July 29, 2025 • 31 mins
St Albans offers a perfect day trip from London with its rich Roman heritage, medieval architecture, and renowned foodie scene, all just 20 minutes by train from central London.
• Just 20 minutes by train from St Pancras International
• Home to extensive Roman ruins including an ancient theatre still used for performances today
• Contains the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain - St Albans Cathedral
• Features England's only surviving medieval town belfry - the Clock Tower built in 1405
• Boasts award-winning restaurants and reputedly one of England's oldest pubs, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks
• Birthplace of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) with exceptional independent pubs
• Hosts numerous festivals throughout the year celebrating its Roman and medieval heritage
• Winner of Best Large Outdoor Market in Britain 2024
• Features an Art Deco cinema restored through community donations
• Perfect for history lovers with connections to the War of the Roses and famous historical figures
For more information, visit enjoystalbans.com or follow Enjoy St Albans on Instagram and Facebook.
⭐️ Guest - Vivien Cannon, Manager of St Albans City Centre BID
📝 Show Notes - Episode 160
🎧 Listen to next
- Episode #96 - Easy day trips from London by train (Part 1)
- Episode #97 - Easy day trips from London by train (Part 2)
- Episode #46 – Discovering the Magic: A Guide to Visiting Warner Bros Harry Potter Studios in London
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tracy Collins (00:00):
Just 20 minutes from London by train, St Albans
offers Roman ruins, a stunningcathedral, medieval streets,
bustling markets and one of thebest foodie scenes outside the
capital.
It's the ideal day trip.
Stay tuned to find out why itdeserves a spot on your
itinerary.
Intro (00:16):
Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
Your host is the founder of theUK Travel Planning website,
tracey Collins.
In this podcast, tracy sharesdestination guides, travel tips
and itinerary ideas, as well asinterviews with a variety of
guests who share their knowledgeand experience of UK travel to
help you plan your perfect UKvacation.
(00:38):
Join us as we explore the UKfrom cosmopolitan cities to
quaint villages, from historiccastles to beautiful islands,
and from the picturesquecountryside to seaside towns.
Tracy Collins (00:56):
Hi and welcome to this week's edition of the UK
Travel Planet podcast.
This week, I'm joined by VivianCannon, manager of St Albans
City Centre, bid.
Now, just 20 minutes by trainfrom London, st Albans is the
perfect day trip, or even arelaxing base if you want to
explore more of Hertfordshire.
Vivian is passionate aboutsharing all the reasons why this
historic city is such abrilliant destination, from its
(01:19):
rich Roman heritage andbeautiful cathedral to its
family-friendly parks, foodiescene and vibrant year-round
events.
Whether you are spending a fewdays in London or planning a
longer UK adventure, st Albansis a destination well worth
adding to your itinerary, andthis episode is packed with
ideas to help you make the mostof it.
I started by asking Vivianabout her role at St Albans City
(01:40):
Centre, bid.
Vivian Cannon (01:42):
Hello, I am the manager of St Albans City Centre
, BID, which is a businessimprovement district and it's
business led and business fundedand it's not for profit and
it's formed to just support thebusinesses within the city
centre flourish and develop as avibrant business community.
Tracy Collins (02:05):
I'm sure lots of our listeners are going to St
Albans now.
Where is that so?
Would you like to describewhere it is?
And how would you describe StAlbans to somebody who hasn't
been?
Vivian Cannon (02:17):
If you're looking at the map of England and you
look at London and you look upfrom London almost almost
directly up, we're about 20miles, which equates to 20
minutes or so on the train, soreally easy access.
If you're coming through thatroute or off the M1 or A1, we're
(02:38):
very easy to get to, which is anice difference if you've been
in the city of London orsomewhere else and you want a
bit of green space around you.
So time to relax.
So it's a nice you could callit a really large market town,
although we have a city becauseof our cathedral.
So we're surrounded by theHertfordshire countryside and we
(03:00):
have a river going through andit's a nice chalk river which is
known for its fresh, cleanness,and the river that would feed
watercress farms.
Tracy Collins (03:11):
I think this is important to say about St Albans
, about just how historicallyinteresting it is to visit.
So if you're listening andyou're visiting the UK and you
think, oh, I've got such aninterest in history, st Albans
is an absolutely fantasticdestination, so let's let's talk
about some of the Roman history, I guess, around St Albans, or
Verulamium as it was called then, and then kind of what is still
(03:34):
left today.
If I visit St Albans, what canI see from that era?
Vivian Cannon (03:39):
Oh, we have a really lovely collection of
mosaic hypercoursed floors andmurals and things like that.
So the very crudest element ofthe Roman society that you can
see is in our Verulamium Parkbeautiful green open space park,
and there's part of the ancientwall of a villa or a building
(04:00):
of Roman times.
So we have an open air Romantheatre of Verilanium built in
the year AD 140, we think itwould have been used for
religious processes, dancing,armed combat and apparently wild
beast shows, but you can stillsee it, you can step down into
(04:23):
the theatre and you can be inthe theatre.
And what's really great aboutthat and its survival is that we
have a very renowned localtheatre company who actually,
throughout the summer, do awhole theatre festival.
So you can do as the Romans did, you can sit in their open air
theatre and you can watch publicshows.
(04:45):
So you're literally doing whatancestors did of St Albans.
And then we have a fantasticVerilania museum with all kinds
of artefacts that have beenfound during archaeological digs
.
So I think if you're intoRomans, there's lots of
interactive activity inVerilania museum, romans,
(05:09):
there's lots of interactiveactivity in Verulania Museum and
you can really kind of feedyour interest and hunger to find
out.
Tracy Collins (05:13):
And it's amazing, you don't have to go very far
from Londinium to go and see alittle bit more of Roman history
if that's something that you'reinterested in, but of course
there's medieval history as wellin St Albans.
Vivian Cannon (05:26):
Oh, my goodness, we have the peasants' revolt,
when they revolted about thechurch commanding what they did
and when they did it.
So they said we don't like this, we're going to organise our
own lives.
Thank you very much.
We have previous to that, wehave Boudicca coming to kill off
the Romans, so that's obviouslya bit earlier than medieval
(05:46):
times.
But I suppose the biggest thingthat we can claim which nobody
really expects and looks at usin question and say really is
that we had the first battle ofthe War of the Roses.
And of course the War of theRoses is Lancastrian and
Yorkshire fight, but that firstbattle started down here, the
(06:07):
wars, the first battle of thewars.
So we've got a real mix ofhistory.
So Tudor War of the Roses,we've got the lot.
Tracy Collins (06:17):
You really have, and you've also got a medieval
clock tower as well, because Iknow I've seen it.
Vivian Cannon (06:22):
So the clock tower was built in 1405 and is,
as you say, the only survivingmedieval town belfry in England.
