As you may have realised, I live in Devon in the UK. If I could, I’d have you all on a massive tour of my favourite places, and we’d chat books and look at history and laugh at my accent.
But this is going to have to be a close second. 😉
Enjoy a random list of my favourite* places in the UK.
*Not a full list. Not comprehensive…
London
The Natural History museum. Free and on the 3rd floor (I think) there’s a display of gemstones I can get lost for hours in.
The British museum. It’s all stolen, so if you visit be sure to put a comment slip in that we should bloody well give it back, but there’s so many amazing things in the British museum.
The London Eye. The best view. Pricey, but everything in London is.
The South West
Bath. Just to walk around the city centre on a sunny day and watch the street acts. Go to the fudge shop.
Bristol. Ah, city of my heart! I lived in Bristol for over a decade and loved the waterfront, Clifton village (of Northanger Abbey fame), all the shops on Gloucester road, the “triangle” and Park street by the University of Bristol, all the “lounges” (a chain of casual cafe-restaurants with great food and sofas) and the Boston Tea Party cafes (amazing cakes).
Devon. Basically all of Devon.
Exmoor. Ponies! Lots of great day walks you can do here and they’re not too hilly. Worth it just for a drive too. Get up ontop of the moor and enjoy the bleakness of it. Very Wurthering Heights.
Dartmoor. Great for longer walks, full of ridiculous place names (every part of the map is a joy) and fab views. I love climbing a tor or two (or just driving past Haytor is excellent, to be honest).
Beaches. There are hundreds of amazing beaches in the UK. I started to write down a few but honestly just got stuck trying to remember the names of loads more. I love the beach. They’re all cold. 🤷 Better for walking than swimming usually. I particularly love Saunton Sands, Woody Bay, and “the front” at Poole.
Tyntesfield National Trust. Amazing old Victorian house.
Castle Drogo National Trust. An actual castle built in the early 1900s. Crazy. Love that place. Mr Pendle’s favourite National Trust property.
Hay-on-Wye. A pilgramage for a book lover. I used to go to Hay with my dad when I was a kid, because it has tons of second hand book shops. Not as much romance as I’d like, but it’s a super cute place.
The rest of the UK (? not really, there’s a lot more than this)
Cambridge. Punting, gawping at the posh students. So many amazing buildings.
A distillery in Scotland. Actually drinking the whisky is optional, but a distillery tour is fascinating.
A on old pit in Wales. A coal mine, out of preference, but I’m not picky. There are tons of disused ones.
Hadrian’s Wall. Weirdly, the best bit is just driving along beside it. Just sticking out the ground randomly.
Lindisfarne. A sort of bleak castle-like house stuck out on a tidal causeway. Well worth the atmospheric walk, just time it with the tides!
Lake Windermere. Gorgeous. A bit touristy, but with a ton of Kendle mintcake oportunities, and just Wainright vibes.
Chatsworth House. Of Pride and Prejudice fame. Super expensive, but well worth it.
Powis Castle. A proper castle. Massive. Castley. What more do you want?
Cafes and Food
The Boston Tea Party. Fab little places that do a brilliant poached egg and avocado on toast. Mostly found in Bristol and the south west.
Fish and Chips. No visit to the UK would be right without fish and chips. (Or just chips. That’s cool too.)
Pret a Manger. Look a know it’s a dubious chain etc etc, but I like their sandwiches and coconut milk hot chocolate.
Nandos. Always up for a cheeky Nandos. Not even apologising for it. It’s like Portugese style MacDonalds, but way better?
National Trust Cafes. Reliable.
Brockley Stores, outside Bristol. Best. Quiches. Ever.
Farm Shops. Remortgage the house first, but I love farm shops.
Boarders Chocolate Ginger Biscuits. (Aka cookies?) These are available from most supermarkets (grocery stores?) I love them. They turn up in lots of my books.
Random little cafes. I’ve been to too many to remember, because Mr Pendle is a coffee addict, and always needs caffeine. So I always say, try an independent. Have a scone and jam. Give it a go. Might be brilliant.
Indian Curry. We’re lucky to have a really multi-cultural society in the UK, and honestly curry is one of my comfort foods. Tarka dahl, rice, dhansak, garlic naan, poppadoms, lime pickle and mango chutney. Mmmm.
Full English Breakfast. You won’t need to eat again until 3pm.
Baked beans on toast. Or on baked potato with cheese. The staple food of all fussy children in the UK. Comfort food.
Gastro pubs. Look for ones with a Michellin star and break the budget. Worth it.
Okay, this has digressed into me just thinking about food. But I hope you enjoyed our little tour! Hope you can do some of these in real life one day, or if not that you enjoyed living vicariously!
E x