Some of Those Popular Destinations Visited in UK

The Great West Way

Departing from London, the capital of Britain, the railroad and road extent to Bristol. It normally takes up to 3 hours to travel from London Euston to Cardiff Central, via several famous tourism destinations, mainly served by Great Western Railway and other transports.

The Great West Way captured on OpenStreetMap.org

The Great West Way is created by UK Government as a booster for its inbound tourism and the name has copyright so it would be better to make it clear beyond the descipline when the post is written. As shown in the picture, if you travel by roads, for example, you run along with the route. There are some must-visit places during that journey such as Windsor Castle, Bath and Bristol. If you are fortunate to stay in London, then you can easily hop aboard trains or coach buses and even taxis, if you don’t mind the cost, and have a go.

At the first time when I visited Bristol, I was quite anxious about the time because it showed that it would spend me more than 3 hours getting there from where I lived. It was not easy to travel by trains, to be honest, as I was lack of basic expectation of how fast they could run and how big the country was but it still sounded terrific just staying on a train.

Bristol

You may have heard of University of Bristol, which is a very famous destination for international students. It was around the summer when I visited Bristol and I could hear seagulls calling all the time. It was quite cool during that late summer unlike my home town.

Basically, Bristol has a significant history of marine development in UK, providing ship manufacturing, navy harbours and marine transport communicating westwards. I could find the very element of marine culture here whose insights were mostly the life of people living here, including sailors and soldiers. The most impressive piece of fact in history was male civilians being cheated and forced to join the navy, carried on the warships far away from their land and leaving some compensation to their wives and children at home without words and eventually coming back in-person or, just never seen again. I loved the tour guide introducing the stories and that is why I still remember some of them till now.

I followed the tour guide in the walking tour around the town centre of Bristol and learnt another story. There was a woman who was prosecuted as a witch and was put into prison during the second world war. She was the last one that was acused of being a witch, as the mistery of witches had been spread across the old Europe. The reason why she was punished as a witch was apparently not that people were still illiterate but the need of war. The government had to calm down their people and encourage them to support the war so had censored every piece of information during that time and therefore, they could not tolerate individuals breaching the restrictions. They wanted to put that lady into prison but found there was no law regulating normal speeches and censorship so eventually they picked up a course of law punishing witches, sending her into prison during the war. Of course, there was no longer any horrible torture toward this ‘witch’ in modern times. After the war, the lady was released and the law of witches was never used again.

Listening to stories, I visited Brunel’s SS Great Britain, which was a museum remembering a large ship travelling across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World, transporting the upper classes and lower classes, animals, rats and disease. It cost roughly £16 to buy a ticket with an evidence of valid student card. The ticket would expire after one year from the day it was purchased, allowing the visitor to re-enter the museum in unlimited times so surprisingly it worthed.

The major body of museum was a large ship functionally with sails and a main steam engine. The ship was refurbished entirely as it was, dated back to its time, despite the authenticity that could be debated in a sense of academia but should not be focus on as I am recommending it now! As an international student with a limited range of history and culture, I found it challenging to read every single word displayed on the exhibits but found it enjoyable and readable that the alternatively assisting models made of waxworks clearly showed the ‘exact’ moment in this ship. The light and sound system worked and enhanced the atmosphere, which was excellent for help visitors interpret the information to understand easily.

This ship was built during the 19 century when many people were moving from Britain to the New World. Till now, it is hard for us to imagine how difficult it was and what a long time it should spend on the sea but through those tangible and visible objects and exhibits we may be able to learn some about the past and get to know what it was and how it feels. It is a part of British history full of normal folks and their varying stories.

Apart from the museum, it is also worth visiting the town centre and streets, probably including other aquariums and museums. Buses are somehow convenient but unreliable during the rush hours so it is recommended to call taxis or order Uber to get to the train station or coach stop from where you remain, otherwise you will be probably stuck in the traffic jams while there is few buses coming because they are stuck in the middle of their journey as well!

There is two train stations and one coach bus station in Bristol so just pick up one as preferred regarding your convenience. Bristol Parkway Station is half an hour away from the actual town centre so please make sure you really need it if you want to save some money and try the new model of electrified high speed trains rather than diesel ones. Bristol Temple Meads Station is an older train station but much closer to central Bristol so it is highly recommended.

