Tracy Collins [00:00:00]:
Planning a UK trip this summer in this episode, I'm joined by five local experts from across the country to share what June, July and August really look like on the ground. From the breathtaking far north of Scotland all the way down to the stunning southwest coast of England.

Intro [00:00:14]:
Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast. Your host is the founder of the UK travel planning website, Tracey Collins. Each week, Tracey shares destination guides, travel tips and itinerary ideas, as well as interviews with a variety of guests who share their knowledge and experience of UK travel to help you plan your perfect UK vacation. Join us as we explore the uk from cosmopolitan cities to quaint villages, from historic castles to beautiful islands. And from the picturesque countryside to seaside towns.

Tracy Collins [00:00:45]:
Before we get started, we'd like to thank our sponsor. Walks and Devour Tours. If you're planning a trip to London, you'll already know the challenge. There's a lot you want to do and only a limited amount of time to fit it all in. That's where the right tour makes all the difference, because you want experiences that are the best use of your time, with more access, less waiting, deeper sense of the city. That's why we recommend Walks and Devour Tours. They offer walking tours and food tours designed to make your time count, often with early or after hours entry. You'll also be with exceptional local guides who add the stories and context so you leave with a richer understanding of what you're seeing and a trip that feels genuinely memorable.

Tracy Collins [00:01:24]:
If you're visiting London as a couple with family or you simply prefer a more intimate experience, Walks and Devour Tours also offer private tour options. To learn more, you'll find the link in the show notes. Now, let's get into this week's episode. Hi everybody and welcome to this week's edition of the UK Travel Planning Podcast. I'm your host, Tracy Collins. Now, as with our recent spring episode, which you may have listened to beginning of March, I've brought together five local experts from across the country to tell us what summer really looks like in their part of the uk. And so today we're covering a lot of ground. We're heading to Devon, to the far north of Scotland, London, the Cotswolds and the Lake District.

Tracy Collins [00:02:06]:
Now, a couple of practical things worth knowing if you're planning a summer trip. First of all, school holidays in England and Wales typically run from around mid July through to early September, which means July and August are the busiest months for domestic travel. So if you have flexibility, June can be a really lovely sweet spot to visit. The days are long the weather's warming up and things are just a little bit quieter. And if you're traveling in peak season, just make sure booking accommodation and restaurants in advance is really, really important. We do recommend it, especially in more rural areas where options can be more limited. For example, Isle of Skye is one example I always talk about. So let's get into it.

Tracy Collins [00:02:47]:
We're starting in the southwest of England, down in beautiful Devon. So we're going to start first of all with Devon and we're going to head down south to chat to Alex all about what the summer is like in Devon. So Alex runs Unique Devon Tours and I will put a link, as always, to his website and you can book a tour with Alex if you are heading towards Devon. But, Alex, great to have you on the podcast, as always. Should we dive into talking about summer in the lovely county of Devon?

Alex Graeme [00:03:20]:
That would be marvelous. Thank you, Tracy, and thank you for having me on UK travel planning today. It's an honour to be here again and nice to speak to you, as always.

Tracy Collins [00:03:28]:
Well, I thought, following on from the spring episode, we had to start looking at what the destinations that we covered in spring actually like in summer. So for someone visiting Devon for the first time in summer, what are the absolute highlights?

Alex Graeme [00:03:41]:
It's always a hard question to answer because there are so many highlights. Now, Devon is a very diverse county. We have, well, we have two gorgeous coastlines, the only county in England to have two coastlines, and we have a beautiful interior. We have what sometimes people consider it to be the gem of Devon. It's Dartmoor national park, more or less in the center of the county. But Dartmoor is an incredible area of history, nature, wilderness and beautiful villages, thatched cottages, valleys, lovely old pubs. So Dartmoor is wonderful, but then you've got the inland, which isn't Dartmoor, which is just beautiful rolling green landscapes. A lot of my guests, they watch Escape to the country and they dream about this incredible place that they see on Escape to the country in Devon.

Alex Graeme [00:04:41]:
When they visit Devon and when they get here, they say, oh, my goodness, we knew it was going to be beautiful, but we had no idea just how beautiful. So, yeah, the diversity of Devon is what I would say is so appealing to people. And when people come with me as guests, of course, I can tailor the tour to suit their wishes. So whether it's they're into history, photography, arts and crafts, nature, architecture, geology, walking, whatever it is, we can tick the boxes. If they want to go to a vineyard, I can arrange a private guided tour of the vineyard. If they want to go to Exeter Cathedral and go into the roof of this 900 year old building with the longest medieval vaulted ceiling in the world, we can do that, whatever it is. I am here to show off the best of Devon and there's so much to see here in the summer. It's just beautiful, the coast, it's beautiful beaches, some with sand, some with these beautiful stones from the, what is it, the Triassic era.

Alex Graeme [00:05:49]:
So it's just so much here.

Tracy Collins [00:05:51]:
And so obviously you've talked about the beautiful coastline, you've talked about the beautiful countryside and then obviously visiting in summer, trying to kind of decide or split up how you would get the best of both. How would you do that? If somebody kind of said to you, look out, I want to experience the best of both the countryside and the seaside and the coastline in Devon, how would you split that up? Would you kind of do that kind of. And say they had two weeks, would you say, or even a week, would you, would you split it evenly or do you spend a little bit more time in one over the other?

Alex Graeme [00:06:24]:
I think it really depends on the guest. It's very individual and that's my. The strap line in my company is tailor made for you. So it's all about listening to what my guests want to see and do. But I think when I have guests maybe for three or four days, that gives me a great opportunity to spend maybe a day in Dartmoor National Park, a day on one part of the coast, maybe a day going to some historical sites. Two of the tours I do are very literary focused. So Agatha Christie, the best selling author of all time, she came from Devon, so I do an Agatha Christie tour. So sometimes we'll do a day focusing on Agatha Christie, her and the places she was brought up in, the places she'd go wild swimming, the places that were inspired, which became part of her books.

Alex Graeme [00:07:18]:
I do another tour which is the Hound of the Baskervilles tour, the famous Sir Arthur Conan Doyle book, which I have a family link to just for interest sake. My great grandfather was a vicar locally and he gave Conan Doyle locations on Dartmoor to feature in the book. So I do a really nice Hound of the Baskervilles tour. So people might look to sign up to one of those and then on the other days do different tours where we celebrate other aspects of Devon's diversity.

Tracy Collins [00:07:52]:
Fantastic. And there is, and that's the beauty of Devon, as you say. It is very diverse and appeals to lots of different interests. But I'm going to put you on the Spot here. Alex, what would be the one? I know this is going to be a hard question to answer, but what would be the one Devon experience you'd never let a visitor leave without doing in summer?

Alex Graeme [00:08:11]:
Well, when I was thinking about this question, I wrote one thing down and then I ended up writing several things down. So, yes, it is a nearly impossible question to answer. So actually, one of the experiences that I love doing with my guests, but the problem is I'm always the driver. So last year I did this experience with my girlfriend, my brother and a couple of other people is going to one of the local vineyards and having a private guided tour and tasting. And we did it. We caught the train there. And it's the most gorgeous experience on a summer's day. First of all, you're in just a beautiful location.

