5 Reasons to Visit the UK Outside of London

A visit to the United Kingdom should not simply be limited to the world-famous sights and street of London. Sure, London is a phenomenal city to visit and no trip to the UK should be planned without at least a few days spent in the nation's capital. However, the rest of the UK is actually pretty good too. In this article I will demonstrate 5 places in the UK that may surprise you and inspire you, and if you decide to visit any of these places, I guarantee you won't regret it. Let's take a look as I give you 5 reasons to broaden your vacation itinerary to the UK to include more than just London.

Cornwall in the Southeast of England is one of my favourite places in the whole of the British Isles. There's something about this area that is somehow both incredibly English whilst at the same time being incredibly different to the rest of England. The sun shines here longer, it's warmer, the local beer is great, people live longer, people are more friendly, and they're certainly in less of a hurry than elsewhere. Spend a few days here and it's not hard to see why. Did I mention the local beer is great? Make sure you visit the St Austell brewery and pop into the local pubs dotted around the small charming villages.

With towns featuring names like Mousehole you'd be forgiven for thinking that you'd strayed into the realms of a fictional wonderland. Mousehole in the far South Western part of Cornwall is a lovely place to visit and nice place to explore during the day before taking in a performance at the Minnack Theatre: a wonderful open-air theatre built into the cliffs over-looking the sea. What a wonderful place to spend a few hours on a warm summer evening.

Knaresborough is a quaint little market town located in Yorkshire in the North of England. It's a great little place to stay in a homely B&B with plenty of local shops, bars and restaurants around and many great little walks. A visit to Mother Shipton's cave is a must-do activity here. It's said that Mother Shipton was a hermit with Nostradamus-like abilities with a knack for predicting future events.

You've probably heard of the English Lake District - now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To be honest, there are many great parts of the Lake District, much too many to go into in this article, so I'll just pick out one of my favourites; Ambleside. Base yourself here and explore the surrounding lakes. Great walks abound and the town which has many great little B&B's and shops, bars and restaurants to explore.

What to say about Manchester.... Open any newspaper in the UK or listen closely to the word on the street and you'll soon learn that everyone is talking about Manchester. Once the centre of global industry, this northern city hit a period of decline and hard times in the mid to late 20th century. However, since the turn of the 21st century this city has re-invented itself through elite sport, culture, education, research and as a European centre for business and leisure. Manchester is commonly referred to as the UK's second city but to Mancunians it's number 1.

Of course, if you do visit Manchester then a visit wouldn't be complete without a visit to a football match. Manchester has 2 Premier League clubs that split the city's fanbase in 2. You're either a red or you're a blue. Manchester United are the reds and Manchester City are the blues. The rivalry has hotted up in recent years following the acquisition of Manchester City by the Abu Dhabi United Group who have invested billions of dollars to make City a global force.

I could go on all day about the natural beauty of Wales. It has some of the finest rural landscapes and some of the best walking and hiking in the whole of the UK. One of my favourite areas, however, is Llangollen in North Wales. This little town is spectacular in its charm and sophistication. Whilst there be sure to hop on to one of the horse drawn canal barges or take a ride on the highest active aqueduct in the world, designed and built by the world famous engineer, Thomas Telford.