And over the centuries it'sbeen a shop and a government
telegraph station during theNapoleonic Wars and, gabriel,
the tower's original one-tonbell remains in place and we
still hear it, which ratherspecial.
(06:44):
It would have also rung out analarm um in case of fire and um
and fray, such as the battle ofsaint albans in 1455.
We're full of battles aroundhere.
I'm not sure that's wonderful,but we've all survived and um,
it is a fantastic.
You know, if you, if you, wantto take a typical selfie of the
(07:04):
clock tower, that's great.
But just at the back, aroundthe corner of the building, is a
little door and it says veryquietly on the door commit no
nuisance.
And it was a polite butforceful way of our ancestors to
demand a high standard ofbehaviour from passers-by.
And I have seen many childrenpushed by their parents in front
(07:27):
of that door to have thatphotograph taken.
Tracy Collins (07:31):
I think that's a must-do when you're in St Albans
.
It sounds like definite,definite.
Go and take a picture in frontof that.
I mean how long that must harkback back, I don't know,
hundreds of years that that signon the door absolutely.
Vivian Cannon (07:45):
I.
I don't know when it was firstput there, but most people feel
like it's been there forever andit's just one of those lovely
kind of wagging your finger atthe community I know I think
it's absolutely brilliant.
Tracy Collins (08:00):
So we've kind of covered a bit of the.
We've got roman history insaint auburn's.
We've got medieval history.
You can, you can see, you'reliving in it.
If you live in saint auburn's,you go and visit, you can go and
experience it.
And and we've got to talk aboutsaint auburn's cathedral.
We've talked a little bit aboutsaint auburn and that, the, uh,
the, the ceremony area, thattradition, but talk a little bit
(08:21):
about the actual cathedralitself.
Vivian Cannon (08:23):
Okay, I have some lovely facts and figures here
for you.
So the cathedral is the oldestsite of continuous Christian
worship in Britain.
If you step inside you'll findthe shrine, obviously, of St
Auburn, which has been the focalpoint for visitors and pilgrims
alike.
And if you think that theWatling Road this is the Roman
(08:44):
Watling Road and Icknald Way,come directly, you know, locally
to St Albans.
So the Watling Road, theancient road, would come through
St Albans and pilgrims would becoming to visit that shrine.
At 85 metres long, it has thelongest nave of any cathedral in
England and an extensivecollection of medieval wall
(09:05):
paintings and you'll see somegraffiti that people have
scratched into the walls thereas well.
And you know whilst you're hereit's not stuck in the past
because the cathedral puts on anarray of all kinds of popular
activities and events, from popsongs to the International Organ
Festival, to yoga under afloating moon that they had
(09:26):
installed one year.
So it's a vibrant, usedcathedral and there's some
fantastic local residents whoact as tour guides there and
give you all the intricatelittle hidden details that,
unless you're with them, youdon't tend to see oh, that's
really interesting.
Tracy Collins (09:43):
And tour guides how do we get access to tour
guides?
Do we have to book those inadvance?
Vivian Cannon (09:47):
yeah, uh, you can , or you can, whilst you're here
, just just roll up and see whatthey're doing.
Um, I would the.
The guides in the cathedral arethere for it, for whenever you
walk in, the local tour guidesthat will give you the history
of St Albans in its Tudor glory,its Victorian glory just
general history and we'll walkaround the town with you in
(10:08):
small groups.
I think it's about £6 to book atour with them, but it's
thorough and I hear lots oflaughter.
And sometimes in the officewhere I'm based in the centre
we're in a really old 17thcentury building here that used
to be an old pub I suddenly heara whole lot of people, um,
underneath the window, as a tourguide is telling them about.
(10:31):
You know the building and whatit used to be, and I often want
to be that person in the filmthat throws that bucket of water
out the window into the streeton them.
But I I dared do that because Ireally do want visitors to come
here that would be an authenticmedieval experience, though,
wouldn't it, vivian?
Tracy Collins (10:47):
well, well, yeah, I mean you'd pay me for it.
That would be great, absolutely, and now there's also a really
good market.
I think it's uh, it'saward-winning.
Is that right?
The the market in St Albans?
Vivian Cannon (10:59):
Best large outdoor market in Britain, 2024.
And it's maintaining thatquality.
It's got great variety, as youwould expect a market of your
everyday weekly shopping needs,but at the same time it has some
fantastic gifts, souvenirs,that kind of stuff, and on
Saturday it is heaving.
It's very lovely and a goodexperience.
(11:21):
If you're not used to, you knowEnglish markets and now.
Tracy Collins (11:26):
So if I, if I arrive at St Albans, say, if I
get the train into St Albansfrom London, is it?
Is St Albans a walkable city?
Vivian Cannon (11:36):
it is.
I would.
I would give you a heads upthat the first thing you do as
you enter, coming off the train,is a bit of a hill.
There's a not steep but anincline, and it's 10 to 15
minutes to walk.
But once you're in the saintauburn's, the first big building
you come up to is the saintauburn's museum and gallery,
which um has your toilets.
(11:58):
It has a coffee shop in thereand the coffee shop is in a the
old converted courtroom so youcan go into the dock, you can go
into the prisoner cellsunderneath you, so it's a quite
a tea room experience andobviously they've got museum and
exhibitions there.
So that's, you know, you'vearrived.
When you see that andeverything I believe is is
(12:20):
easily navigable and and withinwalking distance.
And even if you decide to godown into the park to Verilanium
Park, it's just a short walkthrough the park to the
Verilanium Museum.
So, yes, you can do it all fromfrom one hotel, from one one
day visit.
It's nice.
Tracy Collins (12:40):
That's perfect.
So if I'm visiting with youknow, I'm just thinking about
families who are visiting the UKand they want to get out of
London and think St Albans wouldbe a perfect place to visit.
What sort of activities arethere that you would recommend
for families with children?
Vivian Cannon (12:58):
Well, they can always run around and stretch
their feet, sit in Verillaniumpark and there's a nice um, if
you come prepared and you'restaying and it's a hot day,
you've got the splash park andand all of that kind of stuff.
But the museum and gallery do alot of activities for for
children interactive, just likeverillanium.
The cathedral has someinteractive activities too, and
(13:20):
quite often during summer months, like for this year for
instance we've got a mini beachjust set up in the town, where
we'll have a mini beach set upin the town centre.
So there'll be some trails todo and follow and some
activities like that.
And for older people, who willlike museums and galleries and
maybe not the children'sinteractive bit but the general
(13:41):
interactivity of learning,there's lots to stimulate them.
And, as we've just discussed,there are eras all through
history.
And then for those who want topay homage to people of our past
, we have a blue plaque trailthat highlights some famous
people that have been lived hereor spent time here.
