What Are the Seven Sisters?

The Seven Sisters are a series of white chalk cliffs on the coast of East Sussex, running roughly 11 kilometres between Cuckmere Haven in the west and Birling Gap in the east. They are part of the South Downs National Park, and are one of the most iconic stretches of coastline in England.

The chalk that makes up the cliffs formed around 65 to 100 million years ago at the bottom of a shallow sea that covered most of what is now southern England. The sea level was so high back then that the area sat at roughly the same latitude as the Mediterranean today. What you’re walking on top of is essentially the compressed remains of billions of tiny marine creatures.

Despite the name, there are actually eight distinct peaks, not seven. There were originally seven when the cliffs were first named, but erosion created an eighth over the centuries. The name stuck anyway.

The name itself comes from Greek mythology, the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione who were turned into the stars of the Pleiades cluster after they died. Same name, very different scale.

The Seven Sisters are frequently used as a film stand-in for the White Cliffs of Dover, because Dover’s famous cliffs are protected from erosion and have gradually turned green with vegetation. Seven Sisters erode naturally and stay bright white.

The Walk from South Hill Barn

This is the route we did and it’s perfect for anyone who isn’t a dedicated hiker but wants the full experience.

From the car park you head downhill first, it’s an easy slope with views opening up ahead of you. On the way you’ll pass a couple of farms and houses, just stay on the path and don’t disturb the locals. There are a few benches along the route, and on the way back these become extremely welcome.

Now you need to cross the Cuckmere River. If it’s a high tide, it means you need to walk up the river to the Cuckmere Inn, cross the bridge and then head back down the other side. It’s a 1 hour detour, so it might be a good idea to keep an eye on Cuckmere Haven tide times. https://www.sussex-tides.com/cuckmere-haven-tide-times

At low tide, the river can be crossed barefoot over a shallow stream or by stepping on logs.

Then the climb starts. It’s not technical, it’s not dangerous, it’s just uphill. Take it at whatever pace suits you, stop when you want to, and the views from the top make every step worth it.

We took about two hours total, but we were going slowly, stopping constantly to take photos and just stand there looking at things. You could do it faster if you wanted, but why would you.

How far you go is entirely up to you. The further east you walk along the clifftop, the more dramatic the views get as the cliffs get higher. Push on far enough and you’ll reach Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain at 162 meters, with the famous red and white striped lighthouse sitting at the base far below.

But we think that the whole walk towards the cliffs is much more epic that walking on them, I don’t know, just a thought.

Walking Routes

We are not professional hikers or anything, we always choose the route with the most amazing views, and possibly the shortest one. But here are some options so you can choose what suits you if you want to explore Seven Sisters.

South Hill Barn to the clifftops and back: what we did. Easy to moderate, around 2 hours at a relaxed pace. No experience needed. This is the one for most visitors.

Birling Gap to Seven Sisters: start from Birling Gap car park on the eastern end instead. You get immediate cliff views from the very start, and the National Trust has a cafe there too. Shorter walk to the Sisters themselves, good if you want maximum views with minimum effort.

Seaford to Eastbourne via the South Downs Way: the full 14 mile route along the cliff tops from one end to the other. A proper full day walk, one of the most well-regarded coastal walks in southeast England. Only for those who actually want to hike.

Along the beach: technically possible at low tide from Cuckmere Haven but not recommended. The rocks are slippery, the cliffs above are unstable and drop rocks regularly, and if the tide comes in there’s no way back up. Don’t do this one.

Where to Park: South Hill Barn Car Park

We parked at South Hill Barn Car Park, which is the most convenient starting point for accessing the cliffs and the one we’d recommend. It’s free and there’s a small cafe on site if you need a coffee before you start or something warm when you get back. There are also picnic tables and benches, good for a proper sit-down after the walk.

From the car park the path down to the cliffs is easy and well-marked. No special preparation needed.

Things to Know Before You Go to Seven Sisters

• Go on a clear day if you can. On a good day you can apparently see the French coast from the cliff tops. We couldn’t on our visit but maybe we’ll return.
• The cliffs erode constantly so stay well back from the edge. The drop is deadly.
• There’s no shade on the clifftops. Bring water and sunscreen.
• The car park at South Hill Barn is free, the one at Birling Gap charges a fee.
• From London it’s about 90 minutes by car, or you can take a train to Seaford or Eastbourne and walk or take a bus to the starting points.

Seven Sisters is one of those places that belongs on any UK road trip. It doesn’t matter what the weather is doing, the cliffs look incredible regardless. We’d go back in a minute!

Until next time, be mesmerized 🤍

We came for the cliffs and ended up spending most of the day just sitting on them, watching the sea.

The White Cliffs of Dover

The White Cliffs stretch for 13 kilometres along either side of Dover, rising to 110 meters at their highest point. They’re made of chalk, soft and white, and they are ultra bright on a sunny day. The chalk formed at the bottom of a shallow sea around 70 million years ago, the same process as the Seven Sisters further west along the coast, except the White Cliffs are protected from erosion while the Seven Sisters are left to erode naturally. Which is why the Seven Sisters stay bright white and Dover’s cliffs are slowly going green with vegetation. Ironically, the more famous cliffs are actually less white.

A herd of Exmoor ponies has been grazing on the clifftops for at least two decades. They’re kept there deliberately to manage the chalk grassland without human intervention. Maybe you’ll encounter some of them on your walks. But they are semi-wild so just leave them be.

On a clear day you can see France from up here. We were hoping for that. We didn’t quite get it on our visit, but it’s apparently very much possible.

Walking the Cliffs

We ended up here slightly by accident, we actually got lost, didn’t know where to go. We were trying to reach the lighthouse, couldn’t find the right car park, ended up parking somewhere on the Upper road and just walking toward the cliffs until we found a path. It worked out perfectly.

