Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

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Conciergerie Built in stages between the 11th and
On bd du Palais, elegant Conciergerie 15th centuries, it’s on a gargantuan scale;
(www.monuments-nationaux.fr; 2 bd du Palais, the interior is 130m long, 48m wide and
1er; adult/child €8.50/free, joint ticket with 35m high. Don’t miss the three rose win-
Sainte-Chapelle €15; h9.30am-6pm; mCité) dows, the 7800-pipe organ and a walk up
is a royal palace that became a prison the gargoyle-covered Gothic towers.
and torture chamber for enemies of The Walk » Cross the river on Pont au Double
the Revolution. The 14th-century Salle and follow rue Lagrange to bd St-Germain. Then
des Gens d’Armes (Cavalrymen’s Hall) take rue des Carmes and rue Valette south to the
is Europe’s largest surviving medieval place du Panthéon.
hall. The nearby church of Sainte- Panthéon
Chapelle (joint ticket with Conciergerie €15)
has stunning stained glass. Once you reach the left bank you’re in
the Latin Quarter, the centre of Parisian
The Walk » Continue east along rue de Lutèce, higher education since the Middle Ages,
then cross place du Parvis Notre Dame and walk and home to the city’s top university, the
towards the cathedral.
Sorbonne. Here you’ll find the Panthéon
Cathédrale de Notre Dame (www.monum.fr; place du Panthéon, 5e; adult/
At the eastern end of Île de la Cité, show- child €8.50/free; h10am-6.30pm; mMaubert-
Mutualité or RER Luxembourg), the neoclassi-
stopper Notre Dame (www.cathedraledeparis.
com; 6 place du Parvis Notre Dame, 4e; cathedral cal mausoleum where some of France’s
greatest thinkers are entombed, includ-
free, towers adult/child €8.50/free; hcathedral
8am-6.45pm Mon-Fri, to 7.15pm Sat & Sun; mCité) ing Voltaire, Rousseau and Marie Curie.
is the heart of Paris – it’s from here that The Walk » Walk east to place Monge, take line
all distances in France are measured. 7 to Palais Royal Musée du Louvre, then line 1 west
to Concorde.
199

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
Promenade des Anglais
Nice personified, the Prom seductively
blends hedonism with history, pumping
beach clubs with quiet seaside gazing.
STRETCH English expats paid out-of-work citrus
farmers to build the Prom in 1822 – a
YOUR LEGS civic win-win. Don’t miss the palatial
facades of belle époque Hôtel Negresco
and art deco Palais de la Méditerranée.
NICE The Walk » Turn up av de Verdun past palms and
posh shops to place Masséna. Take in the elegant
Italian architecture, then head down the steps. Take
rue de l’Opéra, a quick walk to our next stop.
Rue St-François de Paule
Window-shop, pick up snacks or shop for
Start: Hotel Negresco, gifts on this elegant street just back from
Promenade des Anglais the seaside. First stop: Moulin à Huile
d’Olive Alziari (www.alziari.com.fr; 14 rue St-
Finish: Promenade des Anglais François de Paule; h8.30am-12.30pm & 2.15-7pm
Mon-Sat) for superb local olive oil, tap-
Distance: 5.8km enade (olive spread) and olives. Head west
to the florid Opera House; across the
road is Henri Auer Confiserie (www.maison-
Duration: 2 hours auer.com; 7 rue St-François de Paule; h9am-6pm
Tue-Sat), a film-set-perfect sweet shop;
pick up amandes enrobé (cocoa-dredged
chocolate-covered almonds).
Get to know Nice’s bustling heart
with this walk that begins with a The Walk » Continue on past soap sellers
and wine bars and into the open square. This
seaside stroll, then takes you into eventually becomes cours Saleya.
the tangled alleys of the old town, Cours Saleya
and finally up and over the city’s A top tourist destination that remains
Niçois to the core, this bustling market
soaring headland to the port. Along square does different moods according
the way shop, eat and drink with the to the hour. Greet the day with espresso
and a banter with the produce and
fun-loving Niçois. flower sellers, lunch with locals or get
rowdy after dark with the town’s cool
kids and students.
The Walk » Any of the streets running away
from the beach take you to rue de la Préfecture.
Vieux Nice
Soak in the labyrinthine streets of
Nice’s old town, stumbling upon
Take this walk on Trips Baroque gems like Cathédrale Ste-
Réparate (place Rossetti). Stop to eat
ac – book Le Bistrot d’Antoine (%04 93 85
29 57; 27 rue de la Préfecture; menus €25-43,

200

# e 0 0 0.25 miles
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Av Thiers Av Jean Médecin Bd Carabacel 000
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Av Durante 00000 R Tonduti de I'Escarène # ï # Esplanade Kennedy R Barla
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Information
R de I'Hôtel Promenade R Cassini
Jeunesse
des Postes
Bd Victor Hugo R Maccarani du Paillon Montée de
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Place
R Masséna Masséna Montfort
R Paradis ‚ Vieux #
Nice
J R de France # ï Tourist Albert ler # # Colline du Q Lunel
%
Jardin
Office
Chateau
AmEx
# ï
#
Cours
de Paule
# Promenade des Anglais Rue St-François Saleya Colline du #
Château
Promenade Port
des Anglais Baie des Anges Q Rauba Capeu Lympia
MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
mains €15-25; hnoon-2pm & 7-10pm Tue-Sat), Promenade du Paillon
or grab an aperitif at Les Distilleries It’s hard to imagine that this beautifully
Idéales (www.lesdistilleriesideales.fr; 24 rue landscaped park was once a bus station
de la Préfecture; h9am-12.30am) and snack and multi-storey car park. The park
at Lou Pilha Leva (%04 93 13 99 08; 10 rue unfolds from the Théâtre National to
du Collet; small plates €3-5; h9am-midnight; place Masséna with a succession of green
v). Grab a delicious ice-cream cone at spaces, play areas and water features,
Fenocchio (www.fenocchio.fr; 2 place Rossetti; and is now a favourite among Niçois for
1/2 scoops €2.50/4; h9am-midnight Feb-Oct). afternoon or evening strolls. Local kids
The Walk » Take the stairs at rue Rossetti, or love playing in the fountains, too.
the lift at rue des Ponchettes to avoid the climb. The Walk » Follow the park as it heads
Colline du Château northeast and exit onto av St-Sébastien.
On a rocky outcrop towering over Vieux Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art
Nice, the Parc du Château (h8.30am- Contemporain (MAMAC)
8pm Apr-Sep, to 6pm Oct-Mar) offers a pano- Nice’s flagship modern art museum
rama of the whole city – Baie des Anges (www.mamac-nice.org; place Yves Klein;
on one side, the port on the other. Fabu- h10am-6pm Tue-Sun) focuses is on Euro-
lous for picnics (there’s a waterfall) or to pean and American avant-garde from
let the kids loose in the playground.
the 1950s to the present, with works
The Walk » Follow the path north through the by leading artists such as Niki de Saint
park towards the cemetery, then follow Allée Phalle, César, Arman and Yves Klein.
Font aux Oiseaux and the Montée du Château The building’s rooftop is also an exhibi-
back into the old town. Find your way along the tion space (with knockout panoramas
backstreets to bd Jean Jaurès, and cross the road of the city). Then it’s back to the Prome-
into Promenade du Paillon.
dade des Anglais for a post-walk pastis.
201



Great



Britain











GREAT BRITAIN OVERFLOWS WITH
UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES AND
SPECTACULAR SIGHTS. There’s the
grandeur of Scotland’s mountains, England’s
quaint villages and country lanes, and the
haunting beauty of Welsh coast. You’ll also find
wild northern moors, the exquisite university
colleges of Oxford and Cambridge, and a
string of vibrant cities boasting everything
from Georgian architecture to 21st-century
art.
From the world famous to the well hidden, our
trips will help you discover all the elements
that make Britain truly great. History, cities,
food, scenery, the arts – we’ve unearthed
the best experiences and crafted them into
superb drives.

Loch Ness Urquhart Castle
HIPPRODUCTIONS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

A T L A N T I C
O C E A N
# e 0 0 100 miles
200 km
Great Orkney
Islands
Britain John O'Groats
Thurso # \ # \
Stornoway # \Wick
Lewis # ] # \ Helmsdale
St Kilda Ullapool
# \
North Uist # \ Gairloch Moray Fraserburgh
Uig
Lochmaddy # \ Isle of Skye Kyle of Inverness Firth # \ Elgin # \ N O R T H
# \
Cairngorms
# ]
South Uist Portree # \ Lochalsh Loch National Park
19
Lochboisdale F G # \ Fort Ness FG # ÷ S E A
# \ 16 # \ Aviemore # ^Aberdeen
Barra Mallaig # \ Augustus # \ Newtonmore
# \
]
Sea # Stonehaven
of the Fort William # ] R Ben Nevis SCOTLAND
Hebrides Glencoe # \ (1344m)
Mull # ]FG Perth
Oban 20 # ^ Dundee
Iona # ^
Inveraray # \ Stirling
Loch # ^
Dumbarton Lomond Edinburgh
Jura # ] # _
Islay Glasgow # ^ # \Berwick-upon-Tweed
Kilmarnock
Arran # ] # \ Melrose
Campbeltown
# ] Ayr # ] Jedburgh # \ #÷ Northumberland
Mull of National Park
Kintyre Dumfries
Stranraer # ] F G # ^Newcastle-upon-Tyne
NORTHERN # ] Carlisle # ^ The 15
IRELAND Keswick Pennines # ]Durham
# _ Whitehaven # \ # ] Middlesbrough
Darlington
Belfast Lake District #÷ # \ Ambleside # ] #÷National Park
# \
North York Moors
Isle of National Park #÷ # ] Scarborough
Man # ] DouglasFG Yorkshire Dales
18
# \
Castletown National Park # ^ York
Irish Blackpool # ] Leeds # ^
Sea # ]Hull
IRELAND Manchester
Liverpool # ^
# _ Bangor # ] # ^ # ] # ^ Sheffield
Dublin Caernarfon # ] Llandudno Stockport # ]Lincoln # \ Skegness
Stoke-
# ]
# \ Betws-y-Coed # ] on-Trent
Llŷn # ^ Nottingham
Peninsula #÷ Snowdonia
National Park F G Leicester Norwich
Cardigan 15 # ^ # \ Stamford # ]
Bay
Aberystwyth # ^ Birmingham # ^ ENGLAND
Cambridge
WALES F G Stratford- ^
16
#
Brecon Beacons # \ Hay-on-Wye # \ upon-Avon # ^ Ipswich
St George's St Davids National Park Gloucester Cheltenham Luton # ] Colchester
# ÷
Channel # \ F G Swansea # ] # ] # ^ Oxford # ^
21
Pembroke # \ # ^ Bristol FG F G LONDON Southend-on-Sea
15
# ]
# _ # ^ 17 # ^ # _ Canterbury
Bristol
Channel Cardiff # ] Reading FG # ^ Strait of
17
#÷ Bath # æ Stonehenge # \ Dover
Barnstaple # ] Exmoor Salisbury # ] # ^ Winchester Dover # \
National # ^ Southampton # \ Rye Calais
Dartmoor Park Bournemouth # ^ # ^ # ^ Eastbourne
National # ÷ # ^ # ^ Portsmouth
Park Exeter FG Brighton
16
Newquay # ] # ^ # ] Torquay FRANCE
Plymouth ENGLISH CHANNEL
Land's # ] Penzance
Isles of End
Scilly
204

DON'T
MISS


Hardknott Pass &
Wrynose Pass
IRISPHOTO1/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Drive England’s two
steepest road routes,
where gradients reach
30%, on Trip i


Cairngorm Sled-Dog
Centre
Hanging on for dear life
as a team of huskies
careers along forest
trails (even when there’s
no snow), on Trip j
Bath
Kinlochleven
The Best of Britain 21 Days Tackling the ladders and
f Three countries and several millennia of amazing bridges of the 500m via
history. (p207) ferrata climbing route,
which weaves through
Britain’s Wild Side 21 Days the crags of Grey Mare’s
g A fresh-air fuelled tour of Britain’s best wilderness Tail, on Trip k
spots, including eight glorious national parks.
(p221)
Kidwelly Castle
The Historic South 9–11 Days
h Three of England’s most spectacular cathedrals, The battlements of
plus London, and Bath’s Georgian cityscape. lesser-known Kidwelly
(p235) prove particularly
satisfying to clamber
Classic Lakes 5 Days around on Trip l
i Literary links a-plenty, England’s highest hill and
utterly unforgettable views. (p247)
Royal Highlands & Cairngorms 4–5 Days
j Where roads swerve between majestic mountains
and the Royals come to relax. (p261)
Great Glen 2–3 Days
k Bewitching lakes and mountains – plus some
monster spotting at Loch Ness. (p271)
West Wales: Swansea to St Davids 4 Days
l A glorious blast west beside sweeping beaches and
vast sand dunes. (p279)


205

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
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Location Caption details to go here

STUDIO51 / SHUTTERSTOCK ©
The Best of
Britain 15








Swing through three countries and several millennia of history
as you take in a greatest hits parade of Britain’s chart-topping
sights.
#
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
21 DAYS
716 miles 1128 MILES /
Edinburgh 1815KM
# _ # Delve into the tangle of
# # #
13
alleyways around the
Scottish capital's GREAT FOR...
Royal Mile
B
#
Carlisle
BEST TIME TO GO
Myriad festivals take
York place between May
#
0 miles and September.
London
# Manchester
# _ This electrifying ESSENTIAL
metropolis is one of I PHOTO
the world's great
cities Britain’s biggest city
spread below the
London Eye.
# Cambridge
284 miles
Cardiff Oxford K BEST FOR
Visit the Welsh # HISTORY
# # # 1
capital's castle, # _ # # _ # Follow atmospheric
9
# # #
%
museums and Bath # J
sci-fi sights footpaths through the
Salisbury # # world’s largest stone
Winchester
circle at Avebury.
#
Location Caption details to go here 207
#
Edinburgh View of the city from Calton Hill

