5 THINGS TO DO IN WILTSHIRE UK

Saturday

When I'm not living in Bournemouth for university, I live in Wiltshire, UK. I will always say that there is nothing to do in Wiltshire, so this list as well as for my readers, is for me, to remind me of what there is to do when I'm at home. If you live in Wiltshire or want to visit after the lockdown, then here are some ideas of what to do while you're there.


Things to do in Wiltshire


1. Caen Hill Locks

Caen Hill Locks is placed on the Kennet and Avon canal near Devizes. It's a really nice place to go for a walk or picnic. Wiltshire has a lot of countryside walks but this one is different because you get to see the canal and the boats on it.

Caen Hill Locks

2. Longleat

Longleat and Center Parcs are very well known in Wiltshire. Longleat is a safari where you can drive through or go on a bus and see the animals from your window. There is also a zoo and lots more things to do when you've finished driving around. Just try not to drive through the monkey enclosure, they can be pretty ruthless with your car. It's a great day out for families.

3. Cholderton Farm Shop.

I really love the farm shop in Cholderton. It's only a small shop but they serve great breakfast and lunch, you can sit outside too to appropriately social distance. My favourite thing to go for is the brie and bacon panini. They have chickens walking around outside as well which is a bit more exciting than your normal breakfast or lunch out. Proper countryside.

Cholderton Farm Shop

4. Rosebourne

I mentioned Rosebourne in my Top Places to Eat Out in and around Salisbury post. OK, this one is actually in Hampshire but not by much. I'd describe Rosebourne as a shop / restaurant / garden centre / farm shop. It has it all. I love going there for lunch and then wandering around the shop after and recently they've had their Christmas decorations out which definitely makes the shopping more exciting. A lot of their food in the shop is quite high end and some of it can be a little pricey but good for a treat.

5. Stonehenge

This is a pretty obvious one as Stonehenge is world famous. If you are visiting Wiltshire, Stonehenge is a must! You can visit Stonehenge through the visitor's centre and hear all about the World Heritage Site. Or, if you just want to see Stonehenge briefly, you can drive past on the A303. However, I would recommend walking so you don't potentially cause a car accident. You can walk up past Woodhenge in Amesbury and you will be able to see it from a little further away.

Stonehenge

Have you ever been to Wiltshire?

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SMALL BUSINESS CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

*This post contains PR samples for review and affiliate links meaning I may earn a small commission when you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. All opinions are my own and I would never recommend any products that I don't deem of benefit to my audience. For more information, please see my disclaimer.


I am so excited to be sharing my first proper Christmas gift guide post. A couple of years ago I wrote a post on buying gender neutral Christmas gifts, but it was mainly just ideas and not really a full comprehensive list. After the year we've had with the pandemic, it is increasingly important to support small businesses. Therefore, I will be sharing some of my favourite small businesses which I think sell products that would make great Christmas gifts.


Lifestyle


Inside the Fragrance


Alisha from Inside the Voyage blog has started selling the most amazing smelling wax melts. They are such good value for money and I can't recommend these enough! Perfect for a relaxing, self-care evening. 


Inside the Fragrance wax melts


Needle & Stitch


Paulina has very recently started Needle & Stitch. She is making really cute felt keyrings at the moment that would make great stocking fillers!


Melissa Mary Creates


Melissa sells homemade crafts on her Etsy page. These include conker wreaths and really pretty candle jars.


Asia Jade Beauty


Over on Asia's Instagram page, she sells dupes of designer perfumes and aftershaves such as Dior Sauvage that smell exactly like the real thing for such a good price. I have tried the 449 which is a dupe of Jimmy Choo Fever and it smells the same. I would definitely recommend these as Christmas gifts.


Asia Jade Beauty perfume


Simply Katy


Katy has an Etsy shop where she sells prints of locations and cities that she designs herself. Some of the locations include Amsterdam, Lincoln and Venice. I just really love the prints she creates and they would look great on someone's wall. They are well priced for the quality.


The Artist's Lab


Lauren from the Artist's Lab sells embroidery kits for beginners. This would be a great gift for someone creative. It would also be a good present to get someone in case of another lockdown or self-isolation. It's something to do while at home and could be a great way to unwind and get away from a screen for a while.


Earrings


Jess Adams


Jess sells really cool statement earrings over on her Etsy. I have been loving statement earrings from small businesses at the moment, they are all just so unique.


Art by Kateh


Kate makes the most beautiful resin earrings with pressed flowers. These would make great gifts for people who love earrings like this.


Alice Lizzy


I haven't seen any earrings like the one Alice makes before. They are so unique and look so cool! Again, they are statement earrings so would be great for people who wear earrings. Alice has made a Christmas gift box containing 4 pairs of polyclay earrings for the value of £17, saving you £7! You can add an optional personal message with this gift box and the packaging is 100% recyclable.


Use the code GIFTGUIDE20 for 20% off when buying any product from Alice Lizzy.


Alice Lizzy Earrings


Stationary


Amanthis


Amanthis is a black-owned small stationary shop with a great range of helpful products. My go-to product from Amanthis is the Master Mindset Diary. I couldn't live without it at uni. For more information, read my review of the Master Mindset Diary by Amanthis.


Amanthis Master Mindset Diary


Robin and Thorn


Robin and Thorn is a small lifestyle shop. They have all sorts of products including stationary. I use their list pads for my to-do lists and I find it really helpful.