The walks are genuinely lovely. You either walk on the path or on the softest green grass I have ever walked on, you can see the views of the Channel opening up in front of you, and feel the wind. Oh, the wind. It’s very windy up there. Even on a warm sunny day the breeze coming off the Channel is tough.

We found a good spot on the grass, sat down, and just stayed there for a while looking at the sea, sky, it was just lovely.

The official National Trust visitor centre and main car park are on Upper Road, signposted from the A258 roundabout outside Dover. That’s the easiest starting point with proper parking, toilets, and a cafe. From there marked paths take you along the clifftop toward the South Foreland Lighthouse. We found that out after we left, but it all turned out good. It just means it’s okay not to have a plan every time and maybe get a bit lost.

On the other side of Dover there are Shakespeare Cliff and the Solar Tower House, which we’d planned to visit. The weather turned bad so we skipped them. Something for next time.

Dover Castle

You can’t come to Dover and not at least acknowledge the castle sitting up on the cliffs above everything. I mean you will see it while entering Dover, can’t miss it. Dover Castle has been here in some form for over 2.000 years, which makes it one of the longest-serving military sites in the world. The Romans built a lighthouse on this spot in the first century AD to help their ships navigate the Channel. The lighthouse is actually still standing inside the castle grounds.

The castle itself was built in the 11th century and then expanded, most significantly by King Henry II in the 12th century when the Great Tower was added, intended both as a fortress and as a statement of Norman royal power. The whole thing is called the Key to England, which tells you what it was for.

The most interesting part, and the part you should definitely visit if you go inside, is the tunnels. Hidden inside the white chalk cliffs below the castle is a labyrinth of tunnels first carved during the Napoleonic Wars and massively expanded during the Second World War.

These tunnels served as the headquarters for Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of over 330.000 Allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940.

The tunnels are the main reason to pay for entry.

⏰ Opening hours: Daily 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (summer), 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM (winter).
🎟️ Tickets: ~£26 (~31€), it’s actually cheaper on Get your Guide, 28€ book here

Things to Know Before You Visit

• The National Trust car park on Upper Road is the easiest access point for the cliffs, well-signposted from the A258.
• It is windy. Very windy. Bring a layer even in summer.
• The cliffs erode. Stay on the marked paths and well back from the edge.
• From London Dover is about 90 minutes by car via the M2 and A2, or around an hour by high-speed train from St Pancras.
• The South Foreland Lighthouse, the world’s first electrically operated lighthouse, built in 1843, is managed by the National Trust and open to visitors on certain days. Worth checking before you go.

Dover doesn’t get the same attention as some of England’s prettier towns, and the port area around it is a bit rough around the edges. But the cliffs and the castle are worth your time, and sitting on the grass up there with the Channel stretching out in front of you is one of those experiences that’s hard to replicate anywhere else. Until next time, be mesmerized 🩵

St Edward’s Church & the Tolkien Door

Start here. The church itself dates from the 11th century, built on the site of an even earlier Saxon church, and it’s a beautiful building. But the reason most people come is the north entrance.

Two ancient yew trees grow on either side of a medieval stone archway, their trunks twisted and expanded over centuries until they’ve become part of the door frame itself.

The door is widely believed to have inspired J.R.R. Tolkien’s Doors of Durin in The Lord of the Rings. The famous inscription “speak, friend, and enter” doesn’t appear here, but looking at those old yew trees framing the ancient wood, you completely understand the connection. Tolkien was a scholar at Oxford and a regular visitor to the Cotswolds, and there are accounts of him seeing this door so it could be the truth.

Go in the morning for the best light and smaller crowds. Tour groups start arriving mid-morning in summer and the photo queue can get long.

The Porch House

The Porch House claims to be the oldest inn in England. Parts of the building date to around 947 AD, with timber carbon-dated to the 10th century. It was originally built as a hospice for pilgrims on the orders of the Saxon ruler Wythgar, later run by the Knights Hospitaller, and gradually evolved over the centuries into the inn it is today.

If you go inside, look for the witch marks carved into the 16th century fireplace in the dining room. These symbols were scratched into the stone deliberately to protect the building from evil spirits. It’s a cute place with a fun story.

The Market Square

Let’s go back to the Market Square. The heart of Stow-on-the-Wold and one of the most interesting market squares in the Cotswolds, once you know what to look for.

Markets have been held here since 1107, over 20.000 sheep passed through this square on a single market day. Look at the narrow alleyways leading off the square, the ones just wide enough for one or two people to walk through. They’re called “tures” and they were used to funnel sheep from the surrounding fields and streets into the market. The sheep came in through these passages and were sold on the square. Today they’re full of antique shops and independent cafes.

The square today is lined with independent shops, antique stores, cafes, and pubs. There’s a monthly farmers’ market where you’ll find local jams, pies, and handmade goods.

Lucy’s Tea Room: Afternoon Tea

If there’s one thing to do in Stow-on-the-Wold beyond the sightseeing, it’s afternoon tea at Lucy’s Tea Room. We did this and it was genuinely one of our favourite moments of the whole UK road trip.

We ordered the classic afternoon tea: freshly made sandwiches, warm scones with butter, jam, and a selection of homemade cakes. We went for the ham and mustard sandwiches and the egg salad sandwiches, and everything was excellent. The cakes especially. There’s something about eating scones in a Cotswolds tea room that feels so British, I don’t know, this was one of our favourite things on this roadtrip.

Book in advance if you can, or try your luck walking in. Either way, don’t skip it, everything is so tasty and delicious.

What else can you do in Stow-on-the-Wold?

Stow-on-the-Wold is the place for antiques. If that’s your thing, you could spend a full afternoon just browsing the shops around the square and there are many of them. There are also many art gallery’s that you can visit.

