[abhayankara]

Welcome to my travelogue!

Join me as I recount my recent journey to the northwest part of the United Kingdom, where we explored the vibrant city of Liverpool, wandered through the serene landscapes of the Lake District, and ventured into the majestic surroundings of Fort Williams. This is one memorable journey through these captivating destinations.

Before we dive into my recent trip to northwest part of the United Kingdom, please read my previous travelogue detailing my unforgettable journey to Ladakh. From the breathtaking landscapes of the Himalayas to the rich culture of Leh discovering the remote region through my lens and experiences.

Link: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ne-dusted.html (Bengaluru to Leh Ladakh (Fortuner, S-Cross) - One blind summit, done and dusted!)

We were excited as we geared up for our inaugural long trip across northwest part of the United Kingdom. With maps spread out, snack packed, and the car fuelled up, excitement filled the air as we embarked on this adventure of the lifetime.

I made advance reservations for accommodations during our trip. I booked Premier Inn for first three days, one night in Premier Inn Birkenhead Town Centre Hotel, Second night in Premier Inn Carlisle Hotel, and Third night in Premier Inn Glasgow Braehead Hotel. Additionally, I secured a cozy pod accommodation for two nights at Glamping Pods for a unique lodging experience amidst the natural beauty of the area.

I had also pre booked for Eureka! Science Discovery, a boating ride at Keswick and Oban Sea tour.

[abhayankara]

Day 1: Home – Liverpool (Destination)

Date: 30 – March - 2024
Miles Travelled: 130 miles.
Accommodation: Premier Inn Birkenhead Town Centre Hotel
Highlights of the day:
1. Eureka! Science Discovery
2. Ferry ride
3. Beatles Statue

Our journey started early hours of the morning, the excitement was noticeable in the face of my son as we hit the road. With the sun barely rising, we made swift progress, eventually arriving in Liverpool by 10:30 AM. The drive was nothing short of thrill, with each passing mile offering new sights and experiences. Upon reaching Liverpool, we secured parking at the Premier Inn before starting on our first adventure, a visit to the Eureka Science Tour. However initially there was a challenge of locating the bus station and identifying the correct bus to our destination. Thanks to the information centre, we were able to easily identify the correct bus route to Eureka. With their guidance we boarded the bus and reached our destination in 10 minutes.

Eureka provided a good insight into various scientific concepts, presented in an engaging and interactive manner. Overall, the visit was memorable experience and the link to the booking tickets, exploring more information about the place: https://discover.eureka.org.uk/

Our stay for Day 1

After an enriching two-hour educational tour at Eureka, we eagerly made our way to board the ferry, ready to continue our exploration. However, luck was not on our side as we missed the ferry by a mere five minutes, leaving us with no choice but to wait for next one, which would not depart for another hour. Undoubtedly our first mistake of the day, we used the time to plan our visits and restaurant to have lunch.
The ferry arrived around 14:30 and we eagerly boarded the Seacombe Ferry. The scenic ride across the water took approximately 30 minutes, transporting us from Seacombe to the Pier head side.

We were hungry and upon arrival we went straight to have lunch to satisfy our hunger. After a satisfying meal, we roamed around near by areas, capturing precious moments. One of the highlights was capturing snapshots of the iconic Beatles statue, Liverpool’s rich musical heritage. The afternoon was spent immersing ourselves in the charm and history of this vibrant city, creating memories that would last a lifetime.

As we made our way back to the hotel, the roads were completely deserted.

To ensure a hassle-free start to our day, we booked breakfast at the hotel for next day where we were staying and ordered food online for dinner. With our meals sorted we called it a day.

[abhayankara]

Day 2: Liverpool – Keswick, Lake District - Carlisle (Destination)
Date: 31 – March - 2024
Miles Travelled: 180 miles.
Accommodation: Premier Inn Carlisle Hotel
Highlights of the day:
1. Lake District (Keswick)
2. The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction
3. Keswick Launch ride

The next morning, we got up early and got ready for the day ahead. We finished our breakfast in the hotel and checked out.

We started our journey towards Lake District, and the scenic drive towards Keswick which left us speechless. The beauty of the landscape was beyond words, extremely beautiful sceneries seemed like they belonged to a painting. My son is fond of the cartoon Peter the Rabbit and our first stop was naturally dedicated to this place “The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction”. It was a two hour drive from the hotel to the Beatrix attraction, we parked our car in a parking place on the Rayrigg road, this is one of the option for parking close to the attraction, but we had to wait for some time to get a parking place. Lucky for us we got a place in less than ~10 minutes into the parking lot.

We then headed towards the attraction and bought the entry tickets to explore the story of Peter the Rabbit. At the ticket counter we were informed about a fun activity to find the hidden eggs scattered around the garden on the eve of Easter. To start with there was a three-minute video explaining about the history of the writer and creator of the Peter the Rabbit after that we started exploring the attraction.

More information about the attraction: https://www.hop-skip-jump.com/

We spent around two hours exploring the attraction, bough some souvenirs and headed straight to have our lunch. We quickly finished our lunch and started our next journey towards Keswick launch which was another ~45 minutes of drive from there.

