I finished at my last place start of August and am now starting a new job at the beginning of October, so find myself for the first (and hopefully only!) time, have days to fill and nothing in particular to do. Don’t have cash to burn so they can’t be expensive, and I’m in a play end of October so can’t be away for days, but I’m trying to think of interesting things to fill the time. So far I intend to –

Visit the RAF museum at Duxford
Climb Snowdon
Surf Snowdonia
Bike Park Wales
Visit the Mach Loop (if the weather ever turns helpful!)
A day museuming in that London

Any other ideas for what I can I do to fill my remaining time as a Birmingham-based gentleman of leisure? 🙂

Thinking of the things I did when I had a similar time between jobs recently…

Cultural day in Brum – Visit the Birmingham Museum, The Ikon Gallery and the Library. Maybe add The Barber Institute at The University, The Back to Backs and The Pen Museum too.
Food and drink day in Brum. Too many to mention, look at http://www.independent-birmingham.co.uk for ideas.
Bike shop crawl. Listed my favourite Midlands bike shops and had a day visiting them and drinking coffee. Ended up coming astonishingly close to spending £2k on some wheels in Fred Williams in Wolvo (I’ll admit I had substituted coffee for beer at this point).
Walk the canals. It’s 13 miles from Wolvo to the centre of Brum and it’s oddly fascinating.
Brewery tours/crawl. Loads in the area.
All dayer. I was told by my mates that as I was unemployed briefly I absolutely had to do a ‘Spoons all dayer, starting with a full English and a pint at 9am. I did and it was strangely enjoyable.
Wander. There were (and still are) parts of Brum that I don’t know well so I put my trainers on and strolled round the city for a few hours with the odd bus journey thrown in, Digbeth, JQ, Edgbaston, Harbourne, Mosely. It was really, really enjoyable.
Train somewhere random. You can get a train from New Street to Windermere in just under 3 hours. So I did, had a night in Ambleside YHA and then came home again. I do accept you need to like trains for this to be an option.
A day at the cricket. You might just sneak a game in at Edgbaston, I watched a game of county championship, very relaxing.

Frankly, I had an awesome time of it, was rather sad to have to return to work.

Go for a ride on a steam train

Pie shop tour of Wigan?
Pasty shop tour of Cornwall?
Kebab house tour of the entire UK?

Erm…..

I would be disappearing off to somewhere fun (scotland, wales, lakes, alps) for a few weeks with my kit and a tent and spend the whole time biking and walking

That’s all hypothetical, with family commitments that wouldn’t happen in real life… I had 3 weeks between jobs a couple of years back and spent the whole time doing the school run! Still loved it though

Ride bike round Brecons. Then take the Big Pit tour.

RAF museum in Hendon is good, smaller than Duxford (obvs) but free

Spend time riding bike

Nice situation to be in

I’d be getting some big rides in

A few years ago I took voluntary redundancy and had a whole summer “between jobs”. I made a list of all the jobs that needed doing on the house that over the years had just been put on the back-burner. The summer was a mixture of doing those jobs, there were about 20 or so, and going out riding. Very stress free really.

For info, it’s the Imperial War Museum at Duxford and costs to get in. The RAF Museum has two sites, Hendon and Cosford both of which are free !

p.s. All three are great !

Steam Railways – yes ! The Severn Valley Railway, Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway and Forest of Dean Railway are all reasonably close to Brum.
But do them soon as they grind to a halt once the Autumn kicks in.
Much like the real railways …..

And how about the British Motor Museum at Gaydon just down the M40 ? That’s worth a look too.

Coventry Transport Museum.
Coventry Motorcycle Museum

Fantasticness – thanks all, as always you’ve been superb. 🙂

Cultural day in Brum – Visit the Birmingham Museum, The Ikon Gallery and the Library. Maybe add The Barber Institute at The University, The Back to Backs and The Pen Museum too.

Had a mosey round the art gallery only yesterday, not something I would normally say I’ve got much interest in but I really enjoyed it – not so much bothered about the pen museum but I’ll look up the others. Putting a big swathe of time aside to explore the library. 🙂

Walk the canals. It’s 13 miles from Wolvo to the centre of Brum and it’s oddly fascinating.