Additionally, the Gypsy Horse Fair takes place in May and October, hundreds of travellers from across the UK come together to trade horses. It’s a very different side of the town if you happen to be there for it.

Where to Park in Stow-on-the-Wold?

Stow-on-the-Wold has free parking around the Market Square, which is convenient. But it fills up quickly in summer. If you can’t find a space on the square, head down Digbeth Street near The Porch House and there’s usually free street parking available. The town is small enough that wherever you end up parking, you won’t be far from anything.

Where to stay in in Stow-on-the-Wold?

Here are some accomodation recommendation if you want to stay in Stow-on-the-Wold:

• The Architects Home
• Stow on the Wold Scandi Chic Authentic Cottage
• The Clock Tower Stow

There’s a rhyme about the place that dates from the 18th century: “Stow-on-the-Wold, where the wind blows cold.” The hilltop position means it can get a bit windy. We visited on a hot summer day so the wind was more than welcome. Doesn’t matter when you visit, you will have a lovely time. Even if you just want to knock on the Tolkien Door.

Until next time, be mesmerized 💛

The first thing you notice when you arrive is the stone. Every single building in Castle Combe is built from the same warm honey-coloured Cotswold limestone, and the effect is that the whole village feels completely cohesive. You won’t find modern houses here.

What most people don’t know is that those cottages were originally built for wool weavers. In the Middle Ages, Castle Combe was one of the most important wool producing villages in England. The weavers lived in the cottages, the river powered the mills, and a distinctive red and white cloth known simply as “Castlecombe” was sold at markets in Bristol, London and exported abroad. The village was prosperous enough that King Henry VI granted it the right to hold a weekly market in 1440. You can still see buildings called things like “Weaver’s House” if you look at the signs.

The Stone Bridge & the Bybrook River

The most photographed spot in Castle Combe is the old stone bridge crossing the Bybrook River, and it absolutely earns that status. The view from here, water flowing under the bridge with the stone cottages on both banks, is the one you’ve probably seen on every Castle Combe postcard.

In 1967 the riverbank right here was used as a set for the filming of Doctor Dolittle starring Rex Harrison.

St Andrew’s Church

Walk up through the village to St Andrew’s Church, which dates from the 13th century. It’s a beautiful building and the interior is worth seeing, ancient brasses, stained glass windows. The clock on the tower dates from the late 15th century and is one of the oldest working church clocks in the UK. It has been keeping time here for over 500 years, which puts most things in perspective.

The Market Cross

In the centre of the village stands the Market Cross, a 14th century covered stone structure that was once the focal point of the village market. When we visited there was no market on, but the village hall occasionally hosts one with local jams, pies, and handmade crafts. Worth checking before you go if that’s something you’d enjoy.

Where to Park in Castle Combe

The main car park is about 800 metres from the village centre, roughly a ten minute walk. There are a couple of smaller spaces closer to the village but don’t count on them, especially in summer. The official car park is the easy option.

Parking is cheap and you can pay at the machine or through the MiPermit app. The walk from the car park into the village is actually lovely, most of it shaded by trees, so the 800 metres goes quickly.

Just keep in mind that Castle Combe gets very busy on summer weekends. Weekday mornings are significantly quieter and the village feels completely different

Where to Stay in Castle Combe

These are the hotels we saved for ourselves for when we visit Castle Combe again:

• The Manor House Hotel
• Luxury Cotswolds Cottage
• The Old House At Home

Honestly the best thing to do in Castle Combe is walk slowly and look at things. The streets are quiet, the village is small, and every corner has something worth stopping for. There’s no rush, no queue for anything, and the whole place has a specific kind of calm that’s increasingly rare. Castle Combe is protected as a conservation area, which means strict rules apply about what can be changed or built. No new signage, no modern shop fronts, nothing that would disrupt the appearance of the village. It’s why it still looks the way it does, and why it probably will in the future.

It’s as pretty as every photo suggests, quieter than you’d expect for somewhere so well known, and the kind of place you find yourself reluctant to leave. A perfect stop on a UK road trip. Until next time, be mesmerized 💛

We loved it. It’s peaceful, it’s gorgeous, and there’s just enough to do in a couple of hours. And while walking around it you feel like you’re in some movie set.

The River Windrush & the Stone Bridges

The river is the whole point of Bourton-on-the-Water, I mean look at the name. Everything is built around it, and the best thing you can do is simply walk along the banks, cross the bridges. The water is clean, shallow so you can see the rocks, even a few duckies if you are lucky. Ona sunny days it’s a perfect place to relax, we saw people sitting on the grass on the banks, kids and dogs playing in the water. It’s a nice place to enjoy and relax.

The Model Village

This is one of the best things we saw on our trip. We come from a small village and we immediately thought this would be perfect for our hometown as well.

It may sound a bit stupid, but wait till you see this. Behin the Old New Inn there is a one-ninth scale replica of Bourton-on-the-Water. It was build in 1937 from the same local Cotswold stone as the real village. Every building, every bridge, every detail recreated in miniature. It’s the only Grade II listed model village in the country, which means it’s a protected historic monument, which is both absurd and completely correct.

Another funny thing is that inside the model village, there’s a model of the model village. And inside that, apparently, another one. It’s Inception with stone buildings and it’s very good.

There is a small entrance fee but it’s so worth it! And while walking around this miniature village you can literally retrace your steps on how you got there, the bridge you crossed, the church you passed, it’s just brilliant.

The Cotswold Motoring Museum

Inside a converted old mill on the river, the Cotswold Motoring Museum has seven galleries packed with vintage cars, classic motorcycles, caravans, enamel advertising signs, and a collection of old toys that will make anyone who grew up in the 80s or 90s get a bit emotional.