(14:04):
So if they're into their golfand they want to pay homage to
the Ryder Cup, this is where theoriginator of the Ryder Cup
lived and did business, samuelRyder.
So there's lots of things topique people's interest and
obviously, if you want to seeour shops, we have a good
(14:25):
collection of shops.
We would say a premierselection of shops in
Hertfordshire.
You'll get those in St Albans.
Tracy Collins (14:32):
Definitely, and I've heard there's an Art Deco
cinema as well, which reallyinterests me because I love Art
Deco.
So what sort of shows does thathave on?
Is that just kind of regularshows that are on?
Vivian Cannon (14:46):
It will catch you regular.
So you'll your willy wonkersand all that kind of stuff, but
they'll do foreign languagefilms, they'll do the retro
films that have such a highfollowing.
They have a really good diversekind of film show uh menu and
there's there'll always besomething on to attract the
different ages.
(15:06):
And the thing about that um,art deco cinema, you know, is
it's the local community thatinvested millions of pounds
themselves donating it to therestoration of that cinema.
So it's quite special, um, it'sin the heart of people and you,
and it's not like rows and rowsof seats.
You can, you can do that ifyou're on the balcony, your
(15:27):
standard rows of seats, but ifyou go down to the stalls, there
are tables and it's just likecocktail hour in a nightclub.
You have your seats verycomfortable, you can have a bit
of a food thing and then thequite often the team will come
and give you a bit of anexplanation about the director
or something.
If you're a real film buff, ifthat's your thing, um, so you're
(15:51):
, you're really engaging with,um, the film industry, which is
rife around here yeah, I thinkthere's lots of um movies and tv
series filmed in that area,aren't there?
Tracy Collins (16:03):
so yeah, that's really cool.
So are there any other, anynames that you can drop of
anybody that would look for onthat trail, apart from the Mr
Ryder?
Vivian Cannon (16:11):
who set?
Tracy Collins (16:11):
up the golf.
Vivian Cannon (16:13):
There are some names.
So Stephen Hawking, who we knowas the physicist he went to
school in St Albans before hethen moved on to Oxford.
We have Frederick Saunder, whowas known as the orchid king and
he used to supply QueenVictoria with her orchids and he
(16:33):
would travel the world umcreating that.
I have to name some, some women, because obviously we're proud
of our female history here andwe had um the very first woman
to be appointed as a town clerkin England, Betty Entwistle,
which is a bit of a Yorkshire upnorth sound, so that family
(16:54):
obviously came down here.
And Sarah Churchill of the1600s to the 1700s was the
Duchess of Marlborough and shein her own right had a lot of
power.
So we have a real mix of peoplethat were here oh, you
absolutely do.
Tracy Collins (17:12):
Well, I mean, the the history is, is, uh is.
There's just so much of it kindof embedded in the entire area
of you know, right frompre-history, roman history,
medieval history up to thepresent day.
You've absolutely goteverything in St Albans now.
What you do also have is a lotof very good food and drink
options as well, and I believeyou've got a reputation as mini
(17:36):
London for foodies.
Vivian Cannon (17:37):
So let's have a chat about some of the fantastic
food and drink options we'vegot as well the Thompson
restaurant with head chef PhilThompson, who also will attend
the food and drink pub in thepark festival that comes to
Verilanium Park in the summers,and he he's accomplished three
(17:58):
AA rosette status.
So if you like really high,high class eating, they're the
ones to go to.
But, as I say, we have Dillon'sin George Street, we have the
Cock in St Albans, who all comewith high caliber food
reputations and having eaten insome of them, I would support
(18:20):
that.
Tracy Collins (18:21):
What about pubs Viv?
Because we can't miss out pubswhen we visit in St Albans.
Vivian Cannon (18:27):
Well, we claim to have the once celebrated
England's oldest pub in StAlbans, the Old Fighting Cox,
and it should be on your agenda.
The original structure had beendated as far back as 793 AD and
it was originally a pigeon coopused by the monks, so it's had
(18:52):
a good change of use there yeahinteresting change of use.
Yes, it's the edge of VerilaniumPark, so it's, and it's serving
award-winning food as well.
They've won a lot of awardsthere and then.
But right in the heart you'vegot a pub like the Boot, which
is directly, directly next tothe Clock Tower.
You're not going to miss it,and it's rumoured that the War
of the Roses started outside thedoor of that pub, in
(19:15):
Marketplace.
So I don't know whether it wasjust a row between a couple of
people that caused a whole war,but needless to say, it's got
that reputation.
It has excellent real ales, andsaint auburn's is the
birthplace of an organizationcalled camera, which is a
campaign for really better ales.
(19:36):
Real ales, thank you.
You know it.
It's the campaign for real ales.
So that started here too.
Tracy Collins (19:42):
So you can imagine, when you go in the pubs
there's a variety of homemadeales and um, good tasting and
what's really nice is that I'mthinking about our listeners
here and if you're, if you'revisiting the uk and want to go
to a, you know, have thatgenuine, uh, english pub
experience.
These are the sort of placesthat we recommend that you seek
(20:04):
out.
So if you go to st auburn's,you can go and experience a
proper traditional English pubwith some good ales and good
food, yes, and good food, andthey're independently run.
Vivian Cannon (20:17):
So that's the crux of the matter.
As well, they're independentlyrun.
All our pubs are pubs.
You know, we have that Englishtradition.
But the ones we've justmentioned are uniquely
independently runs, which isreally lovely with the amount
that we have around here yeah,no, that's really good, so
they're worth popping into.
Tracy Collins (20:33):
What about?
I know you've mentioned thatthere's you've got some seasonal
uh highlights and things thatgo on like foodie uh type
festivals.
But uh, what sort of thingshave you got over the year?
Vivian Cannon (20:42):
because I'm thinking like from month to
month that people are planning,it'd be good to know kind of
what sort of things that youhave throughout the year so, yes
, so I would always keep an eyeon enjoy saint albans, because
that's got a whole what's onpage and you'll see all the
festivals coming up and it wouldkick start with something
amazing happening in thecathedral.
So we know they're going tohave giant whales being floated
(21:03):
in the cathedral at some point.
So keep an eye on what's goingon there, um, and we have the
the spring festival, which justtakes up the whole of the city
centre.
Um, and that would happenaround um the may period.
We have the foodie festival.
Um, and that's great.
It's got live bands, a feastingtent, artisan market.
(21:23):
That's usually end of may,beginning of june, and lots of
kids' activities there as well.
Pub in the Park, which we'vementioned earlier and which
obviously is just a hugeenjoyment of food and drinks,
and our local restaurants areinvited to attend that because
of their calibre as well.
As we've mentioned Canberra,we've got the St Albans Beer and
(21:44):
Cider Festival.