Alex Graeme [00:08:55]:
Second of all, the wine is very high quality. We've now got over 700 vineyards in the UK, so we're not famous for our wine. But. But we do do some great wines. Not yet. No, that's right. And we walk around the vineyard, going to the different vines and they'll talk about the history and everything of the vineyard. And then you'll get to a place where there's a barrel on top, there's an ice bucket with a bottle of wine and glasses and they'll open the bottle there and you'll be drinking the wine that came from those very grapes.

Alex Graeme [00:09:32]:
Then you'll move on to the next area, the next bottle gets opened and you have a very jolly time.

Tracy Collins [00:09:39]:
That sounds like a lot of fun.

Alex Graeme [00:09:41]:
It's such a lovely thing to do and it's just great fun. And they feed you this, this beautiful platter of amazing local foods, from cheeses to sausage rolls to quiche to pasties to fruit. It's just, it's beautiful. So I would say that would be possibly one of the most desirable things to do. But if you're not a drinker, then there are lovely boat trips we can do. I can arrange horse drawn carriage rides drawn by two shire horses through the Devon lanes. And the Devon lanes is this whole network of gorgeous narrow roads. And you're riding in this carriage, drawn by these two magnificent beasts, going out with my shepherd friend Ken and going and doing a sheepdog demonstration.

Alex Graeme [00:10:27]:
All things that I can arrange. So there's a lot of magic going on in here in Devon, which I love to share with my guests.

Tracy Collins [00:10:34]:
Oh, it sounds amazing. And I will be, I'll be picking your brains for, for itinerary next month because hopefully Doug and I Will be. We'll be enjoying a bit of. A bit of summer in Devon ourselves, which we're really looking forward to. But Alex, you'll be back later in the year. Talk about what autumn is like as well in Devon. So I'll be looking forward to chatting with you about that. But summer in Devon just sounds absolutely divine.

Tracy Collins [00:10:59]:
I have to say.

Alex Graeme [00:10:59]:
It's a special place and what's lovely about it is that it's that bit quieter than some of the other more famous parts of England. We can do all the thatched cottages, the lovely country pubs. I've got one pub local to me which I take my guests to often. In two years time they're celebrating their thousandth birthday and will, the landlord is going to give away a thousand free pints of beer to celebrate. So you know, we've got all these wonderful gems. It's a special place, Devon, no doubt about it.

Tracy Collins [00:11:33]:
Fabulous. Thanks so much Alex for coming on and sharing all about Devon in summer.

Alex Graeme [00:11:39]:
Thank you, Tracey. It's been a real pleasure. Thank you.

Tracy Collins [00:11:43]:
We are now traveling to the far north of Scotland to Sally Ann from North Coast Explorer Tours all the way in the beautiful far north of Scotland. Thank you, Sally Ann, for agreeing to come on and talk about summer in that beautiful part of the world.

Sally-Ann [00:11:57]:
Well, it's a pleasure, Tracey, as it always is. So yes, we'd be very happy to discuss what it's like here in the beautiful North Highlands of Scotland.

Tracy Collins [00:12:07]:
Absolutely. Now if somebody's planning for a first time in the north of Scotland, the far north of Scotland in summer, what would you want them to know?

Sally-Ann [00:12:18]:
Yes, that's a good question, isn't it? So as I'm sure most of you listening know, we cover the, the mainland of Scotland. So I'm not talking about the, the Orkney Islands or the Shetlands which are farther north, north than us, but we're talking about north of Inverness. And the first thing I'd say about the summer is people always have this expectation that everywhere is busy in the summer. So how busy does it really get? Well, I would say not that busy really. It certainly doesn't get as busy as some of the cities that you might visit, you know, London or Edinburgh. And it doesn't get as busy, I would say, as somewhere like the Cotswolds or maybe even Devon and Cornwall. So although we do have an influx of tourists visit in the summer and it probably is the most popular time, I would still say it's not that busy. And you can drive some of the roads up here and still hardly see a vehicle.

Sally-Ann [00:13:19]:
So that is something that we absolutely love. On top of that, what else would I say about the summer? From a practical point of view, Although I say it's not that busy because we're very scattered in terms of accommodation, in terms of sites and places of interest, I would still say you should book your accommodation ahead. I know some people like to kind of go on a wing and a prayer, and I do understand that, and it is possible to do that, but then you just need to be prepared that it might be a little bit harder, particularly on the west coast, where accommodation is quite spread out and not in great volume, shall we say. Then I think you would be best to try and book ahead. And also on that subject, and I think this is something Tracey's experienced recently, one thing we do on our tours is try and ensure that our guests evening meals are also booked in advance, because sometimes you might turn up somewhere and discover that actually it's not that big a place, it's fully booked and you might be left wanting. And of course, we wouldn't want that, would we, Tracey?

Tracy Collins [00:14:31]:
No. And that. You saw my Instagram, didn't you, Sally Ann? Yes, I. I did. I made the rookie area error of not booking a restaurant when I was recently on the Isle of Mull and ended up with tea and biscuits for dinner that night.

Sally-Ann [00:14:45]:
Yeah. So, you know, these are just all little helpful hints that we try and put people's way, to be honest. During the summer, of course, most of the attractions, accommodation, cafes, they're all open, which, you know, they may not be in some of the outer months of the season. So practically it is a good time to come and visit, I would say. But I guess that the big thing in the summer is the amount of daylight hours that we have up here. Being in the far north of Scotland. Yes. We tend to see almost 24 hours of daylight in the middle of the summer.

Tracy Collins [00:15:26]:
And you kind of jumped into my second question there, Sally Ann, a bit naughty ahead of time, because I was going to talk about, though. It's all right, it's all right, I'll let you off, I'll let you off. But I did want to actually talk about the fact that you have those amazingly extraordinary long days. I mean, it's just they're endless, absolute summer days. And so what would you say to visitors that are going to come on up to the far north of Scotland in summer and have all that daylight? What should they do to make the most of them?

Sally-Ann [00:15:56]:
Well, it's. Right, it depends, really. Whether your early birds or your late night owls, I think. I mean, if you look in the middle of the summer, then sunrise can be around 4 o' clock in the morning and sunset about half past 10. But even between those times it doesn't get properly dark. So you know, you've got that opportunity of, yeah, 18 hours really of daylight if you want it. So there's all sorts of things that you can use that time for. First of all, if you're traveling around, you can stagger traveling times.

Sally-Ann [00:16:29]:
You might want to start early or finish later. It gives you a lot more flexibility. Whilst you can still see all the scenery that's around you, you've obviously got the option of seeing sunsets and sunrises as well. The sunsets, I would say, on the north and west coasts are really spectacular and to see them late at night, yeah, is something very special and it can be very, very peaceful. But if you're an early bird, you might fancy a sunrise on the east coast as well and they can equally be very beautiful. Find yourself a nice spot. There's lots of opportunities across the summer obviously to do extended beach walks. You could do water sports, longer hiking for the more adventurous.

Sally-Ann [00:17:19]:
Obviously we've got quite a lot of mountains or Munros as they call them up here in Scotland that you could go and investigate. And obviously because you've got long daylight, it gives you much more opportunity for doing those sorts of things. There's all sorts of water sports activities around the coastline. I know there's a company up here on the north coast, north coast water sports. They do surfing and I mean they do lessons for beginners and they, I think they take people out on a boat, but there's boat tours around the coastline as well. I know there's a sunset tour out on the west coast, so you know, there's all sorts of activities you can do. But the other thing that you can also do in the summer is obviously just find a nice spot to sit and watch the wildlife.

