Nacktschnecken omlet Cube

[patsylabrador]

At the weekends we like to visit new places but don't always know where to go, so spend too much time asking each other, 'Where shall we go?'. I thought I would share my favourite place with you that maybe you can use and would like to read of your favourite places.

Mine is the South Bank in London, it is an interesting, lively and sometimes beautiful walk.

I set off from Westminster tube station, cross the bridge to the Aquarium and wheel. This is my least favourite part, it feels chaotic and silly. Immediately you get past the wheel, the atmosphere changes and you feel the river, there are still crowds and a carnival atmosphere with all the street entertainers, but it's fun.I won't bore you with all the places you can see on regular guides, but these are the bits I love. Near the BFI there is often an outside book market, and further along under the festival hall, you will see kids skateboarding like crazy. They are very athletic and take some spectacular tumbles. It's become bit of a tourist attraction despite some fuddy-duddies trying to stop them. It's coluorful and brash but more fun than just badly designed concrete. A little beach has been created for sand sculptures and by the Oxo tower, if the tide is out, you can go down onto the beach. Quite a lot of artifacts have been found along there. In between the Tate and the Globe are some little Georgian houses, it is said that Christopher Wren lived in one, but I'm not sure that's true, apparently the dates don't quite tie up.

I love walking between the warehouses and visiting the Clink museum, if you look up there is a rotting body in a cage, and you just come across things like a Tudor ship. If you're there on the right days, Borough Market is open. There is so much more to this walk, but I would have to write a book. I like to cross Tower Bridge and stand over the gap to see the river below, and then go to the station to catch the tube home. If you think you hate London, try this, I'm sure you will change your mind.

Try this site -http://www.southbanklondon.com/walkthisway/

[meezers]

Patsy, we were in London last April for our first family visit. We stayed on the Southbank and did the walk you mention several times ( infact we walked just about everywhere as most of the tubes weren't running ! )

We did enjoy it and agree there's lots to see, but 4 days was enough for us - I'm a country girl and a walk is not a walk unless it involves mud and sheep poo

Now if anyone wants a walk in rural Herefordshire, let me know

[patsylabrador]

Now if anyone wants a walk in rural Herefordshire, let me know

 

We have a camper van that we've hardly used, so want to visit places all over. If you have a favourite town or walk, please let me know. I don't always trust brochures, the one of my bit of suburbia makes it look gorgeous, but it's not.

[Chickendoodle]

Visit the Sussex Downs - there is a beautiful circular walk starting from Alfriston that came very high up in a poll of the most beautiful walks in the country.

 

Here it is!

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/walks/article6107837.ece

[ubereglu]

Sounds really nice, I quite like London, but have never been around it on my own, as I'd so easily get lost!

[patsylabrador]

I'd so easily get lost!

I'm nor surprised. I've lived here for 30 years and I still get lost, especially on the tube and especially the Hammersmith & City line.

[Seagazer]

Patsylabrador - we will definitely look at the southbank walks. It sounds really interesting. Considering I'm only half an hour away I have no excuse, I've never even been to Borough Market.

 

My mum and my MIL do walks up there all the time as part of the U3A, all with different topics etc.

[Tina C]

Norfolk Coast Path:

 

http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/PeddarsWay/text.asp?PageId=40

 

Camp here:

 

http://www.deepdalefarm.co.uk/camping/index.asp

 

And walk from Burnham Overy Staithe to to Stiffkey or any part of the trail that takes in Holkham Bay and Cley (lovely deli and fish smokers)

 

Another campsite here, closer to the end of the trail:

 

http://www.manorfarmcaravansite.co.uk/

 

Its bigger but lovely clean toilets and lots of space outside school hols. I can let you know where the best pitches are

 

There is a brilliant bus service that you can use to get you back to your camper van.

[patsylabrador]

Thank you for the walks and info for Sussex and Norfolk. I'm making a folder of places to visit and those are definitely going in it.