The star of the show, at least for us, is Brum, the little yellow self-driving car from the 90s children’s TV show. He lives here. You can see him, take a photo with him, and if you’re travelling with kids there’s a mini Brum they can actually ride. If you grew up watching Brum on a Saturday morning, this will be such a throwback.

⏰ Opening hours: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, mid-February to early December
🎟️ Tickets: £9,50 adults (~11€), £6,50 children aged 5 to 16

The Shops, Cafes & Little Nooks

Beyond the river and the main attractions, Bourton-on-the-Water is a lovely place to wander. There are antique shops, candle makers, independent boutiques, sweet shops with homemade fudge in the window, little cafes serving tea and very good cake. The Cotswolds Perfumery has been blending its own fragrances here for over 30 years, based in an 18th century stone building with oak beams and a fireplace. Worth a browse even if you’re not buying anything.

Where to Park in Bourton-on-the-Water

There’s a parking area on the main road just after you cross the bridge into the village, and it’s free for up to 90 minutes. For most people just wanting to explore the village and walk along the river, 90 minutes is honestly enough. If you want to visit the Model Village and the Motoring Museum as well, you’ll need a bit longer, in which case there are paid car parks a short walk from the centre.

Where to Stay in Bourton-on-the-Water

If you find yourself in need of accommodation in Bourton-on-the-Water, we got you covered:

• Chester House Hotel
• The Lansdowne Boutique Rooms
• Halford House

Bourton-on-the-Water is one of those villages that makes you understand why people fall in love with the Cotswolds. It’s small, it’s unhurried, and it’s genuinely as beautiful as it looks in photos. A perfect stop on a UK road trip.

Until next time, be mesmerized 💛

We only spent a few hours here, but it was memorable, so follow our guide to have the best time.

Canterbury Cathedral

Start here. Everything in Canterbury leads back to the Cathedral in some way, so you might as well begin at the source.

Canterbury Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most significant buildings in England, the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the mother church of the entire Anglican Communion. It was founded in 597 AD, which makes it one of the oldest continuously functioning Christian sites in the country. Just let that number sit for a moment.

The Cathedral is most famous for the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket, killed here in 1170 by four knights acting on behalf of King Henry II, who had reportedly complained “will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” whether he meant it literally or not is still debated. Becket was made a saint just two years later and Canterbury became one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in medieval Europe.

⏰ Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 9:00 AM, Sunday from 12:45 PM, last entry 5:00 PM (April to September).

🎟️ Tickets: £16 online (~19€), £17 at the door

https://www.getyourguide.com/canterbury-l1071/canterbury-cathedral-entrance-ticket-with-media-guide-t441167/?ranking_uuid=2f3ae232-c7d0-42f0-94d3-46a6223c67e4&q=canterbury+catherdral

The Crooked House

A short walk from the Cathedral on Palace Street. You’ll know it when you see it. The Crooked House leans, visibly and dramatically, in a way that makes you genuinely wonder how it’s still upright. It dates from around 1617 and the timber frame has settled unevenly over four centuries, giving it that distinctive wonky look that makes it one of the most photographed buildings in Canterbury.

Inside it is a shop, so go in look around. In Canterbury you will also find many gift shops, fudge, chocolate, vintage shops, something for everyone.

Westgate Towers

Keep walking and you’ll reach Westgate Towers, the largest surviving medieval city gateway in England. Built in 1380, it guarded the main entrance into Canterbury for centuries and was also used as a prison, which gives it a slightly more complicated history than its handsome exterior might suggest.

You can go inside and climb up to the top for views across the city and the surrounding Kent countryside. But even just walking through the arch is something, there’s a very specific feeling of arriving somewhere properly ancient when you pass under a 14th century gateway. On a horse it would be even more special I assume.

The River Stour & Westgate Gardens

From the Towers, walk down to the river. The River Stour runs right through the heart of Canterbury and the riverside is beautifully landscaped, flower gardens, historic buildings reflected in the water, willows trailing into the current. If the weather is being kind, punting along the River Stour is worth doing. It’s a flat-bottomed boat guided by a long pole, a bit like Venice but considerably more English about it. You get a completely different view of the city from the water. We watched several boats drift past and it looked lovely. We didn’t go ourselves but we wished we had.

And in the gardens, many people just lay on the ground and enjoy, it’s a perfect place for that.

The Canterbury Tales Experience

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in the 1380s, stories told by a group of pilgrims travelling from London to visit the shrine of Thomas Becket. It’s one of the most important works in English literature, and this city is the reason it exists.

The Canterbury Tales Experience reopened in spring 2026 with new technology that brings the pilgrims’ stories to life inside a genuinely historic space. It’s a good stop if you want some context for everything you’ve been looking at, and entertaining even if Chaucer was never exactly on your reading list. There’s also a bar at the end themed around the Chequers of Hope Inn, which is either a bonus or the main draw depending on how your day is going.

We visited in 2025 so it was still not opened, but do go and visit it.

Getting to Canterbury

By train from London St Pancras it’s around 55 minutes on the high-speed service, or about 90 minutes on the regular service from Victoria. By car it’s just under two hours from London via the M2. Canterbury is an easy day trip from London, but if you’re doing a UK road trip it makes a perfect first stop before heading further into Kent or down toward the coast.

Where to Park in Canterbury

Parking inside the city walls is residents-only. The good news is there are plenty of options just outside the centre.

The best option if you can find the spot is North Lane Car Park, ****it’s close to the city walls and you are right there.

Queningate Car Park is the closest to the Cathedral and old town. It’s just outside the city walls and a very short walk to everything.

Park and Ride is the also an option if you’re coming by car. Canterbury has three Park and Ride sites around the city, all well-signposted from the main roads, and buses into the centre take about 5 minutes. It’s significantly cheaper than city centre parking and removes the stress of finding a space. The Wincheap Park and Ride is particularly handy as you can also walk back into town along the river, which is a lovely route.

