A lot of folks have asked us for recommendations from our British Isles journey, so in this blog I will highlight some of our favorites!

Places to Stay

There were many truly lovely places we stayed on this trip, thanks to our fantastic travel planner Janet Redler. The following were our absolute favorites and places we would definitely stay again:

In Windsor, UK: the Sir Christopher Wren Hotel is central to the town, with a lovely view up the hill of Windsor Castle and the Thames out your window. It is also a lovely historic set of buildings.

We rented a lovely Georgian era apartment (Russel Street Apartment) in Bath that was just charming (with small kitchen and washer/dryer).

The Acorn Inn in Evershot, Dorcester is a lovely spot with spectacular pub restaurant. Owned by a younger couple, they serve award winning food (and it was spectacular).

The Bull Inn in Rotherford, Totnes is a lovely sustainable Inn, also with a great chef and food.

The Custodian’s House in Pendennis Castle was probably our #1 spot to stay. Right on the headland of the Falmouth peninsula, you are literally “locked” into the castle grounds at night. The cottage is absolutely charming and they loaded us up with a beautiful basket of goods (e.g. fresh bread, clotted cream, scones, jams, eggs, chocolate).

The Wheatsheaf Inn in Northleach, Cheltenham (in the Cotswalds) was another lovely and charming place to stay with a really great pub restaurant.

Lots of options of places to stay in Stratford-upon-Avon, but we enjoyed the Hotel Indigo. Very centrally located.

The Devonshire Arms at Beeley in Matlock was another lovely Inn, near Chatsworth Estate.

Had a lovely stay at the Principal York in York. Nice and central.

The Lord Crewe Arms in Blanchland, Corsett is another place I would definitely go back to! A small and charming village with lots of lovely walks, the food was an absolute highlight for us! Also a charming bar cellar.

The Townhouse Hotel in Melrose, Scotland was lovely, and again a nice pub restaurant. I loved this little town, great shops and close to Melrose Abbey and Abbotsford (the home of Sir Walter Scott).

In Glasgow we stayed at the Voco Grand Central Glasgow, which was a lovely hotel that is attached to one of the main train stations. Beware with parking…we got two tickets traveling on streets that were restricted to taxis and buses only, but this was the ONLY way we could find into the hotel/train station parking. Glasgow is not an easy city to drive in.

Eden Locke was a really lovely place to stay in Edinburgh. Ask for the split level Mezzanine Studio (with small kitchen and laundry!) – beautiful room with great windows. I loved ALL of the shops on George Street where this was located! Easy walking distance to the main hub.

We loved the Fitzwilliam Hotels in both Belfast and Dublin. Very nice mid-sized hotels and lovely service. The one in Belfast took great care of us when we arrived late (2:00 AM) and delivered breakfast to our room!

We are also fans of Kimpton Hotels, and love the Kimpton Fitzroy in London. Close to where Zoe will live and go to school, so lucky us!

Another “top 3” was the Cashel Palace Hotel in Tipperary County, Ireland, just amazing. Luxury at its best (talk about stellar service) and one of the finest dining experiences we’ve had. We didn’t have time to take advantage of the attached spa but would spend a few more days here if I could!

The Inchydonney Island Lodge and Spa in Cork County, Ireland was really lovely. You can’t beat the views!

Places to Visit

A Windsor River Cruise, with the Cream Hamper Tea, was a lovely way to start our visit to the UK and see this area. Also make your way over to the area around Eton College, really lovely.

Stonehenge exceeded our expectations. If you haven’t been, go!

Rent e-bikes in Bath and drive around the canals (the Two Tunnels Greenway) You’ll pass a ton of houseboats along the way. There are several pubs you can stop at along the route.

We really enjoyed the No 1 Royal Crescent Museum in Bath for a look at how people lived during the Georgian era.

Corfe Castle in Dorset was a spectacular set of ruins to explore…great view from up high!

We visited many cathedrals, and would explore any you come across. So inspiring what people were able to construct so long ago with limited tools and technology! Loved checking out the tombstones as well!

We visited a number of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) throughout the UK and were never disappointed: Dorset, East Devon, Dartmoor National Park, Exmoor National Park, Cornwall, Cotswalds, North Pennines, Peak District National Park, Lake District National Park, Wye Valley

Tintagel Castle (especially if you are interested in Arthurian legend) is a must visit.

St. Ives in Cornwall is a lovely little cobblestoned village on the seaside.