That happens in autumn.
We usually have somethinghappening for Halloween and we
have the Gin and Jazz Festival,which focuses on a very old part
of St Albans, in George Street,and all the shops will open up
for late night shopping andyou're invited to have lots of
lovely gin whilst you're there.
One of the festivals that wereally enjoy and truly
(22:07):
celebrates who we are and whatwe are is the alban day
pilgrimage and festival.
So, from the cathedral'sperspective, they are
celebrating um, saint alban, thefirst saint of britain, um, and
they have a pilgrimageprocession that starts at one
end of the town and walksthrough to the cathedral, and we
(22:28):
have giant 12-foot puppets whoare all characters that play a
role in the story of the makingof Saint Auburn himself, and we
have also giant puppets of ourperegrine falcons that are honed
on the top on the roof of thecathedral, who have just laid
four chicks that everyone'scelebrating.
So it's a really lovely mix.
(22:49):
And because it's a pilgrimagefestival, um, or the procession
is, and they are literallyinviting all of their, all
people who want to walk thatsmall walk, to pay, to take a
pilgrimage, and they go into the, the cathedral, and they give
thanks, and whilst they go anddo that, the festival starts
outside the cathedral and in the, the city centre, um, which we
(23:13):
were just organizing, uh, thispast weekend.
So it always happens in latejune, around about the 20th,
21st, 22nd, and we celebrate ourhistory, so we celebrate the
romans and we have romanreenactments.
And we have the modern daygladiators that you see on telly
who are trying to knock eachother off with big giant blow up
(23:33):
sticks.
And then you have the gladiatorreenactments and we had a
female gladiator tellingeverybody about fights in Roman
times this year, and we had aman who would create pilgrim
badges.
So when you do your pilgrimagesyou have a pilgrim passport and
you'd often get a stamp or takea memento, and we have very few
(23:54):
remaining old pewter pilgrimbadges.
So he was remaking those badges.
So, as you can see, we kind ofcelebrate all of the eras
through our history on the sameday, because St Albans has given
us the name he was Auburn, weare now St Albans, and that day
is full of fun for families.
So we've got the mature peoplewanting to understand the
(24:17):
history of the buildings and whoused to live here, and
obviously the Roman and themedieval history, and then we
have the kids who just want tomake a mosaic or stamp something
, or you you know.
So it's all linked to ourhistory, um, but it's something
to keep everybody busy.
So that's a really lovely timeto come, because that's when we
celebrate the true saint albansand it sounds like so much fun.
Tracy Collins (24:40):
I have to say, vivian, really sounds like a lot
of fun, so I'll have to putthat in my diary for next year.
Unfortunately, I've missed itthis year.
But, um, if you're listeningand you're thinking, yeah, I'm
gonna add St Albans into myvisit when I visit the UK.
Um, we mentioned before, it'svery easy to get to from London
and it's very, very easy to getto by train.
So if I was staying in London,which is the easiest way by
(25:02):
train to actually get into StAlbans, because I don't want to
get there it's easy enough towalk into St Albans itself.
But how do I actually get fromLondon to St Albans?
Vivian Cannon (25:10):
It's a super quick and easy train ride from
St Pancras and it's just 20minutes almost into the heart of
St Albans.
Tracy Collins (25:19):
Well, that's perfect.
Now I'm going to end thepodcast with a bit of a quick
fire round, because I know youknow the area really well, so I
want to ask you what are some ofyour favourites, if this is all
right.
So what is your favourite pubin St Albans?
Vivian Cannon (25:33):
Well, my personal favourite is the Cock Inn on
the main St Peter's Street.
It's a 17th century pub andit's got beamed ceilings and
wooden floors and a lovely logfire and it's a perfect
all-round place because it's gota nice heated garden as well
and the chef there was recentlyon a TV program called Master
(25:55):
Chef the professionals.
So you know, you're going toget good food.
Tracy Collins (25:59):
Ah, perfect, okay , add that one in.
What about your favorite cafeor go-to spot for a bite to eat?
Vivian Cannon (26:07):
Oh, I can't give you one, I have to give you two.
So I have um Cafe Roma, whichis at one end of the city and
you can sit outside on thepavement and watch the world go
by.
Um, and then I have Gale's,which is at the opposite end,
near the clock tower, and I justlike the the variety of food
that they offer.
Tracy Collins (26:25):
Now what about one hidden gem that you love in
St Albans?
Vivian Cannon (26:30):
Well, this is a lot of our buildings have modern
day businesses operating inthem.
So you can go in a pub and yougo to the cashier to pay for
what you want and all of asudden, to the left hand side,
you see this really old door andit turns out that it's the old
door to the women's jail.
So these things are hidden inthe buildings.
(26:53):
So that's what makes us special.
I'm really proud of ourbusinesses because, you know,
they adapt to how they presenttheir goods and wares whilst
dealing with the historicbuildings and preserving them,
which is why we have such alovely, pretty city and it
definitely is now, because Ialways end the podcast with the
(27:13):
same question but if anybody'svisiting for the first time,
what would be the one tip youwould give them?
always look at, enjoy St Albans,because it gives you all of the
how to get here, where to go,how to plan your day, what's on.
And I, if you want a quick readof the history of St Albans, I
would go to the museum andgallery and read our wall of
(27:34):
firsts well, we'll put links tothe website in the show notes
for this episode.
Tracy Collins (27:39):
And also, you've got socials as well, I guess
Instagram yes, we have Instagramand Facebook.
Vivian Cannon (27:45):
um, we have enjoy St Albans and we and we also
have Shop St Albans.
If you want to know, if you'recoming for the shopping
experience, you can see whatdeals and who's doing what.
Tracy Collins (27:55):
Perfect.
Well, I will link to those inthe show notes for this episode,
which is at uktravelplanningcom, forward slash, episode 160.
I can't believe it.
Thank you so much for joiningus, viv.
It's been lovely to talk to you.
You it's been lovely to talkabout st albans.
I really love showcasingdestinations which may not be on
people's first uh list ofplaces to come when they think
(28:18):
about doing day trips fromlondon.
So it's really lovely tohighlight somewhere else that we
can put on the radar forvisitors to the uk that, equally
, they're going to love just asmuch as some of the other
well-known places and they'llfind the history.
They're going to have greatfood and drink opportunities
there and just a really fun dayout.
So thanks so much for joiningus for this episode.
Vivian Cannon (28:40):
Viv, thank you very much and I look forward to
seeing everybody when they come.
Tracy Collins (28:46):
Thanks once again to Vivian for coming on to the
show this week.
I hope you enjoyed learning allabout St Albans and why it's
such a great addition to anyLondon and UK itinerary.
