I am very excited to have the brand new Strumpshaw, Tingleton and Gigglesiwick’s Great British Adventure Map to give away to one lucky Splodz Blogz reader.
This cool new map is full to bursting with ideas of things to do and places to visit in Great Britain, and will be sure to inspire you to spend loads of time outside from now on! Read what I think about the map in more detail here.
With great thanks to my friends at Ordnance Survey for donating the map so I can pass on some Get Outside inspiration to one of you.
HOW TO ENTER
To enter, comment on this post telling me:
What are your top three places in Great Britain to visit?
You know… if someone asked you where in Great Britain they absolutely must visit, to see/experience with their own eyes, what would you tell them? It can be town, countryside, activity, event, I don’t mind. Just give me your top three.
Let’s make the comments on this post a huge list of the best places to spend time here in Great Britain – let’s show how much adventure there can be found right on our doorstep. Feel free to go into as much or as little detail as you like, I’m more than happy to read essays!
You have just over a week – until midnight (UK time) on Thursday 31 August 2017 – to enter.
THE RULES
- I have one copy of the Great British Adventure Map to give away to one winner.
- The competition is open to UK residents only (as I need to post the prize).
- There is no cash alternative.
- The competition closes at midnight on Thursday 31 August 2017 (UK time).
- Entry is by commenting on this blog post.
- Follows, shares and comments on my social media feeds are wonderful (please?!), but they don’t count as entry into this competition.
- There is one entry per person regardless of the number of times you comment (feel free to have conversations with others about their answers).
- You must include a way to contact you when commenting – either by including your email address when you complete the form, or by linking it to your twitter/facebook account. If I can’t easily contact you, you can’t win.
- The winner will be picked at random from all eligible entries.
- Members of my immediate family cannot win, but are free to comment.
- The winner must respond to their message from Splodz Blogz within two days, otherwise I will re-draw.
- Your details will only be used for the purpose of this competition.
I will announce the winner over on my twitter account very soon after the competition closes.
Good luck!
Iona
1) London – for the classically British city vibe. 2) Edinburgh/Glasgow – two further cities, both with an entirely different vibe from both London and from each other 3) Mull and Iona – for the sheer beauty history and opportunities for kayaking and learning Gaelic!
Splodz
Great choices Iona – I am yet to visit Mull, I know I’m missing out!
Tori
My husband would LOVE this map!
My top three UK places to visit are:
1) Dunham Massey – a typical stately home, stunning rose garden, deer roaming around. I love it.
2) Gaping Gill – the highest unbroken waterfall in England and the largest underground chamber open to the surface – you can go down twice a year on a winch and it is breathtaking!
3) Malham Cove – all Potter fans will recognise the natural limestone pavement at the top AND it’s the highest single point waterfall above ground. I think I have a thing for waterfalls.
I struggled to narrow it down to 3…Chatsworth, Bakewell, the Lakes…I could have gone on all day!
Splodz
I’ve just googled Gaping Gill and will definitely be putting it on my list – wow, just wow!! I love a good waterfall too, they are pretty special 🙂
dave
1. Dancing Ledge, near Langton Matravers in Dorset. A nice wander down from the tiny car park across fields to the sea, a clamber down and there’s a rock swimming pool which was blasted out of the stone at the start of the 20th century for use by local schools. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_Ledge
2. The Egg Pool, nr Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland. Another rock swimming pool (sensing a trend here). Scramble over the rocks and there’s a lovely little (ok, not so little) rock pool which is fab for swimming and leaping in. (https://www.flickr.com/photos/dakegra/14866231573)
3. Yes, another pool. The beach at Porthowan has a lovely rock swimming pool just to the north of the beach. Beautifully clear (and cold!) http://365secretbeaches.co.uk/cornwall/porthtowan/
Splodz
Ah fantastic – three wild swimming spots, shall definitely have to check these ones out when I’ve got my towel!
Jonathan
Ooh, great idea! My three would change every day, I think, but today I’m saying:
[1] The Black Mountains in Wales (for amazing landscape and views – if I had to choose one spot it would be Hay Bluff at sunset looking out over the Wye Valley).
[2] The Orkney Islands (for the many Neolithic sites – it’s hard to pick a favourite, though I loved the Ring of Brodgar).
[3] The Grand Union Canal (for the immense industrial history and cool towns – and because you can walk, cycle or boat trip the vast majority of it, making it a great holiday).
Splodz
Three great choices there for sure! Besides the big views, I also love to learn about the history of places that I visit, and so the canal is a good one!
