As I mentioned in my recent weekend travel post on
Southampton and London, I love any excuse to get away for the weekend, whether
it is in the UK or abroad. I have only visited Birmingham once, many years ago,
so when I was offered the chance to head there for a weekend to Travelodge with
my parents, I couldn't wait to explore. We spent two nights and two days in
Birmingham, so I wanted to put together a mini guide on what I'd recommend for
a city break weekend - it's a pretty big post full of information, so grab a
cuppa and have a read:
Where
To Stay
I was invited to stay in Birmingham by Travelodge, but
as a family, we always stay in a Travelodge anyway. I stayed in a Travelodge in
Southampton and my parents always used to stay in one of the York Travelodges
whilst visiting me at university. For me, Travelodge is the perfect
budget-friendly option; you know exactly what to expect - a clean, practical
room with good facilities and a convenient location. My parents and I were
booked into a 'family room;' a king sized bed and two pull-out beds. The
pull-out beds were really impressive - my parents actually chose to sleep on
these beds, leaving me with the king sized bed (which I wasn't complaining
about at all!) The room was really spacious and clean and the shower was hot
and powerful, which for me is always a deal-breaker. Our room was impressively
quiet and we definitely appreciated the small TV on the wall, which meant we
could catch up with the rugby! I always recommend Travelodge when booking a UK
break away, especially as they can easily be forgotten as they don't show up on
sites like Hotels.com. The Birmingham Central Newhall St Travelodge was one of
the more modern offerings and the location was an easy 20 minute walk to the
city centre; close enough for ease of exploring but far enough away for some
peace and quiet.
What
To Eat and Drink
On the Friday evening, we arrived fairly late in the
evening at our Travelodge and settled into our room. We wanted to eat somewhere
close to our room so we chose the Handmade Burger Co, a short walk from the
Central Newhall St Travelodge along the canals. The walk was such a lovely
experience and so peaceful, contrary to my expectation of a city as big as
Birmingham. Handmade Burger Co unfortunately hasn't made its way to Cambridge
yet so although it was a chain, we didn’t feel like we were eating somewhere we
could go to at home and it was a great start to the weekend.
The following day, I was determined to try some local
Birmingham restaurants. For lunch, I would definitely recommend Purecraft Bar and Kitchen. Their Scotch Eggs are known as being some of the best in
Birmingham and they didn’t disappoint; the picture alone makes me hungry.
Purecraft had an impressive array of beers and ciders, as well as their tasty tapas-style
pub dishes. I was really impressed with both the presentation and quality of
the food we chose, and we had a very enjoyable lunch.
Birmingham is famous for its Balti curry so we knew we
wanted to spend the Saturday evening in one of their curry houses. I'd research
the Balti Triangle using this great local guide, so we jumped in a taxi to
Ladypool Road, the main street in the area. I'd read some great reviews online
about Al Frash so we decided to give it a try. The reviews were right; the
curry was brilliant. We had a selection of starters, including some tasty
chicken pakoora and I opted for the simple chicken Balti as my main. It was
fantastic; served in a red hot pot and bursting full of heat and flavour. My
only negative was the location as it was far less touristy than we were expecting
and we felt a little bit lost – and if you want to drink alcohol, don’t forget to
bring your own as most curry houses are unlicensed.
Of course, I managed to find some time for gin and I
was excited to discover The Jeykll and Hyde bar, complete with a Victorian Gin
Palace. This was one of my favourite bars I have visited in a long time, from
the formal portraits of dogs in uniform, to the sign about gin and happiness.
There was an extensive and fascinating cocktail menu, including sharers served
in a gentleman’s bowler hat and cocktails in teacups. The sweet-flavoured
cocktails were my favourite, and were extremely popular with everyone else in
the bar too. You could choose from lemon bon bons, strawberry laces, chocolate éclair,
pear drops and parma violets, all served in cute jam jars. I would definitely
recommend taking the short walk from the centre of town for a few drinks in
this curious and creative bar.
What
To Do
Birmingham is well-known for its shopping, so a trip to
the Bull Ring Shopping Centre was a must. I even braved Primark on a Saturday
afternoon and bagged an amazing faux fur coat to add to my growing furry
wardrobe. If you enjoy shopping, Birmingham is a great place to go for the
weekend to treat yourself to some retail therapy.
Personally, I like to explore as well as shop when I
head away for a city break. Whenever I head away for the weekend, I like to
check for local festivals and events and we were lucky to discover the
Emergency Poet at the Arts All Over The Place festival. My Mum had heard about the Emergency Poet on the radio
earlier in the week, so when we found out that she was to be in Birmingham the
same weekend as us, it felt like fate. We headed to The Bond Co to visit her and
it was a really unique experience; I sat in an ambulance and answered the Emergency
Poet’s questions, before she ‘prescribed’ me a poem to read. I really love the
idea of taking the time to sit and simply read a poem in moments of
self-reflection and enjoyed the fascinating, if wacky, experience. Birmingham
seems like a great city for the arts, so if you are visiting, it’s a good idea
to check out The Bond Co or The Custard Factory to see what’s on.
We also tried to visit the Back to Backs Museum but
didn’t realise that it was vital to book a slot for this National Trust museum
– if you are heading to Birmingham, I’d recommend booking a space on this tour
to learn more about the history of Birmingham. However, we had already planned
to spend our Sunday at the Black Country Living Museum, so we still got our
history fix. The Black Country Living Museum is a huge site, full of historical houses, a school and shops. For me,
the most interesting aspect was the opportunity to walk through part of a mine.
My great-grandfather was a miner and it is a part of our family history which
is very important to us, so it was both fascinating and emotional to glimpse a
small insight into his experience. I really enjoyed exploring the Living Museum
because I love the interactivity of these kinds of museums. I ate the best fish
and chips I have ever had at the on-site fish and chip shop – I would recommend
a visit on my lunch alone!
Have you ever spent a weekend in Birmingham? Is there
anywhere you would recommend?
Jess
for months now and I am so excited that it is finally published! Bloomsbury have done a fantastic job of the design and the illustrations I have seen so far by Jim Kay have been breathtaking. I've managed to resist buying a copy as my birthday is so close so fingers crossed somebody decides to treat me!
