Tag: UK

Top Tourist Attractions In St Andrews

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Despite its small size, there are a lot of top tourist attractions in St. Andrews, Scotland.  Located in the Fife Peninsula, this small, Scottish town has enjoyed a healthy influx of visitors.  Many have come here to pay homage to the birthplace of golf.  Why not?  The Royal and Ancient Golf Club was founded in this little town 1754 in the Fife Peninsula southeast of Dundee.  And, since 1897, members of this established club has been recognized internationally as the ruling body of golf.

St Andrews is very easy to get to, Edinburgh, which has many international and national connects is only 50 miles away, check Tripscan.com for good deals on flights there.

But there’s more to this town than being the home of golf.  Here are some of the top tourist attractions in St. Andrews not to miss!

st andrews castle, scotland

St. Andrews Cathedral

St. Andrews has a pivotal role in Scottish ecclesiastical history.  The churches and religious monuments that dot St. Andrews’ landscape is testimony to this.  According to legend, St. Regulus arrived in this town with the remains of St. Andrews.  And since then, it has become a site of pilgrimage.  In 1200, several churches were put up in town, including the St. Andrews Cathedral.  By the 15th century, the St. Andrews Cathedral has now become the biggest cathedral in Scotland and the seat of the archbishop.  James V and Mary of Guise were wed here, forming the Franco-Scottish alliance.

However, in 1559, the cathedral was destroyed.  Today, only parts of the Romanesque cathedral are left.

St. Andrews Castle

This castle was built at the same time as St. Andrews Cathedral in 1200.  It served as the Bishop’s residence for centuries.  The St. Andrews Castle was then destroyed during the Reformation, leaving nothing but the ruins which we see today.  But luckily, a modern visitor centre has provided details of the castle’s history.

Sea Life Centre

The Sea Life Centre gives you a fascinating insight on marine life, with its various attractions which include an aquarium, a shark pool and a marine laboratory.  It also has a wonderful beach café where you can make a quick pit stop to rest your feet and grab a bite while marvelling at the beach’s horizon.

Tribute to golf

It would be an insult if we did not as much as mention St. Andrews’ golf heritage in the top tourist attractions in St. Andrews.

First stop is the Old Golf Course.  This golf course runs along the coast of St. Andrews and originally had 22 holes.  It was reduced to 18 holes in 1836.  The headquarters of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club is also found here.

Next stop is the British Golf Museum, where you can find an extensive exhibit of golf artefacts, and everything that has to do anything with golf.

These are just some of the top tourist attractions in St Andrews, but there are plenty more. Make a weekend out of it and enjoy one of Scotland’s gems. Bon Voyage!

Wales Top 6 Summer Getaways!

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Considering it’s small size, Wales has a vast array of diverse locations in which to spend a summer break and a great option if you’re heading to the UK. Whether you are looking for an action-packed activity weekend, a relaxing beach holiday or a vibrant city break, Wales has it all. Below are some suggestions of places to visit when you want a break from the day-to-day grind, the hustle and bustle of urban life or when you just feel like a change of scenery will do you good.

Aberystwyth

shutterstock_163836248Owing to it’s university campus, Aberystwyth is a coastal town with a vibrant atmosphere and plenty to keep you occupied on a week away. I love to visit Cardigan Bay when I am in the vicinity but there is also a cliff railway which the kids will love, a historic castle, and a forest park. Tripadvisor counts Gyesty Cymru as the best hotel in the town but I love the quirky B&Bs available.

Tenby

shutterstock_176119391It’s so difficult to choose, but Tenby could be my favourite place in the whole of Wales. It’s charming colourful buildings, the coastal path perfect for blowing the cobwebs off in a morning and the lovely boutique shops! It is a great place to come alone or with the whole family with three gorgeous  sandy beaches to choose from as well as a few nice museums.

Llandudno

Llandudno is the quintessential British seaside resort; this means lovely beaches, great fish and chips and enough fun to keep the kids amused. When lazing on the beach begins to get tiresome there is a medieval castle and a tramway to hop onto. For the culinary enthusiasts, Llandudno also has some excellent restaurants to enjoy. For a carefree coach trip to Llandudno check out www.ukbreakaways.com who run regular holidays to the popular destination.

Pembrokeshire

In the West of the country, Pembrokeshire is a vast area to explore and perfect for a holiday in which you want to pack a lot in. From birdwatching to wild swimming, there is much to see and do in Pembrokeshire. I have already mentioned Tenby, which makes a great base from which to go coasteering in St Non’s and visit the fantastic Oakwood Theme Park.

Brecon Beacons

The Brecon Beacons National Park is the best place in Wales to get away from it all. Comprising of spectacular mountain landscapes, waterfalls and lakes, it’s a veritable walker’s paradise. For the keen fishing fans there are plenty of fresh water and salt water opportunities and for the extreme sports fans there is the Black Mountains Classic cycle track from Talgarth and then there’s canyoning in waterfall country to keep the adrenalin pumping.

