• Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • Magazine
  • Important Dates
  • About
  • Trust
  • Survey
  • Contact
  • Support Us
01295 367 008
No Result
View All Result
Read This Magazine
  • Culture
  • lifestyle
  • Food & Drink
  • Reviews
  • Culture
  • lifestyle
  • Food & Drink
  • Reviews
No Result
View All Result
Read This Magazine
No Result
View All Result
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • Magazine
  • Important Dates
  • About
  • Trust
  • Survey
  • Contact
  • Support Us
Home Lifestyle
Written By Catherine Blackburn

It’s fair to say that travel is in my blood, I’ve spent more than 24 years exploring almost every continent on the planet. The knowledge I offer is from first-hand experience and the service I offer is personal, flexible, and tailored entirely to you.

California

25 June 2024
in Lifestyle, Travel
California Feature

The glorious California landscape is probably as familiar to you as your own back garden. Innumerable films over the decades have captivated us with sweeping vistas of crashing surf and golden beaches, coastal drives, soaring redwoods, snow-capped mountains, and cactus-studded deserts. To the north are the lush vineyards of the Napa Valley, famed city of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge heralding the start of one of the most famous coastal drives in the world, Pacific Highway 1. To the east lie the rugged Sierra Nevada mountains home to the national parks of Yosemite and Sequoia, to the west the endless blue of the Pacific Ocean.

San Francisco

This northern Californian city is a city of icons. From the fog that rolls under the Golden Gate Bridge, to Fisherman’s Wharf and the sealions on Pier 39, the island prison of Alcatraz and the cable cars that take residents and visitors alike up and the down the hills of San Francisco. It’s the perfect start to a Californian self-drive.

Los Angeles

The ‘city of angels’ glittering in the brilliant California sunshine is undisputedly the home of the movies and filled with Hollywood glamour, film sets and celebrity mansions. Browse the high-end boutiques of Rodeo Drive or head to Venice Beach and Santa Monica for a taste of beachside living, California style. For families the much-loved theme parks of Disneyland and Universal Studios still hold their unfaltering appeal.

California Palm Springs

Palm Springs and the San Andreas Fault

In the 1950’s Palm Springs was the heady hangout of choice for the original ‘rat pack’, today it’s a laid back desert city of mid-century and Art Deco architecture, of lush green golf courses, swaying palms and boutique hotels. It’s the perfect contrast to California’s coastal vibe. It’s also one of the easiest places to visit the notorious San Andreas Fault, where you’ll see water bubbling through fissures in the earth and can stand on the fault line itself in 1000 Palms Canyon.

California San Diego

San Diego

Deep in the south of the state close to the Mexican border, the waterfront city of San Diego has a laid-back, sunny surfer vibe. The dining is excellent, and it offers vibrant neighbourhoods steeped in culture.

Napa Valley and Sonoma County

Picture a landscape of gently rolling hills laced with gently ripening vines, superb wineries, gourmet dining spots and luxury hotels, this is the Napa Valle. Nearby Sonoma is equally impressive but in a less polished manner. Discover more than 425 wineries, taste wine straight from the barrel and sample local produce at an array of pop up farmer’s markets.

California Santa Monica

Pacific Highway One

Covering around 400 miles of stunning coastline, Pacific Highway One switches between dramatic hairpin turns, cliff-edge drives and tranquil countryside. Begin in Santa Monica or San Francisco, and in between you’ll find eponymous landmarks including the legendary surf of Malibu and Big Sur, celebrity haunts such as Santa Barbara and Carmel, and the exceptional marine life of Monterey Bay.

National Parks

Yosemite is probably the best known of California’s national parks and the scenery is literally off the scale. Vast granite mountains, thunderous waterfalls including some of the highest in the US and gigantic sequoia trees. Sequoia National Park is akin to a scene from Jurassic Park with vast mountains, deep valleys and some of the oldest trees on the planet. Those with a yearning for the wild west should head to Death Valley, the hottest place in the US but a spectacular place of singing sand dunes, huge boulders and canyons and desert wildlife.

Getting Here and Getting Around

Getting to California is easy with direct flights from most major UK airports to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Fly into one and out of another to create the perfect tailor-made itinerary that makes the most of your time in the state.

The wide open highways are heaven-sent for those who crave the freedom of the open road, whether that be with a hire car and pre-booked accommodation, or the ultimate flexibility with a motorhome, stopping where you want, when you want.

More From The Expert – Catherine Blackburn

Visit my website at Catherine Blackburn Travel, follow me on Facebook, or give me a call on 01295 231525

Further Reading From Catherine

  • Canada
  • Eastern Canada
  • Atlantic Canada
  • Canada: Gold Rush Pioneers
  • Australia
  • Scandinavia
  • New Zealand
  • South Africa & Safari
  • Caribbean
  • Alaska The Last Frontier
  • Escape the Winter
  • The Evolving Landscape of Travel in 2024: Exploring New Horizons, Sustainability, and Adventure
  • California
  • Christmas in Lapland
  • Florida
  • East Coast Cities of the USA
Tags: California

RelatedPosts

Gardener’s Diary for June 25
Gardens

Gardener’s Diary June 25: As Summer Arrives

23 May 2025
Regular Hearing Tests
Health

Why Regular Hearing Tests Are Important – Even If You Think Your Hearing Is Fine

22 May 2025

Newsletter

Join Our Newsletter
  Thank you for Signing Up
Please correct the marked field(s) below.
1,true,6,Contact Email,2
Simon Reeve Interview Feature

Simon Reeve Interview

by Read This Magazine
23 May 2025

From remote tribes to war zones, adventurer, broadcaster and filmmaker Simon Reeve has travelled to the edges of the map...

Edinburgh Fringe Sell-Out Comes To Banbury!

Edinburgh Fringe Sell-Out Comes To Banbury!

by Read This Magazine
23 May 2025

We’re thrilled to welcome After All (30th June) to The Mill Arts Centre’s stage – a moving and thought-provoking dance-theatre...

Gardener’s Diary for June 25

Gardener’s Diary June 25: As Summer Arrives

by Read This Magazine
23 May 2025

As summer arrives in my gardener’s diary June 25 edition at Farnborough Garden Centre. We can start to enjoy the...

picnic food ideas feature

Picnic Food Ideas for Summer Days Out

by Read This Magazine
23 May 2025

There’s something truly special about eating outdoors. Whether it’s the soft rustle of trees in the breeze, the smell of...

Newsletter

Join Our Newsletter
  Thank you for Signing Up
Please correct the marked field(s) below.
1,true,6,Contact Email,2
Read This Magazine

© 2023 Read This Magazine

Navigate Site

  • Business Terms & Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Local Adverting in Banbury, advert in magazine
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
No Result
View All Result
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • Magazine
  • Culture
    • Charity
    • Community
    • Education
    • Entertainment
    • Events
    • Film
    • History
    • Interviews
    • Music
    • Reading
  • Lifestyle
    • Beauty
    • Environment
    • Fashion
    • Finance
    • Gardens
    • Health
    • Homes
    • Motors
    • Parenting
    • Pets
    • Sport
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Wellbeing
  • Food & Drink
    • Baking
    • Recipes
    • Restaurants
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • Product
  • Important Dates
  • About
  • Trust
  • Survey
  • Contact
  • Support Us
01295 367008

© 2023 Read This Magazine