Dunfermline
49 miles to F G ‚
\
19
#
# _ #
13
Glasgow Edinburgh #
#
^
Blantyre # \
Lanark \ #
#
\
# ] 0 ¸ Peebles
# \ A702 \ #
Kilmarnock
The Best of ] 0 ¸
# Ayr
15 Britain A713 SCOTLAND 0 ¸
Dumfries # ] A74(M)
0 ¸
A75
London’s bright lights and blockbuster attractions \ # \ # Carlisle # ^
bookend this epic expedition around the British Kirkcudbright
mainland. In between, you’ll encounter ancient Whitehaven Keswick
#
\
sights, learn about fabled figures from King Arthur to \ # 0 ¸ # \
A595
F G
Shakespeare, and visit masterpiece-filled museums Ramsey Ambleside
18
#
\
Isle of
Man
and galleries and celebrated football stadiums – # ] Douglas
interleaved by quaint villages, patchworked farmland
and glorious rolling green open countryside, along
]
with the best of British drinking, dining and nightlife. Irish Blackpool #
Sea
Isle of
^
Anglesey Liverpool #
Beaumaris # ]
Bangor # # \ Llandudno
]
# ]
Caernarfon # Betws-y-Coed
\
Houses of Parliament
TRIP HIGHLIGHT (www.parliament.uk; Llŷn Snowdon
0 ¸
1 London Parliament Sq, SW1; Peninsula A494
Gear up for your trip tWestminster), topped by #
]
the Big Ben clock tower.
with at least a couple of Cardigan 0 ¸
A483
days in Britain’s most ex- Westminster Abbey Bay WALES
hilarating city. Traversed (%020-7222 5152; www. Aberystwyth # \
# ^
by the serpentine River westminster-abbey.org; 20 0 ¸ 0 ¸
A470
A487
Hay-
Thames, London is awash Dean’s Yard, SW1; adult/child Llanwrtyd on-Wye
Wells
with instantly recognis- £20/9, verger tours £5, cloister # \ \ #
able landmarks and open & gardens free; h9.30am- Preseli
Hills
spaces, from Trafalgar 4.30pm Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri, Crickhowell
\
#
Square (tCharing Cross) to to 7pm Wed, to 2.30pm Sat; Abergavenny
#
\
the London Eye (%0871 tWestminster) # \
781 3000; www.londoneye. Swansea ^ 0 ¸
#
M4
com; adult/child £21.20/16.10; St James’s Park (www. Cardiff#
_ 9
# #
h10am-8pm, to 9.30pm in royalparks.org.uk; The Mall,
Bristol
summer; tWaterloo). Other SW1; deckchairs per hr/day Channel
unmissable sights incude: £1.50/7; h5am-midnight,
deckchairs daylight hours Ilfracombe 0 ¸ # \
\
#
0 ¸ M5
A39
208

#
\
Mar-Oct; tSt James’s Park
50 km
0 ¸ # e 0 0 25 miles or Green Park) and Palace
A1
(www.royal.gov.uk; Cleveland
# \ Berwick-upon-Tweed Row, SW1; tGreen Park)
Kelso
# \ \ # Buckingham Palace
# \ Jedburgh 0¸
Melrose (%020-7766 7300; www.
0 ¸ A1 royalcollection.org.uk;
A68
North
Sea Buckingham Palace Rd,
SW1; adult/child/under-5
£21.50/12.30/free; h9.30am-
0 ¸ # Newcastle-upon-Tyne 7.30pm late Jul–Aug, to 6.30pm
A69
^
# ^ Sep; tSt James’s Park,
The Victoria or Green Park)
Pennines 0 ¸ # ]Durham
0 ¸ 0 ¸ A68 # ] Darlington Hyde Park (www.royalparks.
Middlesbrough
#
]
org.uk/parks/hyde-park;
M6
A66
0 ¸ h5am-midnight; tMarble GREAT BRITAIN 15 THE BEST OF BRITAIN
# \ A1 Arch, Hyde Park Corner or
#Scarborough Queensway)
]
0 ¸ ENGLAND 0 ¸ Kensington Gardens
A64
A65
Harrogate # \ # (www.royalparks.org.uk/
# ^ York
#
14
0 ¸ Leeds parks/kensington-gardens;
M6
# ^ Hull h6am-dusk; tQueensway
# ]
Huddersfield or Lancaster Gate) and
Bolton # ] 0 ¸ Palace (www.hrp.org.uk/
A1
# ] kensingtonpalace; Kensington
# 0 ¸
# ^ Manchester
#
12
A16
# ^ # ] # ] Gardens, W8; adult/child
Warrington Stockport Sheffield
0 ¸ Buxton 0¸ # ] # Lincoln # \
]
# \
A6
M6
Skegness
# ] Stoke- Nottingham 0 ¸ LINK
YOUR
A16
on-Trent ^ TRIP
#
0 ¸ 0 ¸
A46
A41
# ]Shrewsbury Leicester # Stamford j Royal Highlands &
#
]
0 ¸ # 0 ¸ Cairngorms
\
^
M6
A6
A1
#
M1
^
Birmingham 0 ¸ 0 ¸ 0 ¸ Take a detour mid-trip
A10
to to explore classic
# \ Scottish countryside: from
0 ¸ # Stratford- Northampton # # Edinburgh head two hours
Ludlow
0 ¸
15
]
#
^ #
A49
\ #
11
0 ¸ # upon-Avon A428 Cambridge north through Perthshire to
^
#
A435
I
#
p292 the lovely village of Braemar.
Gloucester #Cheltenham # ^ Luton 0 ¸ # ] Classic Lakes
M11
]
# Oxford 0 ¸ i
]
# \ The # M1 Break up the long
# ^ #
2
Chepstow Cotswolds Uffington0¸
M40
#
# # White drive between Manchester
10
#
# ]
and Edinburgh by turning
3
_ # 1
Avebury Horse Windsor # \ # #
London
# ^ # # ^ J west off the M6 onto the
# 7
# ] #
Bristol # Reading % A590 to tour the charming
8
# ^
Bath Stonehenge 0¸ Lake District.
A34
# \ #I
#
6
Wells p294 # \ #
# Winchester
# #
^ #
] #
0 ¸ Salisbury # 0 ¸ 0 ¸ # \ 209
4
5
A23
A303
A3

£16.30/free; h10am-6pm AONB (Area of Outstanding declared a cathedral by
Mar-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Feb; Natural Beauty) to Oxford (59 Henry VIII.
tHigh St Kensington) miles in total). Other highlights
World-leading, often- include Oxford’s Bodleian
free museums and art 2 Oxford Library (%01865-287400;
galleries include the Tate www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/bodley;
Modern (www.tate.org.uk; Oxford’s elegant honey- Catte St; tours £6-14; h9am-
Queen’s Walk, SE1; h10am- toned buildings of the 5pm Mon-Sat, 11am-5pm Sun),
6pm Sun-Thu, to 10pm Fri & Sat; university’s colleges, scat- one of the oldest public li-
c; tBlackfriars, Southwark tered throughout the city, braries in the world, and
or London Bridge) and the wrap around tranquil Britain’s oldest public
British Museum (%020- courtyards and along museum, the 1683-
7323 8299; www.british narrow cobbled lanes. established Ashmolean
museum.org; Great Russell St, The oldest colleges date Museum (%01865-
WC1; h10am-5.30pm Sat-Thu, back to the 13th century 278000; www.ashmolean.org;
to 8.30pm Fri; tRussell Sq or and little has changed Beaumont St; h10am-5pm
Tottenham Court Rd). inside since, although Tue-Sun), second in repute
London’s drinking, there’s a busy, lively only to London’s British
dining and nightlife op- world beyond the college Museum.
tions are limitless (Soho walls. Christ Church The Drive » Head southwest
and Shoreditch make (%01865-276492; www.chch. on the A420 to Pusey and
great starting points), ox.ac.uk; St Aldate’s; adult/ continue southwest on the
as are its entertain- child £8/7; h10am-4.15pm B4508. You’ll reach the car
GREAT BRITAIN 15 THE BEST OF BRITAIN
ment venues, not least Mon-Sat, 2-4.15pm Sun) is the park for the White Horse 2.3
grand theatre stages largest of all of Oxford’s miles southwest of Uffington off
such as Shakespeare’s colleges, with the grand- the B4507, a 24-mile journey
altogether.
Globe (%020-7401 9919; est quad. From the quad,
www.shakespearesglobe. you access 12th-century
com; 21 New Globe Walk, Christ Church Cathedral 3 Uffington White
SE1; seats £10-43, standing (%01865-276150; www.chch.
ox.ac.uk/cathedral; St Aldate’s; Horse
£5; tBlackfriars or London
Bridge). admission free; h10am- Just below Oxfordshire’s
4.15pm Mon-Sat, 2-4.15pm highest point, the highly
4 p219 Sun), originally the abbey stylised Uffington White
church and then the col-
The Drive » Take the M40 Horse (NT; www.national-
northwest through High lege chapel, before it was trust.org.uk; White Horse Hill;
Wycombe and the Chilterns hdawn-dusk) image is the
oldest chalk figure in
Britain, dating from the
TOP TIP: Bronze Age. It was cre-
LONDON’S ated around 3000 years
CONGESTION CHARGE ago by cutting trenches
out of the hill and filling
Central London levies a congestion charge (www. them with blocks of
tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/congestioncharging) from chalk; local inhabitants
7am to 6pm Monday to Friday (excluding public have maintained the fig-
holidays). Entering the ‘C’-marked zone costs £11.50 ure for centuries. Perhaps
(in advance or on the day) or £14 (by midnight on the it was planned for the
first charging day after travel). You can pay online, at gods: it’s best seen from
petrol stations or some shops. the air above. It’s a half-
mile walk east through

210

fields from the hillside naves in Europe (164m), nave. In the north aisle
car park. and highlights includ- look out for a fascinating
ing intricately carved medieval clock dating
The Drive » It’s a 49-mile
trip to Winchester: return to medieval choir stalls, from 1386, probably the
the B4507 and drive southeast Jane Austen’s grave oldest working timepiece
to Ashbury and take the (near the entrance, in in the world. Don’t miss
B4000 southeast to join the the northern aisle) and the cathedral’s original,
southbound A34. one of the UK’s finest 13th-century copy of
illuminated manuscripts, the Magna Carta (www.
the dazzling, four-volume salisburycathedral.org.uk;
4 Winchester Winchester Bible dating Cathedral Close; h9.30am-
Set in a river valley, from the 12th century. 4.30pm Mon-Sat, noon-3.45pm
this ancient cathedral Book ahead for excellent Sun) in the chapter house,
city was the capital of tours of the ground floor, or a 90-minute tower tour
Saxon kings and a power crypt and tower. (adult/child £12.50/8; pre-
base of bishops, and The Drive » From Winchester, booking essential), which
evokes two of England’s hop on the B3049 then the A30 sees you climbing 332 GREAT BRITAIN 15 THE BEST OF BRITAIN
mightiest myth-makers: for the 26-mile drive west to vertigo-inducing steps
famous son Alfred the Salisbury. to the base of the spire
Great (commemorated for jaw-dropping views
by a statue) and King across the city and the
Arthur (a 700-year-old 5 Salisbury surrounding countryside.
copy of the round table Salisbury has been an The Drive » It’s just 9.6
resides in Winchester’s important provincial city miles northwest from Salisbury
cavernous Great Hall for more than a thousand via the A360 to otherworldly
(%01962-846476; www. years, and its streets form Stonehenge.
hants.gov.uk/greathall; Castle an architectural timeline
Ave; suggested donation £3; ranging from medieval
h10am-5pm), the only walls and half-timbered 6 Stonehenge
part of 11th-century Win- Tudor town houses to Despite countless
chester Castle that Oliver Georgian mansions theories about this site’s
Cromwell spared from and Victorian villas. Its purpose, ranging from
destruction). centrepiece is the majestic a sacrificial centre to a
Winchester’s archi- 13th-century Salisbury celestial timepiece, no
tecture is exquisite, Cathedral (%01722-555120; one knows for sure what
from the handsome www.salisburycathedral.org. drove prehistoric Britons
Elizabethan and Regency uk; Cathedral Close; requested to expend so much time
buildings in the narrow donation adult/child £7.50/ and effort constructing
streets to the wondrous none; h9am-5pm Mon- Stonehenge (EH; %0370
Winchester Cathedral Sat, noon-4pm Sun). This 333 1181; www.english-heritage.
(%01962-857225; www. early English Gothic–style org.uk; adult/child on-the-day
winchester-cathedral.org.uk; structure has an elaborate tickets £18/11, advance booking
The Close; adult/child incl cath- exterior decorated with £15.50/9.30; h9am-8pm
edral body & crypt tours £8/ pointed arches and flying Jun-Aug, 9.30am-7pm Apr, May
free; h9.30am-5pm Mon-Sat, buttresses, and is topped & Sep, 9.30am-5pm Oct-Mar;
12.30-3pm Sun) at its core. by Britain’s tallest spire at p); it is one of Britain’s
One of southern Eng- 123m, which was added great archaeological mys-
land’s most awe-inspiring in the mid-14th century. teries. The first phase of
buildings, the 11th- Beyond the cathedral’s building started around
century cathedral has a highly decorative West 3000 BC, when the outer
fine Gothic facade, one Front, a small passageway circular bank and ditch
of the longest medieval leads into the 70m-long were erected. A thousand
211

WHY THIS IS A ANDRAS POLONYI / EYEEM / GETTY IMAGES ©
GREAT TRIP
CATHERINE
LE NEVEZ, WRITER
A trip titled Best of Britain is bound
to be a classic, but what seals it for
VALERY EGOROV / SHUTTERSTOCK ©
me is its incredible sweep of history.
From neolithic-era stone circles to
a Bronze Age chalk figure, Roman
baths, medieval walls and mighty
cathedrals, wonky black-and-white
Tudor towns, multilayered cityscapes
and futuristic developments,
every era of British endeavour is
represented along this journey.
Top: Tower Bridge
Left: Stone circle, Avebury
Right:St James’s Park, London

years later, an inner circle
of granite stones, known
as bluestones, was added.
An ultramodern
makeover has brought an
impressive visitor centre
and the closure of an
MARK THOMAS / GETTY IMAGES ©
intrusive road (now re-
stored to grassland). The
result is a far stronger
sense of historical con-
text; dignity and mystery
returned to an archaeo-
logical gem. A pathway
frames the ring of mas-
sive stones. Although you
can’t walk in the circle, GREAT BRITAIN 15 THE BEST OF BRITAIN
unless on a recommend-
ed Stone Circle Access
Visit (%0370 333 0605;
www.english-heritage.org.uk;
adult/child £32/19), you can
get close-up views. Ad-
mission is through timed
tickets – secure a place
well in advance.
The Drive » Drive east to
Durrington and take the A345
north, climbing over the grassy
Pewsey Downs National Nature
Reserve (home to another chalk
figure, the Alton Barnes White
Horse, dating from 1812), to
reach Avebury (24 miles in total).