Tracy Collins [00:18:08]:
It's.

Sally-Ann [00:18:08]:
Well, I know I often come back to this in my chats with you, Tracy, but April till end of July, beginning of August is obviously puffin season and sort of early evening is a really good time to see puffins if you're out on the right bit of coast. So that's a good one.

Tracy Collins [00:18:27]:
And they're magic, they're magic to see as well. I have to say that I, I, for the first time, even though I grew up on the north east coast of England, for the first time, actually saw a puffin Last week. I couldn't believe how small they were then. They're so cute. Congratulations.

Sally-Ann [00:18:45]:
And yes they are, aren't they? To see them in real life, it's just, it is one of those amazing things. I think I still get very excited about it.

Tracy Collins [00:18:53]:
No, they're just so cute. They're just, they're. I, I just loved it. And the fact that they like, they actually like humans being around because it stops the skewer birds and all the, the, the birds that would, you know, the predators are common round because they know that they, they, they keep, we as humans keep them away. So they were so curious and just I, yeah, lovely. I've got some beautiful photos and some lovely videos of the puffins. So I'd highly recommend that.

Sally-Ann [00:19:17]:
Yeah, no that's great. But I mean it's not just the birds obviously. We do have birds of prey up here as well though. But you've got orca dolphins, you find them around the coast. At the end of May we have an event up here called Orca Watch. It runs for nine days. Working around the coast of Caithness, which is the north east point really of mainland Scotland. You'll see people standing with binoculars all around the coast and they're monitoring for orca in the sea.

Sally-Ann [00:19:53]:
And we do see them, we do have them around the coast at that time. So you know, there's all sorts of wildlife that you will are more likely to see over those summer months than any other time of the year.

Tracy Collins [00:20:06]:
Absolutely. And it's just beautiful, those long beautiful days and sit, just sitting outside with a glass of wine and just enjoying the view as you see the sunset. It is, it is, it's lovely.

Sally-Ann [00:20:16]:
I don't think, I mean if, if you, if you want some peace and quiet, if you want some fresh air, that open space, you know, big vistas and views, then yes, I don't think, I know I'm biased of course, but I don't think you can get anywhere better. But I will just put a caveat on that. I think I have to be sensible. You know, we are in the north of Scotland and you can still get four seasons of weather in one day. So we just need to remember that. And I would just caveat it all by saying do be prepared, you know, do come with the right clothes because you just don't know. You may wake up and find it raining in the morning and then be able to sit and watch the most beautiful sunset later that day. So yeah, but be prepared for anything

Tracy Collins [00:21:05]:
is what I would say. I think that. That's true. And I'm gonna ask you, I think the third question I'm gonna. I'm gonna have to ask you about midges, because I get asked about them when you go up to Scotland all the time. So now I. This. Now this is another thing that's interesting.

Tracy Collins [00:21:18]:
Not only had I not seen a puffer, but I have not really seen any midges when I've been up at Scotland. So I don't know if it's just that I go at the right time of year or it's the right conditions. But what. Just tell us a little bit about midgies and what kind of advice you'd recommend to people if they're coming up to kind of protect themselves or what to expect.

Sally-Ann [00:21:37]:
Yes, Midges people often ask us about midges. Tour guests coming with us want to know all about them as well. They are real. That's what I will say first of all. But they are slightly different from mosquitoes, so if I just explain, they are slightly smaller, but they can have the same effect. So unfortunately, I'm the one that I suffer when I get bitten by a mosquito. Robert is lucky. He doesn't tend to, but they do exist and they can have quite a serious effect.

Sally-Ann [00:22:12]:
But the season for them is basically anytime from late April through to the end of September, although peak months tend to be middle of the summer. So May, June through to August. But as you've just said, Tracy, you may not see them. It's not a guarantee just because it's the summer months. They need certain conditions in order to sort of appear in the air. They can't fly in sunny weather, so if you've got bright sunshine, it's nice and hot, then you won't see them. And they don't like winds above 7 miles per hour. So, you know, we get quite a lot of winds up in the north coast of Scotland.

Sally-Ann [00:22:56]:
So again, that's another time when if you look outside and you think, oh, it's quite breezy out there today, you've very, very unlikely to see them. What they tend to like is calmer weather, dull overcast, particularly if you're near water. That could be, you know, locks, boggy areas, even the sea sometimes that's where they are, tend to be found. And also at dawn or dusk, you know, as that light is changing and the sunlight has sort of gone, that's often when you find them, particularly at dusk. I think that was my first experience, was a dusk deluge on one of our very early visits to Scotland. So that's the sort of conditions for them.

Tracy Collins [00:23:45]:
Are there any practical advice to kind of like deal with them if you do come across any? So it's really interesting because I know the midges, but because I grew up in the Northeast, we call them midges. That's a different. Another. Different word, but similar. Same thing. Just different pronunciations.

Sally-Ann [00:24:00]:
Well, yeah, have the same effect, I think. Well, you know, the sense check says to wear light long sleeve clothing, obviously try and cover yourself up. Midge nets. And obviously midge nets can be slightly different to mosquito nets. I should point that out again because of the size of them. So you might have a mosquito net, but midges still might get in that because they're smaller. And then cream. Some form of repellent.

Sally-Ann [00:24:28]:
Smidge is a name people might have heard of the smidge repellent. I mean, that's been produced specifically with midges in mind. But yeah, if you cover yourself with that, it creates a barrier. There's a scientific reason behind it all, but it creates a barrier and that's probably the safest thing to try and use. Certainly when we take guests out. Robert has got both midge nets and cream in the car so that we're fully prepared. And yes, if we know that clearly there's a lot of midges about that we make sure people don't get out of the car and sort of face them all. But it's more.

Sally-Ann [00:25:12]:
I would say it's more exceptional than the norm. But you could get a spell when you come across them and yeah, you just need to be prepared for that. But there is a. I haven't seen them update it yet this year, so it might mean that the midges aren't about very much yet. But there is a midge forecast website that you can look at if you really want to have an idea of whether you're going to be hit with them or not during your time traveling up in the North Highlands. So, yes, it's a. It's a smidgeup.com midge forecast. But I'm sure I can give that information to Tracy and she can add it on somewhere.

Tracy Collins [00:25:56]:
I will. I'll put that in the show notes. That's really helpful. But as I say, I mean, I don't know how many times in my life I've been traveling up to Scotland, the islands, Farnell, Scotland, wherever, and I've never come across any. So it's. But I just thought that would be a really useful. I did see a lot of smidge for sale in the shops and it was one of the things I think thought, ah, okay, I need to just, just, just mention it. But don't let it put you off.

Tracy Collins [00:26:19]:
Do not let them put you off at all because the far north of Scotland is amazing. It's a beautiful part of the world to explore. A wonderful place to go is a, any, any time of year but summer in particular because you get those long, long, long days. So absolutely fantastic. So I will, I will link Silian to, to your website. It's Sally Ann and Robert who run North Coast Explorer Tours and I'm sure I will also link to. You've done quite a few previous episodes of the podcast as well, Sally Ann. So we'll link to those.

Tracy Collins [00:26:49]:
Yeah, so if you want to know more about the far north of Scotland, I'll link to those episodes so you can take a listen to those. But Sally Ann is always great to chat with you and find out about things up in, in the far north. I've just come back from up there, so it's, I had a wonderful time. It's such a beautiful part of the world.

