Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain

I'm Mabel. Reviewing Britain's days out, lovely little places and expensive disappointments. More about me here →

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

I'm Mabel, and I think “shall we just have a look?” is how all the best days out start.

I'm making my way around Britain: villages, seaside towns, walks, pubs, cafés and the odd place my sister insists I'll love.

Reviewing Britain is where I tell you what was brilliant, what was a let-down and whether I'd go back. I'll happily get excited about a tiny bakery. I'll also tell you if the much-hyped attraction wasn't worth getting out of bed for.

Expect plenty of countryside, a few questionable detours and some fairly strong opinions. If somewhere's lovely, I want you to know about it. If it's taking the piss, we'll discuss that too.

Follow along, share your favourites and tell me where I should go next. My DMs are open!

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

London’s Titanic exhibition felt far thinner than I expected

Titanic: The Exhibition at Olympia London promised an immersive look at the famous ship, but the visit left me wishing there were far more genuine Titanic artefacts on display.

Too much felt like reading displays or looking at material linked to her sister ship Olympic, rather than getting properly close to Titanic herself.

5/10 — interesting in places, but not the Titanic day out I hoped for.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

Dad’s birthday at Madame Tussauds ended with a surprise.

I just took Dad to Madame Tussauds in London for his birthday, and the gift-shop team turned a fun day into something properly memorable.

After the wax figures and the ride, one member of staff sang happy birthday, then gave him a card and badge.

9.5/10 — brilliant fun made special by one wonderfully thoughtful moment.
Take someone you love for their birthday.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

I took one last turn in Staithes and found the view I’d missed

I was about to call it a day in Staithes, North Yorkshire, when I turned back towards the old village and realised the best bit had been hiding behind me.

From above Staithes Beck, the little red roofs, stone houses and water squeezed between the green banks suddenly made the whole detour worthwhile.

I’d come expecting the harbour to be the star, but this quieter view won me over (typical).

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

This Essex adventure park made two little children believe in fairies.

I just took two young children to Wyvernwood near Colchester, where the characters stayed in role and turned every encounter into part of the adventure.

The fairy was the absolute favourite, and watching the children completely buy into the magic made the day.
9/10 — wonderfully imaginative and worth the visit.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

I turned around in Staithes and found the better view
I’d been looking towards the sea in Staithes on the

North Yorkshire coast, then turned around beside the beck and realised the view inland was the bit I actually wanted to linger over.

The water tucked between the houses made the village feel wonderfully enclosed rather than staged, and that small change of direction turned a pleasant wander into my favourite sort of detour.

9/10 — absolutely worth stopping and looking both ways.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

I took one wrong turn in Robin Hood’s Bay and found the best bit

Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire won me over when I turned down King Street instead of carrying on towards the obvious seafront route.

The narrow lane bends steeply between stone cottages, with red roofs, little doorsteps and barely enough room for the road to squeeze through.
I actually turned back for another look (always a good sign).

9/10 — wonderfully tucked-away and far more memorable than the detour had any right to be.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

Liverpool’s Upside Down House left me wanting much more

I’ve just tried the Upside Down House in central Liverpool, where the whole point is creating silly photos in inverted rooms, but the experience felt surprisingly small.

It was roughly £6.95 and there simply wasn’t enough to explore for the money (the photos were still fun).
5/10 — amusing idea, disappointing value.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

More than 40 birds filled the sky above this Cheshire centre

Gauntlet Birds of Prey near Knutsford completely won me over when its 3pm finale sent eagles, vultures, storks and hawks flying together above the crowd.

That is the sort of finish that turns a nice day out into something you keep talking about afterwards.

9.5/10 spectacular, memorable and absolutely worth staying for the final display.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

A Castle Combe pub lunch ended after two bites.

At The White Hart in Castle Combe, Wiltshire, my partner and I spent £20-£30 each on lunch, but I gave up on my beef burger after two mouthfuls.

We arrived hungry, expecting a proper village pub meal. Instead, the beef tasted bland and poor-quality, my partner was disappointed too, and the welcome felt chilly. I left regretting our choice.

Here’s hoping your next village lunch earns every penny.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

One loaf showed me how Northiam keeps daily life close

I’ve just stopped in Northiam, East Sussex, for bread, but the useful little cluster on Main Street became the real discovery. A bakery and café sit beside a hardware and garden shop, with plants outside and a bus stop almost at the door.

