Colonna & Small's is one of my favourite UK specialty coffee shops and I stop by every time I'm in Bath. I was thrilled to hear that Maxwell and Lesley Colonna-Dashwood were opening a second coffee shop a little closer to (my) home. It opened on Leather Lane in Clerkenwell earlier this month and — spoiler alert — it's just as wonderful as the Bath original!
It's always great when a favourite coffee shop breaks new ground...especially when that coffee shop is Oxford's NewGround, where social responsibility meets superb coffee. I visit their Headington roastery most times I'm back in Oxford and now they have a shiny new café and wine bar in the city centre.
Once a year, my mum and I take a trip together, spending a long weekend in a new city. This year, it was the turn of Glasgow — a city we'd both been keen to visit. 'Dear green place' (as Glasgow is affectionately known) is Scotland's largest city. Its city centre is easy to explore on foot or by public transport and there is plenty to keep you occupied for a long weekend — and beyond — from murals and Mackintosh architecture to whisky, walks and waterside fun.
Glasgow has been on my to-visit list for some time — both for a city break and a specialty coffee tour. I recently spent a long weekend there with my mum and spent time exploring the vibrant and diverse specialty coffee scene of Scotland's largest city.
Welcome to my guide to spending a perfect caffeinated weekend in Birmingham. My family is from the West Midlands but I didn't spend a lot of time in Brum growing up. I've been remedying this in recent years — often when en route to Molineux. On these stops, I prioritise specialty coffee and food (in that order) but a long weekend in Brum a few months ago inspired me to create this itinerary.
When planning my recent day trip to the Kent Coast, I earmarked two new-to-me specialty coffee spots to visit: Forts in Margate...and its sister location in Broadstairs. Better still, I could walk from one Forts to the other along the Viking Coastal Trail. And because good things come in threes, I also paid a visit to Curve, an old favourite of mine, which had moved to a new location since I was last in Margate.
I made the most of Saturday's sunshine by heading to the coast — specifically, the Kent towns of Margate and Broadstairs. I was too late to get accommodation in Margate (Fort Road Hotel was my top choice) but the high-speed trains mean you can pack in a lot on a day trip. Read on for my one-day Margate and Broadstairs itinerary, including the Viking Coastal Trail and other things to do and places to eat, drink and shop.
