Where to next?

An overnight trip to York. A good train journey and I was in York by lunchtime. The weather was a bit wet but that didn’t spoil the visit.

My first stop was the National Railway Museum. It is a free to visit the museum and it is fascinating. The museum takes you through railways and trains throughout decades. They have trains that were used by royalty and more modern trains such as the eurostar. They even have a section of the eurostar tunnel.

Following my the railway museum, I went for a walk along the walls which surround the city. There is a great cafe in one of the old wall towers. It is by the river and a great spot for lunch.

The second day involved a visit to the Jorvik museum which was excellent. It is a great museum which highlights what was excavated during the archaeological dig.

In the afternoon I went to watch the UK snooker championship which happened to be on in York at the same time as my visit. I was lucky enough to be on Trump’s table against Sean Murphy. It was really interesting to watch the sport live and be so close to the action.

A day out to Whitstable, making the most of the warm autumnal weather. A lovely sunny day which was warm enough to sit on the beach to drink coffee.

I had a lovely walk along the coast, where you can watch the sailing boats. On your walk you walk past the harbour which is full of fishing boats.

A day trip to Hughenden Manor. A lovely walk round the orchard and gardens and the surrounding countryside. You can explore the house which is really interesting with a fascinating section about how the house was used WWII to help make maps.

A sunny day out to Cliveden National Trust. It is a stunning gardens and woodlands which borders up to the river Thames. Cliveden consists of a Water garden, Parterre and the Long gardens.

The Water Gardens are Japanese inspired with waterlily ponds, sculptures and a Chinese Pagoda.

The Long gardens

Within the grounds of Cliveden is a private hotel but you can walk around the hotel and through the gardens. The parterre is behind the hotel and from here you can walk down to the river Thames

The walk down to the river is down a stepped all the way but there are a lot of them and it is fairly steep on the way back up! You can walk along the River Thames past cottages and houses. You can also hire self-drive boats or take a guided boat trip. I took a guided boat trip along the river, on the trip you learn more facts about the estate and the river itself. We also saw a kingfisher along the river!

A day to trip to Cambridge to explore the city and Colleges. Cambridge is a beautiful city where the city and university colleges flow into each other. The day started at the Cambridge Park and Ride which was an easy and efficient way to get into Cambridge without having to drive into the city centre.

Once in the city and a coffee drunk, it was time to explore. I first went to Great St Mary’s, the University Church to climb the tower. The tower consists of 123 steps in a narrow spiral staircase but the climb is worth the view. I got there just after it opened and had the viewing platform to myself. From the top of the tower you have an amazing 360 view of Cambridge.

Next it was time for my university colleges walking tour. I booked a walking tour which included entry in Kings Chapel and it was definitely worth it! The walking tour included the most popular and famous parts of the city while also visiting the university colleges. The tour guide gave an insight to the history of Cambridge university and student life. The tour visited the Corpus Clock, the Eagle Pub, the Mathematical Bridge, Trinity College Grounds and Kings Chapel.

The Corpus Clock is fascinating. There is a monster on the top – the ‘Chronophage’ who is eating away time and a Latin quote ‘ the world and its desires pass away’. On the hour when the clock strikes, the noise is of chains falling into a real coffin to emphasise the idea of time passes away for us all.

After lunch and an ice-cream, there are some great ice-cream shops in Cambridge, my afternoon was spent at Cambridge Botanical Garden. It is a beautiful garden with so much to look at and explore.

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