Postcards from the English Countryside

2 months of self isolation and staying at home later and…. I’m still at home. Yup, everything is still the same regarding the pandemic that has drastically changed how we live our daily lives. Just a few months ago the world was literally my oyster. I was pondering where next to travel to and planning long term international trips. Now all those plans are up in air as the uncertainty over the future of travel continues. Many countries have closed their borders to non citizens and air travel now makes me nervous because of the close proximity to other passengers. There won’t be any new trips for while, but I’m digging out a few blog posts about past trips that didn’t make the blog and doing some editing to improve the content. Writing on Toast and Travel has been a nice outlet for me as the days go by and I hope it does the same for you! I went to the English countryside on 2 day trips during my first London trip in 2018 and was amazed by the peacefulness and beauty that I saw. Sharing my trip below!

A big bustling city with tons of people and loud traffic can get tiring for some people who may actually want to relax on their vacation. Thankfully, the English countryside is just as mesmerizing as the city and is full of many beautiful towns with tons of things to see, do, and eat. I knew before going to London that I didn't want to spend an entire week in the city so I did extensive research on what the popular spots in U.K. We chose to take a Viator tour just because of our time limitations, but next time I definitely plan to choose a town and spend a day or two just lying back and sipping a drink. And don't worry about getting to any of these places- U.K public transportation is much better than America's. The trains and buses can get you from town to town very quickly.

Lacock

Lacock is known for being an adorable countryside town that was the filming site for the original version of the movie, Pride and Prejudice. I felt like I was entering a completely different world when our bus pulled into the quaint little town. Our tour was basically the only one visiting Lacock, so it didn't feel touristy at all. Instead, we were able to explore the alleys by foot without seeing too many people. I loved the bakery, Lacock Bakery, a recommendation I actually got from the Youtuber Zoella's videos. The pastries and sandwiches are all homemade and the bakery also sells homemade honey and jam. There weren't too many restaurants in Lacock, so grabbing a few pastries here was a great alternative for lunch. I would recommend only spending around 2-3 hours in the town because other than strolling, visiting a few local shops, and taking the most beautiful pictures, there isn't much else to do. 

Bath

The town of Bath used to be a spa for the Romans and was granted a World Heritage Site in 1987. Naturally, the most popular attraction is the Roman Baths- although just to note people can't actually use the baths anymore because as you can see in the picture below, the water is disgusting. I was honestly amazed that the structures were still standing because everything looked so old. Be prepared to battle the crowds because every tour company in the area brings their clients here. In addition to viewing the baths and ruins, there is a museum onsite that explains the history behind the structures as well as a drinking fountain that lets visitors taste the actual water that is provided by the natural springs. Don't worry- this fountain's water is clean and safe for drinking!

Stonehenge

If you have the option to join an early morning tour to view Stonehenge from inside the circle, I strongly recommend it. It's literally a once in a lifetime experience and to be honest, who knows how long these rocks will continue standing? They were formed by nature's wonders around 3000-2000 BC and they could be destroyed at any moment by any number of natural disasters. Although we had to meet up with the tour bus at 5am, it was well worth the lack of sleep. There was no other group at the site so we had the whole place to ourselves to take as many photos as we wished. If you don't wish to spend too much money, viewing the stones from outside the circle (and thus much further away) can be done starting at 9am and for a lower price of around $20.

Oxford

Next stop, Oxford University! Oxford is actually the second oldest university in the world and has been teaching students since 1096. I wonder how current students feel to be going to school with so much history and greatness and I wish I had the brains to be a student! Our tour guide told us that the academic curriculum at Oxford is so rigorous that undergraduate students are able to apply for a masters degree after around 3 years of work experience. No further studies are needed because the schools considers their bachelors program to operate at a masters level. Definitely the best tuition deal! The town reminds me of some romantic old town in the movies and I can't imagine having the opportunity to attend classes in these beautiful surroundings.

Stratford Upon Avon

I've always considered Shakespeare's plays to be so hard to understand due to its usage of old English, but I was still excited to see where the famous author had grown up. Stratford Upon Avon is another gorgeous countryside town and is home to William Shakespeare. We stopped here on our way back to London and while the town is packed with tourists, its a good place for a quick 1-2 trip just to explore Shakespeare's old home. We also toured Shakespeare's theater, The Globe, back in London so it was nice to go full circle and see the location where many of those plays performed in The Globe came from.

On my second trip to London I visited Brighton and Cambridge- more on that in a later post!