Bath

Bath is near Bristol and it is often recommended to visit Bristol and Bath together. In terms of history, however, Bath is completely different to Bristol. It is a city dated back to the times of Roman Empire, which was once upon a time the most strong power across Mediterranean conquering Britannia, the ancient Britain.

It was absolutely amazing to see the great Roman buildings and heritages there. I did not visit the Roman Bath and many other museums, places due to the closure day when I went to Bath though, I visited alternative museums and walked around the town centre, enjoying the silent and chill vibe in the morning and the vivid feeling on that afternoon when students and visitors finally popped up on the high street. I just sat in a bench in the middle of the high street with a box of sushi on my knee. Pigeons flew and landed on the ground near me, jumpped up to the bench and observed me and my lunch box but I did not get any leftover left for them because I was hungry.

It was great to visit Bath but I did not get a chance to visit the most popular spots due to their admission fee, closure days and my limit time planned in Bath, which was a shame remaining me to keep that city in my visiting list.

Basically, you may take a slow pace walking around the city and its surroundings, hopping aboard a tour bus or rent a cycle if you could. There is municipally established Wi-Fi connection on streets so you may get a chance to stay connected with your friends online and save your data plan.

Walking on a street of those in Bath, I could feel the vibe of history, appreciating the buildings and the old ground embeded with stones. I had no way to tell their dates but just admired how advanced they could be in the 19th century, when most countries were still struggling in their dark ages, although human race was gradually facing with the light from the end of tunnel, ready to embrace the first industrialised capitalism in history. Apologies but that was really what I was thinking at that moment. That was not some sort of complaint hidden behind this message but, you may see, it could just be a poet imagining something during their journey.

Coming to the end of my journey, I went shopping in Waitrose and grabbed a piece of smoked salmon as my snack on the train. There was only one train station in Bath, Bath Spa, just next to the bus and coach station. It was enjoyable that I could take the bulletin train like a regular bus, following the time table, which was quite punctual most of the time. The train I took headed to London Paddington but I jumpped off at a station in the middle of its journey. I woke up when suddenly hearing the arrival announcement and rushed out of the carriage sooner or later before the train closed its doors and departed. I could not tell where the sun was but just felt the wind pushing me toward where I aimed to go to.

Swindon

I made it casual when I visited Bath so I did not research a lot before going there. Unfortunately, therefore, most of museums were closed on that day when I visited Bath so I decided to buy one more single ticket to a city not really famous among visitors, which was Swindon.

Taking the same route of the train, I jumpped off and walked into Swindon. The train station looked quite strange with a tall but lonely building standing next to the railway. No other buildings nearby could reach to half of its height and it soon reminded me of the economic recovery hardly coming again although I was not sure about whether it was really happening or just, again, my crazy imagination.

Anyway, there was a steam train station demonstrating Great Western Railway company. I paid less than £10 for a student ticket and enjoyedmy afternoon there. It was winter and I could barely see visitors. I really enjoyed the peacefully quiet vibe.

There were many types of trains and locomotives exhibited in the museum. North Star was one of the most impressive locomotive. It looked like Stephenson’s Rocket with a set of very large wheels installed in the middle among totally three sets of wheels. Compared with that lovely and more old-fashioned engine, the hard-core giant in the heart of the museum was fabulous, which was the Cheltenham Flyer manufactured by Great Western Railway. She was called the world’s fastest train. However, I came up with a question. Which would be faster if we compared Flying Scotsman, Mallard and her? I did not know. The museum provided me with a underground tunnel allowing visitors to watch the locomotive underneath so I could manage to observe the ‘secret’ hidden on her bottom and satisfied my curiosity. Just a half joke and a half truth. Hah!

As usual, I bought some souvenirs before leaving the museum. It was winter, probably the low season in a year, so I really enjoy walking around the big space without being bothered. The staff were nice, too. The only thing that I found it annoying was the signal which was so weak in the bathroom that my smartphone could not connect to the mobile network, even could not make a normal phone call if necessary. Perhaps iPhone really sucked due to its chipset designed without considering the most crucial function of a mobile phone.

The day was going dark soon and I scrolled the map finding nothing attracting me at that moment. Swindon was a good place if I could come again in summer but I did not think it worked same in winter. Therefore, it was better to travel back.

Salisbury

The another chance for me to explore the railway was the trip to Salisbury, allowing me to hop aboard the diesel carriages of Southwestern Railway. I could not hear the noise inside the train, which was great, and it ran fast across the country, changing my expectation about diesel engines. Sorry for my limited experience of going out and having trips unlike other typical travel lovers but I did find it increasingly enjoyable taking trains and buses to travel across the country and watching the view left behind from the car window.

