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07/11/2024

If you'll be in London's Tower Bridge area, I recommend The Dickens Inn in St. Katherine's Dock as a place to sit down and have a pint or a meal.⁠
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Dating back to the 18th century, it is thought to have been built in the early 1700s as either a tea factory or a local brewery. Today it's a a hidden gem along the Thames, away from the main tourist area around the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.⁠
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I love it because it's so unique, and I love the walk past all the boats in St. Katherine's Dock. Plus in the summer it's absolutely covered in beautiful flowers!⁠
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Pin it on Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/2bcm4HCzTT27za9Z6
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Historic London pubs | Beautiful pubs in London | Things to see around the Tower of London | Where to eat around the Tower of London

04/11/2024

Did you know you can take your visit to the London Eye from good to truly special? Consider booking a VIP experience!⁠
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My favorite is the Champagne Experience. It's so good I've done it twice!⁠
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You'll start by checking in at the special VIP desk before being taken upstairs to the VIP lounge. Instead of queueing, your host will come to get you when it's time to head down to your pod.⁠
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The host will walk you down to their pod, bypassing the line completely. The experience has a limited number of participants, so the pod won't be too full. And if you're lucky you may even be the only ones to book that rotation, so you'll have a private pod. It happened to us the first time!⁠
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Your host will serve a glass of champagne (non-alcoholic beverages are also available) to enjoy during the 30-minute flight. The host will also be available to answer questions and take photos, and they know all the best views to get the best photos!⁠

Book here: https://www.viator.com/tours/London/London-Eye-Champagne-Experience/d737-2988LONDON_EYE2?pid=P00005981&uid=U00054804&mcid=58086¤cy=USD
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For proposals or special occasions you can also book either the Cupid pod, which comes complete with a bottle of Pommery Rosé Champagne and a box of chocolate truffles, or a private pod.⁠
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Have you taken a flight on the London Eye? Let me know in the comments what you thought!⁠
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Things to do in London | London Eye info | VIP experience in London

02/08/2024

Sometimes rainy days give way to sunbeams 🌦️⁠
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31/07/2024

Something new is coming to the website - itineraries!⁠
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The first one, 10 days in London, scenic England and Scotland is live and ready, with more coming soon.⁠
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Each itinerary can be booked as a fully-escorted or self-drive trip by simply contacting me and setting up a free consultation call.⁠
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Or, if you prefer to make your own reservations, you can purchase the itinerary as a PDF with all the links to book your hotels, rental car, tours and tickets.⁠
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Head over to the website and check out the 10 day England and Scotland itinerary.

https://www.girasoletravel.com/post/10-day-london-scenic-england-and-scotland-itinerary
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Plan a trip to England and Scotland | Trip Planning | Itinerary ideas | England Itinerary | Visit England and Scotland | 10 day itinerary

14/07/2024

A pretty window in Castleton in the Peak District.

12/07/2024

Stonehenge isn't England's only neolithic stone circle. In fact, it's just one of 316 stone circles in England alone, and well over 1,000 across the UK.⁠
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This one is Castlerigg, and you'll find it in the middle of the Lake District. It's estimated to be between 3,000 and 4,500 years old. Unlike Stonehenge, you can walk right up to the stones at Castlerigg. It's completely free to enter, so if you're in the area you should check it out.⁠
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I wish I'd had my camera out just a minute later, because right after I put it away two air force jets flew by, so low and close it could just about knock you over. It went from completely silent, with just the birds singing, to a sound level I've never experienced so close by!⁠
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Apparently it's not uncommon, since we had seen signs along the road warning about low-flying aircraft. Now I know why! 🛩️⁠
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10/07/2024

If you're looking for a challenging drive, the Lake District is home to some of the hardest roads in England.⁠
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I'll admit, part of me wondered how hard they could actually be. After all, we're not talking about the Alps here!⁠
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Let me say, I'm so glad I always get an automatic transmission in my rental cars! This is not one I'd want to try with a manual transmission. If you're not very, very comfortable driving in England, don't try this road!⁠
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The view from the top of Hardknott Pass is pretty spectacular, but it's a one-lane paved former Roman chariot road that is switchbacks all the way up. If there's another car, there are a few pull offs about a half car wide so you can squeeze past each other.⁠
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The third photo is the road in front of us, with the switchbacks all the way up the hill. But by the time you see it you're pretty much committed, because there aren't many places to turn around!⁠
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It's so steep I couldn't see the road over the hood of the car, so as I was turning I just had to trust the road is there!⁠
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Did I mention there aren't any guardrails either?⁠
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Yep, this was my idea of a fun afternoon out! Just another day exploring all sides of England so I know exactly what to recommend (or maybe not recommend...) to my amazing travel clients.⁠
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If you'd like to be one of those amazing clients, head over to the website to schedule a consultation so we can start planning your next trip.⁠

www.girasoletravel.com/contact
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lake district drives, hardknott pass, challenging drives, exploring england

04/07/2024

I've heard that Robin Hood's Bay is a delightful small village, but I hadn't had a chance to visit until this last trip to England.⁠
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Oh my goodness, it's a fun little spot! Most "streets" are really just walkways, winding down the hill between the houses. It's definitely one of the steepest villages I've walked through!⁠
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visit yorkshire, robin hood's bay, prettiest towns in yorkshire

