This is my hobby:
I've been travelling across Britain in my spare time over the past 20 years or so. I don't drive, so mostly I use trains, trains + bus, trains + bike, coaches, and occasionally by car when a family member drives.
Firstly, I made sure I visited every city in Britain, then every town with a population over 100,000. Then, I made sure I visited every county in Britain at least once.
As the years went on, it became addictive. I live in Worcester, so I'm fairly centrally located, regarding England and Wales at least. I used to do just day trips by train, but then I had to start staying in B&Bs to get to the more distant towns.
I passed the 1,000 mark about 8 or 9 years ago, but I have kept on going, averaging at least 100 new places each year. I use logic and do extensive research to find worthwhile places to still visit.
I'm at a point now where I've visited every settlement in Britain with a population of over 20,000, and many, many smaller towns. I have a large map at home with pins absolutely everywhere. I've almost reached 2,000 places now.
I have to set foot in the town and have a look around. I can't, for instance, merely drive through a town by bus or pass it by train to make it count as visiting the place! I enjoy taking photos if the weather's good and there are interesting buildings there.
I include some large significant villages such as Broadway in Worcestershire, Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire or Haworth in West Yorkshire, along with the cities and towns. I also include suburbs of large cities that I consider separate places in their own right, such as Islington (London), Chapeltown (Sheffield) or Selly Oak (Birmingham).
I'd say I've visited about 98% or 99% of the towns in England and Wales. Recently, I've been concentrating on Scotland, and I've increased the number of Scottish towns visited from 60 two years ago to about 145 or so now. There are still some small towns in Scotland I'm yet to visit though.
I stick to mainland Britain, but I have additionally visited every town on Anglesey, The Isle of Man, and The Isle of Wight, plus St Helier on Jersey and St Peter Port on Guernsey. I've never been to Ireland or Northern Ireland, nor have I been to the islands lying off the coast of Scotland, with the exception of Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. At this stage, I just want to visit every single town or significant settlement in mainland Britain.
I have 5,000 or 6,000 photos taken from my years of travelling. I keep diaries listing everywhere I've been.
I love chatting to strangers on trains, asking where they're from, and them amazing them with details about what they think is an obscure town!
I think I'm unique in achieving this, but I cannot be sure. I honestly think I've visited more towns in Britain than anybody else alive, but I have no way of knowing for sure. And if I were to make a claim to the Guinness Book of Records, I have no proof at all!
I have attached a text file listing all places I've visited.
I'd like to ask:
1. What towns in mainland Britain can anybody think of that I haven't visited yet, and therefore should now be my top priority? (please see attached list).
2. What could I do, or where could I go, to see if anybody else has achieved something similar, or indeed If I hold the record for most towns in Britain visited?
3. I love writing, but am unsure what to do regarding this, or who would be interesting in reading about my travels. Currently I just share my experiences with Facebook friends. I feel I have all this knowledge and experience of visiting nearly every town in Britain, but it's going to waste. Any ideas what I could do regarding writing about my hobby?
I've been travelling across Britain in my spare time over the past 20 years or so. I don't drive, so mostly I use trains, trains + bus, trains + bike, coaches, and occasionally by car when a family member drives.
Firstly, I made sure I visited every city in Britain, then every town with a population over 100,000. Then, I made sure I visited every county in Britain at least once.
As the years went on, it became addictive. I live in Worcester, so I'm fairly centrally located, regarding England and Wales at least. I used to do just day trips by train, but then I had to start staying in B&Bs to get to the more distant towns.
I passed the 1,000 mark about 8 or 9 years ago, but I have kept on going, averaging at least 100 new places each year. I use logic and do extensive research to find worthwhile places to still visit.
I'm at a point now where I've visited every settlement in Britain with a population of over 20,000, and many, many smaller towns. I have a large map at home with pins absolutely everywhere. I've almost reached 2,000 places now.
I have to set foot in the town and have a look around. I can't, for instance, merely drive through a town by bus or pass it by train to make it count as visiting the place! I enjoy taking photos if the weather's good and there are interesting buildings there.
I include some large significant villages such as Broadway in Worcestershire, Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire or Haworth in West Yorkshire, along with the cities and towns. I also include suburbs of large cities that I consider separate places in their own right, such as Islington (London), Chapeltown (Sheffield) or Selly Oak (Birmingham).
I'd say I've visited about 98% or 99% of the towns in England and Wales. Recently, I've been concentrating on Scotland, and I've increased the number of Scottish towns visited from 60 two years ago to about 145 or so now. There are still some small towns in Scotland I'm yet to visit though.
I stick to mainland Britain, but I have additionally visited every town on Anglesey, The Isle of Man, and The Isle of Wight, plus St Helier on Jersey and St Peter Port on Guernsey. I've never been to Ireland or Northern Ireland, nor have I been to the islands lying off the coast of Scotland, with the exception of Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. At this stage, I just want to visit every single town or significant settlement in mainland Britain.
I have 5,000 or 6,000 photos taken from my years of travelling. I keep diaries listing everywhere I've been.
I love chatting to strangers on trains, asking where they're from, and them amazing them with details about what they think is an obscure town!
I think I'm unique in achieving this, but I cannot be sure. I honestly think I've visited more towns in Britain than anybody else alive, but I have no way of knowing for sure. And if I were to make a claim to the Guinness Book of Records, I have no proof at all!
I have attached a text file listing all places I've visited.
I'd like to ask:
1. What towns in mainland Britain can anybody think of that I haven't visited yet, and therefore should now be my top priority? (please see attached list).
2. What could I do, or where could I go, to see if anybody else has achieved something similar, or indeed If I hold the record for most towns in Britain visited?
3. I love writing, but am unsure what to do regarding this, or who would be interesting in reading about my travels. Currently I just share my experiences with Facebook friends. I feel I have all this knowledge and experience of visiting nearly every town in Britain, but it's going to waste. Any ideas what I could do regarding writing about my hobby?
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