It’s October. You had planned to book a trip abroad before winter takes hold but you never got around to it, and now you’re thinking it’s too late to organise anything before November. But wait! You aren’t considering how many possibilities there are right here in the UK!
You don’t need to go overseas to immerse yourself in a new culture. All you need to do is drive a couple of hours to a new city and go on a local walking tour, and coincidentally, the Times has just named the country’s seven best. What luck.
Their top pick is the Immersive Indian Community Tour in Wembley, London, led by expert Vaishali Patel. Here, you’ll get fed delicious food, get to head inside the pretty incredible Shri Sanatan Hindu temple, be taught about the cultural customs, and even get taught how to properly wear a sari. Sounds like a pretty perfect Saturday morning to us.
Next was the Derry Girls tour, which is, you guessed it, in Derry. For only a tenner you’ll get to visit some of the show’s actual filming locations, as well as the huge ‘Derry Girls’ mural outside the Badgers pubs. Whoever you go into it as, you’ll come out of it a Derry Girl through and through.
Their next shout takes us back across the Irish sea and down south to Bristol for the ‘Blackbeard to Banksy’ tour, which takes you across the city’s hills and through its long, storied past. Learn about its medieval beginnings, its connections to the Atlantic slave trade, and how it bred the country’s most famous street artist, all for just £12 and two hours of your time. Bargain.
In fourth was Manchester’s ‘Ales & Alleyways’, a guided tour of the northern capital’s most famous nighttime venues alongside explanations as to why they are so important to its history. Fifth place goes to the ‘City of Arcades Food Experience’ in Cardiff; a journey through the Welsh capital’s most exciting independent restaurants and eateries (arrive on an empty stomach).
The penultimate spot goes to a tour of Glasgow’s street art, which takes you through some of its lesser known but locally loved areas, and Birmingham’s ‘Five Ways to Die’ tour closes out the list, taking tourists to the city’s coolest graveyards – just in time for Halloween.
You can read the Times’ full article, including what it had to say about each tour, here. So what are you waiting for? Book that holiday now, and get to walking.
Staycations in the UK
We meant it. There’s so many great options for places to visit in this country that you’re only doing yourself a disservice by not checking any of them out. Why not venture on one of these beautiful road trips, or to one of these neighbourhoods which were recently named amongst the coolest in the world? If you fancy connecting with nature, try out one of these campsites or, if you dare, brave these beaches in the autumn weather.
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