02/07/2024

Have you been to the Lake District? While I've heard a lot about Ambleside, Grasmere and Windermere, none of them could hold a candle to Hawkeshead.⁠
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It was one of the prettiest towns we saw on our entire trip, and we saw a lot of towns since we were in England for a month!⁠
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While you can see most of the village in an hour or two, I'd recommend staying a night or two. While you're there make sure to stop for lunch or dinner at The Queen's Head it was the best Bangers & Mash I've ever had!⁠
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For more of England's most beautiful villages head over to the post on the blog.

https://www.girasoletravel.com/post/the-10-prettiest-villages-in-england

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plan a trip to the lake district, lake district villages, hawkeshead cumbria, pretty english villages, travel inspiration

05/04/2024

We visited Bradford-on-Avon specifically to stop at the Bridge Tea Rooms, but found so much more to see while we were there!⁠
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From the iconic bridge over the river to the Shambles, it was a delightful place to spend a few hours.⁠
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If you're spending a few days in Bath, Bradford-on-Avon is less than 15 minutes away by train. Plan a day trip to have an excellent tea, plus spend some time exploring the rest of the town.⁠
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Are you ready to start planning a Cotswolds escape to some of England's most beautiful towns? If so, click through to the bio and schedule a consultation so I can start helping you plan an amazing trip. My next available consultation is mid-May, so if you're planning for summer or fall it's time to get the process started!⁠
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04/04/2024

Have you visited one of the best tea rooms in England?⁠
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The Bridge Tea Rooms in Bradford-on-Avon have won the award for the UK's top tea room twice, and the tea, sandwiches, scones and cakes were all delicious!⁠
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We planned a stop in Bradford-on-Avon specifically to visit the tea rooms, but had some time to explore a bit. One nice thing about Bradford-on-Avon is that it has a train station, which means you can easily visit from Bath, or even from London if you change trains.⁠
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03/04/2024

The lovely Cotswolds village of Lower Slaughter.⁠
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One really nice thing is that you can walk from Bourton-on-the-Water to both Lower and Upper Slaughter and make a full day of it while only having to park once!⁠
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The path was a bit muddy (fitting, seeing as the name Lower Slaughter comes from the Old English word Slohtre, or "muddy place"), but it was a fun walk and we stopped for lunch at the Slaughters Country Inn before taking a couple of hours to explore the village.⁠
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It's also just down the road from Stowe-on-the-Wold, which is where we based for this portion of our Cotswold trip. I loved staying in Stowe, it's big enough to have great options for places to stay and eat, but small enough to feel authentic and walkable. You also won't find big chain stores, so wherever you go you're supporting small local businesses!⁠
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02/04/2024

A few of my favorite captures from Castle Combe, often named as the most beautiful village in the Cotswolds, if not the most beautiful village in England.⁠
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01/04/2024

The day was a bit rainy, but we had a lovely walk up to the Bath Botanic Gardens. There weren't a lot of people there, probably in part because of the weather, but also because they're a bit outside of the normal visitor path.⁠
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We really enjoyed them, especially in full spring bloom. There were still magnolias and cherry trees blooming, plus bluebells and lots of other things we didn't recognize.⁠
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When I'm planning my own trips I always try to include a garden at least every few days. We love seeing all the colors, and can spend hours meandering through pathways and looking at all the beautiful things.⁠
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29/03/2024

We had some time in Bath that I didn't have anything specific planned, so we climbed some of the many hills in town and found pretty streets, houses and views!⁠
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I'm not a huge fan of hills, but this time I went looking for them because I wanted to see the views. It was worth the climb!⁠
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https://www.girasoletravel.com/post/bath-england
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28/03/2024

Why do I always make a point to visit gardens? Well, because they're beautiful of course!⁠
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Discover more about Hidcote Garden on the blog.
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📍Hidcote Garden, The Cotswolds⁠
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https://www.girasoletravel.com/post/hidcote-manor-garden-a-must-visit-cotswold-estate
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27/03/2024

Prior Park Landscape Garden is one of my favorite places in Bath.⁠
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It takes some effort to get up to Prior Park, but it's worth it. The Palladian Bridge is absolutely beautiful, and the walk back down to the city is a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.⁠
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It's a great way to see some of the countryside without having to rent a car or plan a day trip out of Bath.⁠
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If you're feeling adventurous you can use the park as a starting point for the 6-mile circular Bath Skyline Walk, which will take you through the hills, forests and meadows all around the city.⁠
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Or just do what we did, see some of the views, and then walk back to town down Widcome Hill, stopping for a cup of tea or a pint on your way down.⁠
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26/03/2024

Day or night in Castle Combe?⁠
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One benefit to staying a night or two in a village like Castle Combe is being able to see it after most people have left.⁠
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Castle Combe is a tiny (and I mean tiny!) but beautiful village, so it's a really popular spot for day trips. Most people stop, head to the bridge to get the quintessential Castle Combe photo, maybe go take a couple pictures or videos of The Manor House, and then leave.⁠
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Instead, I prefer slow travel. We spent two nights, which gave us plenty of time to walk around the village, take a couple countryside walks, have dinner at both The Castle Inn (a wonderful gastropub and inn right in the center of the village) and at Bybrook, the Michelin-starred restaurant at The Manor House.⁠
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This was the last stop of our two and a half weeks in the Cotswolds, and such a great way to end it before heading back to London!⁠
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If you're planning to visit the Cotswolds, you'll want someone to help you plan it who's actually been there! This is why I take so much time to visit the places I send my clients to.⁠
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After all, if I haven't been there, how do I know what's worth recommending? That's why I spend so much time traveling and visiting places like Castle Combe in person!⁠
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Want to start planning your trip? Head to the website to schedule a free consultation.⁠

www.girasoletravel.com/contact
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