7 Avebury
With a diameter of 348m,
Avebury (NT; %01672-
539250; www.nationaltrust.
org.uk; h24hr; p) is the
largest stone circle in the
world, and is also one of
the oldest, dating from
2500 to 2200 BC. Though
it lacks the dramatic
trilithons of its sister site
Stonehenge, the massive
stone circle is at least as
rewarding to visit. Today,
more than 30 stones are

213

in place (pillars show Gay St; adult/child £11/5.50; to the BBC studios where
where missing stones h9.45am-5.30pm Apr-Oct, the series is filmed (look
would have been) and a 10am-4pm Nov-Mar), guides for the TARDIS outside).
large section of the vil- in Regency costumes If you time it right,
lage is actually inside the regale you with Austen- you can catch a fired-up
stones – footpaths wind esque tales as you tour rugby test at Cardiff’s
around them, allowing memorabilia relating to Principality Stadium (Mil-
you to really soak up the the writer’s life in Bath. lennium Stadium; %029-2082
extraordinary atmos- The Drive » It’s 56.5 miles 2432; www.principalitystadium.
phere. National Trust– from Bath to the Welsh capital. wales; Westgate St; tours
run guided walks (£3) Take the A46 north and join the adult/child £13/9).
take place most days. westbound M4 over the Severn
Estuary on the six-lane, cable- 4 p219
4 p219 stayed Second Severn Crossing The Drive » Take the
The Drive » It’s a 27-mile bridge (westbound bridge traffic A48 northeast for 32 miles,
drive along the A4 past incurs a £6.60 toll, payable by bypassing Newport, to riverside
patchwork fields, country pubs cash, debit card or credit card). Chepstow.
and a smattering of villages
to the Georgian streetscapes TRIP HIGHLIGHT
of Bath. a Chepstow
9 Cardiff Nestled in an S-bend in
Set between an ancient the River Wye, Chepstow
8 Bath fort and ultramodern (Welsh: Cas-gwent) was
World Heritage–listed waterfront, Cardiff has first developed as a base
GREAT BRITAIN 15 THE BEST OF BRITAIN
Bath was founded on top been the capital of Wales for the Norman conquest
of natural hot springs since only 1955, but has of southeast Wales, later
and has been a tour- embraced the role with prospering as a port for
ist draw for some 2000 vigour and is now one of the timber and wine
years. Its 18th-century Britain’s leading urban trades. As river-borne
heyday saw the con- centres, as you can see commerce gave way to
struction of magnificent on a stroll through its the railways, Chepstow’s
Georgian architecture compact streets. importance diminished
from the 18th century. The huge success of to reflect its name, which
The best way to explore the reinvented classic TV means ‘market place’ in
the city’s Roman Baths series Doctor Who has Old English.
complex and beautiful brought Cardiff to the One of Britain’s old-
neoclassical buildings is attention of sci-fi fans est castles, imposing
on foot (p294). worldwide. You can find Chepstow Castle (Cadw;
Bath is known to many yourself sucked through www.cadw.gov.wales; Bridge
as a location in Jane a crack in time and St; adult/child £4.50/3.40;
Austen’s novels, including thrown into the role of h9.30am-5pm Mar-Oct,
Persuasion and North- the Doctor’s companion 10am-4pm Nov-Feb) perches
anger Abbey. Although at the interactive, highly atop a limestone cliff
Austen lived in Bath for entertaining Doctor Who overhanging the river,
only five years, from 1801 Experience (%0844 801 guarding the main river
to 1806, she remained a 2279; www.doctorwhoexperi crossing from England
regular visitor and a keen ence.com; Porth Teigr; adult/ into South Wales. Build-
student of the city’s social child £15/11; h10am-5pm ing commenced in 1067,
scene. At the Jane Austen Jul & Aug, Tue-Sun Mar-Jun, less than a year after
Centre (%01225-443000; Sep & Oct, Wed-Sun Nov-Feb, William the Conqueror
www.janeausten.co.uk; 40 last admission 3.30pm daily) invaded England, and it
exhibition, located next was extended over the
214

centuries. Today there willow-lined riverbanks Don’t miss a pint with
are plenty of towers, bat- is on foot. the locals at Stratford’s
tlements and wall walks Combination tickets oldest and most atmos-
to explore. A cave in the are available for the three pheric pub, the 1470-built
cliff below the castle is houses associated with Old Thatch Tavern (www.
one of many places where Shakespeare in town – oldthatchtavernstratford.co.uk;
legend says King Arthur Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Greenhill St; h11.30am-11pm
and his knights are nap- Shakespeare’s New Place Mon-Sat, noon-6pm Sun; W).
ping until the day they’re and Hall’s Croft. If you The Drive » The fastest
needed to save Britain. also visit the childhood route from Stratford-upon-
home of Shakespeare’s
The Drive » Farmland Avon to Manchester is to head
makes up most of this 68-mile wife, Anne Hathaway’s northwest on Birmingham Rd
drive. Head northeast on the Cottage (%01789-204016; and pick up the northbound
A48 along the River Severn www.shakespeare.org.uk; Cot- M42, which becomes the M6.
to Gloucester then continue tage Lane, Shottery; adult/child You’ll see the hilly Peak District
northeast on the A46 to £10.25/6.50; h9am-5pm National Park to your east. It’s
Stratford-upon-Avon. mid-Mar–Oct, closed Nov–mid- a 116-mile journey; this stretch GREAT BRITAIN 15 THE BEST OF BRITAIN
Mar), and his mother’s incurs road tolls totalling £3.
farm, Mary Arden’s Farm
b Stratford-upon- (%01789-204016; www.
Avon shakespeare.org.uk; Station c Manchester
Experiences linked to the Rd, Wilmcote; adult/child A rich blend of history
and culture is on show in
life of Stratford’s fêted £13.25/8.50; h10am-5pm this Northern Power-
son William Shakespeare mid-Mar–Oct, closed Nov–mid- house’s museums, galler-
range from the touristy – Mar), you can buy a com- ies and innovative, mul-
medieval re-creations and bination ticket covering tigenre art centres such
Bard-themed tearooms – all five properties. as HOME (%0161-200 1500;
to the humbling, such
as Shakespeare’s modest
grave in Holy Trinity
Church (%01789-266316; BRITAIN’S BEST FESTIVALS
www.stratford-upon-avon.org; In London, see stunning blooms at the Royal
Old Town; Shakespeare’s grave Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show
adult/child £2/1; h8.30am- (www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea; Royal Hospital Chelsea; admission
6pm Mon-Sat, 12.30-5pm from £23; hMay), military bands and bear-skinned
Sun Apr-Sep, shorter hours grenadiers during the martial pageant Trooping
Oct-Mar). There’s also a the Colour (hJun), or steel drums, dancers and
sublime play by the Royal outrageous costumes at the famous multicultural
Shakespeare Company Caribbean-style street festival, Notting Hill Carnival
(RSC; %box office 01789- (www.thenottinghillcarnival.com; hAug).
403493; www.rsc.org.uk; Wa- Wales’ National Eisteddfod (%08454-090900;
terside; tours adult £6.50-8.50, www.eisteddfod.cymru; hAug) is descended from
child £3-4.50, tower adult/child ancient Bardic tournaments. It’s conducted in Welsh,
£2.50/1.25; htour times vary, but welcomes all entrants and visitors. It moves
tower 10am-6.15pm Sun-Fri about each year, attracting some 150,000 visitors.
10am-12.15pm & 2-6.15pm Sat Edinburgh’s most famous happenings are the
Apr-Sep, 10am-4.30pm Sun-Fri, International Festival (%0131-473 2000; www.eif.co.uk)
10am-12.15pm & 2-4.30pm Sat and Fringe (%0131-226 0026; www.edfringe.com), but
Oct-Mar). August also has an event for anything you care to
One of the best ways name – books, art, theatre, music, comedy, marching
to get a feel for the bands… (www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk).
area’s Tudor streets and
215

http://homemcr.org; 2 Tony www.nationalfootballmuseum.
Wilson Pl, First St; tickets com; Corporation St, Urbis,
£5-20; hbox office noon-8pm; Cathedral Gardens; h10am-
bar 10am-11pm Mon-Thu & Sun, 5pm) F charts British MAREMAGNUM/GETTY IMAGES ©
to midnight Fri & Sat). football’s evolution.
The Manchester Art The city is also world
Gallery (%0161-235 8888; renowned for its live-
http://manchesterartgallery. music scene, with gigs in
org; Mosley St; tours 20min/ all genres most nights of
1hr free/£80; h10am-5pm the week.
Mon-Wed & Fri-Sun, to 9pm
Thu) has a superb collec- 4 p219
tion of British art and a The Drive » This trip’s
hefty number of Euro- longest drive, at 216 miles,
pean masters. The older takes you northwest via the M61
wing has an impressive and M6, passing between the
selection that includes Yorkshire Dales National Park
to the east and the Lake District
37 Turner watercolours, National Park to the west. Once
as well as the country’s you cross into Scotland the road
best assemblage of Pre- becomes the A74 and climbs
Raphaelite art, while the into the Southern Uplands, then
newer gallery is home to becomes the A702 as it leads
20th-century British art into Edinburgh.
GREAT BRITAIN 15 THE BEST OF BRITAIN
starring Lucien Freud,
Francis Bacon, Stanley TRIP HIGHLIGHT
Spencer, Henry Moore
and David Hockney. A d Edinburgh
wonderful collection of The Scottish capital is
British watercolours are intimately entwined with
displayed at Manchester’s its landscape, with build-
Whitworth Art Gallery ings and monuments
(%0161-275 7450; www. perched atop crags and
whitworth.manchester.ac.uk; overshadowed by cliffs.
Oxford Rd, University of Man- From the Old Town’s
chester; h10am-5pm, to 9pm picturesque jumble of
Thu; g), which also has medieval tenements piled
an exceptional collection high along the Royal
of historic textiles. Mile, its turreted skyline edinburghcastle.gov.uk;
Manchester is famed strung between the Castle Esplanade; adult/child
for its rival football black, bull-nosed Castle £16.50/9.90, audioguide ad-
teams Manchester Unit- Rock and the russet pali- ditional £3.50; h9.30am-6pm
ed (%0161-868 8000; www. sade of Salisbury Crags, Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct-Mar, last
manutd.com; Sir Matt Busby to the New Town’s neat admission 1hr before closing;
Way; tours adult/child £18/12; neoclassical grid, the city g23, 27, 41, 42), which has
hmuseum 9.30am-5pm, tours offers a constantly chang- played a pivotal role in
every 10min 9.40am-4.30pm ing perspective. Scottish history, both as
except match days) and Along with a walk a royal residence – King
Manchester City (www. through the Old Town, Malcolm Canmore
mcfc.co.uk; Etihad Campus), unmissable experiences (r 1058–93) and Queen
and its National Football here include visiting Margaret first made
Museum (%0161-605 8200; Edinburgh Castle (www. their home here in the

216

Cardiff Principality Stadium
11th century – and as a St; h11am-11pm Sun-Thu, to
military stronghold; and 1am Fri & Sat; Wc; g36, e York
climbing to the hilltop 41), with over 100 single A magnificent ring
Arthur’s Seat (Holyrood malts behind the bar. of 13th-century walls
Park; g6, 35) for city encloses York’s medieval
panoramas. 4 p219 narrow streets. At its
Edinburgh has 700- The Drive » Drive southeast heart lies the immense,
plus pubs, more per on the A68, passing through awe-inspiring York
square mile than any the Scottish Borders, and enter Minster (www.yorkminster.
other UK city. Sample a Northumberland National Park org; Deangate; adult/child £10/
dram of Scottish whisky at the English border. Join the free, incl tower £15/5; h9am-
at icons like Malt Shovel southbound A1 at Darlington, 5.30pm Mon-Sat, 12.45-5pm
then take the eastbound A59 to
(%0131-225 6843; www.taylor- York (191 miles altogether). Sun, last admission 30min
walker.co.uk; 11-15 Cockburn

217

town extraordinaire,
with a tightly packed
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: core of ancient colleges
SCOTLAND’S CRAFT GIN and riverside ‘Backs’ (col-
lege gardens), which you
Scotland is famed around the world for its whisky, can stroll around (p292).
but Scottish craft gin (http://ginclubscotland.com) The colossal neoclas-
is also fast gaining ground. Over 70% of UK gin is sical pile containing the
produced in Scotland – there are more than a dozen Fitzwilliam Museum
gin distilleries in the country, and no fewer than (www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk;
five in the Edinburgh area. Bars all over the capital Trumpington St; donation
are offering cocktails based on brands such as NB, requested; h10am-5pm
Pickering’s, Crossbill and Strathearn. Tue-Sat, noon-5pm Sun) was
built to house the fabu-
lous treasures that the
before closing). Built mainly through the Treas- seventh Viscount Fitzwil-
between 1220 and 1480, urer’s House (NT; www. liam bequeathed to his
it encompasses all the nationaltrust.org.uk; Chapter old university. Standout
major stages of Gothic ar- House St; adult/child £8/4; exhibits include Roman
chitectural development. h11am-4.30pm Apr-Oct) to and Egyptian grave
The transepts (1220−55) manifestations in pubs goods, artworks by many
were built in Early Eng- including the Old White of the great masters and
lish style; the octagonal Swan (www.nicholsonspubs. some quirkier collections
chapter house (1260−90) co.uk; 80 Goodramgate; such as banknotes and
GREAT BRITAIN 15 THE BEST OF BRITAIN
and nave (1291–1340) in h10am-midnight Sun-Thu, to literary autographs.
the Decorated style; and 1am Fri & Sat); even shops For the full Cambridge
the west towers, west like the Antiques Centre experience, rent a river
front and central (or (www.theantiquescentreyork. boat from operators such
lantern) tower (1470−72) co.uk; 41 Stonegate; h9am- as Scudamore’s Punting
in Perpendicular style. 5.30pm Mon-Sat, to 4pm Sun) (%01223-359750; www.
Don’t miss a walk on are said to be haunted. scudamores.com; Granta
York’s City Walls, which Place; chauffeured punt per 45
follow the line of the 4 p219 min per person £16-19, 6-per-
original Roman walls The Drive » From York, it’s son self-punt per hr £22-28;
and give a new perspec- 156 miles to Cambridge. Take h9am-dusk).
tive on the city. Allow 1½ the A64 southwest to join onto
to two hours for the full the A1 heading southeast. 4 p219
circuit of 4.5 miles. The Drive » Hop on the M11
York is considered for the 55-mile zip to London.
England’s most haunted f Cambridge
city, from the ghosts of Surrounded by meadows,
Roman soldiers marching Cambridge is a university