Sally-Ann [00:27:09]:
Yeah, we're very lucky, to be honest, Tracey. We're so lucky with where we are and you know, we love to share it with people, whether it's a few days of tours or a single day tour in Caithness, you know, we're here, we'd love to take some of you out and share some of these wonderful long days with you.

Tracy Collins [00:27:27]:
Well, brilliant. And you were back later in the year to talk about what it's like up in autumn as well in that part of the world. And we're going to talk about winter as well because as we were talking about before we actually started recording, we often get questions about what's it like, like in Scotland in winter? What's it, you know, can I get to these places? What, what, you know, what, what are the conditions? And it's, I know it's a quiet time of year for you guys, but it's in terms of touring, but it's, it's just interesting to know what it's like in, in different parts of the

Sally-Ann [00:27:51]:
UK over the different seasons and we'd be very happy to tell you all about it.

Tracy Collins [00:27:56]:
Brilliant. All right, I shall speak to you again later on in the year, Sallyad, but thanks so much for coming on.

Sally-Ann [00:28:00]:
It's a pleasure and we hope everybody has a good summer.

Tracy Collins [00:28:06]:
So from the far north of Scotland, we've just chatted to Sally Ann. We are now bobbing back down the country, all the way down to London to talk To Becky from Walks and Devour. Now, what you don't know, listeners, is that I've just spent this whole afternoon with Becky on her. On the Taste Tales and Traditional Ales Food tour with Devour and it was fantastic. So I just want to say a huge thank you for myself and my friend Terry who came along on the tour. We had a absolute ball. Becky, it was fantastic.

Becki [00:28:36]:
Oh, thank you for coming and bringing Terry along as well. You guys went absolute riot and the group was just lovely and it just really, you know, every. Everyone bonded. It was a. It was just a good laugh. It was. It was good fun all around.

Tracy Collins [00:28:49]:
It was a brilliant. It was a really brilliant, brilliant tour. We absolutely. Everybody enjoyed it in the group. It was lovely as well because we had Lori and Lori. So hi to Lori's, who I did a consult with earlier on in the year and they've been on everything that I recommended. So they're actually going to also go on the walks opening ceremony of the Tower of London and they're going to go to their VIP closing ceremony this week as well. So that's so exciting.

Becki [00:29:13]:
Oh, amazing. They get the best of both worlds with the Tower. That's so cool.

Tracy Collins [00:29:18]:
Yeah.

Becki [00:29:18]:
The lorries were brilliant to meet. So hello to the lorries as well. You guys were so much fun and it was great to have you on the tour. Yeah, the seeing the opening and the closing is just.

Tracy Collins [00:29:31]:
It's really special.

Becki [00:29:31]:
And at this time of year as well, when the. When it's still light in the evening and getting nice and dusky, it's very atmospheric.

Tracy Collins [00:29:38]:
It's absolutely fun for them. Absolutely. And that's a great segue. Thanks, Becky. Into this. Obviously we're going to talk about summer in London now. It's got a really. London in summer has got a really unique energy.

Tracy Collins [00:29:51]:
I mean, everybody knows that. I love London in December because I love all the Christmas lights and it's got a fantastic atmosphere. But also London in summer is so much fun. Me personally, I quite like sitting with a Tim's with a Tim's with a Pims and Covent Garden, watching the tennis. That. That's my personal favorite. But London has got a unique energy. So what do you think makes it so special to spend time in the city in the summer, Becky?

Becki [00:30:19]:
Yeah, you're so right. The energy, it comes from the people around you. I think everyone's got a little bit more of a boun. Their step, you know, sunglasses are out. People are just enjoying the fact that it's sunshiny and warm and lovely. If there's a green park or any kind of green space around, there will be people filling it. We do that in droves. And of course, on a nice, lovely sunshiny evening, everyone flocks to a pub somewhere with a beer garden, somewhere with an outdoor space where you can enjoy a drink with friends or with colleagues at the end of the day and just enjoy the fact that we have all of this lovely extra daylight.

Becki [00:31:02]:
It's a nice contrast coming out of the winter. Winter is fun and we get the lights of Christmas and all of that, but we've gone through a few weeks of very, very short days and it's just nice to feel the end of it as well. So I think the people and just the fact that we're all going to be out everywhere, just making the most of it, for sure.

Tracy Collins [00:31:24]:
Absolutely. And obviously you've mentioned that We'll. We'll chat in a second about the fact that we've got these beautiful long days, which are amazing. And we've kind of just touched on talking a bit, a little bit about some of the tours that walks in Davao do. But I think particularly we've just mentioned actually, the VIP Tower of London is fantastic in the summer because it's light and you get to experience the Tower of London, you know, at closing time, you're there after it closes, you get to see the whole closing ceremony. It's fantastic. But as well as the VIP Tower of London tour, what are the tours do you think are absolutely perfect to take in the summer months?

Becki [00:32:04]:
Oh, well, that's a great question. I think definitely our Kensington palace and Afternoon Tea tour on a nice sunny day, especially with Hyde park in Kensington Gardens being a key part of that walk on that tour, just being able to take in the atmosphere. Atmosphere, you know, people picnicking around you. You get to walk past the Serpentine, which is a beautiful body of water, which, you know, once you're done with the tour, if you want to go and take one of the paddle boats on the Serpentine, you're not too far away from doing that. So that's. That's a great tour for just enjoying the park and the green spaces which we're so lucky to have in London. Definitely. Also the.

Becki [00:32:50]:
The Buckingham palace staterooms tour, I have to say, because it' it's only available during the summer months, so you can only visit the staterooms between July and September, so there's a very small window of opportunity. But if you're lucky enough to be travelling during that time, you get to spend a wonderful Reasonably paced short walking tour around Royal London with a guide who will then get you into the fantastic staterooms. And when you finish the staterooms, you exit through the garden. So you get to enjoy Buckingham Palace's garden, which, you know, people very rarely get to do. You only really ever get to do that if you're invited to a lovely posh summer garden party by the royals. So you get the chance to do this without the invite. So it's kind of perfect for a lovely day.

Tracy Collins [00:33:42]:
So you've got me thinking now, when does that start? Is that going to stop? When does that start in July? Do you know the date, Becky? Because I'm like, I want to go on that.

Becki [00:33:50]:
We've got dates starting from the 9th of July onwards and we are very lucky to have four different time slots. So two morning time slots and two afternoon time slots. So there's tons of availability. But yeah, I'd say, yeah, definitely, definitely. We'll have a chat about getting you on a tour and yeah, I'm gonna

Tracy Collins [00:34:13]:
have to, unfortunately I'm gonna have left by that point in July. But honestly, if you guys are listening to the listening podcast and thinking this sounds amazing, let me know. Go on the tour with walks and let me know. I mean, I've been to Buckingham palace before, but I have not been to the gardens. So I'm going to be extremely jealous if you guys do that, get to do this tour because that's something I'd really like to do. So next time I'll have to make sure I extend my time a little bit further into the summer.

Becki [00:34:37]:
Becky, for sure, definitely, definitely be lovely to have you. And yeah, it's a really special treatment. So yeah, definitely, definitely one to do if you're here.