You'll find all the detailsmentioned today, including links
to the Enjoy St Albans websiteand upcoming events, in the show
notes at uktravelplanetcom.
Forward slash episode 160.
(29:07):
If you loved this episode,please consider leaving a review
on your favorite podcast app.
It really helps others discoverthe show.
But, as usual, until next time.
Happy UK travel planning.
Thank you for tuning in to thisweek's episode of the UK travel
planning podcast.
As always, show notes can befound at uktravelplanningcom.
(29:28):
If you've enjoyed the show, whynot leave us feedback via text
or a review on your favouritepodcast app?
We love to hear from you andyou never know.
You may receive a shout out ina future episode.
But, as always, that justleaves me to say until next week
.
Happy UK travel planning.
Just 20 minutes from London by train, St Albans
offers Roman ruins, a stunningcathedral, medieval streets,
bustling markets and one of thebest foodie scenes outside the
capital.
It's the ideal day trip.
Stay tuned to find out why itdeserves a spot on your
itinerary.
Intro (00:16):
Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
Your host is the founder of theUK Travel Planning website,
tracey Collins.
In this podcast, tracy sharesdestination guides, travel tips
and itinerary ideas, as well asinterviews with a variety of
guests who share their knowledgeand experience of UK travel to
help you plan your perfect UKvacation.
(00:38):
Join us as we explore the UKfrom cosmopolitan cities to
quaint villages, from historiccastles to beautiful islands,
and from the picturesquecountryside to seaside towns.
Tracy Collins (00:56):
Hi and welcome to this week's edition of the UK
Travel Planet podcast.
This week, I'm joined by VivianCannon, manager of St Albans
City Centre, bid.
Now, just 20 minutes by trainfrom London, st Albans is the
perfect day trip, or even arelaxing base if you want to
explore more of Hertfordshire.
Vivian is passionate aboutsharing all the reasons why this
historic city is such abrilliant destination, from its
(01:19):
rich Roman heritage andbeautiful cathedral to its
family-friendly parks, foodiescene and vibrant year-round
events.
Whether you are spending a fewdays in London or planning a
longer UK adventure, st Albansis a destination well worth
adding to your itinerary, andthis episode is packed with
ideas to help you make the mostof it.
I started by asking Vivianabout her role at St Albans City
(01:40):
Centre, bid.
Vivian Cannon (01:42):
Hello, I am the manager of St Albans City Centre
, BID, which is a businessimprovement district and it's
business led and business fundedand it's not for profit and
it's formed to just support thebusinesses within the city
centre flourish and develop as avibrant business community.
Tracy Collins (02:05):
I'm sure lots of our listeners are going to St
Albans now.
Where is that so?
Would you like to describewhere it is?
And how would you describe StAlbans to somebody who hasn't
been?
Vivian Cannon (02:17):
If you're looking at the map of England and you
look at London and you look upfrom London almost almost
directly up, we're about 20miles, which equates to 20
minutes or so on the train, soreally easy access.
If you're coming through thatroute or off the M1 or A1, we're
(02:38):
very easy to get to, which is anice difference if you've been
in the city of London orsomewhere else and you want a
bit of green space around you.
So time to relax.
So it's a nice you could callit a really large market town,
although we have a city becauseof our cathedral.
So we're surrounded by theHertfordshire countryside and we
(03:00):
have a river going through andit's a nice chalk river which is
known for its fresh, cleanness,and the river that would feed
watercress farms.
Tracy Collins (03:11):
I think this is important to say about St Albans
, about just how historicallyinteresting it is to visit.
So if you're listening andyou're visiting the UK and you
think, oh, I've got such aninterest in history, st Albans
is an absolutely fantasticdestination, so let's let's talk
about some of the Roman history, I guess, around St Albans, or
Verulamium as it was called then, and then kind of what is still
(03:34):
left today.
If I visit St Albans, what canI see from that era?
Vivian Cannon (03:39):
Oh, we have a really lovely collection of
mosaic hypercoursed floors andmurals and things like that.
So the very crudest element ofthe Roman society that you can
see is in our Verulamium Parkbeautiful green open space park,
and there's part of the ancientwall of a villa or a building
(04:00):
of Roman times.
So we have an open air Romantheatre of Verilanium built in
the year AD 140, we think itwould have been used for
religious processes, dancing,armed combat and apparently wild
beast shows, but you can stillsee it, you can step down into
(04:23):
the theatre and you can be inthe theatre.
And what's really great aboutthat and its survival is that we
have a very renowned localtheatre company who actually,
throughout the summer, do awhole theatre festival.
So you can do as the Romans did, you can sit in their open air
theatre and you can watch publicshows.
(04:45):
So you're literally doing whatancestors did of St Albans.
And then we have a fantasticVerilania museum with all kinds
of artefacts that have beenfound during archaeological digs
.
So I think if you're intoRomans, there's lots of
interactive activity inVerilania museum, romans,
(05:09):
there's lots of interactiveactivity in Verulania Museum and
you can really kind of feedyour interest and hunger to find
out.
Tracy Collins (05:13):
And it's amazing, you don't have to go very far
from Londinium to go and see alittle bit more of Roman history
if that's something that you'reinterested in, but of course
there's medieval history as wellin St Albans.
Vivian Cannon (05:26):
Oh, my goodness, we have the peasants' revolt,
when they revolted about thechurch commanding what they did
and when they did it.
So they said we don't like this, we're going to organise our
own lives.
Thank you very much.
We have previous to that, wehave Boudicca coming to kill off
the Romans, so that's obviouslya bit earlier than medieval
(05:46):
times.
But I suppose the biggest thingthat we can claim which nobody
really expects and looks at usin question and say really is
that we had the first battle ofthe War of the Roses.
And of course the War of theRoses is Lancastrian and
Yorkshire fight, but that firstbattle started down here, the
(06:07):
wars, the first battle of thewars.
So we've got a real mix ofhistory.
So Tudor War of the Roses,we've got the lot.
Tracy Collins (06:17):
You really have, and you've also got a medieval
clock tower as well, because Iknow I've seen it.
Vivian Cannon (06:22):
So the clock tower was built in 1405 and is,
as you say, the only survivingmedieval town belfry in England.
And over the centuries it'sbeen a shop and a government
telegraph station during theNapoleonic Wars and, gabriel,
the tower's original one-tonbell remains in place and we
still hear it, which ratherspecial.
(06:44):
It would have also rung out analarm um in case of fire and um
and fray, such as the battle ofsaint albans in 1455.
We're full of battles aroundhere.
I'm not sure that's wonderful,but we've all survived and um,
it is a fantastic.
You know, if you, if you, wantto take a typical selfie of the
(07:04):
clock tower, that's great.
But just at the back, aroundthe corner of the building, is a
little door and it says veryquietly on the door commit no
nuisance.
