little Airbnb to stay at where we were able to cook a full English fry up in the morning!

With everything the Peak District has to offer, it is definitely a must for anyone looking to visit a charming English countryside!

Get a free £25 Airbnb Coupon

Bristol City Guide by a Local

Cambridge City Guide by a Local

Monmouth Visitors Guide

Accommodation Review in Stroud – Gateways to the Cotswolds

Things to do in Stroud

Brighton weekend guide

The Ultimate Europe Bucket List – 30 reasons to visit Europe

So which English countryside getaway is appealing to you most? Hopefully, you’ve got plenty of inspiration now to plan and English rural weekend trip or two!

Personally, I would love to spend more time in the Cotswolds!

Tell me about your favourite place for an English weekend away in the comments below!

And if you can share this article with your friends using the social share button sand pins below, I’ll be eternally grateful!

10 Beautiful English Countryside Getaways to Enjoy in 2019 Sometime's I become so preoccupied with exploring the world that I forget about all the beautiful English Countryside getaway locations right on my doorstep.

#countryside #england #uk

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travelworldnetwork · 5 years

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By Rossi Thomson

22 November 2018

Had it not been for the sunny sky, I could have sworn that I was in Great Britain.

The high street was teeming with people, Union Jack flags were flapping in the wind, a slight aroma of fried cod tinged the air and the queens were waving to their starstruck subjects – Queen Elizabeth II from a gleaming car and her great-great-grandmother Victoria from underneath a lacy black parasol.

Schio has always been known as ‘the Manchester of Italy’

The time and space continuum seemed to have been broken, thus bringing two of the most formidable British queens together in the same, rather unexpected place. For instead of London, I was in a small Northern Italian town called Schio (pronounced 'ski-o').

This was British Day Schio – a weekend extravaganza dedicated to Great Britain during which the citizens of Schio declare themselves British. They dress up as British characters from past and modern times and even publish a newspaper (the headline of which this year proudly stated: La Citta' Piu' Britannica d'Italia!, ‘The Most British City in Italy!’).

“Schio has always been known as ‘the Manchester of Italy’,” said Claudio Canova, 51, a digital marketing specialist who conceived the idea for British Day Schio six years ago.

View image of British Day Schio is an annual celebration during which the residents of Schio, Italy, declare themselves British (Credit: Credit: Rossi Thomson)

You may also be interested in: • The last velvet merchant of Venice • A piece of Britain lost in Mexico • A town that’s more British than Britain

The reason behind Schio's moniker lies in the town's industrial history. Just like Manchester, Schio was once a major wool and textile production centre.

New wool-spinning and weaving technologies imported from England by the Venetian patrician Nicolò Tron led to the creation in 1718 of an important wool mill in Schio. Tron was an entrepreneur, friend of British mathematician Isaac Newton and former ambassador of the Republic of Venice to the court of King George I. His attempts to introduce the English know-how to Venice were rebuffed by the Republic’s influential textile corporations. So, Tron headed to Schio in the northern confines of the Republic. The town was a centuries-old wool-producing centre with cheap skilled labour, abundant raw materials and a license given to it by the Republic of Venice in 1701 to manufacture fine textiles independently of Venice’s textile corporations. He employed nine English technicians who relocated to Schio with their families to work in Tron’s new wool mill.

Several decades later, Tron brought another English invention to the small Italian town: the flying shuttle.

Invented by Lancashire-born machinist John Kay, the flying shuttle significantly sped up the weaving process, which increased productivity and reduced costs. It could also be mechanised, paving the way for the automatic looms.

Schio soon became synonymous with high-quality textiles, which were exported all over Europe and beyond.

View image of Schio’s connection to Manchester stems from its history as a major textile production centre (Credit: Credit: De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images)

In the 19th Century, father-and-son duo Francesco and Alessandro Rossi (no relation to me) took Schio's textile production to new heights. Schio’s Fabbrica Alta, built in 1862 by Alessandro, who was inspired by the vertical woollen mills found in Manchester and throughout Great Britain, was the largest industrial plant in 19th-Century Italy. Today it is considered the imposing symbol of Italy's first industrial revolution.