When it comes to Salisbury, what would you come up with in your mind? For me, my mind would be come up with Stonehenge and The Old Sarum and indeed they are promoted and organised to be a bus tour package provided to individual visitors to spend their great day out in Salisbury.

Stonehenge

Here comes the world-famous attraction, Stonehenge.

Stonehenge is located in Salisbury and roughly an hour away from the town centre if you take the bus to get there. I searched and booked the ticket online so it helped me save a little effort and avoid embarrassment as much as possible during the bus tour, although I fell asleep while recoring the video. I then prayed for that video not bad as I expected.

I missed my train on that day so it was an hour late than my plan. I could have take the right train but I made a mistake, reading the wrong instruction on my phone and getting into the wrong train earlier than the one I should have taken. The wrong train took me back to another village where I jumpped off the train and caught up with the right one going back to the original station. Then I just waited for the train to come.

The thing is that it was the period after the Christmas and thus a massive network maintainence happened in most of British railways. Unfortunately, a landslide soon after the network maintainence blocked the rail so it took another several countless days to recover the normal transport. The timetable was struggling. It might be better if I could plan ahead and keep on time and I should! I learnt the lesson then.

It is good to have a rest on the train but is also crucial to remember to pay attention to the annoucement when the train stops at the destination.

It was cold when I got off the carriage. Soon after exiting the station, I found the bus stop where a double-decker waited for its passengers. It was easy to notice the painting on the bus that indicated that vehicle was for the bus tour to Stonehenge. It took about an hour to get to Stonehenge. I enjoyed the view of country during the journey and the narrative from the earphone which was given by the driver when I got in the bus and got my ticket printed.

The bus stopped at the visitor centre which was still a bit away from the main attraction. I had a rest and grabbed a simple lunch, sitting in the café without being surrounded by visitors as expected. Built in 2013, the visitor centre looked gorgeous, with a ticket office, additional exhibition halls, a souvenir shop and a café. Then I rushed to the shutter bus carrying me to the main spot.

The Stonehenge was built by Neolithic human more than 4,000 years ago, who once lived in ancient England. How interesting! Nobody knows exactly the purpose of Stonehenge built with large stones remained questions and myths to scientists to solve with.

The Old Sarum

Compared with Stonehenge, The Old Sarum was not so famous like that. It was just a normal English Heritage. Individual tourists, for example, who bought the whole tickets, might travel to visit there as their last place to see when it was turning dark approaching to the evening in such a cold winter.

The Old Sarum was surrounded by a sort of defense platform where there were some trees and grass growing and people were walking their dogs. This place was once where the King lived but now it had been ruined with only some walls and bricks and foundations left, indicating the past with very limited imagination. Basically, it meant little things to me but it was good for people to wander around and spend their time with families, friends and the loved ones.

Town centre

The tour bus brought me back to the town centre where I found many superstores and shops. It felt safe when I was walking in the town centre, unlike in London, but overall, not much better than the average, just chance by chance.

It was nearly 4 p.m. on a weekday when lots of students leaving secondary schools and commuting on streets. They wore good school uniforms and chatted with their friends. I suddenly missed my school days but during that time I did not have nice uniforms. One thing that I remembered most was attending classes, doing homework and playing computer or sometimes running around the neighourhood. I could not imagine the school life in Britain but I sometimes wished I might have a better time if I could be lucky to be born here. Of course I realised it was not that matter after I learnt some more about the education system in UK from a friend of mine. That would be another story.

As usual I bought a snack before heading to the train station. I saw few people waiting for the train but only birds more than human standing on the platform, the roof of shelter and the railways laying between platforms. I arrived at the platform far more earlier so had to wait for a while until watching the train sliding into the station. It became busier after I arrived the interchange station and I must stood inside the crowded carriage. After all, I managed to get back home.

Oxford

‘Exciting! I’m gonna visit Oxford!’

It was a normal Thursday. Oxford was a nice place to visit if you enjoyed the colleges and, of course, the University of Oxford.

I preferred Oxford. It seemed friendly to international students since it felt liberal when I walked into a bookshop where I found many books and artworks sold and many of them were pop-cultural. On the streets I saw many visitors including the Britons, Chinese and many other ethnicities as well as couples walking together and holding hands. That was so sweet.