Where to Stay in Canterbury

We haven’t stayed in Canterbury but when preparing for this roadtrip we found a few cute accomodations that you will love:

• The Falstaff in Canterbury – this charming building dates back to 1403, close to the city gates https://booking.tpx.lt/X0jvoWox
• Canterbury Cathedral Lodge – you can stay on the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral, can’t beat that location https://booking.tpx.lt/ZMM6YHUo
• House of Agnes – an inn dating back to 15th century, it has beautiful boutique rooms https://booking.tpx.lt/R9GH4fZY

The old city centre streets are narrow, cobblestoned, and lined with independent shops, cafes, and buildings that have been here since the medieval period. The city walls are largely still standing and you can walk sections of them. There are quiet garden squares tucked behind the main streets. There are views of the Cathedral appearing unexpectedly between buildings.

Our version of visiting Canterbury was when you don’t go inside anything and just wander for a couple of hours. And it was still great! Until next time, be mesmerized 🩷

Mermaid Street

Start here. Mermaid Street is the heart of Rye and honestly one of the most beautiful streets we’ve seen in England. It slopes downhill, it’s cobbled, lined with medieval timber-framed houses and Georgian buildings, and it genuinely looks like a film set. Except people actually live here, which makes it even better somehow.

The street takes its name from the Mermaid Inn, which has been here in some form since 1156. In the 18th century it was the base of the Hawkhurst Gang, one of the most notorious smuggling gangs in England. They’d hold their meetings here openly, sitting in the pub fully armed while the local authorities walked past outside and apparently decided not to get involved. Honestly, fair enough.

As you walk down, keep an eye on the house names. Many houses in Rye have names instead of numbers, which is very much a local thing and one of the small details we loved. On Mermaid Street you’ll find Quarter Boys Cottage, Link House, The House with Two Front Doors (which does exactly what it says), Neptune Cottage, The House with the Secret Garden, and our personal favourite, The House Opposite, named simply because it is.

Most of these houses have been standing since the 15th and 16th centuries and barely changed since, hopefully they did change on the inside.

The best view of Mermaid Street is from the very top, looking down the slope with the Inn on one side and the houses on the other.

The Mermaid Inn

Even if you’re not staying here, go inside for a drink or just a look around. Low beamed ceilings, oak panelling, fireplaces, and that feeling of a building that has absorbed centuries of use without trying to show off about it. There are secret passages hidden in the walls. The room where the Hawkhurst Gang used to drink is still there, and still pointed out to visitors. If you want to stay here you can book it online.

St Mary’s Church & the Views

At the top of the hill, St Mary’s Church is worth a quick stop. The tower clock is one of the oldest working church clocks in England, still running on its original 16th century mechanism. More interestingly, Rye itself used to be an island. The town sits on a hilltop that was once surrounded by sea on three sides, and over the centuries the coastline shifted and left it landlocked. Which explains a lot about why it feels so self-contained and separate from everything around it.

The Landgate

On your wander through Rye you’ll come across the Landgate, a huge stone archway that still spans the road into the old town. It dates from 1329 and was one of four gates built to defend Rye from French raids. The other three are long gone. This one survived everything, and cars still drive through it today.

Where to Park in Rye

Parking in Rye is paid and monitored by cameras, so don’t arrive assuming you’ll figure it out on the spot.

Cinque Ports Street Car Park is the most central and easiest option for visitors, a short walk from Mermaid Street and the old town.

Rope Walk Car Park is a bit further out but cheaper and still very walkable.

Station Car Park near Rye train station works too, a few minutes walk into the centre.

You can pay by coin or card at the machines, or use the RingGo app for cashless payment. Download and register before you travel so you’re not setting it up in the car park. The app also lets you top up your time without going back to the car. If you need help setting up RingGo app, hope this guide will help you.

Where to stay in Rye

There are no big name hotels here, but there are a lot of options to stay in Rye, here are some of our favourites where we stayed, or we saved them for next time:

• The House with the Two Front Doors – the one mentioned above on the prettiest street you can imagine
• The Mermaid Inn – perfect cosy setup, again on the prettiest street
• The Lookout Rye – this is where we stayed, excellent breakfast and loved the cottage style in the rooms

Some of our favourite time in Rye was spent with no plan at all. The streets beyond Mermaid Street are just as lovely and usually much quieter. Every corner has something worth looking at, a half-timbered facade, a walled garden, a view down a lane that looks like it belongs somewhere else in time entirely.

What makes Rye special is how consistent it all feels. Everything is built in the same style, same materials, same scale. Nothing feels out of place. We loved it! Until next time, be mesmerized 🤍

London has a reputation for being expensive, and honestly, it is. Accommodation, food, tickets, it adds up fast. But here’s the thing most people don’t realise until they’re actually there: you can spend three full days in London, see almost everything worth seeing, and spend next to nothing on entry tickets. The city is genuinely generous with its free attractions in a way that almost no other major European capital is.

And we’re not talking about just walking past things. We mean actually going in, spending hours, leaving impressed. Here’s everything we’d point you toward.

Just Walking Around London

Let’s start with the most obvious one that somehow always gets overlooked. Walking around London is its own free attraction. You don’t need a ticket to stand in front of Big Ben and take a photo that looks like a postcard. You don’t need to pay to walk across Tower Bridge and get one of the most iconic views in the city. You don’t need anything to stand in Trafalgar Square, wander through Covent Garden, or stumble upon a street that looks like it hasn’t changed in a hundred years.

Some of the best London moments happen between the ticketed things. A quiet alley, a view of the Thames with London Eye, a market street you turned down without a plan. Put good shoes on, open Google/Apple Maps, and just start walking. London rewards that more than almost any other city we’ve been to.