[stoice]

Have you been to Southwold in Suffolk? Home of Adnams brewery. Nice beach and pier too. Thorpeness for the house in the cloads and the boating lake, minsmire nature reserve is lovely. We've been to stay many a time in Dunwich and walked the whole length of the beach from the reserve to a great little chippy in old Dunwich. A friend of my mums has a caravan on a site off the beach. On one walk with his dog this happened... click

[Looney]

Oooh Southwold is lovely, I've stayed in The Swan hotel (one of the Adnams Hotels) a couple of times. I also agree that the Norfolk coast is fantastic.

 

What I find I like to do is visit somewhere and try and change my own opinion of it by trying to do something a bit different to the normal activity expected.

 

For example, I lived in Brentford for a while and loved to walk along the Thames to Richmond (and further). It is such a different experience and feel to hopping on the bus, which is what I would usually do, and sitting in the traffic and it allowed me to feel a bit of space (I'm a country girl and felt really hemmed in living and working in and around London).

 

I'm from Lincolnshire and when I go back to visit I enjoy taking day trips to villages with windmills or walking the circular routes that most places seem to have. It is something I didn't really do when growing up as I was more interested in going to friends houses, going to shops etc.

 

By the way, if anyone ever goes to Great Yarmouth, the Time and Tide Museum is well worth a visit and the cafe does a fab cup of coffee and cake!

[Cinnamon]

Dartmouth in Devon is a favourite of mine.

 

My late Mum had a lovely B&B there,so we visited regularly.

 

Its a really pretty town with some super & unusual shops,all fronted on to the river Dart, which goes out to the sea as you walk along the town. Over the river, which is very wide,is the town of Kingsweir (*sp), which looks lovely all lit up at night.

Over at Kingswier there is a proper steam train too, & the Dart is home to some wonderful boats.

 

There is a wonderful ruined castle & tea shop, around the corner from which is my favourite place, Sugary Bay, so named because of the pink crystalline rock that forms there.On a sunny day when the tide is out it is breathtaking,& perfect for rock pooling

 

Dartmouth has some great restaurants,including the famous 'Carved Angel' ,a couple on boats on the river for which you get a little ferry out & some of the best seafood for miles.

If you do go (& you should) then go to 'Alf Resco' which is a little place up by the foot ferry ....its open for breakfast for the boaty types & does the BEST fry up & cinnamon toast IN THE WORLD!!!

[Alis girls]

Where in london are you PatsyL ?

[stoice]

Dartmouth in Devon is a favourite of mine.

 

Oooh been there Cinnamon. You're right it's lovely. We arrived by the steam train from Paignton (Lovely zoo there too) then had a fab boat trip up the river Dart. Gorgeous part of the world

[chickenanne]

Speyside is lovely. As are the beaches around Mallaig, also the Cairngorms (the bits owned by Natural Scotland are nicest (actually, it might be National Trust... not sure), the Hebrides, Iona.... but all that is pretty far to go for most people. But if I had to recommend one day out near where I live....

 

There's a brilliant cycle path taking you from the outskirts of Callendar (in the Trosachs, Callendar is not my favourite town!!!) on the route of an old railway line, which is fantastic in all weathers. After about 8 miles you happen across a great pub (The Byre Inn). You can often have the cycle path pretty much to yourself, outside summer holiday time. It skirts a small loch, and doesn't have any horrifically steep sections! There's loads of great cycling (nice and flat, little traffic, good views, easy to do a "loop" and places to stop for lunch - I hate cycling on busy roads or in towns as is too scary!) to the west of Stirling if you look for it, with places to stop en-route - maybe places that you'd not bother driving to see, but which are great little detours on a bike or if you're in the area anyway - example; Flanders Moss is the biggest raised peat bog in Europe (or the UK? not sure which ) and has a raised boardwalk and viewing tower - also has a great feeling to it.

 

I think we should all recommend a day trip /half day trip from where we live: am intrigued by what gentle days out there are.

[patsylabrador]

Where in london are you PatsyL ?

North west along the Met line. Do you come from London?

[Alis girls]

No leicestershire girl married to a Londoner. Been in the smoke for 30 yrs OMG sooo long. We too as a family spend way too long mulling over where to go and what will appeal to a teen and an 8 yr old oh and mum!!!