And it was a polite butforceful way of our ancestors to
demand a high standard ofbehaviour from passers-by.
And I have seen many childrenpushed by their parents in front
(07:27):
of that door to have thatphotograph taken.
Tracy Collins (07:31):
I think that's a must-do when you're in St Albans
.
It sounds like definite,definite.
Go and take a picture in frontof that.
I mean how long that must harkback back, I don't know,
hundreds of years that that signon the door absolutely.
Vivian Cannon (07:45):
I.
I don't know when it was firstput there, but most people feel
like it's been there forever andit's just one of those lovely
kind of wagging your finger atthe community I know I think
it's absolutely brilliant.
Tracy Collins (08:00):
So we've kind of covered a bit of the.
We've got roman history insaint auburn's.
We've got medieval history.
You can, you can see, you'reliving in it.
If you live in saint auburn's,you go and visit, you can go and
experience it.
And and we've got to talk aboutsaint auburn's cathedral.
We've talked a little bit aboutsaint auburn and that, the, uh,
the, the ceremony area, thattradition, but talk a little bit
(08:21):
about the actual cathedralitself.
Vivian Cannon (08:23):
Okay, I have some lovely facts and figures here
for you.
So the cathedral is the oldestsite of continuous Christian
worship in Britain.
If you step inside you'll findthe shrine, obviously, of St
Auburn, which has been the focalpoint for visitors and pilgrims
alike.
And if you think that theWatling Road this is the Roman
(08:44):
Watling Road and Icknald Way,come directly, you know, locally
to St Albans.
So the Watling Road, theancient road, would come through
St Albans and pilgrims would becoming to visit that shrine.
At 85 metres long, it has thelongest nave of any cathedral in
England and an extensivecollection of medieval wall
(09:05):
paintings and you'll see somegraffiti that people have
scratched into the walls thereas well.
And you know whilst you're hereit's not stuck in the past
because the cathedral puts on anarray of all kinds of popular
activities and events, from popsongs to the International Organ
Festival, to yoga under afloating moon that they had
(09:26):
installed one year.
So it's a vibrant, usedcathedral and there's some
fantastic local residents whoact as tour guides there and
give you all the intricatelittle hidden details that,
unless you're with them, youdon't tend to see oh, that's
really interesting.
Tracy Collins (09:43):
And tour guides how do we get access to tour
guides?
Do we have to book those inadvance?
Vivian Cannon (09:47):
yeah, uh, you can , or you can, whilst you're here
, just just roll up and see whatthey're doing.
Um, I would the.
The guides in the cathedral arethere for it, for whenever you
walk in, the local tour guidesthat will give you the history
of St Albans in its Tudor glory,its Victorian glory just
general history and we'll walkaround the town with you in
(10:08):
small groups.
I think it's about £6 to book atour with them, but it's
thorough and I hear lots oflaughter.
And sometimes in the officewhere I'm based in the centre
we're in a really old 17thcentury building here that used
to be an old pub I suddenly heara whole lot of people, um,
underneath the window, as a tourguide is telling them about.
(10:31):
You know the building and whatit used to be, and I often want
to be that person in the filmthat throws that bucket of water
out the window into the streeton them.
But I I dared do that because Ireally do want visitors to come
here that would be an authenticmedieval experience, though,
wouldn't it, vivian?
Tracy Collins (10:47):
well, well, yeah, I mean you'd pay me for it.
That would be great, absolutely, and now there's also a really
good market.
I think it's uh, it'saward-winning.
Is that right?
The the market in St Albans?
Vivian Cannon (10:59):
Best large outdoor market in Britain, 2024.
And it's maintaining thatquality.
It's got great variety, as youwould expect a market of your
everyday weekly shopping needs,but at the same time it has some
fantastic gifts, souvenirs,that kind of stuff, and on
Saturday it is heaving.
It's very lovely and a goodexperience.
(11:21):
If you're not used to, you knowEnglish markets and now.
Tracy Collins (11:26):
So if I, if I arrive at St Albans, say, if I
get the train into St Albansfrom London, is it?
Is St Albans a walkable city?
Vivian Cannon (11:36):
it is.
I would.
I would give you a heads upthat the first thing you do as
you enter, coming off the train,is a bit of a hill.
There's a not steep but anincline, and it's 10 to 15
minutes to walk.
But once you're in the saintauburn's, the first big building
you come up to is the saintauburn's museum and gallery,
which um has your toilets.
(11:58):
It has a coffee shop in thereand the coffee shop is in a the
old converted courtroom so youcan go into the dock, you can go
into the prisoner cellsunderneath you, so it's a quite
a tea room experience andobviously they've got museum and
exhibitions there.
So that's, you know, you'vearrived.
When you see that andeverything I believe is is
(12:20):
easily navigable and and withinwalking distance.
And even if you decide to godown into the park to Verilanium
Park, it's just a short walkthrough the park to the
Verilanium Museum.
So, yes, you can do it all fromfrom one hotel, from one one
day visit.
It's nice.
Tracy Collins (12:40):
That's perfect.
So if I'm visiting with youknow, I'm just thinking about
families who are visiting the UKand they want to get out of
London and think St Albans wouldbe a perfect place to visit.
What sort of activities arethere that you would recommend
for families with children?
Vivian Cannon (12:58):
Well, they can always run around and stretch
their feet, sit in Verillaniumpark and there's a nice um, if
you come prepared and you'restaying and it's a hot day,
you've got the splash park andand all of that kind of stuff.
But the museum and gallery do alot of activities for for
children interactive, just likeverillanium.
The cathedral has someinteractive activities too, and
(13:20):
quite often during summer months, like for this year for
instance we've got a mini beachjust set up in the town, where
we'll have a mini beach set upin the town centre.
So there'll be some trails todo and follow and some
activities like that.
And for older people, who willlike museums and galleries and
maybe not the children'sinteractive bit but the general
(13:41):
interactivity of learning,there's lots to stimulate them.
And, as we've just discussed,there are eras all through
history.
And then for those who want topay homage to people of our past
, we have a blue plaque trailthat highlights some famous
people that have been lived hereor spent time here.
(14:04):
So if they're into their golfand they want to pay homage to
the Ryder Cup, this is where theoriginator of the Ryder Cup
lived and did business, samuelRyder.
So there's lots of things topique people's interest and
obviously, if you want to seeour shops, we have a good
(14:25):
collection of shops.
We would say a premierselection of shops in
Hertfordshire.
You'll get those in St Albans.
Tracy Collins (14:32):
Definitely, and I've heard there's an Art Deco
cinema as well, which reallyinterests me because I love Art
Deco.
So what sort of shows does thathave on?
Is that just kind of regularshows that are on?
Vivian Cannon (14:46):
It will catch you regular.