Tracy Collins [00:34:47]:
And well, another reason I do like to stay when I can, further into July and August is that. But in those summer months we have wonderful long, long summer days and so it doesn't get dark until quite late in the evening. So how would you, how do you spend your evenings in July? In June and July, Becky, when it gets like, what sort of things do you like doing and what would you recommend to people visiting London to make the most of those long days?

Becki [00:35:14]:
Oh, definitely. For me personally, being by the riverside, being anywhere by the Thames is kind of a must for me. There's just something so nice about having a very leisurely stroll down a section of the Thames, particularly the south bank, because a lot of the time during the summer months, sometimes they've had a beach kind of thing set up where sand is brought in. And I know that's become becoming popular in many areas to, you know, bring, bring the beach to the city. But just being by the waterside as the night sets in, as the sun sets, there's stalls where you can pick up a bite to eat. If you fancy eating by the river, you know, you can even grab a pint and have a stroll along down the riverside towards the Tate Modern. And if you're in any area where there's, you know, a gallery open late on a Friday night, that's also a personal bonus for me. So, you know, I might walk a little bit up from the riverside, head to either, you know, the Tate because they're open late on a Thursday night, or the National Gallery because they're late on a Friday night, you know, usually till 9 o' clock in the evening.

Becki [00:36:32]:
So to tie that in with a nice cheeky little drink somewhere afterwards, there's a fabulous wine bar near the National Gallery for anyone who's coming, called Gordon's Wine Bar. It's one of the oldest wine bars in town and they do have lots of lovely outdoor seating near the Embankment Gardens. So it's a very, it's a very nice way to while away an evening over, over a glass or two.

Tracy Collins [00:36:57]:
For sure. It is. It's actually a lovely place to go and I'm actually going to be visiting in the next couple of weeks, actually, actually go and hopefully the weather will perk up a bit and sit and enjoy a drink because it's getting later in the evening. So that is lovely. So, yeah, it's a wonderful time of year to visit London and it's wonderful as always to talk to you, Becky. And I know you're going to be back in a few months time with Charlie as well to talk about London in, in the autumn. And we're going to do also a London in the Winter episode and, and hopefully a little bit more about different things that happen in events and things that are going to be happening on a monthly basis in London as well. So hopefully we're going to be doing that with you guys soon as well, which would.

Tracy Collins [00:37:34]:
But as always, thanks so much, Becky, for coming on and expressing your love for London and just what a wonderful city it is to visit.

Becki [00:37:42]:
Always a pleasure. Thanks, Tracey.

Tracy Collins [00:37:45]:
So from London, where we're chatting about summer, we are heading not too far out of London actually, to the Cotswolds to chat with our, our favorite Cotswold expert, Lisa from Go Cotswolds. Hi, Lisa, welcome onto the podcast again. Thank you.

Asia [00:38:03]:
What a Nice.

Tracy Collins [00:38:06]:
It's always great to talk to you and I'm particularly excited to talk about summer in the Cotswolds because it's. It's one of my favorite times to visit because I am a particular fan of the gardens. Oh. And I'm getting very excited about visiting next month already, actually. And I do. Every time I. I'm in the UK and it's the right time of year, I. I head to the Cotswolds for some particular garden.

Tracy Collins [00:38:31]:
So the first question I'm going to ask you is about which gardens and blooms, because I know it's not just the gardens, there's other. Other things to see in the cottage as well, are at their peak in. In the summer months of June, July and August. What should visitors make sure they don't miss?

Asia [00:38:46]:
Well, you're spoiled for choice, honestly. I've talked about the. The sort of. The formal gardens, the visitor attraction gardens that you can go to. So Hidcote is always my number one absolute favorite. It's a National Trust property with absolutely beautiful gardens. They look stunning at any time of the year, but summer, incredibly. So beautiful planting, really interesting architecture of the gardens, if that's the right word to describe a garden.

Lisa Benjamin [00:39:14]:
Sort of done in an Arts and Crafts style, which people may have heard about, that sort of particular style. Yeah. It is just stunning. So that is always my favourite. And I've sent.

Tracy Collins [00:39:25]:
It's mine too. It's mine too.

Asia [00:39:27]:
Lisa, I absolutely.

Tracy Collins [00:39:28]:
You cannot go. You can't go to the Cottle without going to Hidcote. It's kind of. It should be a rule. Yeah, it should be absolute. You have to go. Yeah, you have to go. And I'm hoping you're going to mention the one that's opposite Hidcote next, which I think you're gonna.

Tracy Collins [00:39:41]:
Because you're nodding vigorously.

Lisa Benjamin [00:39:42]:
Yeah. So you can't really go to Hidcote without going across the street, literally across the road to Kiftsgate. And I always trip my tongue over that word, kift. But, yeah, Cliffsgate is absolutely beautiful as well. We've actually got, as we speak this week, a private tour group. They're spending four days with us and we're driving them to lots and lots of different gardens around the Cotswolds. So I can't. I've lost which.

Lisa Benjamin [00:40:05]:
Which they're visiting on which days, but they're over the course of the four days they're going to Hidcote, Kiffsgate, Misedon Gardens. It's actually one I haven't been to, so I'm Gonna have to check that one out myself. Boughton House Gardens, just outside of Morton and Marsh as well. They're going to. And they're going. A tour and afternoon tea, I believe, at Highgrove, which, again, is another one on my bucket list of things to do to go and visit actual King Charles's garden. So that'd be. That'd be wonderful.

Tracy Collins [00:40:35]:
I haven't done that one either. My mother has. She, as she keeps telling me, she's been to see King Charles's garden. I don't think she actually met him, which I think she would have liked to have done, But. But of course, yes. The Highgroves is in the Cotswold, so lots of choice. And also there's something else that you can go and see fields of.

Lisa Benjamin [00:40:54]:
Oh, yes, of course. Yes. For a few weeks in the summer, there is the Cotswold Lavender Farm, which is absolutely stunning as well. So it's a working lavender farm. The lavender is grown as a crop, so you can only visit it during the peak flowering. During the peak flowering time, until the point that it is harvested. So, unfortunately, because it is a crop, it's harvested at the point when it's probably its most beautiful. But in the run up to that, you can go and visit the lavender farm.

Lisa Benjamin [00:41:25]:
It's not very expensive and it costs a few pounds to go in. It's a great place to take families because there's a lovely activity trail through the woods that you can do with your children. My daughter absolutely loves it, as well as just kind of running through the lanes of lavender and sort of taking all those classic Instagramable pictures that people are to take in flower fields. You can have lavender cakes, I think, and lavender ice cream as well.

Tracy Collins [00:41:52]:
Ice cream, yeah. Yeah. I'm actually. I'm actually laughing because I. I don't know how many posy photos I've got of me in the lavender field the last time I was there. It's just you can't go there without taking, I don't know, a million photos because it is. It's beautiful.

Lisa Benjamin [00:42:07]:
The floaty dress and floppy hat is a must.

Tracy Collins [00:42:11]:
Yeah, I don't think. I think I had cropped trousers on and a blouse, but. But, yeah, maybe I should try the. The floaty dress and. And the hat next time. I don't know. But it. But it is beautiful and it's a real treat if you love gardens.

Tracy Collins [00:42:26]:
It's just a fantastic place to go and visit. And also some of the. I'm thinking about Sudley Castle. The gardens there are also beautiful I forgot about.

