A resort near Aviemore, Scotland.

A resort near Aviemore, Scotland.

When you go to the UK, there are many more places to stay other than in hotels.  The choices are endless.  From castles, estates and luxury hotels to camping or glamping, there is much in between.

There are campgrounds for tents and caravan parks for trailers (caravans to the British) where you can move in to one that is parked there. There are many sites close to the beach or in the countryside. Go to ukcaravans4hire.com.  You could also choose to rent a caravan for a period of time and travel with your own lodging.  Many Britons do just that as there are so many areas of the UK which are wonderful vacation destinations. Some popular destinations are the Lake District, the Peak District, the Yorkshire Dales, Devon and Cornwall, The Cotswolds, the New Forest and anywhere along the coast. You can start at one destination and return there or finish miles away.  There is an added cost to do the latter.  Go to indiecampers.co.uk for more information.  For camping holidays, search www.pitchup.com which has campsites available on beaches, farms and in the UK countryside.  The National Trust, which owns property all over the UK that one can visit, also has camp sites in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. One site, hipcamp.com, advertises campsites, caravan parks, cabins and clamping so has it all!

If you are looking for a quaint cottage, look no further than last minute-cottages.co.uk.  You input the area of the UK you are wanting to stay in and other filters including dates, and a list of options all over the UK come up.  National Trust also has unique properties to rent such as a lighthouse, a hop kiln and as pilchard cellar for example.  Go to national trust.org.uk.

Families can choose luxury resorts, farm holidays, or accommodation at theme parks if they do not wish to camp, caravan or stay in a cottage.  Websites such as silverspoonlondon.co.uk offer luxury resorts for families in many different locations.  There often is a kids club and a swimming pool.  Holiday cottages on working farms can be found at classic.co.uk.  An example of a theme park with accommodation for families is Crealy Theme Park and Resort.  Some families choose to have a weekend getaway or longer at a family oriented resort.  An example of this is Center Parcs which has 5 locations in England.  They are situated in forested locations. These vacation spots are popular as they have many activities and many choices of restaurants.

If you are an adult looking for a bit of pampering, you can search luxuryhotelsguides.com and mrandmrssmith.com for the best boutique and luxury hotels. If you are looking for something special, try uniquehomestays.com which has properties listed in the UK and Ireland.  A peaceful holiday could be boating on one of the UK's many canals. One such company to approach is Chas Hardern Boats (www.chashardern.co.uk) which is a family-run business with a long history.

You may wish to be active on your holiday.  If this is the case, search out walking sites such as letsgowalking.co.uk to have a walking holiday arranged in the area you are interested in.  A cycling holiday is another option. There is a wide range of companies that offer self-guided, ebike tours or guided tours in a variety of locations. Sailing holidays can be booked with companies such as classic-sailing.com.

The variety of possibilities in the UK is like no other place.  Whatever you choose to do, enjoy your summer!

What else but fish and chips! But there is a lot more to food in the UK!

As London is the largest city, there are many more food and drink tours here than anywhere else. There is such a diversity of cultures here. There is a foodie tour in the Brixton area of London that features African and Caribbean food, as there are many people who trace their roots from these countries.  Another tour is centred in the Soho and Chinatown areas that showcases food from the Mediterranean as well as Chinese, Indian and British cuisine.  An East End tour features food from the many cultural groups that have shaped the history there - French, Chinese, Jewish, British and Indian. In all of these tours, you learn about the history of London and why people from these various backgrounds left their homelands to live here.

Typical British foods are highlighted in some of the tours, such as one that is an English scone making course.  There are several tours on double decker buses where you can have afternoon tea ( and even a tipple) while you see the city. My favourite could be the cheese tour. Imagine walking through London sampling as much cheese as you want!  My dream day!

Outside of London, the city of York has several foodie tours.  One is at a cocoa works, and another is a tour sampling food at 6 different locations.  Manchester has an Indian food making (Chapatti n Curry), Liverpool has a food and drink tour, and Bristol also has a chocolate tour. In Norwich, someone has a tour sampling sausage rolls.  I am sure there are not many Brits who don't like sausage rolls.  They are served at most British functions.

Cardiff in Wales has at least 3 foodie tours which all include walking and tasting Welsh food along the way.  You can learn about culinary delights here as well as what life is like in this part of the world. Scotland has a lot of whiskey tasting tours (I will talk about this in another blog) and pub crawls, but there is a food and pub tour in Edinburgh which also includes walking. Belfast has several food and drink tours where you walk and learn about the City.  As with all of these tours, the tour guide and the commentary are often what make your time memorable.

It is always worthwhile to take a tour when you are travelling.  Eating and drinking while you learn about an area is always a good pastime.

Until the next blog, Cheers!