Photo by FearfulStills

1) Edinburgh

Heading up this Christmas-filled list is Edinburgh, one of the best cities in the world to celebrate Christmas in. Edinburgh is the king of Christmas celebrations, with six weeks of festivities for people to get stuck into. There’s everything from street performances, fairgrounds, Christmas markets, comedic acts and traditional Scottish pipers to entertain the crowds. Along with all of this, Edinburgh is also home to a number of fantastic attractions and amazing restaurants you can visit during your winter break.

2) London

Just shy of getting first place, London is still an incredible city to enjoy Christmas in. London is lit up with spectacular Christmas lights and other decorations during the Christmas season, making it a sight for sore eyes at night. There are also all kinds of entertaining activities you can enjoy throughout the city of London, such as going ice skating, visiting Hyde Park’s Christmas market, watching the carolling in Trafalgar Square and much more.

3) The Peak District

The Peak District’s beautiful rolling hills and quaint towns and villages are the ideal destination for your Christmas holiday if you’d like to enjoy a traditional break. Full of stunning sights, the Peak District would also be ideal for those that enjoy walking – you could even go for a Christmas Day walk to get back to nature a little bit!

4) Skegness

While it might seem a little strange to visit the seaside in the middle of winter, the one thing Skegness has that a lot of other seaside destinations don’t is a Butlins holiday park. Butlins is one of the best places to spend your Christmas, and it’s also family friendly which is a definite plus. You could book yourself into The Spa to enjoy some relaxing treatments while the kids enjoy some Christmas-themed activities, and afterwards you could go and watch the panto for some side-splitting laughs.

5) Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a fantastic place to spend the Christmas holidays – this county is packed with good cheer around this time of year and you’re bound to be given a traditional Yorkshire welcome when visiting. There are excellent Christmas markets, beautiful attractions and great shopping opportunities, which would be ideal for those after a chance to pick up some last minute bargains.

No matter where you choose to spend your Christmas this year, make sure you do your research before settling on your final option. You should find that the internet is a great resource when planning your holiday, so why not start your search now?

This guest blog was contributed by Steve Williams a freelance writer who regularly blogs on the subject of Christmas breaks and how to have the most fun over the festive season.

The post The Best Destinations For The Full Christmas Experience In The UK appeared first on Europe Explored.

Hyde Park

The foremost of the London parks and probably the most well-known, Hyde Park is one of the city’s Royal Parks. Covering 350 acres of land in the very centre of London, the park is popular with locals and tourists alike and gives the chance for anyone to take a break from the hustle and bustle of busy city life.

Aerial view of Hyde Park, London, UK by Ben Leto

The park has won awards for urban conservation, and choices made about planting the flower beds, borders and trees have encouraged a great number of songbirds to feed and nest here. Visitors are discouraged from feeding the pigeons and squirrels that also come to the park as the songbirds can’t compete with these sometimes aggressive feral creatures.

The Serpentine is a small lake created in the 1700s as part of the development of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. As well as attracting wildfowl, the Serpentine has the oldest swimming club in the UK and is famous for its Christmas Day swim. Most recently, it’s featured in the London 2012 Olympic Games as the scene of the swimming leg of the triathlon.

Green Park

Green Park is another of the Royal Parks with a history even older than that of Hyde Park. First recorded in the geography of London in 1554, Green Park has a modest area compared to Hyde Park with some 45 acres of land adjacent to Buckingham Palace.

At the Buckingham House entrance to the park you’ll find Canada Gate, installed as part of the memorial to Queen Victoria at the turn of the 20th century to commemorate Canada’s contribution to the then British Empire. An ornate iron gate chased with gold guards the entrance to the park near the Canada Memorial, which pays homage to the Canadian forces who lost their lives in the two World Wars.

Canada Gate at Green Park, London, UK by Ian Dick

Keen Olympics followers will have also seen Green Park as part of the triathlon. The Royal Parks hosted the event, with the cycle leg running along the paths through the park.

Clapham Common

South London has parkland of a different kind to the open spaces north of the Thames. While North London has enclosed parks with ornately planted beds and borders, South London has expanses of common land on which Londoners can stretch their legs and enjoy what sunshine the capital manages to trap.

Clapham Common, London, UK by Justinc

Clapham Common is the best known of the London commons and covers 220 acres between the boroughs of Wandsworth and Lambeth. The most popular features of the common are the ponds – Eagle Pond and Mount Pond – which are used for coarse fishing and sailing of model boats.

In recent years, the common has hosted a number of music festivals. In 2012, the electronic music festival South West Four is due to take place on the common on the 25th and 26th August, bringing the big names from dance music from around the world together in what organisers hope will be the summer sunshine.

Conclusion

Although densely populated and filled with iconic buildings, London has a surprisingly large amount of open space, see them all from the air at https://www.thelondonhelicopter.com/. On your visit to London, try to check out some of the parks and get a feel for how Londoners spend their outdoor time right within the city limits.

The post The Green, Green Grass Of London – Open Spaces In The Big City appeared first on Europe Explored.

Tree Top Walk is the longest trail of that kind in the world, with a total length of 1300 metres. You can enjoy unspoilt nature at a height of 8-25 meters above the ground. The experience of walking through mixed forest is extended with three stations with a rope adventure elements, the swaying bridge, trapeze and the beam, which thrill not only children but also adults.

Walkway ends with 44 meters high observation tower, from which you can enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding nature. In clear weather you will even be able to see the north ridge of the Alps.

Both the trail and also the tower are barrier-free. Admission is €8 for adults, €6 for children of 6+ years, family ticket costs €19. The trail is open year round except for Christmas Day, every day from 9:30 am, according to an annual period closes at 15:30, respectively, at 18:00 or 19:30. In bad weather, such as storm or hurricane, the trail is closed.

For further details visit the official site of The world´s longest tree top walk.

View The world´s longest tree top walk – explore nature in Bavarian Forest National Park Germany in a larger map

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