Birmingham Staycation Ideas
After 24 hours in the air on our way home from Australia, Jonny and I landed back in London for a brief evening before our annual family trip to Birmingham commenced. My brothers both go to university there so it's been a road trip that I look forward to every year for a while now - plus this time, we had Molly with us.
My post about our recent visit seemed like the perfect opportunity to collaborate with Lease Car and their BMW contract hire! They created this infographic which discusses some of the best places to drive in the UK and hence, this blog post, about one of my favourite UK road trips, was born!
We went just before Christmas so our first stop was the Christmas market for some lunch but since I'm a bit late getting this post up, I'm just going to share the things that you can do year round!
Checking In
Over the past few years, we've stayed in different hotels around the city but since there were a few more of us this year, we decided to try something different and went for an apartment.
Saco are a brand I've stayed with before in London so I knew the one my mum picked was going to be nice. With two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a kitchen, living area and a huge balcony looking over Birmingham, it was just what we wanted.
Brindley Place
Our apartment block was just down the road from Brindley place which is one of our favourite parts of the city. It's an area of bars and restaurants lining the canal and such a lovely place to spend the evening so of course it was our first choice when deciding where to spend my dads birthday.
We started with a round of cocktails at Pitcher and Piano then went further down to a restaurant called The Canal House for dinner.
Warwick Castle
The castle is about 30 minutes drive from Birmingham city and a fun way to spend a few hours if you have a car. We wandered around the grounds, watched the birds of prey show which was pretty cool and finished our visit with a guided tour of the rooms inside the castle.
Thomas Oken Tea Room
Just outside the castle is the cafe in a cute, little, crooked cottage and the perfect place for lunch! The owners told us that the place is haunted and the room that we were in once caught fire with no other explanation than paranormal activity; but that didn't put us off, it was super cute and very cosy after a cold morning.
With a whole shelf of board games and the table soon filling up with teapots, finger sandwiches and sweet treats, we had a lovely afternoon stuffing our faces and playing taboo.
Coming back in time for Christmas meant getting used to the weather and as per usual, I was freezing. Luckily, my feet weren't a problem because I took part in a Secret Santa with Jake Shoes and arrived home to the ultimate winter pair of Converse.
I love Converse and had been travelling in the same pair since I left in January; they were literally falling apart by the time I got back to England so Roxii (aka my secret Santa) did well with this pair! Black all over and perfectly amped up for winter with a leather outer, cleated soles and fur lining. I haven't taken them off since I've been back!
Escape Live
My brother works at Escape Live in Birmingham and he wanted us to see their new room so we went along and spent the morning trying to escape from a time travel disaster. We managed it with 3 seconds to spare.. much more successful (and actually a much more enjoyable experience) than my last escape room experience!
Cadbury World
Our last stop of the weekend was Cadbury World! We were actually a little bit disappointing with their service - they kinda rushed us through - but anything involving lots of chocolate is still lots of fun! Having gone a little bit mad in the shop at the end, we left with bags and bags of discount chocolate just before Christmas so it wasn't all bad.
And after that, our trip came to and end! Stopping to pick Molly up from my other brothers house, we made our way back home ready for our next adventure a few days later; December was a busy month!
My post about our recent visit seemed like the perfect opportunity to collaborate with Lease Car and their BMW contract hire! They created this infographic which discusses some of the best places to drive in the UK and hence, this blog post, about one of my favourite UK road trips, was born!
We went just before Christmas so our first stop was the Christmas market for some lunch but since I'm a bit late getting this post up, I'm just going to share the things that you can do year round!
Checking In
Over the past few years, we've stayed in different hotels around the city but since there were a few more of us this year, we decided to try something different and went for an apartment.
Saco are a brand I've stayed with before in London so I knew the one my mum picked was going to be nice. With two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a kitchen, living area and a huge balcony looking over Birmingham, it was just what we wanted.
Brindley Place
Our apartment block was just down the road from Brindley place which is one of our favourite parts of the city. It's an area of bars and restaurants lining the canal and such a lovely place to spend the evening so of course it was our first choice when deciding where to spend my dads birthday.
We started with a round of cocktails at Pitcher and Piano then went further down to a restaurant called The Canal House for dinner.
Warwick Castle
The castle is about 30 minutes drive from Birmingham city and a fun way to spend a few hours if you have a car. We wandered around the grounds, watched the birds of prey show which was pretty cool and finished our visit with a guided tour of the rooms inside the castle.
Thomas Oken Tea Room
Just outside the castle is the cafe in a cute, little, crooked cottage and the perfect place for lunch! The owners told us that the place is haunted and the room that we were in once caught fire with no other explanation than paranormal activity; but that didn't put us off, it was super cute and very cosy after a cold morning.
With a whole shelf of board games and the table soon filling up with teapots, finger sandwiches and sweet treats, we had a lovely afternoon stuffing our faces and playing taboo.
Coming back in time for Christmas meant getting used to the weather and as per usual, I was freezing. Luckily, my feet weren't a problem because I took part in a Secret Santa with Jake Shoes and arrived home to the ultimate winter pair of Converse.
I love Converse and had been travelling in the same pair since I left in January; they were literally falling apart by the time I got back to England so Roxii (aka my secret Santa) did well with this pair! Black all over and perfectly amped up for winter with a leather outer, cleated soles and fur lining. I haven't taken them off since I've been back!
Escape Live
My brother works at Escape Live in Birmingham and he wanted us to see their new room so we went along and spent the morning trying to escape from a time travel disaster. We managed it with 3 seconds to spare.. much more successful (and actually a much more enjoyable experience) than my last escape room experience!
Cadbury World
Our last stop of the weekend was Cadbury World! We were actually a little bit disappointing with their service - they kinda rushed us through - but anything involving lots of chocolate is still lots of fun! Having gone a little bit mad in the shop at the end, we left with bags and bags of discount chocolate just before Christmas so it wasn't all bad.
And after that, our trip came to and end! Stopping to pick Molly up from my other brothers house, we made our way back home ready for our next adventure a few days later; December was a busy month!
LOVE this post! I'm trying to explore more of the UK and appreciate what's right on my doorstep.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Jess
The Crown Wings | UK Travel & Lifestyle Blog
In love with that beautiful sunset in Birmingham.
ReplyDeletecompare manchester airport parking
A time spend with the family is a very important part of our life. It remember us our old time. Our passed time with our friends and family, although custom thesis writing service enhance the thinking and promotes it. it is most important and meaningful way of our life. I encrouge all the people to take such trips with there family to make their life happy and enjoyable.
ReplyDelete