A traditional seaside holiday is something that still remains a popular way to spend time as a family in the summer and in the UK, there are plenty of beautiful beaches that are great for family holidays. With the fun of the seaside and the attractions that can be found nearby, a seaside break is something that is great if you have children and keeps everyone happy.

A UK holiday by the seaside of course has the beach, and with this there are so many activities for kids and indeed the whole family to enjoy making it a great place to spend quality time together. Swimming in the sea, building sandcastles, exploring rockpools and collecting pretty seashells and stones are just a few favourite activities to do at the seaside and of course these are all completely free, which makes it great for families that are on a tight budget.

Weymouth is a great example of a fantastic family seaside resort – the sandy beach slopes gently into the water and there are multiple activities for kids to enjoy too like funfair rides and of course ice creams!

Llandudno is another popular seaside resort – there are plenty of accommodation options, from family friendly campsites to places like this luxury hotel Llandudno https://stgeorgeswales.co.uk if you want a treat. Again, the beach is beautiful and you also have Snowdonia national park on your doorstep if you want to explore further inland and enjoy the dramatic and beautiful scenery of North Wales.

November is an atmospheric time to visit Llandudno. With the summer crowds gone and the Christmas season beginning, the town takes on a quieter charm. You can enjoy cosy walks, fresh sea air, and exploring. Read more

Nostalgically old inns of the Cotswolds are not just watering holes – they’re time capsules with stories that go all the way back to their beginnings centuries ago. This is your key to the most legendary boozers in Britain’s best land.

The King’s Head Inn, Bledington

This 17th-century coaching inn used to house billeted Civil War soldiers. These days the flagstone floors and inglenook fireplaces make it an atmospheric spot for sampling local ales in between putting yourself at the centre of your own historical novel.

The Swan at Swinbrook

Previously the country seat of society sisters, The Mitfords, this elegant inn still translates an aristocratic air. It has a riverside setting and literary connections, so culture vultures on pub crawls should treat this one as an essential stop. For Cotswolds Guided Tours, contact https://cotswoldtour.co.uk/cotswolds-private-tours/classic-cotswolds-guided-tours

The Feathered Nest, Nether Westcote

Positioned atop a hill with commanding views in every direction, the converted malthouse gastro pub combines jaw-dropping vistas alongside mouthwatering food. A bonus is the industrial character dating back to when the building first started appearing in modern dining rooms.

The Wild Rabbit, Kingham

This Cotswold country pub has the design flair you would expect from Lady Bamford. Daylesford Organic Farm has been tapped to provide locally-sourced, exceptional cuisine along with thoughtfully-selected ales.

The Plough Inn, Kelmscott

William Morris’s village pub has Arts-and-Crafts movement credentials. Since the building dates back to medieval times, its low beams and snug corners make it a perfect place where drinkers can connect with history as well as high quality ale.

Planning Your Crawl

Reserve lodging early as these favourite inns book up soon. Hire a driver or take walks between villages. The majority serve excellent food, making this a voyage of Cotswolds heritage eating.

Every Inn has different tales to tell and perfect pints!

Located on a beautiful Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, you will find Dublin, the Capital City of Ireland, renowned for its genuine hospitality, vibrancy, hearty cuisine and traditional, local entertainment, the City attracts thousands of foreign visitors and tourists on a weekly basis.  Traditional Irish Fayre consist of such tasty morsels as Boxty, a traditional Irish potato pancake, Barmbrack, a yeast bread with added sultanas and raisins, Soda Bread, a food staple in Ireland, Coddle, traditionally made to use up leftovers, it most commonly consists of layers of roughly sliced pork sausages, rashers of bacon with chunky potatoes, sliced onion, salt, pepper, and herbs, and Colcannon, an Irish dish of mashed potatoes and cabbage.  All washed down with lashings of cold Guinness, these local dishes are at the very heart of Ireland.  With a plethora of interesting cultural events and stunning, historical Sites to visit adding to the excitement and drama that is Dublin, when you add in a doubly, delicious, dose of Italian Inspired, authentically cooked, traditional, Pizza and Pasta Dishes from what’s become known as the Best Pizza Restaurant Dublin, such as //www.forno500.ie, you can see why this City has become so popular as the place to eat, drink and be merry.  Using only the finest, freshest ingredients and traditional recipes handed down through the generations, these doubly delicious, hand-made, Pizzas bring an authentic taste of Italy to be enjoyed alongside the smorgasbord of delights already on offer from the local eateries.

Explore the Tudor House and Garden – This is the oldest museum in Southampton, with the building itself dating back to the late 13^th or early 14^th Century. It didn’t become a museum until 1912, and as you can imagine in a building of this age, it has a lot of history. Read more

When you have a family, you will always be thinking of new places you can go to gain new experiences and create memories. However, if you do not have a lot of money to spare, a lot of these experiences may feel out of your reach. Summer holidays and weekends away can cost a lot of money. However, there are a lot of simple days out you can take your family to that will enable you to create many lasting memories. In this article, we will explore some creative day-out ideas that enhance your family bonding. Read more

Before the Romans and the Egyptians, there were other civilisations and Empires whose ingenuity and creativity were truly incredible. One of these was the Minoans. They made their home on the stunning islands of Crete. Sitting in the  Mediterranean, not far from the coast of mainland Greece, the Island of Crete is one of the most picturesque there is. Like so many of the Greek islands, it was of strategic importance for controlling trade and commerce in the region. This was all to the Minoans advantage. They used their experience at war and maritime skills to build a fleet that would soon dominate the Mediterranean. They exploited that dominance and money to build a fantastic palace. This was to be the famous city of Knossos. Its remains can still be seen to this day.