I think I might get bored of walking along them, but I’ll put that on the “possibles” list. 🙂

All dayer. I was told by my mates that as I was unemployed briefly I absolutely had to do a ‘Spoons all dayer, starting with a full English and a pint at 9am. I did and it was strangely enjoyable.

Now that I like the idea of. I think a Monday would be a good day for that kind of reprobate behaviour. Top of the “definites” list. 😀

Wander. There were (and still are) parts of Brum that I don’t know well so I put my trainers on and strolled round the city for a few hours with the odd bus journey thrown in, Digbeth, JQ, Edgbaston, Harbourne, Mosely. It was really, really enjoyable.

Yep, like that – might get the hybrid out for a wobble round, really only know Birmingham by car, bus and train, which is sad.

Train somewhere random. You can get a train from New Street to Windermere in just under 3 hours. So I did, had a night in Ambleside YHA and then came home again. I do accept you need to like trains for this to be an option.

Again, like that. Another “possible”. 🙂

A day at the cricket. You might just sneak a game in at Edgbaston, I watched a game of county championship, very relaxing.

Another definite – only ever been to one top-class match, never watch it on telly but it’s different live. Added to the list. 🙂

Go for a ride on a steam train

Steam Railways – yes ! The Severn Valley Railway, Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway and Forest of Dean Railway are all reasonably close to Brum.
But do them soon as they grind to a halt once the Autumn kicks in.
Much like the real railways …..

Never been that bothered by a steam train – I’ll add it to “possibles”, ta. 🙂

And how about the British Motor Museum at Gaydon just down the M40 ? That’s worth a look too.

Coventry Transport Museum.
Coventry Motorcycle Museum
Ooo, great shouts, I like those – got the National Motorcycle Museum just round the M42 too. Great shouts, ta. 🙂

I would be disappearing off to somewhere fun (scotland, wales, lakes, alps) for a few weeks with my kit and a tent and spend the whole time biking and walking

Ride bike round Brecons. Then take the Big Pit tour.

Spend time riding bike

I have zero bike legs at the moment. 🙁 Been training for the Birmingham marathon until the wheels fell off me job in July, so done a lot of running (but not enough for the fully marathon, downgraded myself to the half 🙁 ) and have ridden about sixty miles this year – fifteen of those were into town and back yesterday, it was lovely – lovely – to be back on a bike, but it was like pedalling with someone else’s legs. Someone who doesn’t do riding. One to work on…

RAF museum in Hendon is good, smaller than Duxford (obvs) but free

For info, it’s the Imperial War Museum at Duxford and costs to get in. The RAF Museum has two sites, Hendon and Cosford both of which are free ! p.s. All three are great !

Ah ha, thank you! Will look at fitting Hendon into my London Museuming day (or, perhaps, days…), went to Cosford with Mrs Pondo last year, I think, and really enjoyed it – but whilst Mrs Pondo has the patience of a saint, it’s still more enjoyable looking at and reading everything without worrying about how bored she is. Got to do Duxford because Blackbird. Tomorrow, I think. 🙂

Brilliant stuff – on top of house, garden, running and cycling, there’s plenty to get stuck into there. Cheers! 🙂

Another vote for a visit to The Big Pit.

Mm. How claustrophobic is it? Not super-keen on little places…

Have you discounted the simplicity of a coke and hookers week?

Big vote for spoons all dayer! 😆
We actually did do that of sorts, met some friends at the one near the canal in Aylesbury had a pint and breakfast then spent the rest of the day cruising up the canal on our canal boat. It ended with us having to moor up at about 7pm as things were getting sketchy at the locks 😆

Might have to be speed and a haircut* if he’s on a budget, Binners.

*no point with the hooker on a a load of cheap wizz

Pondo, just spotted your marathon comment and this too has echoed with me and indeed a few of my friends. I’m still planned on running the full one but training is not exactly to plan. Good luck with the half though, you can run Wolvo to Brum on the canals if you want to make it less dull!