Although now permanently closed, the Fabbrica Alta, with its tall body symmetrically dotted with 330 windows, is a testament to the close technological connection Schio has had with Manchester throughout the centuries, despite being almost 2,000km away.

“Add to this Schio's rainy weather and the grumpy character of its citizens, and you have the most British town in Italy,” Canova said.

View image of Built in 1862, Schio’s Fabbrica Alta was the largest industrial plant in 19th-Century Italy (Credit: Credit: Rossi Thomson)

British Day Schio evolved from SchioLife, a British rock-themed music festival spearheaded by Canova. “Since 2007, we have been organising concerts and had the opportunity to get in touch with many legendary musicians like Steve Hackett from Genesis, Sir Gary Brooker of Procol Harum, Rick Wakeman [the keyboardist of Yes] and Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull.”

“I realised that we live in the most British town of Italy and then we had to do something to highlight these characteristics,” Canova continued. “I think that after six years we have succeeded.”

Under the slogan of ‘Spicy. Independent. Original.’ – which according to Canova reflects the character of the citizens of Schio – British Day Schio has been enjoying an ever-increasing popularity since its inception. Held on the second weekend of October, the festival attracted more than 30,000 people in 2017. That year paid tribute to Oasis; the 2018 edition was in homage to Peter Gabriel.

Add to this Schio's rainy weather and the grumpy character of its citizens, and you have the most British town in Italy

“We choose the artists to whom we dedicate British Day Schio each year based on the social values they transmit. Peter Gabriel is one of the champions for peace in the world and his message is important for everyone. The first three editions of the festival were dedicated, respectively, to The Beatles, The Phantom of the Opera and Pink Floyd,” Canova explained.

“Who are you going to pay homage to next year?” I asked, only too eager to throw some names in the hat. You know, the best of British. Like Pet Shop Boys, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode…

Instead, the 2019 festival will be dedicated to Alessandro Rossi as it will be 200 years since his birth.

View image of The 2019 British Day Schio festival will be dedicated to Alessandro Rossi (Credit: Credit: Rossi Thomson)

I arrived in Schio in the early afternoon on the day of the festival this past October. The central streets of the town were lined with grand buildings in shades of ochre, toffee and burnt orange. Ladies and gents strolled the pavements dressed in their best British-inspired costumes.

The window displays of the local shops sported copious amounts of British paraphernalia: biscuit tins in the Union Jack colours, British stamps, leaflets for the London Eye, postcards of the Queen, little flags with Harry and Meghan's happy faces. Throughout town, famous locations like Abbey Road and Carnaby Street had been recreated. Even the local gelateria had slapped a large sign saying ‘Ice Cream’ on its window.

“From the youngest to the oldest, the citizens of Schio love this event,” Canova told me. “British Day Schio attracts thousands of people, dressed up in British-style attire or as famous characters such as Harry Potter, James Bond, Dr Who, Sherlock Holmes. They talk in English on the streets as if it were normal. They enter the shops and ask for things in English, greet people with ‘Hi!’, ‘Hello!’, and ‘Good morning!’.”

And it is all done without irony – a genuine expression both of an appreciation for Great Britain and Schio's own industrial past.

View image of British Day Schio takes place every autumn and includes street performances and a British-themed parade (Credit: Credit: Rossi Thomson)

“What will happen with British Day Schio after Brexit? Will you continue organising it?” I asked Canova.

“Certamente!” he replied. “Of course, we will continue to organise it. Indeed, with even bigger resolve.”

Manchester doesn’t know about British Day Schio yet. Canova’s plan is to contact the British city in the near future and build a relationship based on the historical link between the two cities.

“Will Brexit change how Schio feels about Britain?” I pressed.

