As we head out of lockdown and travel is on the horizon, we have decided to put together our post-COVID-19 staycation bucket list. We might not be able to rattle through it at the rate we could have done before kids, however, we are going to try to tick off as many as possible over the coming months. We have decided that international travel is off the cards for a while. Therefore, we are going to concentrate on visiting and revisiting spots throughout the UK. Mr ESLT and I have over the years visited some beautiful places and cannot wait to introduce them to the girls and discover some new destinations together as a family. From cities to beaches and everything in between we really cannot wait to pack up the car and get started.
Cardiff, Wales
The first and most important destination on our post-COVID-19 staycation bucket list is Cardiff. This is because this is where Mr ESLT’s mum and stepdad live. We and the kids were lucky enough to see them at the beginning of March when they visited us before the lockdown was instated. However, we have already missed our Easter visit to them because of the pandemic. Therefore, we are keeping our fingers firmly crossed we will be able to take our scheduled summer holiday visit in August. Having visited Cardiff a number of times over the years, there are still a number of attractions we want to tick off, especially kid-friendly ones now we have the children in tow.
Yorkshire Dales, England
As we live in Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Dales is an easy staycation for us to take. In less than an hour, we can be off the grid and enjoying everything the Dales has to offer. We think the Yorkshire Dales is a great place for a staycation because of the number of self-catering accommodation options available. From luxury cottages right through to basic shepherd huts and tipis. Perfect for families, couples and solo travellers who want their own space and privacy. We will definitely be opting for a log cabin or similar for our next Yorkshire Dales staycation. However, there are also a number of wonderful hotels, if you prefer the benefits they offer including on-site restaurants/bars/facilities etc.
The Lake District, England
The Lake District is a beautiful part of England and somewhere we have visited numerous times over the years. We have visited a number of larger towns and are very keen on visiting smaller villages in the future. The Lake District offers a lot of opportunities to spend time outdoors, which is great for social distancing adventures. We love walking and exploring nature, both of which we can do in and around the area. It’s a great area for kids as it gets them away from screens and offers them the chance to see nature in all its glory. There are also a lot of small independent shops and cafes, which need tourism to return in order to survive which we will be happy to support.
The Peak District, England
The Peak District is somewhere we have only visited a couple of times. Therefore we have not had the opportunity to explore a lot. With this in mind, it is quite near the top of our post-COVID-19 bucket list. We have a close friend who lives just on the outskirts of The Peak District and has lots of recommendations of places, attractions and sites to visit. These include Chatsworth House (we have actually visited once before and would love to visit again), Bolsover Castle and the Heights of Abraham. Plus Alton Towers is on the Peak District’s doorstep. The girl’s (and us) love CBeebies Land there, so we could mix a good old outside adventure or two with some theme park fun.
Leeds, England
We love Leeds pre-kids it was our go-to city for a night out. It is only 45 minutes down the motorway for us and has so much more to offer than our hometown (sorry Hull). We would often hit the road, check into a hotel, do some shopping, perhaps see a band and then hit the numerous bars and pubs in the city centre. Perhaps we will get to visit in the near future and relive our carefree days if we can get a babysitter for the evening (hint hint grandparents). Leeds will always hold special memories for me as it is where I had my hen night many moons ago. We could make our trip child friendly, however, we think a good old fashioned blow our like we used to have is on the cards.
Southhampton, England
Paultons Park Home of Peppa Pig World / CC BY
Having never been to Southampton as far as we can remember we really don’t know what there is to do or see there apart from one major thing nearby – Peppa Pig World. Having two small children now means our travel has to be focused around them as there’s nothing worse than a bored, miserable, tantruming kid – believe me. Even though we’d rather poke our eyes out with big sticks than visit Peppa Pig World, it’s not about us anymore. We had a trip to see the salty sausage and her mates planned for Easter this year, however obviously Rona but a stop to that. Therefore we have added it to our post-COVID-19 staycation bucket list as the girls haven’t stopped begging to go.
London, England
If you’re not from the UK, London is probably the first place you think of and the first place you want to visit. We completely understand. The bright lights, the history, Queeny, the restaurants, bars, shows – the list is endless. Even though it’s our capital we still get that buzz you get from travelling and exploring somewhere new when visiting. It’s on Mr ESLT’s post-COVID-19 staycation bucket list for sporting events and it’s on mine for live music and the West End. We also want to revisit all London’s major tourist attractions (Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, British Museum etc) with the girls and show them why London is one of the most popular capital cities in the world.
The Cotswolds, England
We have only ever visited The Cotswolds once and that was a flying visit as we were doing a hotel review. Therefore we literally drove there, had a night at the hotel, a quick walk around the village and we were off to our next destination. We loved what we saw and over the years we have repeatedly said ‘we really should revisit The Cotswolds’. Now is finally the time and we are adding it to our post-COVID-19 staycation bucket list. With rolling hills and ancient villages and towns, it really is a beautiful spot and one that we cannot wait to spend some proper time exploring with the kids in tow, especially the country parks and gardens, historic buildings, archaeological sites and museums.
Bath, England
We have never visited Bath even though it is somewhere that has been on our must-visit list for the past decade. Everyone we know who has visited Bath has said we would love it. And every blog post and review we have read and photo we have seen suggests we would too. Roman baths, Gothic architecture, brimming with history and a UNESCO World Heritage Site to boot, implies Bath would be a Team ESLT dream come true. We are hoping with can tie it into one of our trips to visit Chris’s mum and stepdad in Cardiff at some point or even with our trip to Peppa Pig World and have a long weekend. Something for the kids and then something for us – I think that seems fair, right?
Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh is a very special city. We have visited a few times together and a couple of times each independently. Every time we have visited it has been for a different reason – a romantic weekend away, sporting event, stag weekend and of course the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It is such a cool and vibrant city with lots of wonderful hotels, bars and restaurants together with museums, galleries and of course the castle. With many different areas, there really is something for everyone in Edinburgh and we cannot wait to return to find out what kid-friendly attractions the city has to offer, having never had to consider entertaining kids on previous visits we are eager to see a different side of the city.
If you live in the UK, where’s on your post-COVID-19 staycation bucket list?
Feature Image: ID 35453656 (c) Lenise Calleja | Dreamstime.com