Lisa Benjamin [00:42:35]:
Our group are going to Sudey Castle as well this week.

Tracy Collins [00:42:38]:
Yeah.

Lisa Benjamin [00:42:38]:
And that's also a wonderful place to visit. It's got the ruins of the old castle, which is very atmospheric and lovely. It's got a. They've kind of recreated a Tudor knot garden I think it's called, sort of with original Tudor planting and kind of like the little hedges that look a little bit like a maze and it's. Yeah, it's just stunning. And there's lots of sculptures again. So it's a really great place for families as well to go and go on a sort of a sculpture walk and you can spot different animals in the trees and. Yeah, it's really, really lovely.

Tracy Collins [00:43:08]:
Oh, sounds amazing. I'm just going to ask you a little question about your private tours as well because that's interesting because if we often get families who are planning, you know, an extended family of maybe six of them or seven in a family who are coming to visit. So what sort of numbers do you have on your private tours?

Lisa Benjamin [00:43:22]:
So we only have 16 seater minibuses. So we're probably not the best fit for a private tour for just one or two people. We typically say if you've got more than six people in your group then that's a good number. Basically any sort of group size where a normal sized car is going to be too small for your group. But yes, we do have our range of small group tours which are priced per person. But we also can do private tours for groups as well. Yeah, you do need to book in advance for those, especially in the summer because our availability does. Is quite limited.

Tracy Collins [00:43:57]:
Yeah, yeah, I was gonna say that's taken one of your minibuses off the road, I guess to do that. So. So if you're interested in a private tour with Go Cotswolds and you know, because you're visiting with your family, then get in touch with Lisa. I'm sure she'll be.

Lisa Benjamin [00:44:08]:
We've done quite a few different ones. Lots of large families. We get sort of multi generational families joining us for. For a group tour, for a private tour. And the ladies that are joining us this week for all the gardens, they're from a gardening club. Club Gardening club in Concord, Massachusetts. So they've come over. They're ending up at the Chelsea Flower show, but they're visiting.

Tracy Collins [00:44:29]:
So am I. So am I on Friday. I'm so excited, Lisa. I'm so excited. And it's, you know, often we do actually get emails with people who are interested in the gardens. And I'm like, I always say, got the Cotswolds. And I actually have got some of some other gardens on my, on my to Visit list this year, which I'm quite excited about. But anyway, we can talk about gardens forever, couldn't we? What would be your top tip, though, for making.

Tracy Collins [00:44:51]:
For anybody who's planning to visit the Cotswolds in summer, what is your top tip for making the most of it without feeling rushed or overwhelmed?

Lisa Benjamin [00:44:59]:
That is a good point. Yeah. In the summer. Summer is obviously our peak season. It's the busiest time of year for tourism in the UK because it's when the weather is, she says, most reliable as it's pouring down with rain outside. It's summer, particularly August, when the schools are on off here in England and Wales, it does get busy with domestic visitors as well as international tourists. But when I say it gets busy, this is an interesting point because people say, oh, I get so busy in the Cotswolds. It's really, really rammed.

Lisa Benjamin [00:45:34]:
When people say that, they're usually only talking about two or three villages. And those villages, I can name them on my hand is Bybury, Boughton on the Water and Castle Combe. Those are the three, what we call the honeypot villages. The ones that people have heard of, the ones that people have seen on Instagram, the ones that the influencers all twirl around with their floaty hats and floppy dresses. No, the other way around. Floppy hats and dresses. And so they're the places that people have heard of and they're the places that they want to go, but they're not the only people that have heard of them and they're not the only people that want to go there. So I think some people do get or are surprised when they arrive in Bourne on the Water or Bribery or Castle Combe and they find that there are coach loads of people there as well.

Lisa Benjamin [00:46:19]:
And it can, it can ruin the vibe a little bit to have so many tourists everywhere. But there's a reason it's busy and it's because they're so, so beautiful. If that's not your thing, if you want to kind of stay away from the crowds, then there are 150 odd other villages in the Cotswolds. It's a massive, massive area. It's over, well, about 800 square miles of the Cotswolds. And those three villages I mentioned are by far the most popular. But all the other villages are much, much quieter and some of them, you know, people haven't even heard of. So my Top tip, therefore, for visiting the Coatsworth in the summer, would be get off the beaten track a little bit.

Lisa Benjamin [00:47:00]:
You can visit the Honeypot Villages if you want to, but don't be surprised that they'll be busy. But don't just stick to those places. Get out into the countryside, see some other little villages that you maybe haven't heard of. Our secret Cotswolds tour is a great way that you can do that. We visit some villages that are less well known, less busy, but equally as beautiful, and also get out for a walk as well. While the villages and towns can get busy sometimes, the trails, the footpaths, the countryside is largely empty. And that's the other thing that really, that the Cotswolds is known for. Not just the pretty villages and chocolate bar box houses, but the stunning countryside as well.

Lisa Benjamin [00:47:43]:
And we have miles and miles and miles of public footpaths that you can walk through, through beautiful woodlands, through meadows, fields, all kinds of different terrain. And it's absolutely stunning and largely empty. So there's.

Tracy Collins [00:47:58]:
And you offer a tour as well? You've got a walking tour?

Lisa Benjamin [00:48:00]:
We have, yeah. It's only available on a few specific dates, but yes, we have. It's our Cotswolds Walks and Villages tour. And on that tour, yes, you can have a taster of a lovely countryside walk.

Tracy Collins [00:48:11]:
Yeah, perfect. Yes. And a lot of people who head to the Cotswolds to do the Cotswold weigh in and enjoy. Especially when the days are lighter and it's sunny, warm weather, it's really nice. Now, are there any summer events or festivals in the Cotswolds that visitors should know about?

Lisa Benjamin [00:48:31]:
The biggest one, I suppose, in the summer, which I believe is at the end of August, on the August bank holiday weekend, is a big festival, big music and food festival called the Big Feastival that takes place in Kingham, just outside of, well, not too far from where we are at Morton and Marsh. And yeah, it's based on the farm of Alex James, who was the bassist in the Brit pop band Blur. If listeners have heard of him, he sort of moved to the Cotswolds and opened up a cheese farm, a cheese shop and a cheese farm, and also hosts a massive music festival on his land. So, yeah, it's kind of part music festival with big name bands and also part food festival. So it's a really nice one for families again as well. Lots of family entertainment and it's that kind of classic music festival vibe. You can camp there and enjoy some great music and great food. So around that time of that festival, it can get busy around that area as well, because there are thousands and thousands of people heading to that festival.

Lisa Benjamin [00:49:35]:
Other than that, I think that the fun ones for visitors is stumbling across kind of little village fetes. And I do know that the village of Snows Hill, which is one of the villages we visit on our Cotzels in a Day tour, they have their summer fete on the 4th of July and it's very, very twee, very, very English. You can, you know, go along to a marquee and buy some cakes, get a cup of tea, buy some, maybe some garden plants and try your hand at the raffle or the tombola. And it's all to raise money for the local village. So that those sorts of local community events, which you could just stumble across on any summer weekend in the Cotswolds, are really great.

Tracy Collins [00:50:22]:
Oh, that sounds, that sounds like a lot of fun. And I'm just going to throw a bit of a curveball in because it was a question that came up on our Facebook group and I know it's a, it's a steam train that Doug hasn't done, but somebody was asking about in the summer about a steam train that you can get in the cott.