London Photography Guide: 15 Best Photo Spots in the City

The British Museum

Free to enter, and genuinely one of the greatest museums in the world. Not just in London. In the world. 8 million objects covering human history from prehistoric times to the present, all in one building, all free. Yeah, probably most of it stolen, but if they weren’t here, would they still be in the world? We cannot know. But they are now here for you to enjoy it.

The Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Sculptures, the Easter Island statue, a mummified frog in the Egyptian gallery, a dog’s paw print on a brick from one of the earliest human settlements ever built. There is something genuinely surprising around every corner if you know where to look. We wrote a full guide to the things inside you really shouldn’t miss, because you could spend a full day here and still not see everything.

You do need to book a free timed entry slot in advance, it fills up fast. Book at britishmuseum.org. Go in the afternoon for smaller crowds.

⏰ Opening hours: Saturday to Thursday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Fridays until 8:30 PM.

The Natural History Museum

Also free. Also extraordinary. The Natural History Museum in South Kensington is the most visited free attraction in the UK, and once you’ve been, you understand why. The building itself is worth the trip, the terracotta Victorian facade has 78 carved stone monkeys decorating the entrance arches. Inside, there’s a blue whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling of the main hall, you feel like a child that want’s to explore everything when you see that. There is also a T-Rex skeleton, a Triceratops skull, and enough dinosaurs to keep you occupied for hours.

🎟️ Book a free timed entry slot in advance.

⏰ Opening hours: Daily 10:00 AM to 5:50 PM, last entry 5:30 PM.

Changing of the Guard

Free, completely free, and one of those things that feels genuinely special even though you know it’s also a tourist attraction. Real soldiers, full dress uniform, red tunics, black bearskin caps, a regimental band playing down The Mall.

The trick is to not stand in front of Buckingham Palace with everyone else. Position yourself at the corner of Marlborough Rd and The Mall instead, watch the guards march past at arm’s length, then follow them toward the Palace if you want.

It happens every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Be there by 10:30 AM. Always check the official schedule the morning of your visit as it’s cancelled in wet weather.

Want to secure the best spot for the ceremony? Read our full guide here.

Leadenhall Market

Free to walk through, and one of those places that makes you stop and look up. Leadenhall Market is a Victorian covered market in the City of London with an ornate painted ceiling that looks more like a palace hall than a market. If you’ve watched the Harry Potter films, you’ve already seen it. It was used as Diagon Alley, and you’ll understand immediately why they picked it. I mean that’s why we visited it, Harry Potter fan here!

Go in the morning or late afternoon when the lunch crowd has cleared.

Liberty London

Technically a shop where you could spend loads of money. Practically a free attraction. Liberty’s building dates from 1924 and was built using timber from two decommissioned Royal Navy warships. The exterior is extraordinary, all dark wood beams and leaded windows, and the interior is even better, galleried floors, stained glass, dark wood panelling throughout. And with seasons changing they change the decorations. It’s a high-end department store and you don’t need to buy anything. Just walk in and spend twenty minutes wandering around looking at the building. It deserves to be a listed monument, and actually, it is, at least for us. We want to visit it during December with all the ornaments and decorations.

The Parks

London’s royal parks are free and completely underrated as attractions in their own right. St James’s Park is one of the prettiest and most central, right between Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square. Pelicans have lived here since 1664 when the Russian ambassador gifted a pair to King Charles II.

Hyde Park is the largest, a proper escape from the city with the Serpentine Lake, the Diana Memorial Fountain, and enough space to genuinely get lost in. Both are free, both are beautiful, and both are exactly what you need after a long day of sightseeing.

The Red Phone Boxes

I dare you to go to London and not take at least one photo with the red phone box. The iconic red telephone boxes are free to photograph, obviously, and they make for brilliant pictures. The one near Westminster Bridge with Big Ben in the background is the classic. The ones near the National Justice Museum are a bit more tucked away and usually have no queue. Touristy? Yes. Still worth it? Absolutely.

We have the best photo spots with Red Phone Boxes listed here so check it out.

Additional Photo Spots Worth Knowing About

Since we’re talking free things, here’s a list of the best spots for photos that cost nothing:

• Westminster Bridge: Big Ben on one side, London Eye on the other
• Millennium Bridge: St Paul’s perfectly framed from the middle of the bridge
• More London Place: Tower Bridge and Tower of London together in one shot
• One New Change rooftop: St Paul’s dome from above, free access
• Watling Street: St Paul’s framed between buildings
• The Mall: guards marching on ceremony days
• Stable Yard Road corner: guards up close, unobstructed
• Bywater Street, Chelsea: pastel houses, quiet, no crowds
• Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden: colourful painted courtyard
• Leadenhall Market: Victorian ceiling, best in soft morning light
• Liberty London exterior: Tudor facade from Great Marlborough Street
• Platform 9¾, King’s Cross: the luggage trolley in the wall, free to visit

London is one of those cities where the free things are genuinely some of the best things. The museums alone would justify a trip. Everything else is a bonus.

Until next time, be mesmerized 🧡

London is one of the most photogenic cities in the world. Around almost every corner there’s something worth pointing a camera at, whether it’s a landmark you’ve seen a thousand times or a cobblestone street you stumbled onto by accident.

We spent a solid amount of time hunting down the best spots on our trip, some of them obvious, some of them very much not, and here’s everything we found.

One thing we’ll say upfront: the difference between a great London photo and a mediocre one is almost always timing. Early morning, before the city wakes up, changes everything. We woke up at absurd hours to get some of these shots and every single time it was worth it. London in June means sunrise at around 4:45 AM, just so you know. I’m still in sleep deficit from that trip.