218

Eating & Sleeping


renaissance-style former bank, now an
London 1 exquisite boutique hotel with 40 bedrooms
ranging from snug to suite. Furnishings are the
4 Hoxton Hotel Hotel £ perfect combination of period elegance and
(%020-7550 1000; www.hoxtonhotels.com; contemporary style. On the top floor is a small
81 Great Eastern St, EC2; r from £49; aiW; spa with an infinity pool overlooking the town
tOld St) In the heart of hip Shoreditch, this hall; downstairs is a nice bar and restaurant.
sleek hotel takes the easyJet approach to selling
its rooms – book long enough ahead and you
might pay just £49. The 210 renovated rooms Edinburgh d
are small but stylish, with flatscreen TVs, a B&B ££
desk, fridge with complimentary bottled water 4 Southside Guest House
and milk, and breakfast (orange juice, granola, (%0131-668 4422; www.southsideguesthouse.
yoghurt, banana) in a bag delivered to your door. co.uk; 8 Newington Rd; s/d from £80/105; W; GREAT BRITAIN 15 THE BEST OF BRITAIN
gall Newington buses) Though set in a typical
Victorian terrace, the Southside transcends the
Avebury 7 traditional guest-house category and feels more
like a modern boutique hotel. Its eight stylish
4 Manor Farm B&B ££ rooms ooze interior design, standing out from
(%01672-539294; www.manorfarmavebury. other Newington B&Bs through the clever use
com; High St; s £70-80, d £90-100; pW) A rare of bold colours and modern furniture. Breakfast
chance to sleep in style inside a stone circle – is an event, with Bucks fizz (cava mixed with
this red-brick farmhouse snuggles just inside orange juice) on offer to ease the hangover!
Avebury henge. The elegant, comfy rooms blend
old woods with bright furnishings, while the
windows provide spine-tingling views of those York e
4000-year-old standing stones.
4 Hedley House Hotel Hotel ££
(%01904-637404; www.hedleyhouse.com; 3
Cardiff 9 Bootham Tce; d/f from £105/115; pWc)
This redbrick terrace-house hotel sports a
4 Lincoln House Hotel ££ variety of smartly refurbished, family-friendly
(%029-2039 5558; www.lincolnhotel.co.uk; accommodation, including rooms that sleep up to
118 Cathedral Rd, Pontcanna; r £90-150; pW) five, and some self-catering apartments – plus it
Walking a middle line between a large B&B and has a sauna and spa bath on the outdoor terrace
a small hotel, Lincoln House is a generously at the back, and is barely five minutes’ walk from
proportioned Victorian property with heraldic the city centre through the Museum Gardens.
emblems in the stained-glass windows of its
sitting room, and a separate bar. For added
romance, book a four-poster room. Cambridge f
4 Worth House B&B ££
Manchester c (%01223-316074; www.worth-house.co.uk; 152
Chesterton Rd; s £75-85, d £95-145; pW) The
4 King Street welcome is wonderfully warm, the great-value
Townhouse Boutique Hotel £££ rooms utterly delightful. Soft grey and cream
(%0161-667 0707; www.eclectichotels. meets candy-stripe reds, fancy bathrooms
co.uk; 10 Booth St; r from £210, ste from £350; boast claw-foot baths and tea trays are full of
aiWs) Arguably the city centre’s treats. There’s also a three-person, self-catering
finest lodgings is in this beautiful 1872 Italian apartment (per week £550) two doors down.

219

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
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Location Caption details to go here

VWB PHOTOS / GETTY IMAGES ©
Britain’s Wild
Side 16








Take a drive on the wild side on this tri-country trip through
Britain’s glorious national parks and protected Areas of
Outstanding Natural Beauty.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
m K 21 DAYS
1290 miles
Isle of Skye # Inverness # Cairngorms 1435 MILES /
]
#
# National Park 2310KM
15
Explore Britain's
biggest – and loftiest –
national park GREAT FOR...
EDINBURGH J
# _
#
^
Glasgow
1007 miles # BEST TIME TO GO
#
13
Kielder Water & ^ Carlisle June to September
#
Forest Park
Stargaze at offers the best
state-of-the-art conditions for outdoor
Kielder Observatory activities.
# Manchester
^
Bangor # ESSENTIAL
I PHOTO
]
Cornwall’s Bedruthan
Steps at sunset.
432 miles
Brecon Beacons # # Bristol K BEST FOR
# _ #
6
National Park ^ l L WILDLIFE
Discover the four
completely different Exeter # New Spot wild red deer,
facets of the Brecon ^ Forest especially in autumn, at
#
Beacons Exmoor National Park.
Location Caption details to go here 221
Cairngorms National Park River Spey, Aviemore

The
North Isle of Minch Gairloch # \ # \
Harris
Uist m K # \ \ #
Isle of Skye #
#
16
20
\ # Kyle of FG ]
#
\
Dunvegan Portree Lochalsh
#
South Broadford \ # \ # 0 ¸
A87
Uist Fort
\
#
Mallaig # \ Augustus # \
Sea
Britain’s Wild Hebrides Fort William ]
of the
# R
Ben Nevis
16 Side Isle of (1344m)
Mull
Isle of Iona # ] Oban
# \
Inveraray
Loch#
14
Leave the city lights behind on this adventure into Isle of Lomond #
Jura
Britain’s natural heartland. On this intrepid trip you’ll Isle of Islay Isle of ^ # \
#
Arran
get up close to soaring mountain peaks, desolate 0 ¸ Kilmarnock ]
A83
#
#
moorland, sea-sprayed beaches, scalloped bays, lush Campbeltown # Ayr ]
]
Mull of
hills, green dales, high, barren fells, and glassy lakes, Kintyre 0 ¸
A77
all teeming with wildlife. Along the way, opportunities NORTHERN Stranraer
IRELAND
#
]
abound to get out and explore the breathtaking Belfast # \
#
countryside on foot, bicycle, horseback and kayak. _
Isle of
Man
Douglas #
]
Irish
Sea
Isle of
Dublin # Anglesey
_
h10am-5pm Apr-Oct, to 4pm Caernarfon # ] #
]
1 New Forest Nov-Mar). Wild ponies IRELAND Llŷn
With typical, acciden- mooch around pretty Peninsula
scrubland, deer flicker
tal, English irony the in the distance and rare
New Forest is anything birds flit among the foli- Cardigan
Bay
but new – it was first age. Genteel villages dot ^
#
proclaimed a royal hunt- St George's
ing preserve in 1079. It’s the landscape, connected Channel Preseli
by a web of walk
#ing and
^
also not much of a forest, cycling trails. Lyndhurst Hills
being mostly heathland PEMBROKESHIRE
(‘forest’ is from the Old tourist office (%02380- Pembroke # \
282269; www.thenewforest.
French for ‘hunting
Bristol
ground’). For an overview co.uk; main car park, Lyndhurst; Channel
of New Forest, which was h10am-5pm Easter-Oct, to # \
4pm Nov-Easter) stocks
designated a national maps and guides; they’re
park in 2005, stop by also available from its 0 ¸
the New Forest Museum website. New Forest is Bedruthan A39
(www.newforestcentre.org. also a popular spot for Steps
4
#
uk; main car park, Lyndhurst; # 0¸
A38
horse riding; Burley Villa # ^
Plymouth
CORNWALL
]
Land's #
222 Isles of End Penzance
Scilly

#
\
#
\
# \ Dornoch # \ # e 0 100 km
Tain # \ Moray 0 50 miles (Western Riding; %01425-
Firth Elgin
Loch # \ 610278; www.burleyvilla.
Ness # \ Nairn
# ]Inverness N O R T H co.uk; near New Milton; per hr
# Cairngorms S E A from £35) organises rides
15
#
National Park
# \ using traditional English
# \ Aviemore 0 ¸ # ^ Aberdeen
# \ Newtonmore A93 # Stonehaven and also Western saddle
0 ¸ 0 ¸ ] styles (per 90 minutes
A93
A9
£48).
# \ Montrose
0 ¸ # \Arbroath
A827
Perth # ^ Dundee 4 p233
# ^
# \ St Andrews The Drive » Take the A31
Stirling # \ Falkland southwest to Weymouth
# ^ # \ Dunfermline and Chesil Beach. Follow the
Glasgow # _ Edinburgh Jurassic Coast northwest along
# ^ 0 ¸
A68
# \ Blantyre # \ Berwick-upon-Tweed the B3157 to Lyme Regis (81
# \ Peebles miles in total).
# ] Lanark \ # # \ # \ Kelso
# ] Melrose # \ GREAT BRITAIN 16 BRITAIN’S WILD SIDE
Jedburgh
SCOTLAND
0 ¸ 0 ¸ # Kielder Water 2 Lyme Regis
#
& Forest Park
13
A7
A713
Dumfries Newcastle-
# ] Fossils regularly emerge
#
12
Kirkcudbright # ^ # Hadrian's # ^ upon-Tyne from the unstable cliffs
# \ Carlisle Wall The surrounding Lyme Regis,
Keswick
Whitehaven 0 ¸ Pennines exposed by the landslides
#
\
\ # A591 # Darlington
]
# \Ambleside 0 ¸ of a retreating shoreline,
A19
Lake District# 0 ¸ # ] Scarborough making this a key stop
#
A684
11
# ] National Park # Yorkshire Dales along the Unesco-listed
#
10
National Park
# ^ York Jurassic Coast.
Blackpool ] # ^Leeds # ] Hull For an overview, Dino-
#
0 ¸ saurland (%01297-443541;
Manchester M1 www.dinosaurland.co.uk;
Liverpool # ^ # ^ Peak District
# Beaumaris # National Park
#
#
8
9
# \ Buxton # \ #
]
#
# Bangor 0 ¸ Sheffield
]
M6
]
0 ¸ # Stoke- # ^ Nottingham LINK
# Betws-y-Coed
\
]
A470
# Snowdonia on-Trent Leicester YOUR
# 7
National
TRIP
#Shrewsbury
#
]
Park 0 ¸ # ^ Birmingham 0¸ ]
# ^
A49
# ^ Aberystwyth Ludlow A1 h The Historic South
Cambridge
Llanwrtyd 0 ¸ # \ Stratford- ^ # Soak up some of
#
0 ¸
\
A470
Wells upon-Avon # \ ENGLAND England’s rich heritage
# \ Brecon M5
WALES Beacons Gloucester before starting your wild
# National ] # ^ Luton trip – it’s an hour and a
#
6
#
Swansea Park The # ^ Oxford half south on the A34 from
# ^ 0 ¸ Cotswolds London Oxford to the New Forest.
A470
Cardiff # 0 ¸ # ^Bristol Reading # _ F G
_
# ^
#
Ilfracombe M5 Wells ] Bath 0 ¸ 17 Great Glen
L
# l # \
# \ Exmoor # \ M3 k
#
5
Salisbury
National 0 ¸ # Do this lake-and-
]
A303
#
\
Park New Forest # # ^ Southampton mountain themed ramble
Exeter 0 ¸ # 1 # ^ through the Scottish
#
2
# ^ # A35 # ^ Brighton Highlands in reverse from
# Lyme Regis Bournemouth
3
#
Dartmoor Lyme Jurassic Inverness.
# ^ National Bay Coast ENGLISH
Park CHANNEL
223

Coombe St; adult/child £5/4; The Drive » Head west
h10am-5pm mid-Feb–mid- 3 Dartmoor through Tavistock to pass
Oct) overflows with National Park through the Tamar Valley,
fossilised remains; look another AONB, on the A390.
out for belemnites, a Covering 368 sq miles, At Dobwalls, pick up the A38
plesiosaurus and an this vast national park and drive west along the
forested River Fowey to join
impressive locally found (%01626-834684; www. the southwest-bound A30.
ichthyosaur. Kids love the visitdartmoor.co.uk) feels Take the Victoria turn-off
lifelike dinosaur models, like it’s tumbled straight and travel northwest past
rock-hard tyrannosaur out of a Tolkien tome, Newquay Cornwall Airport to
eggs and 73kg dinosaur with its honey-coloured the Bedruthan Steps (62 miles
dung. heaths, moss-covered altogether).
Three miles east of boulders, tinkling
Lyme, the Charmouth streams and eerie granite
Heritage Coast Centre tors (hills). 4 Bedruthan Steps
(%01297-560772; www. On sunny days Dart- On Cornwall’s surf-
charmouth.org; Lower Sea moor is idyllic: ponies pounded coast loom the
Lane, Charmouth; h10.30am- wander and sheep graze stately rock stacks of
4.30pm daily Easter-Oct, beside the road, as seen Bedruthan (Carnewas; NT;
Thu-Sun Nov-Easter) runs in Steven Spielberg’s www.nationaltrust.org.uk/car
one to seven fossil- WWI epic War Horse. But newas-and-bedruthan-steps).
hunting trips a week Dartmoor is also the set- These mighty granite
(adult/child £7.50/3). In ting for Sir Arthur Conan pillars have been carved
GREAT BRITAIN 16 BRITAIN’S WILD SIDE
Lyme itself, Lyme Regis Doyle’s The Hound of out by thousands of years
Museum (%01297-443370; the Baskervilles, and in of wind and waves, and
www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk; sleeting rain and swirling the area is now owned by
Bridge St; adult/child £4/free; mists the moor morphs the National Trust. The
h10am-5pm Easter-Oct, 11am- into a bleak wilderness beach itself is accessed
4pm Wed-Sun Nov-Easter) where tales of a phantom via a steep staircase and
organises three to seven hound seem very real. is submerged at high
walks a week (adult/ Be aware too that the tide. Towards the north
child £11/6); local expert military uses live am- end is a rocky shelf
Brandon Lennon (%07854 munition in its training known as Diggory’s Is-
377519; www.lymeregisfossil ranges (p225). land, which separates the
walks.com; adult/child £8/6; Dartmoor is a haven main beach from another
hSat-Mon) also leads for outdoor activities, little-known cove.
expeditions. Book walks including hiking, cycling, The Drive » Drive east to join
in advance. riding, climbing and the northeast-bound A39, which
white-water kayaking;
The Drive » Drive west on the Dartmoor National runs parallel to the Cornish
the A3052 through the dazzling Park Authority (DNPA; coast, to the town of Lynmouth
East Devon AONB (Area of www.dartmoor.gov.uk) has in Exmoor National Park (94
Outstanding Natural Beauty) to miles in total).
Exeter and take the B3212 up detailed information.
into Postbridge, a small village in And there are plenty of
the middle of Dartmoor National rustic pubs to cosy up in 5 Exmoor National
Park (52 miles all up). when the fog rolls in. Park
4 p233 In the middle of Exmoor
National Park is the
higher moor, an empty,