Lisa Benjamin [00:50:37]:
Yeah, the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway. So it's a heritage steam train line and it goes between. I'm gonna get this wrong now, but I think it goes between Broadway and Cheltenham with a couple of stops along the way. Yeah, it's a nice little afternoon or any time of day experience that you can do. I think it takes a couple of hours and you can hop on and hop off it, I think as well. I haven't actually done it myself, but yeah, my daughter is desperate to do it. My nine year old would, would absolutely love that. So.

Tracy Collins [00:51:04]:
Yeah, well, so, so would Doug. Doug's. I know Doug wants to do it. He keeps saying about the steam train. So I thought I was like, oh, maybe we'll, we'll add that into our itinerary next month and, and, and go and try that out. But as always, it's great to chat with Elisa and we'll put links to Go Cotswolds in the show notes. And we have a, we have a code as well for a, for a, a, a reduction, a little discount on Go Cotswolds Tour, courtesy of you guys. So thanks very much, especially for our UK travel planning community.

Tracy Collins [00:51:37]:
So thanks very much for that. And I know I'm going to be taking a tour with you guys out of Oxford next month. Is your new kind of tour out of Oxford, so just some of the other Cotswolds villages that I haven't done before on your other tour. So I'm looking forward to that.

Lisa Benjamin [00:51:50]:
Yes, we started doing a couple of tours from Oxford. Most of our other tours start from Stratford upon Avon and Moreton and Marsh. But yeah, we launched an Oxford departure tour of the Cotswolds and then also one that goes to Stratford at Bonhaven as well. Yeah, they're doing really well actually. So, yeah, we're in for a good day.

Tracy Collins [00:52:10]:
Perfect. Excellent. Well, I shall speak to you soon, Lisa, I'm sure. Be on the podcast again to talk more about the Cotswolds, because we can talk, we can wax lyrical about the Cotswolds for forever, I think, because it's such a beautiful area of England to visit. Thanks so much again, Lisa, for coming on.

Lisa Benjamin [00:52:24]:
You're welcome. See you soon.

Tracy Collins [00:52:26]:
Bye. So we're traveling now from the Cotswolds and to a beautiful area of, of England. So it's, it's last on this episode, but not least, that's for sure. And we're heading to the Lake District. So today we've got Asia, who did come on and chatted about spring in the Lake District. So she's here today to talk about beautiful summer, what you can experience summer in the Lake District. Now, Asia is works with Mountain Goat Tours. So Asia, would you like just quickly introduce yourself and chat a little bit about Mountain Goat Tours? Because you're kind of one of our most recent partners in the uk, so it'd be really good to introduce yourself.

Asia [00:53:05]:
Thank you. Yeah, thanks for having me on the podcast again. It was great to be involved previously. So I'm Asia. I'm the sales and marketing manager at Mountain Goat Tours. And if you don't know who Mountain Goat Tours are, we are a small tour operator based in Windermere and we cover northern England, which is scheduled departures from Windmere, Keswick, Ambleside in the Lake District, but also from York, Manchester, Liverpool and Chester. We offer a variety of different day trips to North Wales, the North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District and Hadrian's Wall. We also offer an array of different private tours as well.

Asia [00:53:47]:
We do cover the whole of Britain, so England, Scotland and Wales, from Lands End to John o' Groats and we can do private services. Our vehicles are all 16 seater Mercedes sprinters, so ideal for small groups and perfect for small generational groups.

Tracy Collins [00:54:06]:
Perfect. So today we're going to focus on the Lake District, which We're just talking about because you're lucky enough to live there. It is another beautiful part of England to visit. So just describe for us, Asia, what a perfect summer day in the Lake District looks like on a mountain goat tour.

Asia [00:54:24]:
Yeah. So I'm very fortunate that I live in the heart of the Lake District, in Windmere, and that's where our head office is based, in the Lake District. So my ideal day in the Lake District, of course it would be the sun would be shining, but we can't always guarantee that. And you'd be heading off on one of our departures, our most popular tour, which is our 10 Lakes spectacular tour, and that takes in 10 lakes in the Lake District. It visits some of those honeypot locations which you may have heard of, such as Keswick and Grasmere, and you'll be taken to go explore some of the hidden gems by our knowledgeable driver guides. So on the route you'll be drip fed information, anecdotes and local stories from our driver guides. And you'll head through the national park, over one of our highest mountain passes, Kirkstone Pass, to Ullswater, which is England's second largest lake, and then over to Keswick, which is a market town where you'll be able to get your lunch. So you can either have a browse of the local shops, get some souvenirs, grab a delicious local lunch in a country pub, or head down to the lakeshore, which is just a 10 minute walk and it is a market town, so every Thursday and Saturday they have a local market as well.

Asia [00:55:44]:
Onwards. After lunch you'll head over Honister Pass and at the very top of Honister Pass sits Honister Slate Mine, which is England's last working slate mine. So we do stop there as well for photo opportunities and the chance to head into their local shop and get some slate. And then you'll visit Buttermere, which is really one of the idyllic places in the Lake District. It's so tranquil and beautiful. And then we'll visit Grasmere, which is very famously known for Grasmere gingerbread, which is a local delicacy. Sarah Nelson's recipe has continued over hundreds of years, so that's definitely a key thing to try whilst you're in the Lake District. And Grasmere also has the grave of William Wordsworth in the church as well.

Asia [00:56:34]:
So that's a full day tour. You'll be out from 9:30 to 5:30. But the fantastic thing is your driver isn't just driving you around, you'll have the opportunity to get off the vehicle and explore some of the locations in the national park and then hopefully come back again and explore a little bit deeper the next time you visit.

Tracy Collins [00:56:56]:
Sounds amazing. Hopefully Doug and I will get onto that tour in the next month or so as well, so we can feedback on our experiences. Lake Districts is one of my beautiful, like places to visit in England. So the chance to go and experience the tour there is just, is going to be absolutely fantastic. And I know our listeners are. The Lake District comes up again and again and again as an area that people want to go to and doing it on a tour. So not driving yourself is the perfect way to do it, so you can sit back and enjoy it and kind of learn about the area as well and experience it and hopefully, fingers crossed the weather is good now, which I'm going to kind of ask you about now because obviously June versus July and August, because the Lake District is very popular with us Brits as well. We like to head there, don't we? We absolutely love to go there.

Tracy Collins [00:57:42]:
So is there a sweet spot between kind of June versus visiting in July and August? Is that kind of sweet spot for people to consider to visit? Yeah.

Asia [00:57:52]:
So June is slightly less crowded in the Lake District than July and August, and that's due to the school holidays falling mid July to the end of the of August, beginning of September. So like you said, it is a lot busier in July and August. June tends to be a little bit quieter. That is when a number of our international visitors do travel and maybe some of the retiree domestic market as well, although you will see that it tends to be quieter. And my suggestion for kind of visiting during the summer months, whether that's June over July, and some of the reasons to do so would be the spring blooms are still looking beautiful in early July. There's numerous gardens in the Lake District which are absolutely stunning. As we've mentioned, the weather, it is hit and miss. But we do tend to have good weather in June.