Another suggestion, a pamper day. This may open me to insult, but a visit to The Barber House for a tight trim, a trip to the gym, a sports massage, that kind of thing. You can get some reasonable deals at The Club under The Cube and at the gym/spa at The Hyatt.

Bletchley Park if you’re into wartime geekery?

Walk Hadrians Wall ?
http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/hadrians-wall-path

Oh yeah, good shout, Bletchley Park is brilliant.

Re Duxford, there’s an airshow on there over the weekend of 23rd / 24th Sept, BTW.

Have you discounted the simplicity of a coke and hookers week?

Never have, never will, but…

Might have to be speed and a haircut* if he’s on a budget, Binners.

… It’s more likely that. 🙁

Pondo, just spotted your marathon comment and this too has echoed with me and indeed a few of my friends. I’m still planned on running the full one but training is not exactly to plan. Good luck with the half though, you can run Wolvo to Brum on the canals if you want to make it less dull!

Cheers feller, and good luck with the big ‘un! It was really annoying, just started falling behind schedule, tried (and failed) to skip a couple of weeks and catch up, and just felt I needed to take something off the “urgent” list. Was much happier once I’d downgraded – but now I’m not motivated to train because the half’s nowhere near the challenge! Ah well 🙂

Another suggestion, a pamper day. This may open me to insult, but a visit to The Barber House for a tight trim, a trip to the gym, a sports massage, that kind of thing. You can get some reasonable deals at The Club under The Cube and at the gym/spa at The Hyatt.

No, I like that – I do like a spa day, I’ll have a little look and see what’s about…

Bletchley Park if you’re into wartime geekery?

Oh yeah, good shout, Bletchley Park is brilliant.

Cheers both, great shout – have been and loved it, right up my street. 🙂

Re Duxford, there’s an airshow on there over the weekend of 23rd / 24th Sept, BTW.

Ooo, that’s interesting, thanks – the plan was to do as much during the week as poss, to make the most of being off during the week and having places to myself, but I haven’t been to an air show for years. That’s worth a thought…

Walk Hadrians Wall ?

Cheers, like that – probably more than I want to commit to doing in the time frame, but I do like it. Cheers. 🙂

Bradford

Secret Nuclear Bunker.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, you have to pay to park, but admittance is free

Big Pit is excellent.

Airkix and/or snowscape at Milton Keynes? Airkix is eye-wateringly expensive for the amount of time you actually get to fly, but still just about worth it for the experience.

Royal Armouries, Leeds.

Another vote for the Big Pit and the Blaenavon Heritage Town – http://www.visitblaenavon.co.uk

Waterfall walks in the Brecons -http://www.breconbeacons.org/waterfall-country-walking-trails

Trip to Bristol and wander round the docks, Suspension Bridge, museums etc.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield.

How’ve you got on so far ? What delights have you experienced ?

Spoons day yesterday. Still feel ill,total write off today. 🙁

Duxford last week was just fantastic, off to see a show in Stratford tomorrow, giving blood and having a potter around the library Friday, got another show that night (mate’s in a play in Redditch). Monday will be Warwickshire CCC at Edgebaston, then gotta fit in the Mach loop, Hendon (and other London museums) and Snowden. Crazy to think I’m out of time already! 🙂

Bristol tunnels.

Tour of the Morgan factory in Malvern. You don’t need to be a petrolhead to enjoy it. We went on Tuesday & it was excellent.

+1 for secret nuclear bunker – kelvden hatch in Essex.

The rock houses in kinver are worth a nosey too

Canals are interesting and more fun on bikes, loads around brum – more than Venice apparently.

A day out in York – fantastic place. The National Railway Musuem is free and worth a visit.

Then spend the evening in The House of Trembling Madness

Architectural walk around central Manchester: Central library/Town Hall, Rylands library, Cooper/Fountain Street, King Street and almost anywhere else.
Beer in the Marble Arch, Smithfield Market Tavern (peerless pickled eggs), Port St Beer House, City Arms, Crown and Kettle (check out the ceiling)
Meal in Mr Cooper’s restaurant in the Midland Hotel
Manchester Art Gallery is mindblowingly good