Big Ben & the K6 Telephone Box

This is the postcard shot. The one you’ve seen on a thousand travel accounts and will want on yours. On Great George Street, right next to the government offices, there are two classic red telephone boxes. The K6 is the one slightly further from Big Ben, and it actually photographs better than the K2 closer to the bridge. Big Ben rising next to a a classic red phone box, perfectly framed, unmistakably London.

The line here during the day can get very long. We were there just after sunrise and had the entire area to ourselves, thirty minutes of shooting with nobody in frame and nobody rushing us. The only downside was the 4 AM alarm. Completely worth it.

St Paul’s from Millennium Bridge Railings

We covered all the St Paul’s viewpoints in a full separate guide [LINK], but for this list, the railing shot is the one. Stand at the entrance to the Millennium Bridge on the Tate Modern side and frame St Paul’s through the steel structure of the bridge itself. The cables and walkway create a natural frame around the cathedral that makes for a much more interesting composition than the open view from the middle of the bridge.

Early morning here is also spectacular. Soft light and nobody on the bridge.

Tower Bridge from Queen’s Walk

Walk along Queen’s Walk, the riverside path on the south bank heading toward Tower Bridge, and you’ll find the spot. Directly across the Thames from the Tower of London. The exact location is More London Place on the map. It’s not a secret but it’s the right place to stand, and the difference between standing here versus anywhere else along that stretch is important. We actually have this picture from 2014 and 11 years later, spot is still perfect.

Big Ben Archway

Most people take their Big Ben photo from Westminster Bridge. Which is fine. But walk a few steps further, cross to the other side of the bridge, and go down and across to the pedestrian tunnel underneath.

There’s an archway here that frames Big Ben perfectly, and almost nobody knows it’s there. It’s a completely different shot from anything you’d find on a postcard, more architectural, more dramatic, and usually empty even when the bridge above is packed.

Westminster Abbey Phone Box

A short walk from the Big Ben phone box, on Tothill Street, there’s another red telephone box that perfectly frames Westminster Abbey behind it. Gothic towers rising above a classic British icon. It’s a different shot from the Big Ben one, slightly quieter street, and it photographs beautifully. Most people walk straight past it without stopping, which is exactly what makes it worth finding.

London Eye from the South Bank Fence

Walk along the South Bank toward the Eye and find the fence along the river. Frame through it or lean against it and you get the London Eye perfectly composed. It sounds simple because it is, but it works every time and the riverbank light in the morning or late afternoon is genuinely lovely.

Piccadilly Circus Underground Entrance

This one is less about the circus itself and more about the Tube entrance. Stand near the Underground sign at the top of the stairs, and wait. A double-decker bus will come past on the road behind you within a few minutes. That’s the shot. It takes a bit of patience and timing but when it comes together it’s one of the most London photos you can get.

Mr Fogg’s Tavern

Inspired by Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days, Mr Fogg’s Tavern on Great Queen Street is packed wall to wall with Victorian travel memorabilia, and on the outside it’s different every season. It’s a cute spot worth taking your camera out.

National Justice Museum Phone Boxes

Near the Royal Courts of Justice, four classic red telephone boxes are lined up outside the National Justice Museum. The building behind them is beautiful Victorian gothic stonework, and four phone boxes together make for a very different shot from the single ones near Westminster. No one comes here, during the midday it was just us.

Need help planning your London trip? Check out our other blogs, hope they help:

1. First Time in London? Here’s What You Actually Need to Do
2. 3 Days in London: The Perfect Itinerary for First-Timers
3. 5 Days in London: The Ultimate Itinerary for First-Timers
4. Free Things to Do in London That Are Actually Worth It

Leadenhall Market

Victorian painted iron ceiling, ornate arches, soft light filtering through the glass roof. Leadenhall Market looks like a film set because it basically is one, this is Diagon Alley from the original Harry Potter films. Go early before the City lunch crowd arrives and the whole place is almost empty. The photos in the soft morning light with nobody around look incredible. Even if you’ve never watched Harry Potter, the architecture alone is worth the detour.

Neal’s Yard

A tiny colourful courtyard tucked away near Covent Garden that looks almost too good to be real. Every wall is painted a different colour, flower boxes everywhere, independent shops in every corner. Easy to walk straight past the entrance without realising it’s there. Here is the exact location so you won’t miss it.

Bywater Street, Chelsea

A quiet residential street in Chelsea lined with pastel-painted terraced houses in soft blues, pinks, yellows and greens. Think Notting Hill but smaller, quieter, and without the crowds. No queues, no pushing for a clear shot, just a pretty street that photographs beautifully. It’s a short walk from Sloane Square, and there are cute coffee shops on the way here.

Early morning is everything. Most of these spots have no queue, no crowds, and much better light before 8:00 AM. London in summer means very early sunrises, which is painful on the alarm clock but incredible for photography. In June, golden hour starts around 4:45 AM and the city stays quiet until at least 7:30 AM. That’s nearly three hours of perfect shooting conditions with empty streets.

If sunrise isn’t realistic, late afternoon in the hour before sunset is the next best option. Midday light in London is usually flat and the crowds are at their worst. Skip it if you can.

Now, London has so many more amazing photo spots, I mean every corner on a sunny day in London can be a photo spot, but these are the ones we thought were worth mentioning. Hope you have a lovely, sunny day in London.
Until next time, be mesmerized 💜

The Changing of the Guard is one of those things that’s on every London list, and for good reason. It’s free, it’s genuinely impressive, and there’s nothing quite like watching soldiers in full red tunics and black bearskin caps marching down the Mall while a regimental band plays behind them. These things still exist in 21st century, and seeing it in person feels a bit special in a way that’s hard to explain until you’re actually there.

The problem is most people see almost none of it. They show up at Buckingham Palace at 11am, get stuck behind a wall of phones and shoulders, catch a glimpse of some bearskin hats moving across a courtyard they can’t see into, and leave slightly underwhelmed. That’s not the ceremony’s fault. That’s just standing in the wrong place.

