With all the coronavirus fears flying about, it’s easy to view travel as a danger rather than a wonder. Many of my classmates spent their spring breaks traveling outside of the UK – even to Italy – and so are now very worried about their exposure to COVID-19.
I spent my spring break traveling within the UK and that inspired this blog post. Here are three amazing locations within the UK that once can travel to in a few hours, that are just as amazing as Italy and China. All of the photos in this post were taken by me.
#1 – Stonehenge
Stonehenge is about 2 hours away from the center of London. I went on a day trip there with my classmates a few weeks ago. You have to stand a few feet away from the stones themselves, but it is still a marvel to behold.
Our tour guide gave us a short history of the stones and their lingering mystery. She mentioned that some of the only people allowed to get close to the stones are people of the Wiccan faith, as their worship with the stones during solstices. It’s the closest thing to Outlander you’re likely to get in real life!
#2 – Bath
On that same day trip to Stonehenge we also visited Bath. Bath is almost three hours from the center of London. It’s most famous for its Roman-era baths, which the Victorians thought had healing powers.
We got to wander through the baths, which have been turned into a museum but still have water running through them. We even got to drink some of the water – it tasted like slightly dirty tap water!
The city is also remarkable in other ways – it is home to the Jane Austen museum. The author herself lived there for a short period of time. The museum is housed near the street where she lived and contains recreations of Regency-era clothing, furniture, and more. It’s a delightful spot for any Austen enthusiast to visit.
#3 – Cardiff
Cardiff, in Wales, is where I went to for my spring break. It is located about 3 and a half hours away from the center of London. It’s is the capitol of Wales and a frequent filming location for BBC shows.
It houses Castell Caerdydd, known in English as Cardiff Castle. It’s a Medieval era castle that was heavily redone by the Victorians. Our Ola driver, a hilarious Welsh man who would not stop talking, said he thought it wasn’t authentic enough because of the renovations, but it was a grand site to see nonetheless.
As a Whovian, I loved Cardiff the most because of it’s role in the Doctor Who franchise. In the show, Cardiff has a rift in time and space running through it which makes it a frequent spot for aliens to drift in. The city loves the show, and it’s spinoff Torchwood, so much that when a beloved character died, they built a memorial shrine to honor him. It’s still there, a decade later.
So you see, you don’t have to travel too far from London to experience history, magic, and marvels. The UK is home to so many treasures and adventures, more so than I could ever write about in one blog post, and you could spend a lifetime just exploring within the country!