Phew! Can’t believe what seemed to be the most hottest summer ever, has finally come to a close. As you might know, Londoners recently had a taste of the scorching sun for a long time. I even heard some complain about how they wish it would cool down. Well, I’m not exempt as I found the heat at some point unbearable!
Since we had favorable weather this year, I found myself travelling around the southern coast of England instead of jetting off abroad and the trips were certainly worth it.
If you’re on a budget travelling around your home country is just as great.
Here is a handful of places I visited solo as well as with family:
Riverboats on the River Thames near Chelsea Bridge
The Thames being one of London’s many iconic landmarks never ceased to surprise my eyes. These boathouses can be found on the riverbank. A calm spot for a Sunday walk to clear your head of clutter or for sight-seeing or even for a picnic.

Riverboats on the River Thames near Chelsea Bridge
What an incredible part of the English countryside. Visiting this unspoilt part of the world opened my eyes to the fact that when we have great weather, it is possible to see England’s landscape from a different perspective.
Lulworth Cove in Dorset
What an incredible part of the English countryside. Visiting this unspoilt part of the world opened my eyes to the fact that when we have great weather, it is possible to see England’s landscape from a different perspective.

Lulworth Cove in Dorset
Margate Beach at sunset
Located in Kent, South East of England and only two 2 hours and 20 minutes by coach.

Margate Beach at sunset
Waterloo Bridge in black and white

Waterloo Bridge in black and white
Southbank Place Schools Project Interesting facts
Southbank Place Schools Project Interesting facts
A curved bench outside Festival Hall

A curved bench outside Festival Hall
Sicilian Avenue along Southampton Row, Central London
A taste of Italy in London!
Sicilian Avenue along Southampton Row
Summer was an adventurous story of Summer 2018 in a nutshell.
I will have more stories on these interesting places in the autumn when I’ll be back with some fresh content but feel free to follow me on Social media.
Excited to say that Journeywithbola is undergoing new development. Stay tuned!
Did spot interesting landscapes abroad or simply stayed on home ground? Feel free to leave a comment as always.

Back in October 2018!
Read more of my posts here.
Hi Bola. We, too, had an extremely hot and dry summer here on the Canadian Prairies. It’s amazing how quickly it got cool once September rolled around! But it is indeed great to sometimes stay close to home and appreciate the wonderful places we each have near to home. It looks like you found some great ones close to London.
Hi Doreen. It is quite easy to overlook places of interest close to home. I would like to see Canada Prairies one day.
Hi Bola — I enjoyed your tour of undiscovered delights in southern England. While I’ve been to London several times I have to admit I haven’t ventured far beyond Cambridge. I know that I’ve missed out on some beautiful sights.
I visited Cambridge a few years back, viewing the historical sites. Dorset is well worth seeing on your next visit.
This year we have been lucky with a good summer in UK. There are so many interesting places one can visit in UK. I can never get tired of visiting London where there is so much to see and explore. Love the buildings, the food and the fashion. I could just sit by the River and watch the world go bye.
Watching the world go by is great fun in London.
Looks like you explored your backyard. We tried to do the same in Valencia this year. It was also one of the hottest summers ever! I need to explore a couple of places on here that you mentioned.. Southampton Row for sure 🙂
Glad to have explored my backyard. We don’t always have great summers over here like the last one, so it was perfect to take advantage of the heatwave. Would love to visit Valencia and experience those Fiestas.
It’s amazing how many places there are to discover right in our own backyards!! I really enjoyed reading about your close-to-home adventures!!
It’s taken a while to make the decision to explore my home country. Thanks to the hot summer!
When I lived in London I would at some point during the summer go to the London Zoo to visit my many animal friends. 🙂
London zoo is still one of the top places to visit.