I nearly walked straight back to the car. Instead, I sat down and noticed how neatly the errands line up. That is what a living village centre should do: let someone buy supper, find a practical tool and catch a bus without making three separate journeys. Places like this deserve protection as everyday infrastructure, not scenery.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

Our three-hour drive ended in three queues and no lunch.

Diddly Squat Farm Shop in Chadlington, near Chipping Norton, was meant to be our big chance to buy local produce after following the show.

We queued 1 hour 50 minutes on a weekday, spent £50, then waited another 45 minutes for two pints of cider. At 2.30pm, we joined the food queue-only to find service had stopped.

We left hungry and properly fed up. Hope your next farm-shop visit involves more shopping than standing.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

This village shop turned one cuppa into the day’s highlight.

In Longborough in the Cotswolds, the villager-run shop turned my quick coffee stop into local walking advice, village-baked cake and a reminder that villages need places where people still meet.

I expected ten minutes. Instead, I changed my route, stayed for cake and lingered over shelves of local preserves (far more tempting than a souvenir).

Give it time if you pass - and save room for cake.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

This Derbyshire village café made coeliac lunch feel special.

I just drove two hours to Village Green in Eyam, Derbyshire, hoping for more than an afterthought. Instead, I found a proper golden frittata, a warm community welcome and even met the chef behind it.

That human connection mattered as much as the food. If this were nearer, I’d be a regular. Go hungry-and enjoy every bite.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

A loaf revealed East Dean, East Sussex’s working heart.

I nearly stayed by the green, then crossed the main road for bread. Barn Stores looked modest, but the little run of doors and passage beside it changed the visit: this was not scenery arranged for walkers. It was somewhere residents could still do an ordinary, useful errand.

That is the village character worth protecting-everyday shops and services close to homes, not just a view people drive through to admire.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

This Surrey village café made one sandwich worth returning for.

I stopped at family-run Coffee at Kiwi House in Limpsfield, Surrey, needing lunch and somewhere to finish some work. The coffee was excellent, but the fish-finger sandwich stole the afternoon; I settled in happily while a counter full of cakes tested my good sense.

I was too full for cake (a rare defeat), so now I have the best possible reason to go back. Have a grand day.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

Bosham’s spring tide turned my pause into a regatta.

In Bosham, West Sussex, I only meant to sit for five minutes on Quay Meadow. Then a rowing crew slipped between moored boats and swans as water pressed through gaps in the harbour wall.

I followed the quay to the family-run Anchor Bleu, where bicycles leaned against the wall and the creek sat just beyond the pub. That small detour changed the place for me: meadow, quay and pub are not scenery. They let a village gather around its working water-and that everyday access deserves protecting.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

Arreton’s 57-pupil village school survives a flawed closure

I look past the postcard view of Arreton on the Isle of Wight, and the real story is its tiny primary school. It remains open after a 2025 government adjudicator overturns the council’s closure decision, finding the process flawed.

Headteacher Nicky Coates and her team run mixed-age classes, sensory support, outdoor learning and after-school cookery. Pupils also walk to St George’s Church for village services.

Parents and residents write objections, attend meetings and stand behind the staff. Ofsted says standards still require improvement, particularly in maths, but also finds happy pupils, stronger leadership and an inclusive school.

Surplus places remain a real problem. Yet a village school must be judged by its teaching and its place in everyday community life-not numbers alone.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

My £20 Portmeirion visit kept ending at private doors.

I just paid £20 to explore Portmeirion in Gwynedd, North Wales, expecting a magical Italian-style village.

Instead, I found a crowded square, a handful of colourful buildings and repeated private-access signs. Even the woodland felt tired. The pictures are brighter than the day felt (and the cafés only meant spending more).

I left properly fed up. Save your £20 for a village where ordinary life is still open to visitors.

[Mabel Reed | Reviewing Britain @MabelReviewsGB]

Two handmade pies rescued our post-walk dinner.

After a full day’s walking near Airton, North Yorkshire, we needed an easy supper. Town End Farm Shop’s deli delivered two handmade pies and vegetables - exactly the hearty, unfussy meal our tired legs demanded.

Inside,local food sgares space with a working Post Office. That’s a village shop doing several useful jobs beautifully. I’d return in a heartbeat.