City Breaks Archives -

Best things to do in Gloucester for a memorable city break

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 1, 2026March 26, 2026

Gloucester Docks with historic red-brick warehouses beside the water and Gloucester Cathedral tower rising in the background under a cloudy sky.

Gloucester is one of those cities that can seem oddly modest at first, as if it has no intention of showing off, and then suddenly …

Night view of Belfast waterfront with a curved bridge lit in purple, city buildings glowing across the water, and reflections shimmering on the river under a dark sky

Belfast, or how to build a city out of smoke, ships and stubbornness

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 1, 2026March 24, 2026

Belfast is one of those cities that seems to have lived several completely different lives and kept souvenirs from all of them. It was a …

Coventry Cathedral in sunlight, showing the roofless stone ruins of the old Gothic cathedral with its tall spire beside the modern cathedral building, which has a broad brick facade, a large cross and steps leading to the entrance under a clear blue sky

Cathedrals City Breaks

Coventry, the city that refused to stay down

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026March 19, 2026

Coventry is one of those places that has had the sort of history that would have sent a lesser city quietly off for a lie …

Panoramic view of Norwich Cathedral rising above the city, with its tall stone spire, Romanesque cloisters, and surrounding green trees under a bright blue sky

City Breaks Historic Cities

Norwich and the unlikely triumph of a city doing things its own way

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026March 16, 2026

With a Norman cathedral, a crooked medieval street plan, a market that has been trading for centuries and a quietly rebellious streak, Norwich is one …

Eastgate Clock in Chester above the historic Eastgate Street, framed by black and white timber framed buildings and a sandstone arch, with people walking below on a bright sunny day.

City Breaks Historic Cities

Chester and the agreeable confusion of being almost in another country

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026March 13, 2026

With Roman walls, medieval Rows, a grand cathedral and a river that softens all that old stone, Chester is one of England’s most handsome historic …

A narrow cobbled street in York at dusk, lined with historic brick and timber-fronted buildings, with warm shop lights glowing and York Minster rising in the background.

City Breaks Historic Cities

York’s not-so-secret past lives

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026March 12, 2026

If Britain were a stage, York would be one of the few cities to keep changing costumes mid-scene. One moment you’re strolling along a Roman …

Panoramic view along Bournemouth’s sandy beach with scattered walkers and sunbathers, a promenade and seafront buildings in the foreground, wooden groynes stretching into the blue sea, and the coastline curving toward distant cliffs and the pier

City Breaks Coastal City Breaks

Bournemouth and the great British holiday that accidentally got stylish

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026March 9, 2026

There are seaside towns that feel like they were built to be looked at. All iron railings, bracing wind, and a faint scent of damp …

Brighton Palace Pier stretching out over the sea at golden hour, with white pavilion-style buildings and two Union Jack flags on the towers, a calm blue sky, and a stone promenade in the foreground with a bench overlooking the water.

City Breaks Coastal City Breaks

Seagulls, sequins and seaweed, a Brighton love story

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 20, 2026

There are plenty of places in Britain where the sea meets the land and people try their best to enjoy the bit in between, but …

Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol lit up at dusk, with its stone towers and glowing cables spanning the dark Avon Gorge beneath a deep blue evening sky.

City Breaks Coastal City Breaks

Bristol, Brunel’s playground and Banksy’s outdoor gallery

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 19, 2026

Bristol is one of those cities that cannot decide what it wants to be, so it simply becomes everything at once. Medieval port. Georgian show-off. …

Modern waterfront scene in Leeds with colourful apartment blocks and glass-fronted offices lining a calm canal, narrowboats moored along the edges, and bright reflections mirrored in the still water under a clear blue sky

City Breaks Weekend Getaways

Leeds, where Victorian confidence meets modern caffeine dependence

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 19, 2026

Leeds is one of those places that people think they understand until they actually turn up. They imagine a sensible northern city that does its …