“No, absolutely no,” he replied earnestly. “I think that the British citizens are historically always ahead compared to the rest of Europe and perhaps the world. I believe that the British people only want to defend their state from economic [and] financial invasions and not from the European citizens.”

View image of During British Day Schio, gelato shops advertise ‘ice cream’ and vendors dish up fish and chips (Credit: Credit: Rossi Thomson)

Later that day, I headed to the large terrace in front of Schio's St Pietro Cathedral. From there I could see the main piazza below me filled with hundreds of people waiting for the festival’s centrepiece – the British Day Schio parade – to begin. Beyond the rooftops, I could see the cragged peaks of the Little Dolomites.

A rousing rendition of Scotland the Brave filled the air. There was nothing to betray that the musicians – dressed in kilts and skilfully handling their bagpipes – were not from Scotland but from the nearby Italian city of Vicenza. A long procession of historic British cars followed. They were beautiful and shiny, representing the British technological and design advances through the decades.

I think that the British citizens are historically always ahead compared to the rest of Europe and perhaps the world

Suddenly the crowd surged forward, eager to see something that was beyond my line of sight. Straining my neck, I glimpsed a gleaming open-top vehicle surrounded by four guards with bearskin hats.

“It's the Queen!” I shouted in delight.

Resplendent and with a posy in hand, 'Queen Elizabeth II' was taking in the adoration of the crowd, bestowing upon us one of her trademark waves every now and then.

View image of During British Day Schio, actors dress as key British figures, including Queen Elizabeth II (Credit: Credit: Rossi Thomson)

You had to hand it to the organisers of British Day Schio. They’d managed to make even me – a Bulgarian totally uninterested in all things royal – giddy with excitement at the sight of the Queen.

While there is no shortage of festivals in Italy, British Day Schio is in a league of its own. Residents had adopted little bits and pieces of British culture and somehow managed to put them together in a red, white and blue puzzle held together by the pride in their own Italian town and its industrial history.

Most remarkably, the citizens of Schio had managed to master the notoriously hard-to-grasp British humour. You just had to look at the British Day Schio's newspaper where, in small red letters, it said: “The parade is to be held even in good weather!”.

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gibsonsflowofthoughts · 6 years

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Which moments in NFL history do you wish you had seen live?

The NFL has had some indelible moments throughout its nearly 100-year existence. The Immaculate Reception. The Music City Miracle. The Minnesota Miracle. David Tyree’s Super Bowl catch. Wide Right. The Catch. Kevin Dyson coming up a yard short. The Butt Fumble.

We’ve seen many of them live, either on television or in person. But for others, it only feels that way because they’re such a familiar part of sports lore. Maybe we weren’t born yet or were too young to remember. Or maybe we first caught the clip on Twitter or SportsCenter. But those plays were spoiled for us: we knew ahead of time that we were about see something special.

For some of us, we saw it on TV, but we wish we could have been there in the stadium and shared that experience with a large group of our fellow slack-jawed fans who were feeling the exact same amazement as we were.

Either way, you never forget what it’s like to watch something like that unfold in real time, transitioning from that “what just happened?” shock to the realization that what you just witnessed will go down into NFL history.

Here are nine moments — on the field and off, live on TV or in person — we wish we had seen when they happened:

We wish we had been there in person

2016 NFC Championship Game

Even though it ended in catastrophe, the 2016 season was the most fun I’ve ever had watching the Atlanta Falcons. They could score at will, play great defense in spurts, and were just a thoroughly entertaining team to watch.

I wish I was at this game just for one specific play.

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I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched that play. It was a pure display of physical dominance by Julio Jones, a perfect throw by Matt Ryan, and a great play call by Kyle Shanahan.

There are few times when one football player is clearly one step ahead of his competition. This was absolutely one of those instances on one of the biggest stages the NFL has to offer. As the CEO of the Julio Jones Fan Club, I really wish I was there for this moment. - Charles McDonald

Beast Quake

The real appeal of seeing something live, in my opinion, is soaking in the moment with the crowd. There’s just nothing quite like over 60,000 people losing their shit simultaneously.

