Monday 17 August 2009

Craig and Charlotte's 100 things to do in Britain - #63 The Rows, Chester

A Roman-Norman-Saxon-Victorian charm of a city, closely knit shopping streets and some great architecture both historical and modern make Chester a great place to visit. We found ourselves almost lost in the hundreds and hundreds of shops ranging from high street brands to small independant's tucked away in "The Rows". You can spend hours perusing what Chester has to offer and with most things to see and do literally 10 minutes walk away we loved every minute of it. After shops, milkshakes, afternoon tea, a brass band on the promenade, some truly weird people dressed as medieval characters and the Roman amphitheatre we were plum tuckered out. Again the evening was great with a mixture of loud venues and bars for the young and hearty or the not so loud but no less enjoyable restaurants that add a touch of class. We happened upon the "Sian" a Thai restaurant on the canal which is a definite recommendation.

As an extra, the following day we spent at the absolutely huge Chester Zoo which should not be missed at all costs if your in Chester. By far the best in the UK.


The only down side would be the parking, there was very little and what we found of it seemed to be a hell of a way away from the centre. Tip of the day, park at the train station, plenty of spaces and relatively cheap but it is literally 5 minutes walk to the shops.

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Sunday 16 August 2009

Craig and Charlotte's 100 things to do in Britain - #90 Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve, Nottingham

First place visited on our list, the mighty Sherwood Forest, home of the heroic outlaw Robin Hood. I had high hopes for Robin and his band of Merry Men and they did not disapoint. Arriving on the 9th August 2009 we happend upon the "The Robin Hood Festival" which takes place yearly, being free apart from parking we had a brilliant time with falconry, jousting and live music aplenty as well as a lot of activities for kids including archery, face painting and jesters (which to be fair we enjoyed just as much :D). And if all that is not enough there is miles and miles and yes... more miles of walks through the scenic forest to enjoy. The day was great and the visitor centre is pretty good value for money considering that would be nothing. One tip though, turn up early as people were being turned away who came later than mid day.


Being the first place to visit on our adventure were going to set the score at 5 out of 10 and this will be used as the benchmark for future expeditions.

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Craig and Charlotte's 100 things to do in Britain


Figuring that I am in great need of fresh air, a more cultured outlook and a "life" me and my other half have put together a listing of 100 things to do in Britain. By no means are these "the best" things to do, especially since we dont know what half of them are :P but we rekon you should know where you come from (roughly) and have set upon this mini adventure. Well be posting up each place as and when we visit them with some aw(ful)esome pictures and a bit of a write up about what went on for future place goers...

It is also important to say that the following are in no particular order.
  1. Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland
  2. Natural History Museum, London
  3. Lincoln Cathedral
  4. Newcastle Race Course
  5. Climb Big Ben Clock Tower
  6. Outdoor Proms Concert, Belton House
  7. Castle Howard, Malton
  8. Windsor Castle
  9. Stonehenge
  10. Snowdonia, Wales
  11. York Minster Cathedral
  12. Roman Baths, Bath
  13. Shakespeare's Home, Stratford on Avon
  14. Iron Bridge, Shropshire
  15. Edinburgh Castle
  16. Caernarvon Castle
  17. The Royal Pavillion, Brighton
  18. British Museum, London
  19. Tate Modern, London
  20. National Gallery, London
  21. The London Eye
  22. The Victoria and Albert Museum
  23. Madam Tussauds
  24. The Tower of London
  25. National Maritime Museum
  26. Kings Cross Station
  27. Wembley Stadium
  28. The Houses of Parliament
  29. Science Museum, London
  30. Queen Mary's Rose Gardens, London
  31. Changing of the Guard, London
  32. Camden Market, London
  33. Portabello Market, London
  34. Westminster Abbey
  35. Orkney, Orkney Islands
  36. King Arthurs Castle
  37. Murder Mystery Dinner, London
  38. The playhouse Theatre, London
  39. Blackpool Tower
  40. Colchester Castle
  41. Harewood HSE
  42. Penshurst Place and Gardens
  43. York Ghost Trail
  44. York Dungeon
  45. King Arthurs Labrynth
  46. The Museum of Welsh Life
  47. Conwy Castle
  48. Athurs Seat, Edinburgh
  49. The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
  50. The Witchery Tour, Edinburgh
  51. Castle Campbell, Scotland
  52. Glenfiddich Distillery, Scotland
  53. John O' Groats, Scotland
  54. The Biblical Garden, Scotland
  55. Waltzing Waters, Scotland
  56. Seaforde Butterfly HSE, N Ireland
  57. The Glens of Antrim, N Ireland
  58. Tollymore Forest Park, N Ireland
  59. Tolkeins House
  60. Cotswold Wildlife Park
  61. Kew Gardens
  62. River Camto, Cambridge
  63. The Rows, Chester
  64. Lake District
  65. Longleat Safari Park
  66. Kingsgate Bay, Kent
  67. Twycross Zoo
  68. Garston Wood
  69. Blue Water Shopping Centre and Ice Rink
  70. The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads
  71. Cheddar Gorge
  72. Raby Castle, High Force Waterfall
  73. Peak Cavern
  74. Weston Supermare Beach
  75. Norwich Medieval Castle
  76. Eden Project, Cornwall
  77. Canonteign Falls, Devon
  78. Jurrasic Coast, Dorset
  79. The National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth
  80. Pensthorpe
  81. London Zoo
  82. The Town of Harrogate
  83. Cotswold Wildlife Park and Farm
  84. Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park
  85. Bath Christmas Market
  86. Wimbledon
  87. Up-Helly-AA, Shetland Isles
  88. The Great Ormes Head Copper Mine, Llandudno
  89. Aberglasney House and Gardens, Wales
  90. Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve, Nottingham
  91. Pistyll Rhaeadr, Wales
  92. Lulworth Cove
  93. Giants Causeway, N Ireland
  94. St. Michael's Mount, Cornwall
  95. Groombridge Place Gardens
  96. The Trafford Centre
  97. River Thames
  98. Carrick-A-Rede, N Ireland
  99. Creetown Gem Rock Museum, Scotland
  100. Bond Street, London