Cracking Britain. Part 2.

This is Part 2 of Olesya Komarova's guest post about travelling in Britain on a tight budget.

It is the second part of a story on how to make your dream trip come at a dream price and not only in your dreams. In part 1 I told about my Wwoofing experience and some hidden gems of Somerset, in this part we’ll get across the whole island from the very South to the North.

As if amending for the hideous amount of tourists, August in GB repays with warm pleasant weather, becoming the only month for beach season. Yes, they put up tents on the beaches because of the never-ending wind. Yes, the water is bitter cold and you WON’T get used to it. Still, English coastline has some magnificent charm that captures you for good.

Stone benches on the cliffs 
so that all generations could enjoy the Charm :) 

It was supposed to be a direct trip from Bristol to Swanage - a tiny scenic sea-town I learned about by hanging on Airbnb. Then it turned out you need to make two changes for a ferry to get there. Also, just in the middle of the route was Salisbury with its splendorous cathedral and Stonehenge, which I definitely couldn’t miss. I already told how to save a lot on your train and bus tickets, but that works only on long-distance routes. Bus services between small towns cost much for foreigners. The question was how to change about 5 buses in one day preferably having some money left for the rest of the trip.

Seek and ye shall find

When I think of British tourism policy it feels like they invented it following the rule "make it intimidatingly expensive for all leaving a tiny loophole for those who are desperate enough to find it."

Such ‘loophole’ for South England is SalisburyReds. Together with Morebus they have a day pass allowing to travel all over the region for fixed £8.

Companies all over Britain have similar offers. To find them you need to:
1) go to google maps;
2) plan your route via public transport;
3) go to the websites of the suggested buses;
4) scrutinize it most carefully.

Salisbury Cathedral. 
I won’t even try to describe how magnificent that building is.

If state museums and galleries are free in England, things get less optimistic with all the other sites (including castles and Stonehenge). By ‘less optimistic’ I mean outraging - in average the entrance costs £20 (which equals my monthly stipend), but being obsessed with medieval architecture I found a perfect way out.

English Heritage, the organization in charge of most of the historic sites in England, provides a 9- or 16-day pass which gives you an access to more than 100 places. Prices start from only £33 with discounts for families. On the website they have a map of all the sites and the calendar of all the upcoming events which helps no end in planning your route. 

There’s something in taking your own perfect wallpaper-type pic.

Generally, to get from Salisbury to Stonehenge costs £10 and an hour of your life wasted in a huge traffic jam. With my pass in 10 minutes I got from Salisbury to Amesbury which is only 20 min walk from the site.

Stonehenge and thank God I have no car.

In the evening I was already enjoying the quiet beauty of fairy Swanage.

There I stayed for 4 days bathing in the Irish Sea and hiking in Durlston National Park - up to Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door.

The 2 things I didn’t expect from a resort town

By midday that beach was crowded with hard-boiled Britons and I went on.

Entrance to the park

On a map the route was a nice 9-mile walk. The thing I didn’t take into account was the CLIFFS and HILLS. *They are enormously high!* 

This world needs a word expressing a feeling of being 
totally exhausted and happy at the same time.

I was glad I stopped for a swim in nice wild coves on my way - overcrowded Durdle Door was not enticing at all (but still breathtaking, literally and metaphorically). 

Lulworth Cove & Stair Hole

Edinburgh

The first and the main thing I learned from going to Scotland is that hoping to fully experience a country through visiting only one city for a couple of days is hilarious. You need at least a week for Edinburgh, let alone the Highlands. The second thing I learned is that going to castles in August is the most frustrating and exasperating activity.

Dover castle in April VS Edinburgh castle in August

Hordes of tourists rape the place of all its historic allure. My only salvation was Fringe - the largest arts festival in the world held in Edinburgh in August.

One of the Fringe stages by Scottish National Art Gallery

During more than 3 weeks, artists of all kinds perform their talents in the center of the city, competing for public recognition. For a day I became a part of real magic: at arm's length great comedians, singers, illusionists truly committed to their arts, shared their passion with common people. Most of the shows are interactive - I was lucky to take part in a magician’s show from Thailand, got a few lines in an improvisation by Scottish rapper, and hardly escaped being dragged into American comedian’s panto.

Even the sunset was euphoric.

Fringe filled me with such energy that I even pulled through the second overnight bus on my way back to London.

Those were my 16 days of happiness, freedom and self-development, 16 days in which I learned that a limited budget can give you quite unlimited opportunities. And now it is your turn to think:

A flag stone at Durlston.