Skegness, Lincolnshire, England, UK by Dave Leeming / License: Creative Commons

Seaside Day Trips in Lincolnshire

1. Skegness

This seaside town provides visitors with easy access to the North Sea, and many people will choose to spend a day enjoying the beautiful Skegness Beach. For those who have more of a sense of adventure, though, the area also offers an annual motorcycle beach race, a carnival in August, the Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve, the Fantasy Island amusement park and resort, Batemans Brewery and Natureland.

If you prefer to spend the day shopping, there are several local shops that feature great gift ideas such as Mooch Perfect Gifts. Visitors who stay into the evening hours can also take advantage of the great nightlife that Skegness has to offer, including over 40 clubs, pubs and discos. Check out www.lincolnshire.org for more on Skegness nightlife.

2. Cleethorpes

This popular seaside resort is on the northeast coast of Lincolnshire, and it features three miles of sandy beaches. The Ross Castle is a great place to start your day trip, and everyone in your group is certain to be amazed that it was built in 1863 because it appears to be ancient.

Other highlights of Cleethorpes include the Humber Estuary Discovery Centre, the Time Trap Museum, the Cleethorpes Pier, the Pleasure Island Theme Park, the Greenwich Meridian and the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway. If you visit on a Sunday, you should also consider going to the Cleethorpes Sunday Market.

3. Mablethorpe

If your primary interest is spending time on the beach, Mablethorpe’s four miles of beachfront are a great choice, and there are beach huts available to rent if you want to enjoy a more private experience. The town is also home to the annual Bathing Beauties Beach Hut Festival, the Central Amusement Park, Crazy Golf, the Seal Sanctuary, the family friendly Sutton on Sea Gardens and the Rimac Nature Reserve.

On Thursdays, visitors will have the opportunity to purchase local produce and other items of interest at the Mablethorpe Market on the high street. Mablethorpe also offers 14 pubs and bars, including the The Crown Inn in Maltby, the Turks Head Pub and the Book in Hand pub.

Because each of the towns listed above are located on the coast, it is common for hotels to book up in advance. Therefore, if you plan to stay overnight instead of visiting for just one day, you should contact a local hotel as soon as possible to secure a room. If you are just going to be in town for the day, though, you should be able to visit most attractions without dealing with an extended wait.

Georgina Clatworthy is a freelance writer who lived in the County of Lincolnshire during her childhood.  Websites such as www.lincolnshire.org can offer tourists and day trippers information on where to go and what to see in this beautiful county, as well as details of upcoming events and links to accommodations and places to eat.

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Hyde Park / Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by gailf548

London has a large number of parks, and some of these are among the Royal Parks in the country. These are Hyde Park, The Regent’s Park, Greenwich Park, Kensington Gardens, Green Park, Brompton Cemetery in London, and Bushy Park in Berkshire, which is north of Hampton Court. Among these parks, Greenwich stands out as a real jewel in London’s crown. Although Greenwich Park is currently under development for the equestrian and shooting events for the 2012 London Olympics, it’s worth noting in your diary as a place to visit when the Olympics are over.

Discover the universe at the Royal Observatory

Greenwich Park is a real must see for a family day out. This picturesque park boasts rolling green grass, which leads up to the historical Royal Observatory. This is the home of Greenwich Meantime, and a laser beam is cast directly from the Flamsteed House, the original observatory, showing the Greenwich Meridian Line. This is a fascinating place to take the family for a rewarding and educational trip.

The Royal Observatory is also home to the Peter Harrison Planetarium. Marvel at this incredible exploration of the universe, which often puts on specially designed films with impressive narration. Previous shows have included narration from David Tennant and Patrick Stewart. Now serving as London’s only planetarium, the Peter Harrison Planetarium employs breathtaking HD projection technology, offering a show that’s perfect for kids and adults with enquiring minds.

Greenwich Park / Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Peter Pearson

Greenwich Park’s Maritime History

From the height of the Royal Observatory, you can see right over the Thames to Canary Wharf, and the rest of the impressive city scape north of the river. You will also see the new Shard building, rising prominently into the sky. On the south side, the beautiful Queen’s House and National Maritime Museum.