224

expansive, other-worldly the park’s highest peak;
landscape of tawny TRIP HIGHLIGHT and the rolling heath-
grasses and huge skies. land ridges of the Black
Exmoor supports one 6 Brecon Beacons Mountains (Y Myny-
of England’s largest National Park ddoedd Duon) – not to be
wild red deer popula- Brecon Beacons National confused with the Black
tions, best experienced Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Mountain (singular) in
in autumn when the Bannau Brycheiniog) rip- the west. The park’s main
annual ‘rutting’ season ples for 45 miles from the visitor centre (%01874-
sees stags bellowing, English border to near 623366; www.breconbeacons.
charging at each other Llandeilo in the west. org; Libanus; h9.30am-5pm
and clashing horns in High mountain plateaus Easter-Sep) has details of
an attempt to impress of grass and heather, walks, hiking and biking
prospective mates. The their northern rims trails, outdoor activities,
Exmoor National Park scalloped with glacier- wildlife and geology (call
Authority (ENPA; www. scoured hollows, rise first to check it’s open).
exmoor-nationalpark.gov. above wooded, waterfall- GREAT BRITAIN 16 BRITAIN’S WILD SIDE
uk) runs regular wildlife- splashed valleys and 4 p233
themed guided walks green, rural landscapes. The Drive » Drive north along
(free), which include Within the park there the A470 to reach the southern
evening deer-spotting are four distinct regions: boundary of Snowdonia National
hikes. Or head out on an the wild, lonely Black Park at Mallwyd (79 miles
organised jeep safari. Mountain (Mynydd Du) altogether).
The open moors and in the west, with its high
a profusion of marked moors and glacial lakes;
bridleways offer excellent Fforest Fawr (Great 7 Snowdonia
hiking. Cycling is also Forest), whose rushing National Park
popular here; Exmoor streams and spectacu- Wales’ best-known and
Adventures (%07976- lar waterfalls form the most-visited slice of na-
208279; www.exmoor headwaters of the Rivers ture, Snowdonia National
adventures.co.uk) runs a Tawe and Neath; the Park (Parc Cenedla-
five-hour mountain- Brecon Beacons (Bannau ethol Eryri) became the
biking skills course (£50) Brycheiniog) proper, a country’s first national
and also hires bikes (per group of very distinctive, park in 1951. Every year
day £25). more than 350,000
flat-topped hills that in-
The Drive » From Lynmouth cludes Pen-y-Fan (886m), people walk, climb or
to Libanus in the Brecon
Beacons National Park it’s
143 miles. Take the A39 east TOP TIP:
along the coast to join the WARNING: DARTMOOR
M5 at Bridgwater. Take the
Second Severn Crossing bridge MILITARY RANGES
(westbound bridge traffic incurs Live ammunition is used on Dartmoor’s training
a £6.60 toll, payable by cash,
debit card or credit card) and ranges. Check locations with the Firing Information
head west towards Cardiff to join Service (%0800 458 4868; www.mod.uk/access) or
the northwest-bound A470. tourist offices. Red flags fly at the edges of in-use
ranges by day; red flares burn at night. Beware
unidentified metal objects lying in the grass. Don’t
touch anything; report finds to the Commandant
(%01837-650010).


225

WHY THIS IS A ELGOL / GETTY IMAGES ©
GREAT TRIP
CATHERINE LE
NEVEZ, WRITER
For a relatively small island, Britain’s
DUNCAN SHAW / GETTY IMAGES ©
landscapes have an astonishing
diversity and this classic trip offers
a taste, from wooded forests to
windswept moors, and coastal cliffs
to tranquil lakes, with opportunities
all along the route for more in-depth
exploration. Bring rain gear at any
time of year as getting out into
Britain’s great outdoors invariably
means encountering classic British
weather.

Top: Sea kayaker, Skye
Left: Reindeer, Cairngorms National Park
Right: Isle of Anglesey

take the rack-and-pinion
railway (%01286-870223;
www.snowdonrailway.co.uk;
Llanberis; adult/child return
diesel £29/20, steam £37/27;
h9am-5pm mid-Mar–Nov)
to the 1085m summit of
GARRY RIDSDALE / GETTY IMAGES ©
Snowdon. The park’s 823
sq miles embrace stun-
ning coastline, forests,
valleys, rivers, bird-filled
estuaries and Wales’
biggest natural lake. The
Snowdonia National
Park Information Centre
(%01690-710426; www.
eryri-npa.gov.uk; Royal Oak GREAT BRITAIN 16 BRITAIN’S WILD SIDE
Stables; h9.30am-5.30pm
Easter-Oct, to 4pm rest of year)
is an invaluable source
of information about
walking trails, mountain
conditions and more.
The Drive » Continue north
on the A470 and take the A5
northwest to Bangor. Cross
Robert Stephenson’s 1850-built
Britannia Bridge over the
Menai Strait and take the A545
northwest to Beaumaris (a
72-mile trip).

8 Isle of Anglesey
The 276-sq-mile Isle of
Anglesey (Ynys Môn)
offers miles of inspiring
coastline, hidden beaches
and the country’s great-
est concentration of
ancient sites.
Almost all of the
Anglesey coast has been
designated as an AONB
(Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty). Beyond
the handsome Georgian
town of Beaumaris
(Biwmares), there are
hidden gems scattered all
over the island. It’s very

227

much a living centre of The Drive » From Bakewell
Welsh culture, too, as you 9 Peak District take the A623 northwest
can see for yourself at National Park towards Manchester and pick
Oriel Ynys Môn (%01248- up the northbound M66, then
724444; www.orielynysmon. Founded in 1951, the at Burnley take the northeast-
info; Rhosmeirch, Llangefni; Peak District was bound M65 to Skipton. Enter the
Yorkshire Dales National Park on
h10.30am-5pm; p). A England’s first national the B6265 to Grassington and
great, introductory day park and is Europe’s head northwest on the B6160
walk from Beaumaris busiest. But even at peak to Aysgarth. Then take the A684
takes in the ancient times, there are 555 sq along the River Ure to Hawes (a
monastic site of Penmon miles of open country- total of 118 miles).
Priory (Cadw; www.cadw. side in which to soak
wales.gov.uk; Penmon; parking up the scenery. Caving
£2.50; h10am-4pm; p), and climbing, cycling a Yorkshire Dales
Penmon Point with views and, above all, walking National Park
across to Puffin Island, (including numerous Protected as a national
and Blue Flag beach short walks) are the most park since the 1950s,
Llanddona. popular activities. The the glacial valleys of the
Peak District National
4 p233 Park Authority (%01629- Yorkshire Dales (named
from the old Norse word
The Drive » Return to 816200; www.peakdistrict.gov. dalr, meaning ‘valleys’)
the mainland and take the uk; bicycle hire per half-day/ are characterised by a
A55 northeast, crossing the day adult £14/17, child £10/12)
GREAT BRITAIN 16 BRITAIN’S WILD SIDE
border into England where has reams of information distinctive landscape of
the road becomes the M56. about the park and also high heather moorland,
Continue northeast towards operates several cycle- stepped skylines and
Manchester before turning off hire centres. The charm- flat-topped hills above
on the southeast-bound M6. At ing town of Bakewell also valleys patchworked
Sandbach turn east on the A534 with drystone dykes and
and follow the signs to Leek, has a helpful tourist of- little barns. Hawes is
then take the A53 northeast fice (%01629-816558; www. home to the Wensley-
before turning east towards visitpeakdistrict.com; Bridge
Longnor then Bakewell (138 St; h9.30am-5pm Apr-Oct, dale Creamery (www.
miles all-up). 10.30am-4.30pm Nov-Mar). wensleydale.co.uk; adult/child
£2.50/1.50; h10am-4pm;
4 p233 pc), producing famous
Wensleydale cheese. In
the limestone country of
the southern Dales you’ll
encounter extraordinary
TOP TIP: examples of karst scenery
WALKING SAFETY TIPS (created by rainwater
dissolving the underlying
The British countryside can appear gentle, and often limestone bedrock).
is, but conditions can deteriorate quickly. Year-round The Drive » Head southwest
on the hills or open moors carry warm waterproof on the B6255 to Ingleton. Take
clothing, a map and compass, and high-energy the A65 northwest to Sizergh
food (eg chocolate) and drinks. If you’re really going then the A590 southwest to
off the beaten track, leave your route details with the Lake District’s southern
someone. reaches at Newby Bridge. Drive
north along Lake Windermere
before veering northwest to
Hawkshead (53 miles all up).

228

IAN WOOLCOCK / SHUTTERSTOCK ©






















Cornwall Bedruthan Steps
connections: among the The Drive » Drive northwest
b Lake District many writers who found on the A591 to join the A595
to Carlisle. Then take the A689
National Park inspiration here are and A69 northeast to Walltown
William Wordsworth,
The Lake District (or Samuel Taylor Coleridge, along Hadrian’s Wall (72 miles
Lakeland, as it’s com- Arthur Ransome and, of altogether).
monly known round course, Beatrix Potter,
these parts) is by far a lifelong lover of the
the UK’s most popular Lakes, whose delightful c Hadrian’s Wall
national park. Ever since former farmhouse, Hill Hadrian’s Wall is one of
the Romantic poets ar- Top (NT; %015394-36269; Britain’s most revealing
rived in the 19th century, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ and dramatic Roman
its postcard panorama hill-top; adult/child £10/5, ad- ruins, its 2000-year-old
of craggy hilltops, moun- mission to garden & shop free; procession of aban-
tain tarns and glittering hhouse 10am-5.30pm Mon- doned forts, garrisons,
lakes has stirred visitors’ Thu, 10am-4.30pm Fri-Sun, towers and milecastles
imaginations. It’s awash garden 10am-5.45pm Mon-Thu, marching across the wild
with outdoor opportuni- 10am-5pm Fri-Sun), inspired and lonely landscape of
ties, from lake cruises to many of her tales includ- northern England. This
mountain walks. ing Peter Rabbit. wall was about defence
Many people visit and control, but this
for the region’s literary 4 p233, p259 edge-of-empire bar-
rier also symbolised the

229

boundary of civilised well as great birdwatch-
order – to the north lay ing. Comprehensive
the unruly land of the information is available
marauding Celts, while at www.visitkielder.com. MICHAEL_DODD / GETTY IMAGES ©
to the south was the The lack of population
Roman world of orderly here helped see the area
taxpaying, underfloor awarded dark-sky status
heating and bathrooms. by the International
There’s an excellent Dark Skies Associa-
visitor centre at Walltown tion in 2013 (the largest
(Northumberland National Park such designation in
Visitor Centre; %01697-747151; Europe), with controls
www.northumberlandnational to prevent light pollu-
park.org.uk; Greenhead; tion. For the best views
h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm of the Northumberland
Oct, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov- International Dark Sky
Mar). The finest sections Park, attend a stargazing
of the wall run along session at state-of-the-
the southern edge of art, 2008-built Kielder
remote Northumberland Observatory (%0191-265
National Park. 5510; www.kielderobservatory
.org; Black Fell, off Shilling
The Drive » Follow the B6318
northeast along Hadrian’s Wall. Pot; public observing session
GREAT BRITAIN 16 BRITAIN’S WILD SIDE
Turn north on the B6320 to adult/child £16.50/15; hby
Bellingham. Continue northwest reservation). Book ahead
alongside the North Tyne river and dress warmly as it’s
and Kielder Water lake to the seriously chilly here at
village of Kielder (a 43-mile night.
journey).
The Drive » It’s a 139-mile
drive from Kielder to Balloch
TRIP HIGHLIGHT on the southern shore of Loch
d Kielder Water & Lomond. Head north into
Forest Park Scotland and join the A68
towards Edinburgh. Take the M8
Adjacent to Northumber- to Glasgow and then the A82
land National Park, the northwest to Balloch.
Kielder Water & Forest
Park is home to the vast tends over a huge area,
artificial lake Kielder e Loch Lomond from Balloch north to
Water, holding 200,000 Loch Lomond is main- Tyndrum and Killin, and
million litres. Surround- land Britain’s largest lake from Callander west to
ing its 27-mile-long and, after Loch Ness, the forests of Cowal.
shoreline is England’s the most famous of Scot- From Balloch,
largest plantation forest, land’s lochs. It’s part of Sweeney’s Cruises
with 150 million spruce the Loch Lomond & the (%01389-752376; www.
and pine trees. Kielder Trossachs National Park sweeneyscruiseco.com;
Water is a water-sports (www.lochlomond-trossachs. Balloch Rd) offers a range
playground (and midge org), which became the of trips including a
magnet; bring insect heart of Scotland’s first one-hour return cruise
repellent), and also has national park, created to Inchmurrin (adult/
walking and cycling as in 2002. The park ex- child £10.20/7, five times

