10 Bucket List Staycation Ideas For The UK

The year of 2020 was the year that travel stopped due to the pandemic. Like many, I had a few trips booked to go abroad and they all got cancelled, which was frustrating but completely understandable. I was desperate to go away last year and when the restrictions eased, travel within the UK became a possibility again. Gareth and I were super fortunate to be invited down to Catgill in Bolton Abbey and it was our first time glamping. To be honest, this is something that I had wanted to do for a very long time, but always took a back seat to going abroad.

I think sometimes, I underestimate how beautiful this country is and how I need to explore it more. I recently tweeted asking you lovely lot to help me out in discovering new and beautiful places within the UK. I was so surprised with how many of you replied and shared your favourite destinations, so I thought I would scale it down to my top 10 places that I would love to try and visit this year. Let’s get to it and I hope you enjoy.

Whitby

Thank you to Violet for recommending Whitby to me. Whitby is literally on my doorstep and I can’t believe that I still haven’t been. My sister and brother-in-law have been so many times and I think I need to put Whitby very high up on my list. I had a quick Google of things to do there and there is so much more than just the beach (not going to lie, this is where you will find me with a large glass of wine, however I do really love to sightsee as well), here are just a few things you can do in Whitby:

Whitby Abbey
Whitby Harbour
Whitby Lighthouse
Sandsend Beach – I have heard great things about this particular beach

Edinburgh

I have been to Scotland once when I went to visit my old roommate from when I lived in Australia, however it was more of a bar crawl in Glasgow (as you do) and I don’t really remember much of it haha. I really do want to visit Glasgow again and I think that a road trip all around Scotland is on the cards, as this has always been something that the hubby and I would really love to do. Edinburgh in particular has always been super high on the list and thank you to Christy (who is originally from Scotland) for recommending this gorgeous city. She has an incredible blog so definitely go and check it out for all the top tips on where to visit.

The Cotswolds

Heading more south now with The Cotswolds. I had never really thought about visiting here until Victoria recommended this beautiful village. I was already Googling things to do here, but then Victoria included it in one of her blog posts which is definitely worth a read. I have never watched Downton Abbey before (I know, shock right) but apparently it was filmed here so if you’re a big fan, you will of course love this place.

Cambridge

Some of my friends actually went to Cambridge a few years ago and they spoke very highly of the place, which made me really want to go. If I am being super honest, I actually forgot about Cambridge until Ellie & Stefan reminded me. I feel like Cambridge is super posh and what I really would love to do, besides exploring in general, is to go punting. Anyone else? Here are a few more things that you can get up to when you visit Cambridge:

Visit the Botanic Gardens
Go behind the scenes on a University tour
Explore Cambridge on a bike ride (my fave thing to do)

Cornwall

This is a cheeky entry as I have actually been before, but in my defence it was over 10 years ago. Gareth has never been and I would love to take him, hopefully this Summer – fingers crossed. So many of you mentioned Cornwall and I am not surprised so thank you to everyone who did. I actually felt like I was abroad when I visited Cornwall and it reminded me of where I grew up in the Canaries, with the beaches and all the surf shops on the sea front – this is my true paradise!

Liverpool

I have been to Liverpool before on a few nights out years ago but I didn’t really get to explore the city. I have heard incredible things about Liverpool and I can confirm the night life is spot on. My mum has always wanted to visit Liverpool so hopefully maybe this year could be the year but we shall see. I’m pretty sure Lucy is off there at some point as she recommended Liverpool to me, so I’ll be keeping an eye out for her blog to see where she recommends exploring.

New Forest

I used to work with a girl at Gap years ago now and she was originally from New Forest. Again, this is a place that I have never thought of visiting before and now I am super eager to go. Thank you so much to Mick for sharing his recommendation as this has really made my day. Mick has so many recommendations, so make sure to head on over to his Twitter account and find out where is best to visit.

Saltburn

So many people recommended Saltburn to me and I can’t believe I haven’t heard of this place before, especially since it’s really not far away at all. The Saltburn pier looks so stunning and there seems to be quite a few things to do there. Check out Saltburn holiday lets which will be opening soon as well. The beach also looks so lush and I could really see myself paddle boarding, even if the ocean is super cold.

Brighton

Brighton has been high up on my list for years so thank you Dani for reminding me. I can’t wait to explore Brighton’s Pier and experience the night life. I always hear incredible things about Brighton so this is definitely one place that I am excited about ticking off my list.

Wales

First of all, there were so many people that Tweeted different places in Wales and here are two that really caught my eye. Abbie’s North Wales bucket list blog & Shireen’s blog post on Pembrokeshire, South Wales. Like Scotland, I would love to rent a camper van and travel all around. I have wanted to visit Wales for the longest time, so I think it’s time to make it a reality.

Thank you to everyone who shared their recommendations, I will definitely be working my way through them and as soon as it’s safe to travel again, we will be off 🙂

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