Knossos enters into the Greek Mythos as the site of the Labyrinth and the lair of the Minotaur. It is easy to see the link between the two. Minoans and Minotaur was a direct reference and also an insult from the mainlanders. They constructed a story around the islanders who had a ritual of leaping bulls. The island’s youth would run and vault a bull using its horns as leverage as a test of manhood.

So far, the extensive archaeological work that has been conducted on Knossos has not yielded substantial underground mazes or the remains of a man bull hybrid. It has uncovered some beautiful things and clearly indicates that the Minoans were incredibly advanced in civilisation. The evidence for this is clear, and it is written on the walls of the Palace itself. The incredible frescos the Minoans created show examples of their life and times. It illustrates their rituals and celebrations. It also shows they had access to colour palettes from around the sea which they exploited.

However, it is their essential ability to create pretty astounding systems of public health that can really impress. It is generally thought that the Romans are the pioneers of clean water and latrines. However, as they got all their best ideas from the Greeks, it seems the Minoans were a massive influence. In Knossos, we can see some of the most impressive drainage systems ever created by simple gravity-fed systems. Using the nearby streams and rivers, they are diverted to flow through the city and the Palace. A modern Drain Lining Company like Wilkinson Environmental would be impressed with the skills that have been shown.

Using just hewn stone and worked clay, the Minoans were able to construct a system that took all of the wastewater out of the city whilst still providing clean water as well.

A public health system is not the only example of the Minoans skill.

There are countless examples of worked ceramic, gold and pottery. The finest being a bust of a bull’s head with golden horns and intricate figurines of snake goddesses.

The county Capital of Wiltshire, Salisbury is a fascinating place to visit. It is one of the oldest of the UK’s cities and is very close to one of the UK’s most ancient monuments, Stonehenge. What is there to do in this vibrant old city? The city is dominated by it’s mighty Cathedral, which promotes it to a City. It used to be a part of the settlement of Old Sarum built in part from the stones at Stonehenge, a prominent hill fort just outside of the city but with the construction of the Cathedral the power shifted and so did the people coming into the location.

The Cathedral, which in itself is a day trip, contains a copy of the Magna Carta which is seen as one of the first steps towards an open and democratic society that protected the rights of its citizens. There are plenty of boutique shops to browse and classic pubs and coffee shops to take a breather in and take some refreshment. The city has an excellent Park and Ride which makes life a lot easier rather than trying to park in the city itself. Dating back to the year 900 it still has some of the medieval streets and byways which are definitely not car friendly.

Mompesson House in the historic Cathedral close is a beautiful example of Georgian architecture but you’ll need your National Trust membership to get in or you may have to pay. There are so many wonderful Local things to do in Salisbury. Just look at https://www.localthingstodo.co.uk/locations/things-to-do-in-salisbury/ for more ideas.

Whether you are going away on a family holiday with the family or just a romantic getaway, packing for a holiday is an important thing to do. While some people like to leave their things behind and hope that everything will be in perfect condition when they return, if you are going away for a holiday there is simply no way to know what will happen. There is always a chance that you will not have the items that you left behind when you left and if you are on a budget this can be very detrimental to your holiday plans. Make sure you have some levi t-shirts for men from EJ Menswear in the suitcase.

When you are packing for a holiday, you want to start by making sure that all of your luggage tags are present and in proper places. You also want to check your carry-on luggage for sizes, even if you are going away for only a day or two. All airlines will check your bags before you take them on and you want to make sure that your bags are regulation size so that you will be able to enter the plane and sit down properly in your seat. If your luggage is too large it will not fit through the overhead and you could find that you are missing your connecting flight.

Once you have made sure that everything that you need is present in your luggage, you will want to pack your personal items, your medications, and anything else that you might need to bring with you. The size of the items that you pack should match the size of the bag that you will be filling with your belongings so that you do not have to worry about carrying a large bag around with you and leaving space for other items. Planning ahead in order to know how to pack for your holiday will help to ensure that you do not forget any important items and you will also be able to get everything that you want to do while on hoilday.

Ireland is thoroughly blessed with a variety of wonderful walks and wanderings but one of the best has to be the marvellous Ring of Kerry. This is a clockwise walk that runs from Killarney to Kenmare. It takes in several picturesque villages and towns such as Sneem, Waterville, Cahersiveen, and Glenbeigh. It is a breathtaking trip but you will need something to keep the chill out. This is why you will need to have a decent set of Mens Aran Sweaters like those you can buy from Shamrock Gift.

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What can you see when you walk this road? It’s not only a walk through the natural world it is also a trek around the modern as well. The landscape has developed over the many centuries from the ancient world that is also very much in evidence.

 

For example, the Dunloe Ogham Stones, reckoned to have been carved in the fifth or sixth century, are a registered national monument. A much larger structure is the Staigue Hill fort just outside of Sneem. This was a large Iron Age structure, built around 400 to 600 AD and was the home of a powerful Chieftain in the area. Even more impressive, it is dry stone construction that used no mortar between the carved and shaped stones. Medieval castles are also covered by Ross and Ballymalis.

 

There are also examples of the industrial world. A visit to the Kerry Woollen Mills is a great stopover as it is one of the last independent Mills left in Ireland. Being Ireland there are numerous pretty churches to view and the Torc Waterfall has little to rival it.