Gifts for bloggers


Jordanne Lee Creative on Gumroad


Jordanne from Of a Glasgow Girl has some really helpful products on her Gumroad including Instagram highlight covers and blogging planners.


Use code LAUREN20 for 20% off your order.


Jenny in Neverland on Gumroad


Again, Jenny has some really helpful products on her Gumroad. Her products are particularly helpful for blogging beginners.


Stocking fillers


Carfume


Carfume is a luxury car scent business. These would make great stocking fillers for drivers as we all love to have nice smelling cars.


Carfume


Children's gifts



Abi from The Peg Place, makes really sweet peg dolls for children. She has made Disney princess dolls, Frozen dolls and Toy Story dolls too so far, among others. These would make lovely Christmas gifts for little ones and they are even more special because they are hand-made and eco friendly.


What are some of your favourite small businesses to shop from?


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Related Read: Christmas Activities to do at Home


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3 DAYS IN SUFFOLK

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the introduction of a lot of travel restrictions, I have been much more appreciative of seeing different parts of the UK. In summer, I spent 48 hours in Lincoln and 48 hours in Hastings.


Before the second lockdown, I was able to get away to Suffolk and stay in a lovely house there with my friend Maddie. It was a really old, beautiful house in the middle of the countryside. The house was a short drive away from some pretty beaches and seaside towns so we were able to explore them.


Wroxham Norfolk Broads


Day 1


On the first day, we wandered round a town called Aldeburgh and walked along the beach. There were quite a few independent shops there and lots of really cute dogs! We had an ice cream there and then went back to the house. I did some uni work in the house too - the grind never stops in third year.


After going back to the house, we decided to go out for dinner. We went to this Italian / pub called The Angel which I thought was a little strange but the food was delicious. I tried scallops for the first time in my seafood linguine.


Southwold Sea


Day 2


Similar to day 1, we walked around another little town and beach in Southwold. Again, they had lots of little shops and really cute dogs! Not far from Southwold, we went to this hidden away fish and chip shop called Sole Bay Fish Company. I might even go as far as to say it was the best chippy I've been to. You could get alcoholic drinks there, and you could sit in too. They didn't just have your classic cod, chips and mushy peas. They also had muscles, lobster, crab, you name it. I had muscles and chips and they were amazing!


After that, we went back to the house and played some board games and had an amazing cheese board. I have to shout out to Maddie for this, she really put on an amazing spread!


Sole Bay Fish Company

Cheese board platter


Day 3


I think Day 3 was my favourite day. We took a trip up to the Norfolk Broads and went on a boat around the broads. I really love going on boat trips, we went on one in Amsterdam around the canals too and that was really fun. It's probably just a novelty for me because it's something I only do when I go away.


There were some amazing holiday homes on the Broads, it was just so relaxing and fun on the boat. It did get really cold really quickly though.


Norfolk Broads


Where is your favourite place to visit in the UK?


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Related Read: 5 Things to do in Wiltshire UK


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PLACES YOU NEED TO VISIT IN DORSET

Since I have been studying in Bournemouth for the last couple of years, I've visited a lot of nice places in Dorset. We are lucky here to be surrounded by lots of beautiful places, and to be right by the sea. I've put together a list of all of my favourite places in Dorset that I have visited so far. There's still some places I haven't been to and things I haven't done, so I'm going to be making a bucket list for my final year of university. I may post it on my blog and tick it off as the year goes by so keep a look out for that.


Places you need to visit in Dorset after lockdown


Bournemouth Beach


Obviously, I have to put Bournemouth Beach as the first destination on the list as I live in Bournemouth. It's one of my favourite places to go in the country. It's such a lovely beach to visit all year round, that's why it's so popular. There's also lots of things to do nearby like the Oceanarium and the arcade.


Sandbanks


Sandbanks

Only 3 miles from Bournemouth Beach, Sandbanks is one of the most expensive places to live in the UK. Sometimes, I like to go there just to drive past the huge houses there. It's half beach, half harbour at sandbanks and it's just an all round nice area.


Hengistbury Head


Still on the beach, Hengistbury head is a great place to go for a walk and you will usually see lots of cute dogs. It's basically just a big hill on the beach and once you get to the top, you can see amazing views of the sea and you can see all the way to Christchurch and Mudeford too.


Poole Harbour


I really love going to Poole harbour and pretending I'm rich and deciding what boat I'd have if I was. Maybe one day, I can dream! They usually run cool boat trips from Poole harbour too, with some going to Swanage and Brownsea Island. I would check that though because of Covid.


Corfe Castle


corfe castle

Corfe Castle had been on my list of places to visit for a while and it's such a lovely village. The actual castle is really high up so has great views of the rest of the village.


Swanage


Swanage is just your typical seaside town which I love. There are lots of little independent shops there and it's just a really pretty place. The arcade there is really fun too!


Sculpture by the Lakes


Sculpture by the lakes Dorset

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to visit Sculpture by the Lakes near Dorchester on a PR trip. It's such a tranquil place and a really great day out. Read all about my trip to Sculpture by the Lakes.


Tyneham Abandoned Village


Tyneham is a village that was abandoned during World War II and no one ever returned. It's an interesting visit but is a very little place so it doesn't take very long to look around. I believe it is only open to the public for visiting on Saturdays but it's really interesting to see.


Durdle Door


durdle door

Durdle door is one of the most beautiful places in the whole of England in my opinion. I don't feel like I need to explain this one - the picture says it all.


Do you live near any nice places to visit? Until the lockdown is over, stay safe x


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Related Read: 48 Hours in Hastings


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