It’s an eventful summer, make it memorable!

Summer Concerts & Sightseeing Cruises  

No matter what the weather forecast, Wimbledon and punnets of strawberries are here to remind you that summer has arrived. 

I can’t think of many things more appealing than a long summer day outdoors in a park or taking in the salty sea air on a coastal walk, ending in the garden with the smell of a BBQ on the cooling evening breeze. 

Local Events and Festivals 

What I particularly enjoy is the wide variety of outdoor concerts, festivals and events that appeal to so many different interests. Living near Cardiff there’s never long to wait for a food festival, pop-up, or street market, be it on the High Street, in Bute Park or at Cardiff Bay. 

It’s easy to overlook experiences on our doorstep and set our minds further afield when we have a day off or weekend to fill, but I encourage you to start local, find your local authority or tourism board and see what event listings they have on their website. 

Change your perspective 

If staying local doesn’t sound all that exciting, there are ways to change your perspective. For example, whenever I go to Cardiff Bay it’s often by car or on the train, but one time I decided to take the river boat from Bute Park. It was years ago but I can still recall some of the new views I saw along the way. 

And with sailing events like the Henley Royal Regatta, it’s an enjoyable time of year to be by or on the water. 

Sightseeing Cruises 

If you are feeling inspired by these water sports but aren’t quite ready to windsurf or kayak, I’d suggest finding out about sightseeing cruises, many of these have commentary so there’s often something to learn and take away even if you know the area well, and you can never predict what wildlife you’ll encounter. 

I loved the river cruise from Windsor on the River Thames, Windsor Castle looked absolutely stunning from the water as we sailed along. I’ve explored the castle a few times but booking a river cruise made that day more memorable. 

Another river cruise I’d do again was along the River Dart from Totnes to Dartmouth - we saw many different bird species, beautiful views, grand houses, and pretty villages during the (approximately) 90-minute journey. 

Kingswear and Dartmouth were such lovely places to see briefly too, it was my first time there, so I’d love to go back during the summer season to explore it further. 

England has some beautiful waterways to explore. I challenge you! 

Cardiff ‍ 

Oxford

Cambridge

York

Devon  

Manchester

London

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Key takeaways:  

Start local  

Change your mode of transport – swap a car for a boat or train 

Cruises don’t have to take weeks – find a river cruise near you!  

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