We made the same mistake the first time. The second time, we didn’t.

What Is It Actually All About?

The ceremony is exactly what it sounds like, one set of soldiers takes over guard duty from another.

But the history behind it makes it more interesting than a simple shift change.

The guards are real, active British Army soldiers, not ceremonial performers. Their job is to protect the King and the royal palaces, and they’ve been doing it in some form since the reign of King Henry VII in the late 15th century.

A bit of history lesson: the ceremony originally took place at the Palace of Whitehall, moved to St James’s Palace when Whitehall burned down in 1698, and shifted to Buckingham Palace when Queen Victoria moved in there in 1837.

That arrangement, one guard at St James’s Palace and one at Buckingham Palace, is still exactly how it works today.
During the ceremony the New Guard formally takes over from the Old Guard, a symbolic handover of the key and the responsibility for protecting the King. Both are drawn from one of five regiments: the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards, and Welsh Guards. You can tell which regiment is on duty by the plumes on their bearskin caps and the spacing of the buttons on their tunics. The bearskins themselves are made from Canadian black bear fur, stand 45 centimetres tall, and weigh around 700 grams. The gold chin strap across their mouths wasn’t designed to keep the hat on, it was originally meant to protect the face in battle.

A regimental band plays throughout, and they don’t just play military marches. You might hear classical pieces, West End show tunes, or pop songs. It depends entirely on the regiment.
Its official name is Guard Mounting, by the way. Almost nobody calls it that, but now you know.

When Does It Happen?

The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace takes place every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The ceremony at the Palace forecourt, which is the large walled courtyard directly in front of the Palace building itself, the area you see through the main gates, starts at 11:00 AM. But the whole thing begins much earlier than most people realise.

The Old Guard (the soldiers currently on duty, about to be relieved) forms up in the forecourt from 10:30 AM. The St James’s Palace detachment marches down The Mall and joins them at around 10:45 AM. By the time the crowd at the Palace gates is watching anything, the best parts have already been happening for 20 minutes.

Important: the ceremony is cancelled in very wet weather, no exceptions. Always check the official schedule the morning you plan to go at the Household Division website before heading out.

Also worth knowing: park roads between the Palace and The Mall are closed between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM on ceremony days, so plan your walk accordingly.

The Horse Guards Parade: the other one nobody talks about

Before we get to Buckingham Palace, there’s another ceremony happening at the same time that most visitors completely miss.

The Changing of the King’s Life Guard takes place daily at Horse Guards Parade on Whitehall, at the eastern end of St James’s Park. On weekdays it happens at 11:00 AM, on Sundays at 10:00 AM, and on Saturdays there’s an inspection at 11:00 AM. This is the Household Cavalry, so instead of foot guards marching on foot you get soldiers on horseback in gold helmets and gleaming breastplates. Far smaller crowds, much closer views, and a completely different atmosphere.

If you want to see both, the timing is tight but doable. Start at Horse Guards at 10:00 AM, watch the cavalry, then walk through St James’s Park and position yourself on The Mall for the foot guards around 10:40 AM.

The Best Spot: and it’s not in front of Buckingham Palace

Here’s what we’d tell anyone going for the first time. Skip the crowds in front of the Palace gates. Get yourself to the corner of Marlborough Rd and The Mall and wait there.

This is where the St James’s Palace detachment steps off and begins their march down The Mall toward Buckingham Palace. The Mall is the long, straight, tree-lined road that runs from St James’s Palace all the way to Buckingham Palace. At the Marlborough Rd corner, there’s space. You can be first in line with a completely clear view, watch the guards and the band go right past you, and you can actually see their faces.

Then, if you want, you can follow them down The Mall toward the Palace. Which is exactly what we did. We may have been running at some points. Just to keep up, obviously, and for the pictures.

Most people are queued along the Palace railings or squeezed around the Victoria Memorial (the large monument with a golden statue on top, directly opposite the Palace gates). Nothing wrong with those spots if you get there very early, around 10:00 to 10:15 AM for a decent place. The Victoria Memorial steps give you an elevated view which is good for photos. But Marlborough Rd gives you the experience of the march itself, not just the ceremony at the end of it, and it’s genuinely the better version.

I remember the first time we were there at Buckingham Palace, we just turned around and left, it was so crowded, you couldn’t see not even the top of their caps (I am not that tall).

The Full Ceremony Timeline

To help you plan where to be and when:

• 10:25 AM: St James’s Palace detachment forms up for inspection at Friary Court, the small courtyard inside St James’s Palace
• 10:30 AM: Old Guard forms up in the Buckingham Palace forecourt
• 10:43 AM: Guards and band step off from St James’s Palace and begin marching down The Mall, this is where you need to be at Marlborough Rd corner
• 10:45 AM: St James’s Palace Guard joins the Buckingham Palace Guard in the forecourt
• 11:00 AM: The ceremony proper begins, New Guard arrives from Wellington Barracks, the formal handover takes place inside the forecourt
• 11:45 AM: Old Guard returns toward Wellington Barracks

After the Ceremony

Once the guards have passed and headed toward the Palace, everyone else goes the same way. The Mall gets crowded, Buckingham Palace gets crowded, and the whole area turns into one big bottleneck.

Do what we did: don’t follow the crowd. Turn around, walk back into St James’s Park, find a patch of grass, and sit down. The park empties out beautifully while everyone else is pressed against the Palace railings. You’ll have squirrels, possibly pelicans, the bridge over the lake, and a very peaceful half hour while London buzzes around you. Everyone pours down The Mall and you get the park almost to yourself.

And that’s it, we hope this will help you get the best spot and just enjoy this historic ceremony.

Until next time, be mesmerized ❤️🖤