8 Of The Best Places In Britain, That Aren’t London!

A lot of people travel all the way to Britain to only see London. But there is more to see in Britain then just London! If you are looking for different places to travel to in Britain, here are 8 places to add to your itinerary.

You will probably need to rent a car, as the public transport to these places can be time consuming and expensive. You also have a lot more freedom when you have a car!

Cornwall, Devon, Somerset 

There are beautiful seaside towns and some of the most beautiful beaches in this area of Britain. This region has many great restaurants and food options as well. I went on a road trip with one of my friends a few years ago and we vlogged our road trip here. The only awkward thing about road tripping this area is that, there are no motorways. Which means, even though on a map places may not look far apart, they take a lot longer as there are smaller roads and a lower speed limit. 

What we did on our road trip (there are loads more to see and do, but this is all we had time for!)

• Minack Theatre -  an open air theatre made entirely by a women and her husband (my favourite thing I saw on our road trip)

• Porthcurno Beach - one of the most beautiful beaches in all of Britain

• Lands End - the most eastern part of England

• Penzance - a beautiful coastal town

• St Ives - the cutest little bay in Cornwall

• Bath - England’s well-known historical town with Roman Baths

The Cotswolds

I haven't been to the Cotswolds yet, but from what I can see online it looks like quaint villages in the countryside. Here is a great blog post on The Cotswolds by a fellow blogger - https://pin.it/3yzhy42snjffpv

North Wales (or Wales) 

You could spend a whole week in North Wales road tripping around or even other parts of Wales. North Wales has beautiful countryside, beaches, castles and seaside towns. There are so many things to see in such a small space. Thats why it is easy to see a lot of North Wales in one week. 

My favourite things to see and do in North Wales

• Caernarfon Castle

• Harlech Castle

• Beddgelert - the quaintest village in North Wales 

• Criccieth - one of my favourite towns in North Wales; great restaurants, castle ruins and a beach!

• Ty Coch Inn - pub on the beach 

• Afon Dwyfor -  beautiful river walk through a forrest

• Newborough Beach, Anglesey - long stretch of sand with a great view of the mainland

• Whistling Sands - the sand whistles when you walk on it

• Portmeirion - a great must see ‘tourist village’ and trust me, its worth the entry fee!

• Abersoch - lots of hip cafes and pubs. Maybe some nightlife? 

Manchester 

As some of you may know, I have lived in Manchester for 3 years, and of course, I am going to suggest it on my list! Manchester is only a 2 hour train ride from London, so it is a great weekend away if you aren't renting a car. Manchester doesn’t have a load of ‘attractions’ to see but it is known for its nightlife, which means there are great bars, restaurants and clubs. 

Things you need to do in Manchester

• John Ryland’s Library - try and find the oldest book in the library!

• Science and Industry Museum - get an insight about Manchester’s history

• Manchester Town Hall - a beautiful gothic building

• Manchester Art Gallery - look at some nice art

• Grub - foodie truck market that operates every weekend.

• Hatch - another market, filled with food, music and local businesses. 

• Mackie Mayor - a 1858 Grade 2 market hall converted into a food market hall filled with different vendors

• Rudy’s Pizza - my favourite pizza in Manchester.

• The Trafford Centre - If you dare. A big beautiful shopping centre that you probably shouldn't visit on the weekend unless you want to battle the crowds. This might not seem very exciting to some, but coming from Perth Australia, I was mesmerised by the big beautiful beast. You can get a bus from town, and currently they are building the metro link line there. 

• Northern Quarter - The trendy, hipster, alternative, cool side of Manchester. Jam packed with underground bars, vintage shops, live music venues and more. Start your day off shopping for retro and vintage items at Afflecks, have a coffee in the Aussie & Kiwi inspired cafe, Federal Cafe, or if you fancy tea and cake, head over to Sugar Junction and to finish the evening, have a drink or 5 at Lost In Tokyo and watch live music in Matt & Phreds or a grungy rock band in Jimmys.

• Spinningfields - The modern concrete jungle on manchester. Cocktail bars and expensive restaurants. Northern Quarters posh sister. You’ll be looking to pay about £8 upwards for a cocktail in these parts. Some of my favourite restaurants in Spinningfields are Fazenda - all you can eat meat (it’s amazing and I am not even really a red meat eater), Oast house - they usually have teepees up in the winter! and The Alchemist for cool funky scientific cocktails, dry ice and all that jazz. If you want to spend time lining up, you can also visit 20 Stories, to have expenny cocktail on a rooftop.

The Lake District

The Lake District is very popular with international tourists and there is good reason for it! I went to the Lake District when I first came over in 2014 on my big Euro adventure and I have been back twice. I suggest going in the autumn time around October/November, because there will be less crowds and it will be very pretty with all the autumn colours. 

Yorkshire (Whitby, Robin Hoods Bay, Scarborough, Staithes, Yorkshire dales, North York Moors)

I am yet to travel this area, and I have been wanting to visit Whitby for the longest time. The town of Whitby is apparently where the story of Dracula is set in. You could do a road trip visiting all these coastal towns, whilst exploring the countryside of the North York Moors.

York

I know York is in Yorkshire, but I feel like it needs it’s own mention. There are loads of great things to do there:

• Bettys Tea Rooms

• Walk along the city walls

• Explore the museum gardens

• Visit the York Minster

• Climb up Cliffords Tower for a good view of York

• Spooky night walking tours

Scotland 

A lot of people come to Scotland and only see Edinburgh, but there is more to Scotland then just Edinburgh! A road trip through the Scottish Highlands has been high on my list for a while now. You could do a road trip around the Scottish country side, visiting all the old castles and lochs.

I know there are loads more places to visit in Britain but I narrowed down the list to all the ones I have explored and places I have researched my self. 

I hope my list has inspired you to get out of London and explore more of Britain!

*Some of these images are not my own. Please click on them to be sent to their source