So you'll your willy wonkersand all that kind of stuff, but
they'll do foreign languagefilms, they'll do the retro
films that have such a highfollowing.
They have a really good diversekind of film show uh menu and
there's there'll always besomething on to attract the
different ages.
(15:06):
And the thing about that um,art deco cinema, you know, is
it's the local community thatinvested millions of pounds
themselves donating it to therestoration of that cinema.
So it's quite special, um, it'sin the heart of people and you,
and it's not like rows and rowsof seats.
You can, you can do that ifyou're on the balcony, your
(15:27):
standard rows of seats, but ifyou go down to the stalls, there
are tables and it's just likecocktail hour in a nightclub.
You have your seats verycomfortable, you can have a bit
of a food thing and then thequite often the team will come
and give you a bit of anexplanation about the director
or something.
If you're a real film buff, ifthat's your thing, um, so you're
(15:51):
, you're really engaging with,um, the film industry, which is
rife around here yeah, I thinkthere's lots of um movies and tv
series filmed in that area,aren't there?
Tracy Collins (16:03):
so yeah, that's really cool.
So are there any other, anynames that you can drop of
anybody that would look for onthat trail, apart from the Mr
Ryder?
Vivian Cannon (16:11):
who set?
Tracy Collins (16:11):
up the golf.
Vivian Cannon (16:13):
There are some names.
So Stephen Hawking, who we knowas the physicist he went to
school in St Albans before hethen moved on to Oxford.
We have Frederick Saunder, whowas known as the orchid king and
he used to supply QueenVictoria with her orchids and he
(16:33):
would travel the world umcreating that.
I have to name some, some women, because obviously we're proud
of our female history here andwe had um the very first woman
to be appointed as a town clerkin England, Betty Entwistle,
which is a bit of a Yorkshire upnorth sound, so that family
(16:54):
obviously came down here.
And Sarah Churchill of the1600s to the 1700s was the
Duchess of Marlborough and shein her own right had a lot of
power.
So we have a real mix of peoplethat were here oh, you
absolutely do.
Tracy Collins (17:12):
Well, I mean, the the history is, is, uh is.
There's just so much of it kindof embedded in the entire area
of you know, right frompre-history, roman history,
medieval history up to thepresent day.
You've absolutely goteverything in St Albans now.
What you do also have is a lotof very good food and drink
options as well, and I believeyou've got a reputation as mini
(17:36):
London for foodies.
Vivian Cannon (17:37):
So let's have a chat about some of the fantastic
food and drink options we'vegot as well the Thompson
restaurant with head chef PhilThompson, who also will attend
the food and drink pub in thepark festival that comes to
Verilanium Park in the summers,and he he's accomplished three
(17:58):
AA rosette status.
So if you like really high,high class eating, they're the
ones to go to.
But, as I say, we have Dillon'sin George Street, we have the
Cock in St Albans, who all comewith high caliber food
reputations and having eaten insome of them, I would support
(18:20):
that.
Tracy Collins (18:21):
What about pubs Viv?
Because we can't miss out pubswhen we visit in St Albans.
Vivian Cannon (18:27):
Well, we claim to have the once celebrated
England's oldest pub in StAlbans, the Old Fighting Cox,
and it should be on your agenda.
The original structure had beendated as far back as 793 AD and
it was originally a pigeon coopused by the monks, so it's had
(18:52):
a good change of use there yeahinteresting change of use.
Yes, it's the edge of VerilaniumPark, so it's, and it's serving
award-winning food as well.
They've won a lot of awardsthere and then.
But right in the heart you'vegot a pub like the Boot, which
is directly, directly next tothe Clock Tower.
You're not going to miss it,and it's rumoured that the War
of the Roses started outside thedoor of that pub, in
(19:15):
Marketplace.
So I don't know whether it wasjust a row between a couple of
people that caused a whole war,but needless to say, it's got
that reputation.
It has excellent real ales, andsaint auburn's is the
birthplace of an organizationcalled camera, which is a
campaign for really better ales.
(19:36):
Real ales, thank you.
You know it.
It's the campaign for real ales.
So that started here too.
Tracy Collins (19:42):
So you can imagine, when you go in the pubs
there's a variety of homemadeales and um, good tasting and
what's really nice is that I'mthinking about our listeners
here and if you're, if you'revisiting the uk and want to go
to a, you know, have thatgenuine, uh, english pub
experience.
These are the sort of placesthat we recommend that you seek
(20:04):
out.
So if you go to st auburn's,you can go and experience a
proper traditional English pubwith some good ales and good
food, yes, and good food, andthey're independently run.
Vivian Cannon (20:17):
So that's the crux of the matter.
As well, they're independentlyrun.
All our pubs are pubs.
You know, we have that Englishtradition.
But the ones we've justmentioned are uniquely
independently runs, which isreally lovely with the amount
that we have around here yeah,no, that's really good, so
they're worth popping into.
Tracy Collins (20:33):
What about?
I know you've mentioned thatthere's you've got some seasonal
uh highlights and things thatgo on like foodie uh type
festivals.
But uh, what sort of thingshave you got over the year?
Vivian Cannon (20:42):
because I'm thinking like from month to
month that people are planning,it'd be good to know kind of
what sort of things that youhave throughout the year so, yes
, so I would always keep an eyeon enjoy saint albans, because
that's got a whole what's onpage and you'll see all the
festivals coming up and it wouldkick start with something
amazing happening in thecathedral.
So we know they're going tohave giant whales being floated
(21:03):
in the cathedral at some point.
So keep an eye on what's goingon there, um, and we have the
the spring festival, which justtakes up the whole of the city
centre.
Um, and that would happenaround um the may period.
We have the foodie festival.
Um, and that's great.
It's got live bands, a feastingtent, artisan market.
(21:23):
That's usually end of may,beginning of june, and lots of
kids' activities there as well.
Pub in the Park, which we'vementioned earlier and which
obviously is just a hugeenjoyment of food and drinks,
and our local restaurants areinvited to attend that because
of their calibre as well.
As we've mentioned Canberra,we've got the St Albans Beer and
(21:44):
Cider Festival.
That happens in autumn.
We usually have somethinghappening for Halloween and we
have the Gin and Jazz Festival,which focuses on a very old part
of St Albans, in George Street,and all the shops will open up
for late night shopping andyou're invited to have lots of
lovely gin whilst you're there.
One of the festivals that wereally enjoy and truly
(22:07):
celebrates who we are and whatwe are is the alban day
pilgrimage and festival.
So, from the cathedral'sperspective, they are
celebrating um, saint alban, thefirst saint of britain, um, and
they have a pilgrimageprocession that starts at one
end of the town and walksthrough to the cathedral, and we
(22:28):
have giant 12-foot puppets whoare all characters that play a
role in the story of the makingof Saint Auburn himself, and we
have also giant puppets of ourperegrine falcons that are honed
on the top on the roof of thecathedral, who have just laid
four chicks that everyone'scelebrating.
