If I could pick any place to live that I’ve traveled to before, it would absolutely be the UK. And not in an, “I’m independently wealthy and would love to live in this Greek villa” kind of way, but in a realistic, everyday-life kind of way. I first traveled there for work, visiting London and Cambridge, and fell completely in love. (It didn’t hurt that whenever I visit, I tend to luck out with the weather). So a few years ago, I decided to take a solo trip there to celebrate my birthday. I’ll drop the route I took, and all my recommendations for stays, food, and sights.

I flew into London, and rented a car. This wasn’t the first time I had rented a car in the UK- the first time I did it, I was super nervous about driving on the opposite side of the road. But strangely enough, I found that in general, my brain kind of switches over naturally and it wasn’t too crazy. This time, however- there was a bit of a surprise. I rented the smallest size car I could, as I always do there (because #smallroads), but this time they “surprised” me with a free upgrade to a luxury Mercedes sedan. This thing was massive. (Hindsight being 20/20, I should have asked them to switch me back down).

A map displaying a route from Heathrow Airport, to Burley, to the Lakes District, to Edinburgh, Scotland. — The route I drove through the UK on a solo road trip

First stop: Burley. A charming little witchy village about an hour and a half southwest of London, in the New Forest.

Stay:

The Burley Inn. I love any place with rooms above a pub. The staff were lovely and room was very comfortable.

A dark brown pub bar with a sign reading "Welcome to the Burley Inn" next to a plaid staircase. — Main lobby of the Burley Inn

See/Do:

A Coven of Witches Shop- Lots of fun witchy items and a ton of tarot decks!

A black and white building with signage reading "A Coven of Witches". — Witchy vibes all day.

Spa treatments at Burley Manor- a stunning old manor house on gorgeously-kept grounds. In the spirit of “treat yourself," I went on my birthday for the “Mediterranean Marinade” facial and the “Drift Away” massage.

A beautiful old Victorian manor home, with red brick and large chimney. — Hello, I live here!

A spa treatment room with a massage table and soft lighting. — Your girl loves a spa day.

Stop for cider and a scone at New Forest Cidery- they have animals and picnic tables to sit and enjoy the sunshine if you’re lucky enough to get some.

A bottle of cider and a scone sit on a picnic table with grass and birds in the background. — Lovely mid-afternoon snack- with birds!

Eat:

Queen’s Head Pub- Very cozy, historic, and the perfect place for a solo birthday dinner (and glass of birthday champagne).

An old brick building with a sign for "Queen's Head". — This restaurant was across the street from where I was staying!

A woman in a dusty rose-colored velvet dress smiles and holds a glass of champagne. — Cheers to 38! Only problem with solo vacays- no one to play photog.

Old FarmHouse Restaurant and Tea Rooms- I had a lovely “cuppa” and lunch here one day. It was outside of this place I made friends with a dog, and their owners heard my accent and said it was “exotic”- perhaps the only time this American ever has or ever will hear that.

A white building with a thatched grass roof and leaded windows. — A thatched grass roof will always warm my heart.

Interior of an old restaurant with a fireplace, exposed dark wood beams, and leaded windows. — Loved the interior of this restaurant!

After a couple days in Burley, I drove north to the Lakes District. On the way, I took a brief detour to Stonehenge. Apparently the hours to buy tickets to actually walk up to it are limited, and I was there early in the morning- after struggling to navigate my fancy sedan down the road to get to Stonehenge, which had not potholes, but major ditches all over the road- my patience had worn thin (as had my odds at not getting charged for damage to the car), so I contented myself to look from behind the rope. I came, I saw, I left. If you are going to see Stonehenge, I highly recommend having a sport utility vehicle or something built for off-roading.

A photo of Stonehenge from behind ropes. Large stones placed in circles and horseshoes. — Stonehenge- from behind the ropes lol.

But I digress. The Lakes District was perhaps my favorite part of the whole road trip. It is absolutely gorgeous there. Tiny roads, so be prepared to feel like Cameron Diaz in “The Holiday”, but so worth it. It was about a 6 hour drive from Burley, with stops, but that’s what podcasts and audiobooks are for!

A beautiful lake sits among vibrant green landscape and rolling hills. — These views are worth the hike, even from the most non-hikiest of girlies.

Stay:

On recommendation from a friend who lives in the UK, I stayed at the Glen Rothay Hotel and Badger Bar. Again, rooms above a pub (with the best fish and chips I’ve ever had). But my current favorite place to stay maybe ever.

An old stone hotel with blue-framed bay windows and patio tables out front. — How gorgeous is this place?!

The perks?

The resident dog, Kooka. So friendly, much handsome. Honestly, more places need a resident dog. I love him.

A black and white dog sits in a curved banquette table in a restaurant. — KOOKA. My love. My travel bestie. The bestest pup in the Lakes District.

The bathtub. A rarity in some areas but absolutely gorgeous, and the perfect amenity for winding down after a day of walking.

A woman's feet on the edge of a running bathtub, against dark teal-green tile. — A bath girlie till I die.