Anglesey

Top of the beauty charts, Anglesey is a great place to relax but also fantastic for festivals and events. It’s a unique island which makes for a great romantic getaway as well as a family break. Don’t forget to drop in on William and Kate while you’re there!

Affordable hotels in Leeds England

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Get one of the affordable hotels in Leeds England, then go exploring this modern and historic city... photo by CC user 93416311@N00 on Flickr

Planning for a trip whether it is local or overseas can be very involving. It takes a lot of time and requires a bit of check and balancing. No one can really go for a trip without planning and expect to have a time of their life.

Where will you stay?

What will you eat?

And what will you be exploring during your trip?

These are just but some of the questions that one needs to ask themselves before going out on a wild trip. For thus reasons websites such as travelmov.com and others have long been known to provide travellers with exclusive information related to their travel destinations.

Leeds is one of England’s most treasured travel destination points. The city has been referred to as a powerful industrial powerhouse in the North. The city started out as a humble Roman settlement and a trading post in the medieval era but grew to become one of the best metropolises in England.

There are a number of hotels available that can be used to provide accommodation to visitors who are willing to pay a visit to the industrial city. Whether you want to book cheap hotels in Leeds or feel philanthropic enough and go for the luxurious suites, the city can meet your needs in every level.

Let us take time to explore some of the budget friendly hotels that are available in Leeds that can provide accommodation to the visitors wishing to explore what the city has to offer.

  1. Leeds Marriott Hotel

Rated as a 4 star hotel, Leeds Marriott Hotel is located at the city centre and is known to have an indoor swimming pool. The hotel boasts of having extremely awesome decorations that portrays creativity of the highest order.

The Leeds Marriott Hotel is also known to have a wide range of facilities which can be enjoyed by visitors from all around the world. The swimming pool provides you with a perfect antidote to what might look like a hectic city life. The gym facility has also proved to be very helpful to anyone who needs a workout session.

  1. Bewleys Hotel Leeds

At just £40 per night, the hotel is reasonably affordable. If you are looking to go on leisure or a business trip, this hotel provides you with a perfect opportunity to go the same. The hotel is conveniently located in close proximity to the motorways, train station and airport to guarantee a safe trip to and from the hotel’s residency.

  1. Radisson Blu Hotel, Leeds

For an average of about $50 for a single night, Radisson Blu Hotel offers budget travellers with a wonderful opportunity to explore what the city has to offer. With over 147 luxurious guest rooms, a lounge and a bar, you are most definitely guaranteed of a perfect stay in the hotel. Since the hotel is connected to the Light Leisure and Entertainment Centre you can take advantage of everything that is on offer at this exclusive hotel.

How to save money on a trip to London

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The British Museum should be the core of your plans if you want to save money on a trip to London...

The British Museum should be the core of your plans if you want to save money on a trip to London…

Boasting all sorts of historic attractions of global significance, and a culture that is difficult to match elsewhere, London is certainly on the bucket lists of many travelers. Unfortunately for many these days, the capital of the United Kingdom is also a very expensive place to visit (much like the rest of Western Europe), with restaurant meals, hotels, and transport coming in as much more pricey than other destinations around the globe.

However, there are ways to save money on a trip to London so that you won’t end up on a one-way track to bankruptcy by coming here on holiday. To help you maintain the health of your bank account, here are three tips that will keep more of your cash where it belongs: in your pocket.

1) Get an oyster card

Whether it is a trip to museums, the Tower of London, or a trip to one of the most salivating food markets in the city, it is practically unavoidable that you will be depending on the Tube or the double-decker buses to get where you need to go. While public transit costs can add up quickly, getting an oyster card will mitigate this expense, as fares for this paperless payment method are discounted.

2) Rent a local loft

Prices of hotels and even hostels have you tearing your hair out? Welcome to the priciest aspect of a trip to London. While many resign themselves to biting the bullet in this respect, a better value option has emerged in recent years, as many have begun to turn their backs on pricey accommodations in favor of rental lofts.

Services like Housetrip allow you to track down an apartment that fits your tastes and your budget, while inserting you within a local neighborhood in London, rather than in some highly impersonal hotel zone. This accommodation option also allows you to cook in instead eating all your meals out, compounding the value and savings realized by staying in an apartment rather than a hotel or hostel.

3) Take full advantage of its museums

While it’s easy to fixate on all the cash that you will be forking over to eat respectable meals out and the costs of many tourist attractions, one thing that is incredible about London is the fact that many of its museums are free or charge to attend.

The best known of these is the British Museum, which is one of the world’s foremost authority on the artifacts in human history, containing over 8 million pieces in its collection from civilizations all over the world.

Others that are free or have free days also include the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, and the V&A, all of which are world class institutions in their own right.