Vix
Camster cairns – neolithic tombs in remote Scotland
Falls of shin to watch the salmon leaping
Wildcamp at findlater castle after a stool asking the coastal paths
Splodz
Ah yes to the salmon leap for sure – quite the sight!
Tarun Patel
Some great ideas above, have to agree with Orkney in particular with Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, the immese boulders of Rackwick Bay and the the Old Man of Hoy. But my top 3 would have to be:
(3) South West Coast Path at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall. Simply for the breathless scenery and the amazing vision one woman had for locating a theatre in one of the most impossible places in Britain.
(2) Clifton and the suspension bridge, Bristol. Clifton in Bristol is one of the prettiest suburbs in Britain, a great place to wander and stroll, grab a coffee or lunch in one of the fine independent cafes or restaurants, lie in the sun ine one of the many squares and parks and then wonder at the amazing Clifton Suspension Bridge, one of Britain’s engineering marvels.
(1) The Cotswolds. Slightly biased as it’s on my doorstep but you can’t beat a lazy Sunday morning stroll in winter, spring, summer or autumn around one of the lesser-known Cotswold villages such as Guiting Power, Naunton, Brockhampton, Cold Aston (I could go on but I’m not going to give all my secrets away!). Wander through meadows, step across babbling brooks, admire the views of rolling, wooded hills and feel the warmth and cosiness of those honey-coloured cottages. Even better washed down with a hot chocolate or a pint of real ale. Surprising omission from the Top 50 but this is where my heart is.
Splodz
There is absolutely nothing wrong with recommending somewhere on your doorstep – for me, spending time outdoors is as much about the local stuff, from my own front door, as it is about going far and wide. And the Cotswolds is indeed very beautiful, good choice.
Sarah Skilton
For me it would have to be
1. Llyn y Fan, Brecon Beacons. Truly breathtaking and not as busy with tourists as Pen y Fan and Snowdon. My favourite place.
2. Loch Ness. Not just the myth and history but again the expanse of wonder at Mother Nature.
3. Lincoln Cathedral. You do not need to be religious to marvel at the engineering and architecture of this wonder of Britain. Magnificent.
I wanted to pick The Giants Causeway as number three but that is in the UK not Britain. So many amazing places.
Sarah | WildDunkCamping.co.uk
Splodz
Wonderful to have a mention of Lincoln Cathedral, it is magnificent indeed! I have the pleasure of walking up Steep Hill and around the Cathedral most lunch times, it is a beautiful place.
Ashley Crombet-Beolens
Wow tough to get it down to just 3!!
1) Isles of Scilly, the sheer beauty of those tiny islands off Cornwall are enough, but the bird and other wildlife there is spectacular.
2) Farne Islands, (but in summer) there aren’t many places can compare to the thrill of being dive bombed by breeding terns.
3) Dungeness, it is one of my favourite places in the world, the sheer starkness is beautiful, the beach combing is second to none and the wildlife is amazing, there is even beauty in the power station.
Splodz
The Farne Islands are still on my list, there is indeed something about the desire to get dive bombed by birds… hmmmmm! And I totally agree re Dungeness, a gorgeous, barren, unusual place to visit.
Emma Kemp
1) the Isle of Islay. Miles of sandy beaches as well as hidden coves where you simply have it all to yourself even in the height of summer.
2) the Moray Firth to spot dolphins. Was lucky enough to spot two when we visited. Absolutely amazing experience.
3) The Gower, South Wales. Amazing beaches comparable to Devon/Cornwall (which I also love) but quieter. Spent school trips and grown up holidays there.
Splodz
The dolphins in the Moray Firth are indeed quite the sight – we stood on the beach at Chanonry Point for an hour watching them feed and play in the water just a few metres away from us. Wonderful to see wildlife do its own thing in the natural world.
Wendy
Me and Denise would like some places to explore and our top 3 places would be
1) Gibraltar point as on a good day you can see for miles there’s loads to see and do and a really nice cafe (coffee and cake!!) it’s near enough to the sea to paddle!
2) The Water Railway footpath/cycle way between Boston and Lincoln -generally easy walking some nice stops on the way, you can walk just bits (driving to them!) interesting wood carvings and by the river too
3) The Cotswold way. Stopping at the Star College Bistro for (yes you’ve guessed it) coffee and cake!! Not somewhere I’ve managed to do yet but having been at music school in the area definitely one for my bucket list. Lovely views!
Splodz
Three great choices Wendy! And I totally agree with Gibraltar point, a beautiful place to explore.