Probably my favorite NFL video of the last calendar year was the sideline view of Stefon Diggs’ miracle touchdown against the Saints in the playoffs. If a crowd going that bananas doesn’t give you chills or goosebumps or, at the very least, a smile, you’re just not enjoying sports right.

So with that said, I’m flying my time machine to Seattle in January 2011 when Marshawn Lynch ran through approximately 87 Saints tacklers on his way to a 67-yard touchdown that clinched the Seahawks an unlikely playoff win. It has since been dubbed “Beast Quake” because the crowd noise literally caused a small tremor that was recorded on nearby seismographs.

Watching videos online of that kind of collective explosion is fun, but I can only imagine how incredible it must’ve been like to take in the moment with Seahawks faithful. — Adam Stites

Randy Moss fake-moons Lambeau Field

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“That is a disgusting act by Randy Moss,” Joe Buck said.

Actually, it was an amazing act. I yearn to have been there. — Alex Kirshner

The Minneapolis Miracle

This is such an easy choice for so many reasons. We can start off with the fact that I’m a Falcons fan that enjoys Saints pain. The other thing here that really anybody that’s not a Saints fan can enjoy, is that this was an absolutely ridiculous ending to a football game.

I think it’s pretty safe to say that nobody thought the Vikings were going to be able to pull that off. If you know somebody that claims otherwise, they’re lying.

Plus, if you could get Joe Buck to lose his mind like that without Randy Moss pretending to show his ass, you’ve really done something. Not to mention the range of emotions it put everyone else through. — Harry Lyles Jr.

X-Clown

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Some plays are indelibly burned in your mind and feel recent, even though they were forever ago. It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years since the Carolina Panthers went to double overtime against the Rams in the NFC Divisional Playoffs, but this feels like yesterday.

The game was a complete slugfest, and at the time the game was billed as the Panthers’ grinding run game vs. Marc Bulger and the Rams’ astounding air attack — but in the end it was Steve Smith’s walk-off touchdown that took it all home.

This play was so damn disrespectful for the time, and it was beautiful. Jake Delhomme was never an amazing quarterback — but he had this knack for making big time throws when it counted. Hitting Smitty in stride after the pump fake was pure beauty, and I lost it in the basement of my parents’ house when it happened. I wish I could have been there live. — James Dator

We wish we had been alive for — or old enough to appreciate

The Ice Bowl

There are approximately one thousand incredible moments that make up the Packers’ storied history, but few can match the rarified air of the 1967 NFL Championship Game — better known as the Ice Bowl. It was a balmy -15 when the Packers and Cowboys took the field in Green Bay, and wind chill made it feel as awful as -48 as Lambeau Field’s broken heating system left a slippery sheen of ice atop the turf.

What happened next was football as performance art. Neither team gained more than 200 yards, leading to 16 combined punts that kept the crowd wondering which would shatter first: the ball itself or Donny Anderson’s foot. The Packers trailed 17-14 with 16 seconds on the clock and no timeouts remaining when Vince Lombardi got bold, dialed up a quarterback sneak for Bart Starr, and punched his team’s ticket to a second straight Super Bowl.

Watching it on TV would be cool. Watching it at Lambeau would be legendary. Look at this photo of our collective grandpas, showing up 50,000-deep for a football game in a frigid town of 75,000.

via the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Stare at that picture and inhale deeply, through your nose. Do you smell it? It’s the smell of 150,000 brandy old-fashioneds and stale Lucky Strike cigarettes being slowly smothered by the cold. I want in. — Christian D’Andrea

T.O. celebrating on the Dallas star

For me, a San Francisco 49ers fan, there are some obvious moments. I was born in 1990, and therefore missed some of the greatest moments in franchise history. I was alive for one that doesn’t necessarily hold up to The Catch, but is still one of my favorite moments in football history: Terrell Owens’ celebration on the Dallas Cowboys’ star.