230

Kielder Water & Forest Park Mountain-biking through the forest
daily April to October, Easter-Oct) also arranges
twice daily November to boat trips and water- and
March), and a two-hour land-based activities TRIP HIGHLIGHT
cruise (£18/10.20 twice from various bases f Cairngorms
daily May to September around Loch Lomond. National Park
plus weekends April and The Drive » Follow the The vast Cairn-
October) around the A82 along Loch Lomond’s gorms National Park
islands. CanYou western shoreline and pick (www.cairngorms.co.uk)
Experience (%01389- up the northeast-bound A85 stretches from Aviemore
756251; www.canyouexperi at Crianlarich. Then take in the north – with a
ence.com; Loch Lomond the northwest-bound A9 to handy tourist office
Shores; h10am-5.30pm Aviemore (a total of 141 miles). (%01479-810930;




231

Gaelic) takes its name
OUTER HEBRIDES from the old Norse sky-a,
meaning ‘cloud island’, a
If you’re not ready to return to the mainland after Viking reference to the
visiting the Isle of Skye, consider a trip to the Outer often-mist-enshrouded
Hebrides (aka the Western Isles; Na h-Eileanan an Cuillin Hills. It’s a
Iar in Gaelic) – a 130-mile-long string of islands 50-mile-long patchwork
west of Skye. More than a third of Scotland’s of velvet moors, jagged
registered crofts are here, and no less than 60% mountains, sparkling
of the population are Gaelic speakers. With limited lochs and towering sea
time, head straight for the west coast of Lewis cliffs. Lively Portree
with its prehistoric sites, preserved blackhouses, (Port Righ) has the
beautiful beaches, and arts and crafts studios – the island’s only tourist of-
Lochmaddy Tourist Office (%01867-500321; Pier Rd; fice (%01478-612992; www.
h10am-5pm Mon-Sat Apr-Oct) can provide a list. Ferries visitscotland.com; Bayfield Rd;
(car £30, driver and passenger £6.10 each) run once h9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-
or twice daily from Uig on Skye to Lochmaddy (1¾ 4pm Sun Jun-Aug, shorter
hours) and Tarbert (1½ hours). hours Sep-May; W).
Skye offers some of
the finest walking in
www.visitaviemore.com; The Lower down, scenic glens Scotland, including some
Mall, Grampian Rd; h9am- are softened by beauti- short, low-level routes.
5pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun ful open forests of native The sheltered coves and
year-round, longer hrs Jul & Scots pine, home to sea lochs around the
GREAT BRITAIN 16 BRITAIN’S WILD SIDE
Aug) – to the Angus Glens rare animals and birds coast of Skye provide
in the south, and from such as pine martens, magnificent sea-kayaking
Dalwhinnie in the west wildcats, red squirrels, opportunities. Skyak Ad-
to Ballater and Royal ospreys, capercaillies and ventures (%01471-820002;
Deeside in the east. crossbills. www.skyakadventures.com; 29
The park encompasses Lower Breakish, Breakish; 1-day
the highest landmass in 4 p233 course per person from £100)
Britain – a broad moun- The Drive » Take the A9 runs expeditions and
tain plateau, riven only northwest to Inverness, then courses for both begin-
by the deep valleys of the the southwest-bound A82 ners and experienced
Lairig Ghru and Loch along Loch Ness (keeping an paddlers to otherwise
Avon, with an average al- eye out for mythical beasts). inaccessible places.
At Invermoriston join the
titude of over 1000m and westbound A887, which Skye’s stunning scen-
including five of the six becomes the A87, and continue ery is the main attrac-
highest summits in the to Kyle of Lochalsh where you’ll tion, but when the mist
UK. This wild mountain cross the Skye Bridge to the closes in there are plenty
landscape of granite and Isle of Skye. Continue along the of castles, crofting muse-
heather has a sub-Arctic A87 to reach Portree (a 145-mile ums and cosy pubs and
climate and supports journey all up). restaurants, along with
rare alpine tundra dozens of art galleries
vegetation and high- and craft studios.
altitude bird species, g Isle of Skye
such as snow bunting, The Isle of Skye (an
ptarmigan and dotterel. t-Eilean Sgiathanach in





232

Eating & Sleeping


road from each other, provide quite a contrast.
New Forest 1 Where the Bulls Head accommodation –
occupying the oldest pub in town – is historic
4 The Pig Boutique Hotel £££ and elegant, the townhouse is contemporary,
(%0345 225 9494; www.thepighotel.co.uk; high-tech and design driven. Breakfast for both
Beaulieu Rd, Brockenhurst; r £175-265; pW) is served at the old inn.
One of the New Forest’s classiest hotels remains
an utter delight: log baskets, croquet mallets and
ranks of guest gumboots give things a country- Peak District National Park 9
house air; espresso machines and minilarders
lend bedrooms a luxury touch. The effortless 4 Melbourne House &
elegance makes it feel like you’ve just dropped by Easthorpe B&B ££
a friend’s (very stylish) rural retreat. (%01629-815357; www.bakewell-
accommodation.co.uk; Buxton Rd; d from £70; GREAT BRITAIN 16 BRITAIN’S WILD SIDE
pW) Occupying a picturesque, creeper-
Dartmoor National Park 3 covered building (Melbourne House) dating
back more than three centuries and a new annex
4 Tor Royal Farm B&B ££ (Easthorpe), with uncluttered, neutral-toned
(%01822-890189; www.torroyal.co.uk; Tor rooms, this inviting B&B is handily situated on
Royal Lane, near Princetown; s £60, d £80-100; the main road leading to Buxton.
pW) An easygoing, country cottage–styled
farmhouse packed with lived-in charm. The
rooms are rather old-fashioned – cream-and- Lake District National Park b
white furniture, puffy bedspreads, easy chairs
– but they’re cosy, and the sumptuous afternoon 4 Summer Hill
tea (£14) is reason to stay here alone. Country House Hotel ££
(%015394-36180; www.summerhillcountry
house.com; Hawkshead Hill; d £102-122;
Brecon Beacons National Park 6 piW) On Hawkshead Hill, this 1700s house
has a wonderfully out-of-the-way setting, 3
4 Peterstone Court Hotel £££ miles from both Coniston and Hawkshead. The
(%01874-665387; www.peterstone-court.com; five rooms vary in shape and size, but all feature
Llanhamlach; r from £150; pWs) At this posh bath products and net-connected Mac
elegant Georgian manor house, the rooms are Minis for getting online or watching DVDs. The
large and comfortable, and the views across the garden boasts sculptures and a summerhouse
valley to the Beacons are superb. The boutique that belonged to John Ruskin.
spa centre is a big drawcard. It also has an
excellent restaurant (breakfast £8-14, lunch
£15-17, dinner £14-21; h7.30-9.30am & noon- Cairngorms National Park f
9.30pm). Llanhamlach is 3 miles southeast of
Brecon, just off the A40. 4 Old Minister’s House B&B £££
(%01479-812181; www.theoldministershouse.
co.uk; Ski Rd, Inverdruie; s/d £125/140; pW)
Isle of Anglesey 8 This former manse dates from 1906 and has
five rooms with a luxurious, country-house
4 Ye Olde Bulls Head atmosphere. It’s in a lovely setting amid Scots
Inn & Townhouse Hotel ££ pines on the banks of the River Druie, southeast
(%01248-810329; www.bullsheadinn.co.uk; of Aviemore.
Castle St; d inn/townhouse from £90/110; W)
These sister properties, located just across the

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Location Caption details to go here

RON ELLIS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
The Historic
South 17








England’s rich heritage runs like a glittering seam through this
remarkable road trip. Discovering sights nautical, archaeological
and architectural, you’ll travel the ages as you clock up the miles.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
9–11 DAYS
440 miles 450 MILES /
720KM
Blenheim Palace
Noseying around the
rooms of Winston GREAT FOR...
Churchill’s home
BJ


## #
# BEST TIME TO GO
14
m K l L Spring and autumn.
# Oxford
Summer if you don’t
LONDON # _ mind more crowds.
#
Bath
## #
# ESSENTIAL
2
# I PHOTO
## #
9
Lounging in a punt
# #
Beaulieu Brighton with a backdrop
of Oxford’s divine
buildings.
Salisbury Leeds Castle
Staring upwards at Delighting in the beauty BEST FOR
Salisbury Cathedral’s of this moat-framed K
soaring spire fortification SURPRISES
262 miles 39 miles The world’s biggest
stone circle: Avebury
(not Stonehenge).
Location Caption details to go here 235
Salisbury Cathedral A 13th-century building with the tallest spire in England

The Historic
17 South



Stand by to tour some of the world’s most beautiful castles and most
memorable archaeological sites. Take in three of England’s most impressive
cathedrals, Georgian cityscapes, Churchill’s palace and Oxford’s spires.
Discover guerilla art and this country’s fine tradition of seaside kitsch. Motor
# \llages and encounter 14th-century
to a motor museum, explore unspoiled vi
# ]
# \
fellow travellers’ tales. In short, take a road trip through the very best of
# \
Britain’s past.
# \
Ross-on-Wye # ]
M1
# \ GLOUCESTERSHIRE Blenheim Milton / ·
# ] Palace Keynes
Gloucester # ] Cheltenham Luton
Monmouth # \ / · # # BUCKINGHAMSHIRE # \
14
A424
A40
# ] Forest / · # ^
of Dean # \ Burford / ·
A34
53 miles to Severn # \ # \ # ]Aylesbury
Stroud
m K
F G / · Southern # \ Witney # #
# ^ Oxford
15
21
‚ Chepstow / · A46 Cotswolds Cirencester St Albans # ]
M5
M40
# \ # \ / · / ·
A420
# \ Tetbury
WILTSHIRE High # ] # ]
Severn / · # ] Swindon Wycombe Watford
OXFORDSHIRE
Estuary
M4
Bristol# Chippenham / · Slough
# ^ #
13
M4
# ] / · # \ Avebury WEST / · # \ # _
M4
F G Keynsham # \ 12 A4 # # \ Marlborough BERKSHIRE # ^ Reading Richmond # \
# \ #
11
16
# ] # #
# \
# I Bath Lacock # \ Savernake # ] Newbury
Forest
M3
p294 # H Devizes / · / ·
SOMERSET p244 / · Salisbury Basingstoke A30 / · # \
A360
M25
Glastonbury Warminster # \ Plain # ] Aldershot # \ # ] Guildford
Amesbury
10
# \ # # # \ # \ Andover # \
/ · / · Stonehenge / · HAMPSHIRE / · SURREY / ·
A37
A345
A303
Salisbury# A3 A24
# ] # 9
Haslemere
# \ / · # # 7 # ^ Winchester # \ Horsham
/ ·
Yeovil # ] # \ Sherborne Shaftesbury A36 Romsey # \ Eastleigh # \
M3
# \
A354
# \ / · # \ Petworth # \
Cadnam # \ # ^ Southampton WEST
# \ DORSET Ferndown Lyndhurst # \ Chichester SUSSEX
Bridport / · # \ # # 8 # \ Beaulieu # ^ # # 6 # ] / · # ] # ^
A31
A27
44 Poole # \ # ^ Portsmouth
F G
# \ # \ Dorchester Lymington # \ Ryde Worthing # ^ Hove
# \
16
# ] Weymouth # ] Bournemouth Newport # \ # ]
Jurassic Coast
Isle of
44 # \ Swanage Wight # \ Ventnor
44

the top for unforgettable The Drive » London’s streets
1 London London views. Next ex- and suburbs meet bursts of
Vibrant London is so plore the city's rich past the Kent countryside; you’re
heading for the A20 towards
packed with historic at the Museum of Lon- Sidcup, then the M20 towards
sights, where’s best to don (www.museumoflondon. Dover. Shortly after Maidstone
org.uk; 150 London Wall, EC2;
start? In the capital’s leave the motorway behind,
touch stone: St Paul’s h10am-6pm; tBarbican). picking up A20 signs for Lenham
(%020-7246 8350; www. Then head east to elegant and then Leeds Castle, some 40
Tower Bridge to learn in
stpauls.co.uk; St Paul’s Church- miles from the capital.
yard, EC4; adult/child £18/8; its exhibition (%020-7403
3761; www.towerbridge.org.uk;
h8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Sat; TRIP HIGHLIGHT
tSt Paul’s). Designed by Tower Bridge, SE1; adult/child
£9/3.90, incl Monument £11/5; 2 Leeds Castle
Sir Christopher Wren in
1675 after the Great Fire, h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, 9.30am- Immense and moat-
its vast dome is famed for 5.30pm Oct-Mar, last admission ringed, for many Leeds
avoiding Luftwaffe raids 30min before closing; tTower Castle (www.leeds-castle.
during the Blitz. Head Hill) just how they raise com; adult/child £24.50/16.50; GREAT BRITAIN 17 THE HISTORIC SOUTH
inside and up 257 steps the arms – and the road – h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, to
to the walkway called the to let ships through. 5pm Oct-Mar) is one of the
Whispering Gallery, then 4 p219 world’s most romantic.
# ^
to the Golden Gallery at The formidable, intricate
structure balancing on
two islands is known as
something of a ‘ladies
Ipswich # ^ castle’. This stems from
the fact that in its more
# \ Stevenage / · Felixstowe # \ than 1000 years of his-
M11
Baintree 44 4 tory, it has been home to
# \ # ]
HERTFORDSHIRE ESSEX / · Colchester a who’s who of medieval
A12
# ]Harlow # \ Clacton-
# ] 44
on-Sea
# ^ Chelmsford LINK
/ · YOUR
M25
# ] Brentwood 44 TRIP
London l L Basildon # ] North
4
# _ # # 1 # \ Dagenham # ] Southend- Sea l West Wales:
on-Sea
Swansea to
Canvey
# \ 4444
# \ Dartford Chatham St Davids
Island
/ ·
A2
# ]
M20
# \ Croydon / · 4 # ] Whitstable # \ Margate From Oxford, head west on
the M4 to Swansea for the
/ · # ^ sweeping beaches and vast
M25
# ^ # 3
# \ Reigate Maidstone # North # Canterbury sand dunes of the Welsh
# \ # 2
Downs
Leeds Castle / · / · / · coast.
A28
A2
M20
KENT
# ] Ashford # ] Dover g Britain’s Wild Side
Royal Tunbridge # \
# \ It’s an hour and a
Haywards Wells / · A2070 # ^
/ ·
A21
Heath Folkestone half south from Oxford to
# \ EAST the New Forest to pick up
SUSSEX / · Romney
A259
# \ # # 4 Marsh this exploration of Britain’s
Lewes Rye English glorious national parks.
# \ Bexhill Channel
# ] # ^ # # 5 / · # ] # ^ Hastings (La Manche)
A27
Brighton
# ^ Eastbourne 237
Strait
# H # æ of Dover
Beachy
p239 Head
0 50 km
# e 0 25 miles