So it's a really lovely mix.
(22:49):
And because it's a pilgrimagefestival, um, or the procession
is, and they are literallyinviting all of their, all
people who want to walk thatsmall walk, to pay, to take a
pilgrimage, and they go into the, the cathedral, and they give
thanks, and whilst they go anddo that, the festival starts
outside the cathedral and in the, the city centre, um, which we
(23:13):
were just organizing, uh, thispast weekend.
So it always happens in latejune, around about the 20th,
21st, 22nd, and we celebrate ourhistory, so we celebrate the
romans and we have romanreenactments.
And we have the modern daygladiators that you see on telly
who are trying to knock eachother off with big giant blow up
(23:33):
sticks.
And then you have the gladiatorreenactments and we had a
female gladiator tellingeverybody about fights in Roman
times this year, and we had aman who would create pilgrim
badges.
So when you do your pilgrimagesyou have a pilgrim passport and
you'd often get a stamp or takea memento, and we have very few
(23:54):
remaining old pewter pilgrimbadges.
So he was remaking those badges.
So, as you can see, we kind ofcelebrate all of the eras
through our history on the sameday, because St Albans has given
us the name he was Auburn, weare now St Albans, and that day
is full of fun for families.
So we've got the mature peoplewanting to understand the
(24:17):
history of the buildings and whoused to live here, and
obviously the Roman and themedieval history, and then we
have the kids who just want tomake a mosaic or stamp something
, or you you know.
So it's all linked to ourhistory, um, but it's something
to keep everybody busy.
So that's a really lovely timeto come, because that's when we
celebrate the true saint albansand it sounds like so much fun.
Tracy Collins (24:40):
I have to say, vivian, really sounds like a lot
of fun, so I'll have to putthat in my diary for next year.
Unfortunately, I've missed itthis year.
But, um, if you're listeningand you're thinking, yeah, I'm
gonna add St Albans into myvisit when I visit the UK.
Um, we mentioned before, it'svery easy to get to from London
and it's very, very easy to getto by train.
So if I was staying in London,which is the easiest way by
(25:02):
train to actually get into StAlbans, because I don't want to
get there it's easy enough towalk into St Albans itself.
But how do I actually get fromLondon to St Albans?
Vivian Cannon (25:10):
It's a super quick and easy train ride from
St Pancras and it's just 20minutes almost into the heart of
St Albans.
Tracy Collins (25:19):
Well, that's perfect.
Now I'm going to end thepodcast with a bit of a quick
fire round, because I know youknow the area really well, so I
want to ask you what are some ofyour favourites, if this is all
right.
So what is your favourite pubin St Albans?
Vivian Cannon (25:33):
Well, my personal favourite is the Cock Inn on
the main St Peter's Street.
It's a 17th century pub andit's got beamed ceilings and
wooden floors and a lovely logfire and it's a perfect
all-round place because it's gota nice heated garden as well
and the chef there was recentlyon a TV program called Master
(25:55):
Chef the professionals.
So you know, you're going toget good food.
Tracy Collins (25:59):
Ah, perfect, okay , add that one in.
What about your favorite cafeor go-to spot for a bite to eat?
Vivian Cannon (26:07):
Oh, I can't give you one, I have to give you two.
So I have um Cafe Roma, whichis at one end of the city and
you can sit outside on thepavement and watch the world go
by.
Um, and then I have Gale's,which is at the opposite end,
near the clock tower, and I justlike the the variety of food
that they offer.
Tracy Collins (26:25):
Now what about one hidden gem that you love in
St Albans?
Vivian Cannon (26:30):
Well, this is a lot of our buildings have modern
day businesses operating inthem.
So you can go in a pub and yougo to the cashier to pay for
what you want and all of asudden, to the left hand side,
you see this really old door andit turns out that it's the old
door to the women's jail.
So these things are hidden inthe buildings.
(26:53):
So that's what makes us special.
I'm really proud of ourbusinesses because, you know,
they adapt to how they presenttheir goods and wares whilst
dealing with the historicbuildings and preserving them,
which is why we have such alovely, pretty city and it
definitely is now, because Ialways end the podcast with the
(27:13):
same question but if anybody'svisiting for the first time,
what would be the one tip youwould give them?
always look at, enjoy St Albans,because it gives you all of the
how to get here, where to go,how to plan your day, what's on.
And I, if you want a quick readof the history of St Albans, I
would go to the museum andgallery and read our wall of
(27:34):
firsts well, we'll put links tothe website in the show notes
for this episode.
Tracy Collins (27:39):
And also, you've got socials as well, I guess
Instagram yes, we have Instagramand Facebook.
Vivian Cannon (27:45):
um, we have enjoy St Albans and we and we also
have Shop St Albans.
If you want to know, if you'recoming for the shopping
experience, you can see whatdeals and who's doing what.
Tracy Collins (27:55):
Perfect.
Well, I will link to those inthe show notes for this episode,
which is at uktravelplanningcom, forward slash, episode 160.
I can't believe it.
Thank you so much for joiningus, viv.
It's been lovely to talk to you.
You it's been lovely to talkabout st albans.
I really love showcasingdestinations which may not be on
people's first uh list ofplaces to come when they think
(28:18):
about doing day trips fromlondon.
So it's really lovely tohighlight somewhere else that we
can put on the radar forvisitors to the uk that, equally
, they're going to love just asmuch as some of the other
well-known places and they'llfind the history.
They're going to have greatfood and drink opportunities
there and just a really fun dayout.
So thanks so much for joiningus for this episode.
Vivian Cannon (28:40):
Viv, thank you very much and I look forward to
seeing everybody when they come.
Tracy Collins (28:46):
Thanks once again to Vivian for coming on to the
show this week.
I hope you enjoyed learning allabout St Albans and why it's
such a great addition to anyLondon and UK itinerary.
You'll find all the detailsmentioned today, including links
to the Enjoy St Albans websiteand upcoming events, in the show
notes at uktravelplanetcom.
Forward slash episode 160.
(29:07):
If you loved this episode,please consider leaving a review
on your favorite podcast app.
It really helps others discoverthe show.
But, as usual, until next time.
Happy UK travel planning.
Thank you for tuning in to thisweek's episode of the UK travel
planning podcast.
As always, show notes can befound at uktravelplanningcom.
(29:28):
If you've enjoyed the show, whynot leave us feedback via text
or a review on your favouritepodcast app?
We love to hear from you andyou never know.
You may receive a shout out ina future episode.
But, as always, that justleaves me to say until next week
.
Happy UK travel planning.
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