Backpacking holidays always seem like they should be about saving money. Travelling cheaply, living in hostels, and buying food from street markets where you can. Nevertheless, you can definitely inject a little luxury into your travels if you need it. Feet Do Travel share some of the reasons why you should treat yourself to luxury when backpacking.

Is staying in a real Castle on your bucket list? How about a Tudor Castle in England, owned and visited by the UK’s most fascinating monarch, King Henry VIII?

Britain is blessed with many historic Castles in beautiful surroundings. Although there are many castles in England which you can visit, there are very few Castle Hotels. We discovered one close to where we lived, and we didn’t have to pay a King’s ransom to spend the night; Thornbury Castle in South Gloucestershire.

Thornbury Castle is a 500 year old luxurious Castle Hotel. Built in the 1500’s, King Henry VIII owned this castle and stayed for 10 days with his wife, the fated Anne Boleyn, on their honeymoon tour in 1535, and yes you can stay in the same room as King Henry VIII.
​
We booked a night here for Sy’s birthday, but did it live up to its expectations? Did we feel like Royalty when we stayed at Thornbury Castle, and what’s it like to walk in the footsteps of Kings and Queens?

Feet Do Travel reveal what it’s like to stay in a real Tudor Castle Hotel.

​Do you have a travel bucket list? If not, why not? The world is full of fantastic destinations and there isn’t enough time to visit them all. Compile a list of your own personal “must see” places and plan some trips. Not all destinations require a long haul flight and plenty of cash, there are plenty of amazing destinations close to home.

​Ditch the thoughts of your two weeks in the med this year and visit somewhere new! 

Wimbledon, strawberries and cream and British music festivals are some of the things people typically think of when they hear the words 'British summer time'. However, at eatdrinkseek.co.uk, we feel that along with music festivals, food and wine festivals should be added to the list of things which make up a typical British summer.

If you have never visited one of the many food festivals held up and down the country, then we would encourage you to change that in 2018. To help you choose from literally hundreds of events, we have put together a list of what we feel are 5 of the very best food festivals.

Are you ready for some good food inspiration?

On a crisp Autumn day, my friend and I took a day trip to London with one purpose – to tick off three of my very own bucket list items!

Before we left the UK for good, I wanted one more chance to visit my country’s capital. There are so many things to do in London, and as a UK resident, I had done most of them over the years. There are still more London attractions that I have yet to see, but on this particular day, I was excited to tick off three. How did I choose to spend my time in London for my final visit, before travelling the world for good?
​
The question is, are any of these London bucket list items on your list?

What do you think of when someone mentions Nottingham City? Maybe you think about the Robin Hood saga and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Perhaps you know it has the oldest Inn AND one of the oldest trees in England? Maybe it’s neither of these things – but you should definitely try and visit, and do so during Summer as there is a wonderful surprise; a purpose built beach with eateries, amusement park rides, a bar and music – something for the whole family!

We visited Nottingham for my birthday, but how did we spend a beautiful sunny summer Bank Holiday in the historic City of Nottingham?

I was born and grew up in Bristol but moved to Gloucester fifteen years ago, however from time to time, I am still drawn to my hometown and like to try new things as a “foreigner”.

​In the run up to leaving the UK to begin my nomadic lifestyle, I decided to visit a couple of places I had wanted to see but hadn’t quite yet ventured to.

But where is Bristol and what did I want to visit?

​I had never heard of a cat café before in my entire life … that is until I read a blog about one and I have since become obsessed! My birthday was looming so I looked up all the cat café’s in the UK and found eight to choose from in London, Manchester, Nottingham, Derby, Edinburgh, three in Newcastle (Mog on the Tyne, The Laughing Cat Café and the newest one Catpawchino). At the time of writing, two are vying to be the first in Birmingham, and one has now opened in Bristol.

Before I start, I must tell you the house rules of all cafes; no flash photography, no petting the cats whilst they are asleep and no chasing and running after them. Various other rules apply at each establishment, but these are the main ones to abide by, after all, you are here to enjoy the company of cats in their home, and it’s not nice or polite to make them feel uncomfortable.
​
I opted for Nottingham first, however after making it my mission to visit one… I couldn’t stop there so made it my mission to visit as many as I could. 

We used to live in Gloucester, the County capital of the Cotswolds which is an area considered to be quintessentially English.  One lunchtime, whilst enjoying a gingerbread latte at my favourite Coffee #1 hangout, all of a sudden I heard a piano playing on the high street. A piano? A real piano? Not a pack-up-and-go sythesizer but a REAL piano, how on earth did a busker transport a real piano??  

But it wasn’t a busker, it was an ordinary passer-by who had stopped to play “The Entertainer” on a colourfully painted piano randomly stationed on the street. My curiosity got the better of me and I needed to have a closer look. Upon inspection a plaque invited me to “Tickle my ivories. Have a go at playing this piano decorated by students at Gloucestershire College”. 

On May Bank Holiday Monday every year at midday, a crowd as large as 4,000, gather to watch people throw themselves down a steep grassy bank in pursuit of an 8lb Double Gloucester lump of cheese.  

People travel from all over the globe to watch and participate in this world-famous “sporting event”, in fact back in 2013, a 27-year-old American man and a 39-year-old Japanese man each won one of the four races.

The Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling Festival at Coopers Hill, Brockworth is a 200 year old annual tradition for crazy people. This wacky local tradition is held just a couple of miles down the road from where we used to live.
​
Have I been to this event?  Absolutely!!!  Have I taken part???