These incredible buildings reflect the elegance and opulence of years long past. The Queen’s House is not to be missed; especially the Painted Hall, where Admiral Nelson lay in state following the Battle of Trafalgar. If you’re looking for more of the UK seafaring history, Greenwich also has the Cutty Sark, one of the last tea clipper sailing ships to be built before the advent of steam powered vessels.

Without a doubt, Greenwich has a lot to offer all the family, from the incredible attractions to the welcoming market town feel of the area.

Baby shop London: Baby Nest is situated on the outskirts of London, providing parents with quality baby equipment for years.

View Child Friendly Places In London United Kingdom in a larger map

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London, England, UK by Tim Morris

The city of London is perhaps one of the most visited places in the whole of the UK. Each year millions of people make their way to this ancient city to see the sites and experience the culture.

Within the city of London, you will find several World Heritage Sites which includes the Tower of London, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Westminster Abbey, the Palace of Westminster, St. Margaret’s Church as well as the settlement of Greenwich which is home to the Royal Observatory.

There are more than 300 different languages commonly spoken within the city as it is home to more than seven and a half million residents; many of which come from ever corner of the globe. The metropolitan area that surrounds London is home to more than fourteen million residents.

Palace of Westminster, London, England, UK by Jim Trodel

The city of London is also home to the world’s oldest underground railway system, the London Underground. This rail system will get you all over the city. While not many tourists take the Underground, the experience is nonetheless an exciting one.

Countless people make their way to the Buckingham Palace in order to watch the Changing of the Guard. They also try their best to make the guard smile or make any kind of movements at all. There is so much to see in and around the Palace that many people spend a good portion of their day in the area.

Near by you will find the House of Parliament, Big Ben, the Tower Bridge as well as the Tower of London. Countless people make their way to the British Museum and spend the entire day looking through the collections housed within. Then there is the Princess Diana’s memorial that also gets many regular visitors.

Tower Bridge, London, England, UK by Robert Brown

One of the more recent attractions in the city is that of the London Eye. Built for the new millennium, the London Eye is an amazing ferris wheel that takes you up, higher than most of the buildings in the city. From the top you can see for kilometers in every direction.

There is literally so much to see and do in the city of London, that one could spend an entire month on vacation within the city and only see a small portion of what the largest city in the European Union has to offer.

How to get to London

England is one of the most visited European countries and so it is London. There are several major airports around the city, serviced by perhaps all airlines that can be seen in Europe, from the most luxury up to those low-cost airlines offering cheap flights to London.

A quick guide to London’s airports

Heathrow

London’s largest and most modern airport is London Heathrow, which is located in the south-western part of the city. It is one of the busiest airports in Europe in general. London Heathrow has five terminals and two runways. Among the most important advantages of this airport is its location – it is easily accessible from the city centre, by numerous public transport services:

You can find more about the London Heathrow on heathrowairport.com.

Gatwick

A few miles south of London, there is another large airport, Gatwick, which also provides flights to the whole world. Transport to central London is available in either a bus or train service. Of course it is possible to use the taxi as well.
Find more info on gatwickairport.com

London Stansted

London Stansted is currently London’s third busiest airport. It is located about 40 km north of London and is considered a base of low-cost airlines like Ryanair, Easyjet and others. Directly under the airport hall is the train station from where you can get to London, Cambridge and the Midlands. Stansted Express is the fasted way how to get to London and the price for return ticket is £32.80 (46 minutes), but you can use cheaper bus transport service from £6 for one way ticket.
Find more info on stanstedairport.com.

Luton

Luton is one of the smaller airports. Today it is already used by some cheaper airlines. Located about 50 kilometres south-east of London you can reach the city centre by regular bus or train services as well.
Find more info on london-luton.co.uk

London City Airport

Another airport in London is London City Airport. This is situated very close to the city centre. London City Airport, however, is the airport that is mainly used by private business clients. Regular flights are not arriving to this airport so you will probably never get there. Or… have you already been there?

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