queens, most famously thousands of pilgrims and tales of smugglers
Henry VIII’s first wife, for more than 800 years. abound. The best place
Catherine of Aragon. The Canterbury Tales to start stretching your
(www.canterburytales.org.uk; legs is Mermaid Street. It
The Drive » Next up is a 25-
mile cruise, high up over the St Margaret’s St; adult/child bristles with 15th-century
vast chalk ridge of the North £9.75/7.50; h10am-5pm Mar- timber-framed houses
Downs. You’re headed northeast, Oct, to 4.30pm Nov-Feb) exhi- with quirky names such
largely along the A252/A28 – bition uses animatronics as ‘The House with Two
the Canterbury Rd which echoes and audio guides to Front Doors’ and ‘The
the old pilgrim footpath to the explore Chaucer’s stories House Opposite’. A short
cathedral city. of these 14th-century walk away the 13th-
travellers. For a taste of century Ypres Tower
even older Canterbury, (www.ryemuseum.co.uk;
3 Canterbury head to the mosaics of Church Sq; adult/child £4/
Canterbury tops the the Roman Museum (www. free; h10.30am-5pm Apr-Oct,
charts for English canterburymuseums.co.uk; to 3.30pm Nov-Mar) affords
cathedral cities – and no Butchery Lane; adult/child £8/ views of Rye Bay, the
wonder. Here medieval free; h10am-5pm). marshes and sometimes
alleyways frame exquisite France. The Rye Heritage
architecture, with Can- 4 p245 Centre (%01797-226696;
terbury Cathedral (www. The Drive » Now for a 35-mile www.ryeheritage.co.uk; Strand
canterbury-cathedral.org; adult/ drive. Head back up and over Quay; h10am-5pm Apr-Oct,
concession £12/10.50, tours the North Downs on the A28 shorter hours Nov-Mar) offers
GREAT BRITAIN 17 THE HISTORIC SOUTH
£5/4, audioguide £4/3; h9am- towards Ashford. Then plunge themed walking tours.
5.30pm Mon-Sat, 12.30-2.30pm down to roll, along the A2070, The Drive » The next 50-mile
Sun) the centrepiece. This through the verdant valley of leg sees you taking a string of A
towering Gothic cathedral the Weald of Kent. Soon you’re roads west. They lead past the
edging the flat-lands of Romney
features fine stonework, a Marsh and arriving at Rye. woods and farms of the High
cavernous crypt and the Weald AONB up to another chalk
site of English history’s ridge, this time the amphitheatre
most famous murder: 4 Rye of hills that is the South Downs.
Archbishop Thomas Welcome to one of Eng- Eventually, it’s time to descend
Becket was killed here land’s prettiest towns. to Brighton on the shore.
in 1170 after ‘hints’ from Here cobbled lanes,
King Henry II, drawing
wonky Tudor buildings 5 Brighton
Famously hedonistic,
exuberant and home
THE CANTERBURY TALES to the UK’s biggest gay
scene, Brighton rocks.
The Canterbury Tales is the best-known work of
English literature’s father figure: Geoffrey Chaucer The bright n’ breezy sea-
(1342–1400). Chaucer was the first English writer front boasts the grand,
to introduce characters – rather than ‘types’ – into century-old Brighton
fiction. They feature strongly in The Canterbury Pier (www.brightonpier.co.uk;
Tales, an unfinished series of 24 vivid stories told by Madeira Dr), complete with
a party of pilgrims travelling between London and fairground rides, amuse-
Canterbury. The text remains one of the pillars of the ment arcades and candy
literary canon. But more than that, it’s a collection of floss stalls. Stroll inland
rollicking good yarns of adultery, debauchery, crime to the magnificent Royal
and edgy romance, and is filled with Chaucer’s witty Pavilion (%03000-290901;
observations about human nature. http://brightonmuseums.
org.uk/royalpavilion; Royal
238

Pavilion Gardens; adult/child
£12.30/6.90; h9.30am- DETOUR:
5.45pm Apr-Sep, 10am-5.15pm
Oct-Mar), the glittering BEACHY HEAD
palace of Prince George Start: 4 Rye
(later King George IV).
It’s one of the most An 8-mile detour off your route leads to a truly
opulent buildings in remarkable view. Around 25 miles west of Rye, peel
England, and Europe’s off the A27 onto the A22 to Eastbourne. Head to
finest example of early- the seafront to take the signed route that climbs to
19th-century chinoiserie. Beachy Head. Pick a parking spot and follow the
Take in the Salvador footpaths to the cliffs themselves. These 162m-tall
Dalí sofa modelled on sheer chalk faces are the highest point of cliffs that
Mae West’s lips at the slice across the rugged coastline at the southern end
Brighton Museum & Art of the South Downs. Far below sits a squat red-and-
Gallery (www.brighton-hove- white-striped lighthouse. Appealing walks include the
museums.org.uk; Royal Pavilion 1.5 mile hike west to the beach at Birling Gap. GREAT BRITAIN 17 THE HISTORIC SOUTH
Gardens; adult/child £5.20/3;
h10am-5pm Tue-Sun), then HMS Warrior (www.hmswar
gear up for a lively night
out by shopping amid the rior.org; adult/child £18/13; 7 Winchester
boutiques of the tightly h10am-5.30pm Apr-Oct, to Calm, collegiate Winches-
5pm Nov-Mar) and a wealth
packed Brighton Lanes. ter is a mellow must-see.
of imaginative, maritime- One of southern England’s
4 p245 themed museums, along most awe-inspiring
with waterborne harbour
The Drive » Next is a 50-mile tours (%02392-839766; buildings, 11th-century
blast due west, largely along Winchester Cathedral
A roads, to the historic port of www.historicdockyard.co.uk; (%01962-857225; www.
Portsmouth. As the 170m-high adult/child £7/5; hhours winchester-cathedral.org.
Spinnaker Tower gets closer on vary). Round it all off with uk; The Close; adult/child incl
the horizon, pick up signs for the the WWII-era submarine
Historic Dockyard Car Park. HMS Alliance (www. cathedral body & crypt tours
submarine-museum.co.uk; £8/free; h9.30am-5pm
Mon-Sat, 12.30-3pm Sun) sits
Haslar Rd, Gosport; adult/
6 Portsmouth child £14/10; h10am-5.30pm at its core. It boasts a fine
Gothic facade, one of the
Portsmouth’s blockbuster Apr-Oct, 10am-4.30pm Wed-Sun longest medieval naves
Historic Dockyard sees Nov-Mar) or by strolling in Europe (164m) and
you gazing at the hulk of around the defences in the intricately carved medi-
Henry VIII’s flagship, the historic Point district and eval choir stalls, sporting
Mary Rose (www.maryrose. by climbing the sail-like everything from mythical
org; adult/child £18/13; Spinnaker Tower (%02392- beasts to a mischievous
h10am-5.30pm Apr-Oct, to 857520; www.spinnakertower. green man. Jane Austen’s
5pm Nov-Mar), and jumping co.uk; Gunwharf Quays; adult/ grave is near the entrance,
aboard HMS Victory child £10/8; h10am-6pm) for in the northern aisle. The
(www.hms-victory.com; adult/ 23-mile views. fantastical crumbling re-
child £18/13; h10am-5.30pm The Drive » Time to head mains of Wolvesey Castle
Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar) – the inland; a 30-mile motorway (EH; %0370-333 1181;
warship Nelson captained cruise (the M27 then the M3) www.english-heritage.org.
at the Battle of Trafalgar. takes you to Winchester. uk; College St; h10am-5pm
Then there’s the Victorian Apr-Oct) sit nearby, as



239

WHY THIS IS A does one of England’s
GREAT TRIP most prestigious private
BELINDA DIXON, WRITER schools: Winchester Col-
lege (%01962-621209; www.
For me, great trips need winchestercollege.org; College
classic sights, and this journey delivers in spades. St; adult/child £7/free; htours
As well as the big-name attractions, you also 10.15am, 11.30am, 2.15pm,
get intriguing insights and some surprises: the 3.30pm Mon, Wed, Fri-Sun),
stone circle preferred by purists; hip, hedonistic which you can visit on
Brighton’s seaside heritage; and some of this a tour.
nautical nation’s most important ships, the Mary
Rose, HMS Victory and Brunel’s pioneering SS 4 p245
Great Britain. If only history lessons at school The Drive » Leave
had been this much fun. Winchester’s ancient streets
to take the motorways towards
Above: Traditional wooden punts, Oxford
Right: Blenheim Palace

OLGA_ANOURINA / GETTY IMAGES © VISITBRITAIN / BRITAIN ON VIEW / GETTY IMAGES ©
Southampton (initially the M3). to 5pm Oct-Mar) is centred on 14th-century Gothic abbey
After 14 miles turn off onto the a 13th-century Cistercian gatehouse, and received
A35 towards Lyndhurst. From monastery that fell to the a 19th-century Scottish
here it’s 9-miles to Beaulieu ancestors of the current makeover in the 1860s.
through the New Forest’s proprietors, the Montague
increasingly wooded roads. The Drive » The SatNav
family, after Henry VIII’s wants to start this 28-mile leg
1536 monastic land-grab. by routing you onto the A326.
Today its motor museum Resist! Opt for the A and B roads
8 Beaulieu includes F1 cars and that wind through the villages of
The vintage car mu- jet-powered land-speed Lyndhurst, Cadnam, Brook and
seum and stately home at record-breakers and North Charford, revealing the
Beaulieu (%01590-612345; wheels driven by James New Forest’s enchanting blend of
www.beaulieu.co.uk; adult/child Bond and Mr Bean. The woods and open heath. Eventually
£24/12; h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, palace began life as a join the A338 to Salisbury.

241

most famous stone circle will
soon pop into view. The entry to
TRIP HIGHLIGHT the site is just beyond. b Avebury
9 Salisbury A two-minute stroll from
the car park (£7 per day)
Salisbury’s skyline is dom- a Stonehenge leads to a ring of stones
inated by the tallest spire that’s so big an entire vil-
in England, which soars Welcome to Britain’s most lage sits inside. Fringed
from its central, majestic iconic archaeological site: by a massive bank and
13th-century cathedral Stonehenge (EH; %0370 ditch and with a diame-
(%01722-555120; www.salis 333 1181; www.english-heritage. ter of 348m, Avebury (NT;
burycathedral.org.uk; Cathedral org.uk; adult/child on-the-day %01672-539250; www.nation-
Close; requested donation adult/ tickets £18/11, advance booking altrust.org.uk; h24hr; p) is
child £7.50/none; h9am-5pm £15.50/9.30; h9am-8pm the largest stone circle in
Mon-Sat, noon-4pm Sun). This Jun-Aug, 9.30am-7pm Apr, May the world. Dating from
early English Gothic–style & Sep, 9.30am-5pm Oct-Mar; 2500 to 2200 BC, more
structure’s elaborate p), a compelling ring of than 30 stones are still in
exterior is decorated monolithic stones that place and you can wan-
dates, in parts, back to
with pointed arches and der between them and
flying buttresses, while its 3000 BC. Head into the clusters of other stones at
statuary and tombs are Visitor Centre to see 300 will. On the fringes, 16th-
finds from the site and
outstanding. Don’t miss century Avebury Manor
the daily tower tours and experience an impressive (NT; %01672-539250; www.
360-degree projection of
the cathedral’s original, the stone circle through nationaltrust.org.uk; adult/
GREAT BRITAIN 17 THE HISTORIC SOUTH
13th-century copy of the the ages and seasons. Next child £6.75/3.35; h11am-5pm
Magna Carta (h9.30am- hop on a trolley bus (or Apr-Oct, to 4pm mid-Feb–Mar,
4.30pm Mon-Sat, noon-3.45pm walk; it’s 1.5 miles) to the 11am-4pm Thu-Sun Nov & Dec)
Sun). The surrounding monument. There, as you is home to interiors span-
Cathedral Close has a stroll around it, play ‘spot- ning five periods, rang-
hushed, other-worldly feel. the-stone’: look out for the ing from Tudor, through
Nearby, the hugely im- bluestone horseshoe (an Georgian, to the 1930s.
portant finds at Salisbury inner semi-circle), the tri-
Museum (%01722-332151; lithon horseshoe (sets of 4 p219
www.salisburymuseum.org.uk; two vertical stones topped The Drive » Next a cruise due
65 Cathedral Close; adult/child by a horizontal one) and west; as the A4 winds for 30
£8/4; h10am-5pm Mon-Sat the Slaughter Stone and miles past fields and through
year-round, plus noon-5pm Sun Heel Stone (set apart, on villages to the city of Bath.
Jun-Sep) include Iron Age the northeast side). Then
gold coins, a Bronze Age try to work out what on
gold necklace and the earth it all means. Note c Bath
Stonehenge Archer, the that entrance is by timed Sophisticated, stately and
bones of a man found in ticket; secure yours well in ever-so-slightly snooty,
the ditch surrounding the advance. Bath is graced with some
stone circle. of Britain’s finest Geor-
The Drive » Now for a 24-mile, gian architecture. Wan-
4 p73, p151 A-road meander through rural dering around the streets
England. After dodging through
The Drive » Next: a 10-mile Devizes, it’s not long before (p294) is a real joy. For an
drive taking you back 5000 signs point left to Avebury’s insight into how the city
years. The A345 heads north. main car park. came to have the shape it
Soon after joining the A303, does, head to the Museum
detail a passenger to watch the of Bath Architecture
right windows – the world’s

