Roaming with Red

The UK is full of day trips to enjoy! As I promised, here’s part two of my initial London day trips with some different, but just as interesting, places to see.

Bristol and The Wave

I feel like this part needs a little bit of context. If there is anyone reading this blog who isn’t my family or friends, I love to surf. Unfortunately, the UK isn’t renowned for its easily accessible surf spots. Especially not if you live in London. So, as someone who finds surfing one of the best ways to destress and unwind, I had to find another solution. Here’s where The Wave comes in.

The Wave is a man-made wave park outside of Bristol. It’s a place people can go to have a surf and enjoy the water, from absolute beginner to barrel loving advanced surfers. For the entrance cost (which ranges upwards of 50 pounds for adults) you get an hour in the water, board and wetsuit hire and access to all their amenities. For anyone who enjoys the water, or just wants a fun day out, I would highly recommend. There’s nothing quite like being able to get back on a board and feel the water underneath you, even if this is just man made. They even have a café on site for that much needed post surf feed!

My one recommendation would be to get a car to get you there. You can use public transport but it’s a bit of a hike and takes nearly 3 hours (as I found out). Certainly an adventure getting there by public transport, but perhaps not the easiest thing to do!

The surf park is about 30/40 minutes outside of Bristol so I also managed to sneak a few hours in Bristol post surf. Unfortunately, I didn’t spend much time in the city but it’s definitely somewhere I’d love to go back and explore more! You can feel the vibrancy of its student cohort and the street art gives the city a cool, urban feel. I hear it also has a raging nightlife for all you night owls out there!

Where to Eat and Drink

• The Wave Café – The Wave
  It’s an easy spot to grab a post surf feed. Think beers and burgers while you watch other people do their thing out in the surf.
• Left Handed Giant – Bristol City Centre
  This was a great place for a feed! The atmosphere was really going, granted it was the day before a long weekend, and the pizzas were delicious. They make all their own beer and if you’re lucky enough to find a table outside, you can watch the world go by on the side of the river.

Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham

Starting with Stratford-upon-Avon, this is a pretty little town to visit. Its main claim to fame is being Shakespeare’s birthplace, but I think it should also be known for its lovely scenery. We were lucky enough to have the sun shining so we wandered the city streets and up and down the market that was well and truly bustling.

As for Shakespeare, he’s presence can definitely be felt. For a small fee, you can visit the actual home he grew up in and it’s worth a visit. The gardens, for one, were really nice! Think small, quaint backyard but blooming with all kinds of flora and fauna. The house itself is like a walk into the past. The team have done a great job in maintaining the house and are very welcoming and informative in terms of providing the story of how people lived back in Shakespeare’s lifetime. You can find out about what the family did and how life came and went in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Unfortunately for us, the weather turned almost as soon as we arrived in Birmingham so our plans to wander the city streets were a little harder to keep to. Even so, what we did see had a very interesting grungy feel to it, similar to the street art feeling of Brunswick (for all you Melbournians out there). Bristol is well known for its history as a manufacturing powerhouse and I feel like this is something the city embraces and celebrates. The centre city is dominated by the Bull Ring (the big shopping centre) with the Cathedral slightly below the major hill. Unfortunately, I let my inner Peaky Blinder’s fan down and didn’t do the Peaky Blinder’s tour so it is very much on the list for a return trip!

Where to Eat and Drink

• Wine Freedom – Digbeth
  A tucked away wine bar specialising in organic wines. It has a very cool, industrial vibe to it and had a great wine selection. One flag is organic wine can taste a bit different to your regular wine so be prepared to try something new!
• Gaijin Sushi – Birmingham City Centre
  This restaurant specialises in sushi and the food here was incredible! We were sat at the bar so were able to watch the chef work his magic which was such a special treat! It is a little pricey but the quality of the food is definitely worth it!