THE BADGERS. This property’s claim to fame is the colony of badgers that live on the grounds. Every night at dusk, you can gather and watch them feed the badgers with the leftover food scraps. It was insanely cool, and I don’t even remotely apologize to my friends and family for the barrage of blurry photos of badgers sent every day.

A white stone building with a sign that reads "Badger Bar Restaurant" and has artwork of two badgers. — This place is in my heart forever!

A blurry photo of three badgers eating restaurant scraps. — Was not easy to get a non-blurry photo of the badgers using night mode on my phone camera.

See/do:

Visit Grasmere- a cute little village that is about an hour’s walk from where I was staying. Normally I abhor hiking while on vacation, but this was a relatively flat trek pas some of the most stunning scenery I’ve ever seen. Grasmere is known for their gingerbread, so of course I had to stop in and sample some. And the Grasmere Tea Gardens is a super cute place to stop and sit on the water with a tea and light snack.

A beautiful lake with rolling hills, trees, and a white house in the background. — I told you, the scenery was unbelievable.

An old stone church sits among trees on a bubbling creek. — The view from my lunch at the Grasmere Tea Gardens.

Rydal Mount and Gardens: Unbelievably quaint and gorgeous manor and grounds, the historic home of William Wordsworth. A short walk from the Badger Bar and well worth spending a few hours wandering!

An old stone manor house set on bright green grounds and large hills in the distance. — Rydal Mount and Gardens- I belong there.

From there, I mentally prepared myself for the last leg of the trip- driving from the Lakes District to Edinburgh, about a 3.5 hr drive. But Scotland was a dream. I only wish I had built in time to see the highlands.

Stay:

This AirBNB was perfect- clearly decorated for those who have watched too much Highlander, but was gorgeous nonetheless and had all the amenities you could want. The host, Connor, is lovely and so responsive. I love that it was close to Leith, as one of my itinerary items was visiting the old cemetery there and looking for my ancestors’ graves. My grandmother did this when she was younger, so it felt incredible to follow in what might have been her footsteps.

A living room with dark blue walls, a large tapestry, and large windows overlooking a city. — Cozy and gorgeous living room!

A large four-poster dark wooden bed with gold swords and crests on the wall. — BRB busy cosplaying Highlander.

See/do:

A road with colorful storefronts and old stone buildings. — Victoria Street- where I may or may not have over-shopped.

Wander Victoria Street, the colorful street that inspired Diagon Alley!
Visit One Spa for a relaxing afternoon. Spa treatments come with full access to their rooftop hydropool and thermal suite. I spent a few blissful hours partaking in the amenities following my massage treatment.
The Chihuahua Cafe! This may or may not have been a primary driver in wanting to go to Edinburgh. It’s closed now, but was a huge highlight of my trip!

A pink sign and pink door advertising the Chihuahua Cafe, and a short flight of stone steps. — Entrance to the Chihuahua Cafe!

A smiling woman on a couch with two chihuahuas. — Barely contained excitement at meeting some new besties.

A photo of 6 chihuahuas sitting on a green carpet. — The cutest little gang you ever did see.

The Real Mary King’s Close: Not for the claustrophobic, but is so cool. It’s an historic, underground labyrinth of 17th-century streets and homes underneath the Royal Mile, offering a glimpse into the city's dark, plague-ridden past and the lives of its former residents.
Tour the Palace of Holyroodhouse

Eat/drink:

Afternoon tea at Scott’s on Princes Street: So chic with the most amazing views. You can also get champagne instead of tea- you know, if that’s your thing. 😉

A tea caddy with three layers of British tea foods. — Just a casual little tea.

Brunch at Laila in New Town- very ‘grammable, the vibes are reason enough to go but the food was excellent too!

Dinner at The Bon Vivant- Closed now but the food was amazing!
Breakfast at Mimi’s Bakehouse- very sweet little family-owned bakery, with great food and coffee!
Devastatingly, I did not make it to my reservation at The Witchery- it’s first on my list for when I go back.
For the evenings I was too spent from daytime adventures, I can admit I got food delivered for dinner a few nights while I watched Netflix. One of the best IMO is Razzo Pizza Napoletana- their fried mozzarella antipasto is the stuff of dreams.
I had to go for a drink at Pickles Pub- shockingly not named after our EVP of Cuddles, but I was obligated just for the name. But luckily, it’s a very cozy little pub that feels oh-so-UK.

I spent a lot of my time in Edinburg just walking around- there are many historical things to see and gorgeous architecture, and I truly wish I had more time there. But, things left to see means a return trip!

(And in case you were wondering, I miraculously managed to return the gigantic rental car undamaged).

Granite fountain with a bronze statue of a dog on top of it, in front of stone buildings. — Obv I loved the statue of Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye terrier who spent 14 years guarding his beloved owner’s grave.

Blue fountain with a large castle on the hill behind it. — One of my favorite photos from this trip- Ross Fountain, with Edinburgh Castle in the background.

Solo Road Tripping: UK Edition

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