The summer has left us, we have returned to Leeds and the mountains of essays and books are waiting to be written and read. With these thoughts lingering in my mind, it’s no wonder I’m finding myself constantly reliving my long summer holiday in the hope that it will provide me with joy and warmth on these long autumnal evenings.
At the beginning of the summer I remember feeling deflated. I felt like everyone I knew was going on one exotic trip or another and I was stuck in boring old Britain. Although I didn’t end up leaving Britain I did soon discover that it is not boring at all! We, as Britons, often seem to take for granted just how glorious our homeland is. From the rolling hills of Lancashire to the stunning coastline of Cornwall we are truly blessed with beautiful scenery and amazing culture right on our doorstep. Although I didn’t travel far within this glorious country of ours I did see some beautiful, interesting and memorable sights.
Edinburgh
When my mum suggested earlier this year that we take a trip to Edinburgh, I was delighted. Having only ever visited Scotland once before, in my twenty short years on this planet, I was keen to go again. Although we only stayed within this historic city for four days we packed a lot of exciting things in.
From scaling the Sir Walter Scott monument in the heart of the city to exploring the famous Edinburgh castle. For four days my mum and I acted like complete tourists: the maps and cameras were well used by the end of it!
After an amazing few days of exploring Edinburgh the highlight of the trip had to be the zoo. From rock hopper penguins and pygmy hippos to sun bears and actual giant pandas we marvelled at some amazing animals.
Chester
For my second zoo of the summer my boyfriend and I decided to visit Chester. As he had just graduated from a degree in zoology it seemed like an extremely appropriate way to celebrate. Again, we went for the completely touristy trip complete with backpacks and maps. We were prepared for all weathers, seeing as though we were still in the north of England, with our sun cream, rain coats, boots and sandals!
Chester is one of cutest little cities in England. As a city with so much history and depth it is a great place to just walk around; which, admittedly, doesn’t take long. I like to think of it as compact and efficient instead of small.
When we had finished staring at baby rhinos, spectacled bears and tigers (all of which were unbelievably adorable) we spent a while walking around the city. The intriguing thing about Chester is the exterior of all of the shops. They have all been kept in character with the age of the city and look as though they have been there for hundreds of years; blending in well with the surrounding architecture. Although I find it hard to believe that New Look and Nandos were around hundreds of years ago, our ancestors just weren’t that lucky!
Porlock
For my third trip of the summer I visited the village of Porlock in Somerset for a thrilling camping experience. For anyone who knows me it is blindingly obvious that camping is not exactly my ‘thing’ but surprisingly, I did have a nice time…once I got past the whole Portaloo thing!
Whilst staying in Porlock I visited my third zoo of the summer in the form of Exmoor zoo. By this point I was almost zoo-ed out, which I didn’t think was possible, but Exmoor zoo was great. It isn’t as big as the other two but they do have lots of different types of cats such as oselots and sand cats, both of which were so cute I did want to smuggle one of each into my bag.
As well as Exmoor zoo I was also able to visit and admire some of the most beautiful beaches and landscapes that Somerset and North Devon have to offer. Although it was the height of the season, and therefore extremely busy with holiday makers, this actually forced us to explore harder to reach places which were quieter and stunning.
One of the most bizarre things I experienced whilst staying in Porlock was the annual village fete. The dog and duck show and traditional Morris dancers provided our entertainment for the day. If that wasn’t good enough I managed to purchase a copy of the entire works of Shakespeare for 25p: if that doesn’t constitute a good holiday I don’t know what does!
Manchester!
I couldn’t compile a list of the best places I’ve visited this summer without including my home town! Of course I am a regular visitor of Manchester city centre but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable each time I visit.
Having lived in Leeds for the best part of the last two years I have really missed Manchester. Everything is more familiar in Manchester and even though I do refer to Leeds as a ‘compact version of Manchester’, it feels more homely.
I love being from Manchester because there’s always something happening in the city. Whether it’s a protest, a festival or a concert there is always an event going on. Not to mention the excellent range of high street, designer and vintage shops on offer throughout the city. It is one of my favourite places to spend time, which is why I spent a lot of my summer in Manchester!
Image Sources:
Scott monument picture: my own
Panda picture: my own
Rhino picture: my own
Chester picture: http://pearsonhomemovingreview.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/pearson-home-moving-review-of-chester.jpg
Sand cat picture: my own
Sea-view picture: my own
Manchester picture: http://www.feathers.uk.com/willow-bank-hotel/wp-content/gallery/homepage/manchester-at-night-shutterstock-website.jpg
Kathryn Graham