The Eden Project (global garden housed in a tropical biome) is well worth a visit.

We really enjoyed visiting the SS Great Britain in Bristol.

Tintern Abbey in Tintern (on the bank of the River Wye) in Wales is spectacular. We visited quite a few Cistercian Abbey ruins (another lovely one was in Melrose, Scotland) and enjoyed them all.

The Victorian Arcades in Cardiff Wales were loads of fun to explore.

St. Fagans National Museum (an open-air living museum) was really interesting.

So many lovely villages to explore in the Cotswalds…pick a few and meander here.

We took a tour of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre that was exceptional. If we’d had time I sure would have tried to take in a play here as well. A really lovely renovation of this historic theatre…not a bad seat in the house.

The Chatsworth Estate (film location of Pemberley!) was my favorite Estates to visit bar none! Do NOT miss this. Also check out the farm store down the road…I could grocery shop here all the time.

Bolton Abbey estate was spectacular…we took a lovely hike through this area.

The City of York was an amazing spot to visit. Take one of the city walking tours. Definitely walk the city walls.

Take a boat ride on Bowness Lake in Lake County. Lovely area! Also visit all of the Beatrix Potter sites. The Hill Top Beatrix Potter House was especially charming.

We made several stops along Hadrian’s Wall, and if we’d had more time would have probably done some hikes along the footpaths.

Abbotsford (the home of Sir Walter Scott) was well worth a visit.

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow is outstanding.

So much to do and see in London, but don’t miss The London Tower, the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Westminster Abbey and walking around Covent Garden. We also had a lovely tea at Kensington Palace, but there are beautiful teas at many high end hotels. Also take a walk through the food courts in Harrod’s to be truly amazed. Great place to buy chocolate!

In Belfast we enjoyed the Titanic Museum and a Peace Walk Tour (great guides who will fill you in on all of the conflict and history).

Derry is a delightful city to visit. Another great city walking tour (along the walls).

We had a driver (I have a # if you are interested!) to take us out to explore Donegal County and that was well worth the expense. This was our first foray into the Wild Atlantic Way and being guided was an absolute must. This driver also took us on a route to see the highlights of the Causeway Coast on our way to Dublin. Don’t miss the Giant’s Causeway if you are up this way!

As cheesy as it is, we both really enjoyed the Game of Throne’s Studio Tour! You can get transportation from either Belfast (closer) or Dublin. If you are a GoT fan I would not miss this!

In Dublin, we enjoyed visiting Trinity College, St. Patrick’s and Christ Church Cathedrals, the EPIC Museum (a must), the Kilmainham Goal (great tour, need to book ahead) and walking through the lovely city parks on a sunny day. We did not visit the Guinness Storehouse as neither of us enjoy beer…but probably a must visit if you do!

We took a quick train ride out to Howth (on the coast) and had a fabulous food tour with Mike and Missy (his adorable dog!). Beer and seafood is his speciality, but he did accommodate our preference for gin! I have his # if you are interested.

Cork and Kerry Counties, and any small village along the way is worth the time to explore! We enjoyed both Kinsale and Kenmare and those are both good places to find a place to stay. Definitely drive the Dingle Peninsula (Ring of Kerry) drive and stop at the Kerry Cliffs!

Definitely take some day excursions out of Galway as the Wild Atlantic Way on this side of the coast is unbelievable. We enjoyed Connemara, Kylemore Abbey and the Victorian Walled Gardens (spectacular), and the Cliffs of Moher (spend some time here!). You can take a day tour, drive yourself, or hire a driver but make sure you get out and explore this part of Ireland.

Places to Eat

Definitely have tea and try Sally Lunn’s buns while in Bath!

Try a Cornish Pastie in Cornwall! Lots of places to pick from, but this is the origin of these tasty, savory treats.

Purple Poppadom in Cardiff Wales was by far the best Indian food we have ever tasted! I would travel to Cardiff again just to eat there.

Take a “Loving Welsh Food” tour in Cardiff…a highlight!

Cave Du Cochon was a lovely wine and pizza bar in York.

Dishoom in London (Indian food) is a place we have now visited twice, and will go back every time we visit. Don’t try to “walk in” for dinner (no reservations and the line is long; you don’t put your name down you wait in line). They do take reservations prior to 4:00 so do a late lunch early dinner.

All of the Pub Restaurants mentioned with Inns we stayed at (see above for details). Good pub food in the English countryside was a surprise treat!