Asia [00:58:53]:
And because it is so, so wet in the Lake District, we do have luscious green fells and wild meadows. So, yeah, the landscape is just beautiful. Mid July sees the longest day of the year in the UK, which is the 21st of June, and we can see up to kind of 15, 16 hours of daylight on that day and for the period kind of running up to and afterwards. So that that gives you more time to plan your itinerary and travel. And somewhere in the Lake District you can see that most attractions have a full schedule. So you'll be able to again visit maybe earlier or later in the day, whereas they do tend to have shorter hours over the winter. But I definitely suggest pre booking any attractions to avoid any disappointment in the lake.

Tracy Collins [00:59:50]:
Yeah, I was going to ask that as well about Asia, about your tours as well. Like how far in advance do people need to think about booking?

Asia [00:59:57]:
Yeah, well we generally have quite a short booking window. We see. So we do have good availability kind of in those 48 hours before the tour departs. But of course that's not always the case for some very popular tours. So I would at least a week beforehand try and get booked on if you are visiting to avoid any disappointment.

Tracy Collins [01:00:19]:
Okay, perfect. And so what about the highlights of the Lake District that are the absolute best in the summer? What do you say you really should do?

Asia [01:00:27]:
Yeah, so the Lake District does change kind of dramatically with the seasons. And although we're a year round destination, personally my favourite season is summer in the Lake District. You can enjoy long daylight hours, like I said, the full attraction schedule, good walking conditions, wildflower meadows, outdoor swimming and pub gardens, and live music opportunities as well. So my first suggestion in the Lake District during summer would be to get on the water. So whether that's a lake cruise or paddle boarding or a lakeshore walk, Windermere has England's largest lake, Lake Windermere. And you can join a Windermere Lake cruise which departs every 20 minutes from Bowness, Ambleside and Lakeside. Or you can rent a self drive boat so you can experience that and see the lake at your leisure. Alternatively, if you're visiting the Eastern Lake District, then you can visit Ullswater and travel on one of the heritage steamers and that's England's second largest lake.

Asia [01:01:40]:
Or bring your swimming gear and dip your toes into Rydal or Grasmere if you fancy or cool off, there's plenty of opportunities for hiring kayaks and paddleboards. Derwent water is beautiful for paddleboarding. I have done that myself on many occasions or like I said, just a lakeshore walk. So Ullswater has the Ullswater way, which is 20 miles completely around the lake. Or for something a little bit shorter then cat bells above Derwent water is stunning as well in Keswick. And speaking of walks, we also have England's highest mountain in the Lake District, Scafell, which is accessible from either Buttermere, Wastwater or Langdale. So ideal conditions in the lakes. But please do make sure you're prepared.

Asia [01:02:39]:
Plenty water, correct hiking equipment, etc. But if you are looking for something a little bit lower. One of my favourites is Loughrigg, which is above Ambleside. That's quite a short, steep walk, but you get fantastic views over Windermere and Rydal and Grasmere as well. And then, as I said, there's plenty of attractions to visit in the Lake District, so we don't have just one, but we've got two heritage steam railways. We've got Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway on the southern shores of Windermere, and Ravenglass and Esdale Railway, which takes you through the beautiful Esdale Valley on the western side of the Lake District. We have Muncaster Castle, which is a medieval castle with over 70 acres of beautiful gardens. And for those adrenaline junkies amongst us, we've got Honister Slate Mine, which I previously mentioned, and they have a Via Ferrata, which is.

Asia [01:03:39]:
And an Infinity bridge, which is suspended above Honister Pass. So that is really one for the adrenaline junkies.

Tracy Collins [01:03:48]:
Sounds interesting. Yeah.

Asia [01:03:51]:
I must say, I have done that myself and then I went to do it a second time and I thought, why am I doing this again? It was, yeah, quite stomach dropping at some points.

Tracy Collins [01:04:03]:
Not good for anybody. Fear of having slates, then?

Asia [01:04:06]:
No, definitely not. Definitely not. But they do alternatively have a mine tour, which is also fantastic and gives you all the history of the working mine and the history of the slate in the Lake District. And of course, we've got beautiful gardens which flourish over the spring and summer. So a couple of my favourites would be Holherd, which is just outside Windermere. It's a fellside garden managed by Lakeland Horticultural Society. And we've also got Levens, which is home to the world's oldest topiary garden, and Holker hall, which is a tranquil formal garden as well in the South Lakes. And then I touched on earlier kind of some live events and live music.

Asia [01:04:50]:
So we've got everything from kind of pub, beer, garden festivals to traditional Lake District sheepdog trials. So we've got fantastic Hound Trials and Sheepdog Trials at Ambleside sports, which is the 30th of July this year we've got ride or sheepdog trials on the 13th of August, Grasmere sports on the 30th of August, which is Lakeland Sports, traditional Cumberland and Westmoreland wrestling and a dog show. So they're very traditional to the area. Just a bit of fun to visit if you're in the area during those times.

Tracy Collins [01:05:32]:
So loads of things to do and see over the summer on the Lake District. Asia, Absolute loads.

Asia [01:05:38]:
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. You could easily fit kind of three to four days in the Lake District with things to do. And see, we are England's largest national park, so there is. Yeah, there's plenty to do and as

Tracy Collins [01:05:53]:
I say, it's a popular destination for our community. As I say, it comes up all the time. People want to fit in a visit to the Lake District and it is a beautiful, beautiful part of England to visit. So we do have a discount code for Mountain Goat as well, which I'll link to in the Show Notes, which is exclusive for our podcast and UK Travel planning community. So thank you so much to Mountain Goat for sharing that with us as well. Now, Asia, I know you're going to be having a bit of time off over the next, so it won't be coming to continue this series because we will be talking about autumn and winter in the Lake District. But I will wish you luck with your short time off. And yeah, thanks for coming on the podcast again.

Asia [01:06:37]:
Yeah, thank you. It's been fantastic to be included in this episode and the spring episode and hopefully you'll hear from one of my colleagues in autumn and winter.

Tracy Collins [01:06:46]:
Yeah. Thank you so much, Asia.

Asia [01:06:48]:
Thank you.

Tracy Collins [01:06:51]:
So there we have it. Summer across the UK through the eyes of five people who know their regions better than anyone. Thanks so much to Alex from Unique Devon Tours, Sally Ann from North Coast Explorer Tours, Becky from Walks and do our Lisa from Go Cotswolds and Asia from Mountain Goat Tours. From Vineyard tours in Devon to almost 24 hour daylight in the far north of the Scotland, Long evenings on the south bank in London, Lavender fields and village field fates in the Cotswolds and lake cruises and wildflower meadows in the Lake District. There really is something for everyone across the UK this summer. I will link to each of the guest websites in the show notes@uktravelplanet.com forward/episode203. And don't forget, we have discount codes for both Mountain Goat and Go Cotswolds, so do check the show notes for those. If summer is in your plans, we'd love to hear what you're going to get up to.

Tracy Collins [01:07:41]:
Where are you going to visit? Visit? Send us a message via Speak Pipe. And as always, if you enjoyed the episode, a review on your favorite podcast app goes a long way in helping others find us. But as always, that just leaves me to say until next week, happy UK Travel Planning. Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode of the UK Travel Planning Podcast. As always, show notes can be found@uktravelplanning.com if you've enjoyed the show, why not leave us feedback via text or a review on your favorite podcast app? We love to hear from you. And you never know, you may receive a shout out in a future episode, but as always, that just leaves me to say until next week, Happy UK Travel planning.