The reason that’s my pick is twofold: I obviously would have loved to be at that game live, screaming my face off at Cowboys fans and hoping they don’t beat my obnoxious 10-year-old ass; and also I would have loved to see the reactions on social media. At that time, Facebook was still four years away, while Twitter was a further two years out.

Don’t get me wrong — social media and sports is an awful combination pretty much 95 percent of the time. But the gloriousness that would come out of the reactions to Owens’ celebration on the star, Emmitt Smith’s retaliatory celebration on the same star, and Owens’ follow-up second celebration on it would be phenomenal. Of course, if Twitter existed, it hardly would have been suitable for 10-year-old me. Or perhaps I’d fit right in. — James Brady

The “Super Bowl Shuffle” phenomenon

Whether you were alive during the 80s or not, it’s the Potter Stewart obscenity case: you know it when you see it.

And if you’ve seen even a glimpse of the “Super Bowl Shuffle,” it’s about as 80s as it gets:

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The production value of Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” music video. Awkward dancing. Even awkwarder rapping. Those closeups of the one guy in sunglasses. Sax solo — and oh wait, he’s wearing sunglasses too! A COWBELL.

This wasn’t a play on the field or really even a moment: It was an actual phenomenon. The song sold more than 700,000 copies in its first year, made around $200,000 for charity, the record went gold, the video was in heavy rotation at MTV, and it lost a Grammy to Prince.

So even if today it looks more like a parody, it was a legitimate hit then and people enjoyed it for any number of reasons — because the players were having fun, because they were trying to help feed the needy, because Walter Payton’s spitting rhymes like “Well, they call me Sweetness/And I like to dance/Runnin’ the ball is like makin’ romance.”

Other NFL musical efforts like “Ram It,” “Buddy’s Watchin’ You,” and “Living the American Dream” soon followed, but none of those could top the one that paved the way in December 1985.

That’s another point that could easily be overlooked now but probably wasn’t then: It was released almost two months before the Super Bowl. Were people charmed by the cockiness of it? How much outrage was there in a world before social media and Skip Bayless types were on TV spouting exhausting nonsense on a seemingly never-ending basis? Or, hopefully, did fans understand that these larger-than-life personalities were having a blast riding this once-in-a-lifetime season?

Luckily for the Bears, they went on to win their first (and still only) Super Bowl that January. But the “Super Bowl Shuffle” had much more entertainment value than their 46-10 blowout win over the Patriots.

Unfortunately for the Bears, like most things sports fans love, controversy followed. It still lives on today, even though we know an NFL team now would never and could never replicate such an iconic, goofy-in-all-the-right-ways sensation that transcended football and even sports. And that’s why it would’ve been, like, so totally rad to experience this little piece of pop culture-meets-sports history then. — Sarah Hardy

We wish we hadn’t gone to bed and completely missed this

The Seahawks’ goal-line play in Super Bowl 49

As 100 million Americans were sitting on the edge of their seats wondering why Russell Wilson was lined up in the shotgun at the goal line during the final seconds of Super Bowl 49, I was just hitting REM sleep in a London dorm.

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When I woke up the next morning and turned to Twitter, I was thinking the same thing as everyone else: “Why the hell didn’t the Seahawks give the ball to Marshawn Lynch on the 1-yard line?”

Except, I actively made the decision to stop watching the game after the first half 14-14 tie. I say that with great shame, especially since one of my best friends is a huge Patriots fans and was, according to my sources at the bar, crying profusely after Malcolm Butler made the pick to seal the Patriots’ Super Bowl title.

I could give you a long list of excuses (some legit and others not so much) about why I chose to leave the bar, but I wouldn’t be doing myself any favors. Just know that I’ve learned my lesson: Under no circumstance should you ever stop watching the Super Bowl in order to get sleep. Never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of Tom Brady Super Bowl comebacks! — Isaac Chipps

Dope article from sbnation.com

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