I had already booked tickets for a round trip on the launch, we were on time parked our vehicle and straight headed towards the boarding point. Soon we boarded the boat and the launch ride started. The ride was rather uneventful, later we thought we could have allocated this time to further explore the wonders of the Lake District. The ride was scenic, but it was the same what we experienced during our drive from the attraction to the launch.

The time we had to explore Lake District was limited, the beauty and charm of the area truly deserve more time for the thorough exploration. Despite the constraints, I enjoyed the drive all through the Day 2. But I would definitely come back to explore Lake District deeper next time.

After the launch ride we started our journey to the hotel, I had booked our stay at Premier Inn Carlisle Hotel which took another ~ one hour to reach. We checked in freshened up and headed straight to have our dinner. After dinner we rested at the hotel with a good sleep.

Our stay for Day 2

[abhayankara]

Day 3: Carlisle – Glasgow (Destination)
Date: 01 – April - 2024
Miles Travelled: 110 miles.
Accommodation: Premier Inn Glasgow Braehead Hotel
Highlights of the day:
1. Glasgow city tour

I had arranged booking of hop on hop off bus for us to explore the city, we parked our vehicle and boarded a double decker bus. My son was very excited to board on the bus where he secured a place on the top deck.
We stopped at the city centre and spent some time shopping and a good lunch in an Indian restaurant. We then again boarded the last bus and finished our city tour, it was around 90 minutes tour, with our city tour completing we decided to warm up with a cup of coffee taking a moment to relax and start our journey towards our stay for the day to Premier Inn Glasgow Braehead Hotel. There is not many highlights or activities to state on this day, but our time spent roaming around the street , sightseeing was memorable and enjoyable.
Our stay at Glasgow was most comfortable compared to the previous two days. One of the highlights was the view from our hotel to the football ground where players were practicing. It was pleasant to watch their practice matches and enjoyed our evening. We ordered our food online which took sometime to get delivered, finished our dinner and rested.

Our stay for Day 3

[abhayankara]

Day 4: Glasgow – Oban - Ardgour(Destination)
Date: 01 – April - 2024
Miles Travelled: 110 miles.
Accommodation: Glamping Pods, Ardgour
Highlights of the day:
1. Oban sea tour

I had originally booked the Oban sea tour for 16:00, but received an email from the organizers informing me that the slot was cancelled. They offered a 12:30 PM slot instead, and since I had not planned any other sightseeing activities en route to Oban, I gladly accepted the offer.

We had our breakfast at the hotel and started early to Oban. It was close to ~ Two hours drive from the hotel, the drive to Oban was pleasant and we arrived at the destination around 12:00 PM. After parking our vehicle, we headed straight to board the boat. The sea tour was fantastic, lasting for two hours, during which we spotted sea eagles, dolphins and seals. The first hour was exciting but afterward it started to become more tiring. After the sea tour we finished our lunch and roamed around the city centre, did some shopping and headed towards our stay for next two days.

The other most exciting part of the day was crossing sea on a ferry (Corran Ferry). My son was thrilled for the ride, and once we passed the ferry journey, we reached the pod. Ferry runs every half an hour both ways and charge £10 per ride. Soon after reaching the pods I called John for the access to the pods, while casually speaking to him I asked him about his recommendations for the sightseeing around the Ardgour. John instructed me to drive two miles and then look to the left to sight seals by the side of the road on the first service parking. Afterward he suggested driving another six miles to spot some deer. I immediately dropped all luggage at the pod and drove in the direction in which John has instructed. True to his words I could spot both seals and deer's, I spent sometime exploring the place and returned to the pod. We had got packed dinner from Oban which we had for the night and slept.

Saint Conan's Historic Building

Our stay for day 4 and day 5

[abhayankara]

Day 5: Ardgour – Fort William - Ardgour(Destination)
Date: 02 – April - 2024
Miles Travelled: ~40 miles.
Accommodation: Glamping Pods, Ardgour
Highlights of the day:
1. Fort William
2. Glenfinnan Viaduct

I did not have much planned for sightseeing and wanted it to be a relaxing day. We leisurely got up, had breakfast, and then headed towards Glenfinnan viaduct. We spent around an hour near the bridge, enjoying the scenery and headed towards Fort William, we did some shopping, had our lunch and roamed around the high street. Finally returned to the pods, boarded the ferry and called it a day.

[abhayankara]

Day 6: Ardgour – Home(Destination)

Day six was dedicated to the journey back home, covering approximately 450 miles from Ardgour. We started around 09:30 in the morning, stopping for lunch along the way. The drive was uneventful, as the journey came close to the end memories of Liverpool, landscapes of Lake District, Oban, Glenfinnan each moment captured the essence of exploration and the joy of discovery. Although everything planned may not have gone as planned but the memories created and lessons learned have undoubtedly given more scope to improve the future trips.

I strictly adhered to the two-three hour travel limit each day giving more time to explore the place of that day except for the Day 6. What I could have done better? I should have skipped Keswick boat ride on the Day 2 and allocated that time to explore Lake District.

Until the next adventure, I cherish these memories and look forward to the journeys that await.

[sukhbirST]

Great trip with good photos. Would you please give some info with the photos.