a travel blog by renata green
Cheltenham is the proverbial Cultural Heart of the Cotswolds for a reason. And a trip through the Cotswolds was actually the main reason for my stay in the city. However, since Cheltenham, in addition to its magnificent architecture and lush parks, boasts a considerable number of fantastic murals, I’ve taken my stay as an opportunity to compile the best street art the city has to offer.
Cheltenham offers a very special mix: the city is historic yet trendy, sophisticated yet vibrant, cosmopolitan yet deeply rooted in the English countryside. Even in a single day, Cheltenham presents itself as an inspiring, diverse, and absolutely worthwhile city break.
Nestled in south-central England, the picturesque Cotswolds are the epitome of the British countryside with charming villages surrounded by rolling hills and endless meadows. The Cotswolds are often described as the Heart of England. As they stretch across several counties, covering an area of approximately 800 square miles, England certainly has a big, big heart.
And while the Cotswolds are considered a British dream destination, and many tour operators charge an arm and a leg for a day tour, in this post I’ll show you how easy it is to visit five of the most idyllic villages – self-guided and for very little money, simply by public bus. All you need is sturdy shoes – and a raincoat, too, because you never know, after all, this is England.
Birmingham, and mainly the neighborhood of Digbeth, is so inundated with street art that it is almost impossible to pick the best murals. But see for yourself what Brum has to offer.
Birmingham, with its industrial past and its not always easy and smooth present, can be a challenging place for first-time visitors to appreciate. But if you take the time to peek behind the blinds of Britain’s second-largest city, you’ll discover that Birmingham has a lot to offer beneath its rough, at-first-glance unappealing exterior. In this post, I’ll shed light on even the darkest corners and show you what there is to see in Birmingham.
Since Bristol is the cradle and hotbed of ingenious murals, introducing all those incredible works in just one post was far too much.
Therefore, I’ve split my list of urban art into two parts. After introducing the Nelson Street shopping district area and the rough neighborhood of Stokes Croft in a former post on the best street art in Bristol, I’ll take you down North Street in this second part. Here, the wonderful Upfest ensures that no wall stays white for long.
Guys, did you really think I would come back from Bristol and not have a zillion photos of the best street art with me? Is it even possible to visit Bristol and remain indifferent to urban art? If so, I don’t see how to do it. In any case, I’m a weak-willed victim when it comes to street art in general, so Bristol was able to easily lure me into the rabbit hole of incredible tags and murals.
As there are so many works worth featuring, I’ve split my post on the Best Street Art in Bristol into two parts, and in this first one, I’ll introduce what there is to discover from the shopping district around Nelson Street all the way to the rather rough neighborhood of Stokes Croft.
Have you watched Bridgerton lately? Are you also a fan of the Sherlock Holmes adaptation with Benedict Cumberbatch? Do you remember Stanley Kubrick’s epic Barry Lyndon or James Ivory’s drama The Remains of the Day? Apart from great actors, all of these films and series intrigue with enchanting backdrops. Aren’t those mansions with manicured front lawns and gently rolling hills in the backdrop not simply gorgeous? It would be just wonderful if these beautiful sets existed in reality!
Well, good news: They are real!
Whenever a director needs a flawless Georgian or Victorian setting, he’ll probably end up in Bath at some point. And that’s not surprising as Bath is arguably the most beautiful town in all of Great Britain, after all. Even UNESCO agreed and quickly listed the entire city as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987.
When it comes to extolling Bristol’s merits, I honestly don’t know where to start.
With the arguably best street art in the world? Yes, but that’s too obvious.
Or rather with the fact that the city has a vibrant music scene and some of the coolest bands come from Bristol? Sure, the relaxed and at the same time energetic flow of trip-hop perfectly reflects the city’s laid-back atmosphere, after all.
Or is it the absolutely overwhelming food culture?
Maybe the fact that Bristol was Britain’s first cycling city?
Bristol’s history? The amazing architecture? The openness and warmth of the Bristolians?
Oh man, no matter what you pick, Bristol makes it impossible not to fall in love with the city.
So come and join me in the search for the things that make Bristol the best weekend break you’ll have in a long time.
Yes, London is packed with iconic landmarks that every first-time visitor should see. But what if this is not your first visit to London or you simply want to add some unusual and quirky – in short: very British – spots to your itinerary? Fear you not, after many visits to London – and with a little help from a local – I put together the most intriguing, interesting, and idiosyncratic places off the beaten path.
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