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Discover Leeds: Travel Experiences from Leeds to Devon

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One of the things I like the most about being a student in Leeds is the opportunity to travel around the country. There are so many amazing places you can visit, and Devon was definitely a county on my bucket list! I had heard so many great things about the beautiful beaches and delicious fish and chips, I could not wait to visit there. So, in September 2021 I finally got the chance to make this trip a reality, and what better company to go with than the friends I made in Leeds? 

We started planning the trip in May, as we were aware summer is a peak season in the south of England and September might still still experience this. Therefore, booked accommodation in advance. The first step was to pick a location. We found the following website, Visit Devon, very useful (they have these websites for nearly every city in the UK!). It has lots of information about accommodation, things to do, food and drink, and general visitor information. In the end, we decided to stay in Westward Ho!, a colourful village by the sea. 

The next step was picking a place to stay for the 5 nights. With 9 of us going, we decided to stay in an Airbnb because there were so many options to pick from! Staying in a house can often be cheaper than a hotel, and having a place to yourself can be an enjoyable experience. It was easier and cheaper for us to arrange meals, with the benefit of being able to spend time together in a bigger area without disturbing other people. 

All of my friends and I live in different areas of the country, so the travel arrangements got slightly more complicated. A few of them met in London and drove together from there. They found this convenient because they only had to split the cost of petrol. A friend and I were in Leeds and we took a coach to Bristol, where one of our friends lives. From there, we drove down with him. We decided to take a coach instead of a train because it is cheaper - trains to Bristol can cost around £60-90, whereas coaches cost around £10-25. Finally, another friend took a train to Barnstaple station, which is only a 20-minute drive from Westward Ho! 

As we were staying in Westward Ho! for almost a week we figured we needed to plan some activities and the app, Trip Advisor was very useful and we found lots of fun things to do and beautiful places to visit. For example, we did a day trip to Bideford, a port town with gorgeous parks, restaurants and local shops. Some other highlights of this trip was our experience paddle-boarding, our visit to Saunton beach, and all the stunning sunsets...all in this video below 🙂 

I hope reading about my trip to Devon, it's so easy to travel from Leeds to other cities and this should be a big encouragement when you consider where to study in the UK. I went from north to south! Leeds itself is beautiful to explore, but having the access to discover so many beautiful and interesting places with friends is what will stay in your memories forever! Overall, being a student in Leeds has given me the chance to live unique experiences, and I am looking forward to planning my next adventure...or telling you more about my experiences!