England Summary + York and the Lake District National Park

I have been back at my dads for a few weeks now, enjoying the home cooked meals and my own bed. After almost two months of travelling (last stops in England were York and the Lake District National Park) it was also nice to relax on the terrace again. Not to mention doing more cycling around the Fichtelgebirge area, weather permitting of course.

After I had some time to look back at my overall trip to England, here is my small England, Scotland and Wales summary. There were a lot of disappointing towns and some surprisingly pretty, as in every country. And York and the Lake District National Park are now added to my favourites of the overall trip. Read more below…

My trip summary

What is there to say about the United Kingdom? And with the U.K. I mean all the places outside of the rich and pretty London area. I spent three weeks in the U.K. and I must say, I was rather exhausted from all the travels.

As first, driving in the United Kingdom is a pain (apologise for the language but it is true). It was the first country where I had to check the traffic report before starting any trips of the day. There is generally big traffic and, in addition, there always some kind of accident, traffic jam or whole road closure (they just love closing roads). Driving was tiring and exhausting and inevitably took longer than expected. Especially when, at times, there is only one or two roads that lead to a particular destination. So you are basically stuck.

One of the good things about the U.K. is, the toilets are for free (believe me, when travelling, this is an important info worth noticing). However, what I saved on toilet visits, I spent on parking. Whether it is in the city, on the outskirts, or to see a tourist attraction (even to go hiking), there is consistently a parking fee to pay. Crazy!

That said…

… people are generally friendly but they love a drink. There were towns were I felt uneasy walking around the streets, however, and conversely, I have also been offered unused parking tickets from other drivers. On more than one occasion, which is definitely more than previously throughout my travels. Very kind.

So yes, driving through the U.K. was tiring, but the scenery was amazing and the people friendly. The English pubs are definitely pretty and full of atmosphere, however, my only ‘Carvery Buffet Dinner’ with the famous Yorkshire pudding wasn’t the best. But hey, you have to experience it to know it. It is part of travelling.

Lake District National Park

It is England’s largest National Park and now a heritage listed site and should be on your list to visit. Make sure to make a stop in Windermere and Keswick. Both cute towns sitting along the lakes of the National Park. I stopped a few times along the way to take some photos. Gorgeous place to be and see!

York and Harry Potter

I absolutely loved York. It was such a cute and idylic little town and I couldn’t get enough of walking the streets of the old town. And to top it all, I suddenly stood in front of the Harry Potter Street. Here he was once again.

Of course there is a grand cathedral to see and Constantine was patiently waiting for me. Gorgeous town. I could have easily spent a few days here, settling in with the locals. Next time for sure! (Just a little bit like Zwolle in Netherlands).

All the other towns of England

Lincoln was a cute little town and Cambridge a smaller version of Oxford. There are a few towns that I wouldn’t consider worth stopping (let’s not mention Nottingham, Leeds, Bristol and Lancaster) but you can be sure of one thing in most towns in the U.K. There is always a Cathedral to find. Some grander than others, but always there. …

And so…

And so… it was time to leave England, but I will be back one day. After all, I would love to explore the Lake District National Park again and also revisit Oxford and York for sure! Not to mention London of course. For now, lets relax more in the backyard in Germany!