For a number of years, I have written travel pieces of my adventures around the UK for this blog. It is one of my favourite forms of writing. I love delving into a new location, finding its quirks and peculiarities that attract tourists before committing the best moments to paper (or a Pages document). It provides an excellent record for me to look back on in years to come and, I hope, an interesting read for you. While I’m not calling myself the next Bill Bryson, I hope of my explorations of new places can metaphorically take you there if physical travel is not possible.
There are still so many cities I have yet to explore. While the countryside offers a lot of inherent, intrinsic beauty, not least in its fields and natural surroundings, I am first and foremost a cities chap. Born and raised in Cambridge, I love the rush, excitement, business and humanity you feel and experience. Cities have a buzz to them - even streets with chain shops are moving, hustling and bustling. I suppose it’s because I’m not an overly calm person and need the excitement from what is coming next. My family and I have often used holidays as a form for catching up on different cities that remain unexplored to us. Over summer 2020 it was Norwich. During my childhood Southwold was the prime seaside town that would always attract us. Yet during the February half term - where my family’s school break coincided, for once, with my reading week - we decided to visit Lincoln. Despite not residing far away, it was a place that had, so far, escaped our attention. Thank goodness that was soon to change ****************************************************************************************************************** My journey there was thankfully one of limited stress. Changing at Birmingham New Street and Nottingham, when I eventually realised my third train was definitely going to Lincoln and not Leicester, my mind was put at ease. Gazing out of the windows, reading my book and the pleasure of seeing family once again ensured this trip would be a goodun. One of the many negative things about lockdown looking back was the amount of time it demanded spending on a screen. Whether for leisure or work, the inability to properly venture outdoors required utilising the virtual world for any sort of engagement. Even as normal life returned, my essay reading, drafting and redrafting demands vast amounts of time spent at a screen. Being in Lincoln with family disrupted that norm, much to my delight. Yes, we can all be in the same room and look at social media, when we should really be socialising, but doing so with the company of others is always more entertaining. Besides, I was using reading week for reading, even if the literary materials weren’t necessary on my university reading list. ****************************************************************************************************************** Whoever said a holiday is a pure form of relaxation has clearly never ventured up Steep Hill in Lincoln, with three wheelie suitcases to hand. The fourth steepest road in England, if not the whole UK, its use of handrails tells you immediately that a fun task awaits. Ensuring you have to crane your neck up to properly see the whole road, it helped burn the calories we undoubtedly consumed later with our variety of meals. Like the best UK cities, Lincoln is immensely picturesque. With nice cobbled roads, old fashioned buildings and narrow streets, the journey from the train station to the airbnb was vital in seeing the main parts of the city. Yes, there were of course plenty of chain brands, but these didn’t detract from the variety of independent businesses, many of whose services we would rely on in the days to come. ****************************************************************************************************************** For me, any good holiday has to involve a fair share of eating out. I don’t tend to eat out loads at university, so try my best to make up for it when holidaying away. Visiting Woody’s Sandwich Bar (not Toy Story themed sadly) on our opening day, this provided the opening fuel we needed when arriving in a new location. Similarly, on our first night, we went to Wildwood. Though a chain restaurant, there isn’t one - as far as I’m aware - in Cambridge or Leamington, making the food feel unique. We’d also tried to visit Stokes’ Cafe on our arrival but had to give up due to its popularity. Like when visiting a fish and chip shop by the sea, I always try to judge the best location on which has the longest queue. It was most certainly worth the wait. Gaining access on our second day, we had lovely, snug setting with excellent service and fine food. However, our culinary highlight would have to be the cat cafe, kindly booked in advance by my mother. With a seat for an hour, there is food and drink on offer, but that is never the main attraction. A whole host and variety of felines roam around the place, making the most of the ownership they deserve to enjoy. A doting host ensures they are well looked after and rightfully have everything they require in a soothing, deeply compassionate fashion. ****************************************************************************************************************** We also used the time to enjoy plenty of films that helped to bring the family together. Watching The Lost Daughter, I was enchanted by Maggie Gyllenhaal’s deeply impressive directorial debut, whose absence from the Best Picture nominees list continues to baffle me (yet Don’t Look Up features!). We enjoyed Clueless, an interesting modern adaptation of Emma (though appears pre-historic given it was set in the 1990s. And to ensure that Covid escapism never quite disappeared, we embraced Oxygen, starring almost one character entirely trapped in a box and mysteriously waking up from their deep sleep. My only criticism of Lincoln was not having the opportunity to spend longer exploring. Having seen the outside of the majestic cathedral, I’d love to go back and examining the inside. There are also plenty of green spaces I’ve neglected and would love to properly seen. That the place has grabbed, pulled me back even, for wanting a future visit shows that it must be doing something right. Most of all, I just enjoyed walking for its own sake rather than simply getting from A to B. That is something I would like to do more of after university.
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