242

(%01225-333895; www.
museumof batharchitecture.org. SITES AROUND STONEHENGE
uk; The Vineyards, The Paragon;
adult/child £5.50/2.50; h2- As you drive the roads around Stonehenge it’s worth
5pm Tue-Fri, 10.30am-5pm Sat & registering that the site forms part of a huge complex
Sun mid-Feb–Nov). The Bath of ancient monuments. North of Stonehenge
Assembly Rooms (www. and running roughly east–west is the Cursus,
nationaltrust.org.uk; 19 Bennett an elongated embanked oval; the smaller Lesser
St; h10.30am-5pm Mar-Oct, Cursus is nearby. Two clusters of burial mounds, the
to 4pm Nov-Feb), where Old Barrow and the New Kings Barrow, sit beside
socialites once gathered, the ceremonial pathway The Avenue. This routeway
gives an insight into the originally linked the site with the River Avon, 2 miles
Georgian world. Discover away. Theories abound as to what these sites were
the city’s culinary heritage used for, ranging from ancient sporting arenas to
at Sally Lunn’s (%01225- processional avenues for the dead.
461634; www.sallylunns.co.uk; 4
North Pde Passage; mains £6-17; 0680; www.ssgreatbritain. Feb-Oct, to 4pm Nov-Jan), GREAT BRITAIN 17 THE HISTORIC SOUTH
h10am-9.30pm Sun-Thu, to org; Great Western Dock, Gas meanwhile, features a
10pm Fri & Sat), which bakes Ferry Rd; adult/child £14/8; rare camera obscura
the famous Bath Bun h10am-5.30pm Apr-Oct, to which offers incredible
(a brioche-meets-bread 4.30pm Nov-Mar) sits on views of the deep fissure
treat). For a free glass the city’s waterfront. that is the Avon Gorge.
of the spring water that Designed in 1843 by engi-
made the city rich, stop neering genius Isambard 5 p245
by the Pump Room (www. Kingdom Brunel, its inte- The Drive » Travelling partly
romanbaths.co.uk; Stall St; rior has been impeccably on motorways and partly on
h10am-5pm). Then perhaps refurbished, including A-roads, the next 80-mile leg
soak in it: at Thermae the galley, the surgeon’s sees you skirting Oxford (for
Bath Spa (%01225-331234; quarters and a working now) and arriving at the tree-
www.thermaebathspa.com; model of the original lined avenue that leads to one of
Hot Bath St; Mon-Fri £34, Sat & steam engine. The whole Britain’s finest stately homes.
Sun £37; h9am-9.30pm, last vessel is contained in
entry 7pm), steam rooms, an air-tight dry dock, TRIP HIGHLIGHT
waterfall showers and a dubbed a ‘glass sea’. At e Blenheim Palace
choice of swimming pools the Bristol Museum & Art
(including a gorgeous Gallery (%0117-922 3571; A monumental baroque
rooftop one) will help you www.bristolmuseums.org.uk; fantasy designed by
relax. Queen’s Rd; h10am-5pm Mon- Sir John Vanbrugh
and Nicholas Hawks-
4 p245 Fri, to 6pm Sat & Sun) take moor, Blenheim Palace
in the Paint-Pot Angel
The Drive » It’s a 13-mile blast by world-famous street (%01993-810530; www.blen
from Bath to Bristol along the artist Banksy. In the heimpalace.com; Woodstock;
A36/A4. adult/child £24.90/13.90, park
suburb of Clifton explore & gardens only £14.90/6.90;
Georgian architecture, hpalace 10.30am-5.30pm,
d Bristol especially in Cornwallis park & gardens 9am-6pm;
and Royal York Cres-
In Bristol a fascinating cents. The Clifton Obser- p) was built between
seafaring heritage meets vatory (%0117-974 1242; 1705 and 1722. The house
an edgy, contemporary www.cliftonobservatory.com; is stuffed with statues,
vibe. The mighty SS Litfield Rd, Clifton Down; adult/ tapestries, ostentatious
Great Britain (%0117-926 child £2.50/1.50; h10am-5pm furniture, priceless china
and giant oil paintings.
243

is rich in history and
studded with august
DETOUR: buildings. The city has 38
LACOCK colleges – Christ Church
(%01865-276492; www.chch.
Start: b Avebury (p242) ox.ac.uk; St Aldate’s; adult/child
Around 16 miles into your Avebury-to-Bath cruise, £8/7; h10am-4.15pm Mon-Sat,
consider a detour south. A drive of just 4 extra miles 2-4.15pm Sun) is the largest,
leads to a real rarity: a medieval village that’s been with 650 students, and
preserved in time. In Lacock, the sweet streets has the grandest quad.
framed by stone cottages, higgledy-piggledy rooftops Founded in 1524 by
and mullioned windows are a delight to stroll around. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey,
Unsurprisingly, it’s a popular movie location – it’s alumni include Albert
popped up in the Harry Potter films, The Other Boleyn Einstein and 13 British
Girl and a BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. prime ministers. It’s also
The 13th-century former Augustinian nunnery of famous as a location for
Lacock Abbey (NT; %01249-730459; www.nationaltrust. the Harry Potter films. At
org.uk; Hither Way; adult/child £12/6; h10.30am-5.30pm the Ashmolean (%01865-
Mar-Oct, 11am-4pm Nov-Feb) is a must-see: its deeply 278000; www.ashmolean.org;
atmospheric rooms and stunning Gothic entrance Beaumont St; h10am-5pm
hall are lined with bizarre terracotta figures – spot the Tue-Sun), Britain’s oldest
scapegoat with a lump of sugar on its nose. The Fox public museum showcases
Talbot Museum (NT; %01249-730459; www.nationaltrust. treasures such as Egyp-
org.uk; Hither Way; adult/child £12/6, includes entry to Lacock tian mummies, Indian
GREAT BRITAIN 17 THE HISTORIC SOUTH
Abbey; h10.30am-5.30pm Mar-Oct, 11am-4pm Nov-Feb) textiles and Islamic art.
features an intriguing display on early photography, Beautiful Magdalen
while the George Inn (www.georgeinnlacock.co.uk; 4 West College (%01865-276000;
St; mains £10-16; hfood noon-2.30pm & 6-9pm Mon-Sat, www.magd.ox.ac.uk; High
6-8pm Sun) is an atmospheric pub in which to re-fuel. St; adult/child £5/4, 45min
tours £6; h1-6pm Oct-Jun,
noon-7pm Jul-Sep, tours 6pm
Highlights include the ity’ Brown. A minitrain daily Jul-Sep) is worth a visit
Great Hall, a soaring (50p) whisks you to the for its medieval chapel,
space topped by a 20m- Pleasure Gardens, which 15th-century cloisters
high ceiling adorned with feature a yew maze, and 40-hectare grounds.
images of the first duke. adventure playground, Nearby, let someone else
Britain’s legendary WWII lavender garden and navigate for a bit: head to
prime minister, Sir Win- butterfly house. Magdalen Bridge Boat-
ston Churchill, was born house (%01865-202643;
here in 1874 – the Church- The Drive » From Blenheim’s www.oxfordpunting.co.uk; High
grandeur, it’s a 10-mile pootle
ill Exhibition is dedi- down the A44/A4144 to Oxford’s St; chauffeured 4-person punt
cated to his life, work, dreaming spires. per 30min £30, punt rental
paintings and writings. per hour £24; h9.30am-dusk
The house is encircled by Feb-Nov) for a ride on a
vast, lavish gardens and f Oxford chauffeured punt.
parklands, parts of which One of the world’s most
were landscaped by the famous university towns, 4 p245
great Lancelot ‘Capabil- the centre of Oxford





244

Eating & Sleeping


wonky stairs sit beside duck-your-head beams.
Canterbury 3 The cheaper bedrooms are swish but the posher
ones are stunning, starring slipper baths and
4 Cathedral Gate Hotel Hotel ££ the odd heraldic crest. The pick is room 6,
(%01227-464381; www.cathgate.co.uk; 36 where King Charles is reputed to have stayed.
Burgate; s/d £50/112, without bathroom
£50/81.50; W) Predating the spectacular
cathedral gate it adjoins, this quaint 15th- Bath c
century hotel is a medieval warren of steep Hotel £££
staircases and narrow passageways leading to 4 Queensberry Hotel
27 pleasingly old-fashioned rooms with angled (%01225-447928; www.thequeensberry.
floors, low doors and cockeyed walls. Some co.uk; 4 Russell St; r £125-185, ste £225-275;
have cathedral views, while others overlook W) Award-winning, quirky Queensberry is
pretty Buttermarket. There’s no lift. Bath’s best boutique spoil. Four Georgian GREAT BRITAIN 17 THE HISTORIC SOUTH
town houses have been combined into one
seamlessly stylish whole where heritage roots
Brighton 5 meet snazzy designs; expect everything from
gingham checks and country creams to bright
4 Artist Residence Boutique Hotel £££ upholstery, original fireplaces and free-standing
(%01273-324 302; www.artistresidence tubs. Rates exclude breakfast; parking is £7.
brighton.co.uk; 33 Regency Sq; d £129-260; W)
Eclectic doesn’t quite describe the rooms at
this wonderful 23-room townhouse hotel, set Bristol d
amid the splendour of Regency Sq. As befits the British ££
name, every bedroom is a work of funky art with 5 Riverstation
bold wall murals, bespoke and vintage furniture, (%0117-914 4434; www.riverstation.co.uk;
rough wood cladding and in-room roll-top baths. The Grove; lunch 2/3 courses £14/17, dinner
The Set Restaurant downstairs has a glowing mains £15-18; hnoon-2.30pm & 6-10.30pm)
reputation. Book direct and breakfast is free. Riverstation is one of Bristol’s original dining-
out destinations, and still leads the pack. The
waterside location is hard to beat, with a view
Winchester 7 over the Floating Harbour, but it’s the food that
keeps the punters coming back: classic in style
4 St John’s Croft B&B ££ with a strong European flavour, from French fish
(%01962-859976; www.st-johns-croft.co.uk; St soup to steak à la béarnaise.
John’s St; s/d/f £55/90/120; pW) You may fall
in love with this oh-so-casually stylish, rambling
Queen Anne townhouse, where rattan carpets are Oxford f
teamed with bulging bookcases, and Indian art B&B ££
with shabby-chic antiques. The rooms are vast, 4 Burlington House
the garden is tranquil and breakfast is served (%01865-513513; www.burlington-hotel-oxford.
beside the Aga in the country-house kitchen. co.uk; 374 Banbury Rd, Summertown; s/d from
£70/96; pW) Twelve elegantly contemporary
rooms with patterned wallpaper, immaculate
Salisbury 9 bathrooms and luxury touches are available at
this beautifully refreshed Victorian merchant’s
4 Chapter House Inn ££ house. Personal service is as sensational as
(%01722-412028; www.thechapterhouseuk. the delicious breakfast, complete with organic
com; 9 St Johns St; r £100-140) In this 800-year- eggs and homemade bread. It’s 2 miles north of
old boutique beauty, wood panels and wildly central Oxford, with good public transport links.

245

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Location Caption details to go here

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GRAHAM NORTON/500PX ©

Classic Lakes 18








Beloved of poets and painters, this road trip takes in the scenic
wonders of the UK’s largest and loveliest national park.



TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
5 DAYS
162 MILES /
45 miles 25 miles 260KM
Borrowdale & Grasmere
Buttermere Visit two of
Explore these classic Wordsworth's houses GREAT FOR...
Lakeland valleys
BG

# Cockermouth BEST TIME TO GO
Keswick Summer and Easter
# m K can be hectic in the
#Whitehaven # Glenridding Lakes; spring and
# # #
6
# autumn are best.
# # #
# # # #
8
#
4
# Ambleside I ESSENTIAL
# # #
10
# Bowness-on- PHOTO
l L Posing in Wasdale,
#Windermere
amid England’s
highest hills.
Hardknott Pass BEST FOR
Wasdale Traverse the Lake K
Conquer England's District's steepest FAMILIES
highest mountain road pass Bike trails, sculptures
103 miles 130 miles and ziplines at
Grizedale Forest.
L Location Caption details to go hereake District Blea Tarn, near Wrynose Pass 247

Firth /·
Solway A596

/ ·
A66
Workington ]
#
18 Classic Lakes


Parton
\ #
William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Whitehaven Rowrah # \
]
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Beatrix Potter are just a few of the literary luminaries Frizington # \ # \
who have fallen in love with the Lake District. It’s Cleator Moor # \ # \ Parkside
#
been a national park since 1951, and is studded by H
p255
England’s highest hills (fells), including the highest St Bees # \ \ #
of all, Scafell Pike (978m). This drive takes in lakes, Egremont / ·
A595
forest, hills and valleys, with country houses, hill Ehen
walks and cosy pubs thrown in for good measure. Sellafield
Nuclear
Plant
River # \
Seascale # \
Irish
Sea


offers regular trips, or
1 Bowness-on- you can hire your own
Windermere rowing boat beside the
jetty and travel at your
England’s largest lake, own leisurely pace.
at nearly 9 miles long,
Windermere makes an 4 p259
obvious starting point The Drive » From Bowness,
for a Lakeland road trip. follow Rayrigg Rd north until it restaurants: don’t miss
The town is actually split joins the A591 which rolls all the a meal at the Lake Road
into two: Windermere, way to Ambleside, 6 miles north. Kitchen (p259), run by
a mile or so uphill from an imaginative chef who
the lake, and waterfront trained at the legendary
Bowness-on-Windermere. 2 Ambleside Noma in Copenhagen.
Cruising the lake is Around Windermere’s Afterwards, work off
the classic pastime upper end lies the old some calories with a
here: Windermere Lake mill town of Ambleside. walk up to the waterfall
Cruises (%015394-43360; It’s a pretty place, well of Stock Ghyll Force.
www.windermere-lakecruises. stocked with outdoors 5 p259
co.uk; tickets from £2.70) shops and some excellent

248