Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

L&0000000000000000P00000000la00000000ce00000000¡#d00000000e00000000InlavaClidoe000000000000000nsc000000000000000oAN000000000000000rsads000000000000000tee¡#imo000000000000000#nba00000000000000000000000000lléee00000000000Q000000000000000J¡#aA00000000000000000000000000T¡#Srnud0000000o0000000000000000000ailCitfln0000000000000000000000oéeolrnred000000000000000i0000000ScineeeFoo0i000000000000000000000rssrnade#0000000000000000000000neRc0000000000000000000000000ieve0000000000000000000000000rQ0000000000000000000000000Qd¡#e0000000000000V000000000000soT0000000000000000000000Tlutuai0000000000000000000000000wliielrere0000000000000000000000000irei0000000000000esMs¡#000000000000000000Puas000000000000000000lPéaey00000000000000000000isr¡#da000000000000000000000Rumo#MLL000000000000000000000iydooaueu00000000000000000000uls–svv000000r00000éreee00000000000d000000000000000uP¡#000000000000000on000000000¡#LtoN0000000uLweve0000000000urÉsfet00000000000000HiReain00000000000000vlnloe00000000000000eClsihM00000000000000¡#â¡#at000000000000reclSe000000000000eéltRb00000¡#éaa00000sutom0000000000000Rpauo0000000000000mrl 0000000000000b¡#u0000000000te¡#auBd de Sébastopol 000000000000000000000000 w ¡# La Tour Maubourg St-Germ¡#ainS000000St-tdS00000000000-eGus¡#00000000000elpPrimrcMéeasaibn¡#0000illoP0000no0000000n000tON000d¡#ée00000ouCn00000fo#Sn00000tc-Miei000000crh¡#g000000eeMlMSC0000000000000r¡#uiaoltue000u0000runbb#ayo000000000000el–inrttL000000000000000000né-a¡#e#¡¡#0000000000000000000000000CCiNt0000000aéot0000000000#htré0000000000edH0000000000rDôaV00000000000ta¡#ilelemll00000eddee00000e00000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 ¡# Varenne Rue du Bac ¡# Bd ¡# St-François ¡# Bd Raspail Sèvres- Xavier Babylone R de Rennes Bd St-Michel ¡# Vaneau Rennes ¡# e¡# # 0 ¡# Duroc ¡# St-Placide K&Luxembourg £# Panthéon # Cardinal 0 Lemoine 0.4 miles 1 km ¡# Conc¡#iergerie ¡# On bd du Palais, elegant Conciergerie Built in stages between the 11th and (www.monuments-nationaux.fr; 2 bd du Palais, 15th centuries, it’s on a gargantuan scale; 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- dows, the 7800-pipe organ and a walk up Sainte-Chapelle €15; h9.30am-6pm; mCité) the gargoyle-covered Gothic towers. is a royal palace that became a prison and torture chamber for enemies of the Revolution. The 14th-century Salle The Walk » Cross the river on Pont au Double and follow rue Lagrange to bd St-Germain. Then take rue des Carmes and rue Valette south to the des Gens d’Armes (Cavalrymen’s Hall) place du Panthéon. is Europe’s largest surviving medieval hall. The nearby church of Sainte- Chapelle (joint ticket with Conciergerie €15) Panthéon has stunning stained glass. Once you reach the left bank you’re in The Walk » Continue east along rue de Lutèce, the Latin Quarter, the centre of Parisian 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- stopper Notre Dame (www.cathedraledeparis. Mutualité or RER Luxembourg), the neoclassi- com; 6 place du Parvis Notre Dame, 4e; cathedral cal mausoleum where some of France’s free, towers adult/child €8.50/free; hcathedral greatest thinkers are entombed, includ- 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 STRETCH Promenade des Anglais YOUR LEGS NICE Nice personified, the Prom seductively blends hedonism with history, pumping Start: Hotel Negresco, beach clubs with quiet seaside gazing. Promenade des Anglais English expats paid out-of-work citrus Finish: Promenade des Anglais farmers to build the Prom in 1822 – a Distance: 5.8km civic win-win. Don’t miss the palatial Duration: 2 hours facades of belle époque Hôtel Negresco and art deco Palais de la Méditerranée. Get to know Nice’s bustling heart with this walk that begins with a The Walk » Turn up av de Verdun past palms and seaside stroll, then takes you into the tangled alleys of the old town, posh shops to place Masséna. Take in the elegant and finally up and over the city’s Italian architecture, then head down the steps. Take soaring headland to the port. Along rue de l’Opéra, a quick walk to our next stop. the way shop, eat and drink with the fun-loving Niçois. Rue St-François de Paule Take this walk on Trips Window-shop, pick up snacks or shop for gifts on this elegant street just back from ac the seaside. First stop: Moulin à Huile d’Olive Alziari (www.alziari.com.fr; 14 rue St- François de Paule; h8.30am-12.30pm & 2.15-7pm Mon-Sat) for superb local olive oil, tap- enade (olive spread) and olives. Head west to the florid Opera House; across the road is Henri Auer Confiserie (www.maison- 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). The Walk » Continue on past soap sellers and wine bars and into the open square. This eventually becomes cours Saleya. Cours Saleya A top tourist destination that remains Niçois to the core, this bustling market square does different moods according to the hour. Greet the day with espresso and a banter with the produce and 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 Baroque gems like Cathédrale Ste- Réparate (place Rossetti). Stop to eat – book Le Bistrot d’Antoine (%04 93 85 29 57; 27 rue de la Préfecture; menus €25-43, 200

Av Thiers Av Jean Médecin eR Bd Carab#ace00l 500 m Bd Victor Hugo Musée 0.25 miles Av Durante 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Tonduti de d'Ar00000t 0000000000 KEesnplnaendayde R Barla R Masséna I'EscaMrèCnoeodnetrï#enme peot rda'Ai#nrt R Cassini Centre Information R Maccarani RddeesIP'Hoôstteels Jeunesse MMonotnétefodret Promenade du Paillon # ‚ Place Masséna J% R France R Paradis Vieux # Q Lunel AmEx de Tourist Jardin N#ice Colline du Office Albert ler #ï #ï # Chateau # Colline du # Promenade des Anglais Rue St-François Château # Promenade de Paule Cours des Anglais Saleya Port Baie des Anges Q Ra ub a Lympia C ap eu MEDITESRERAANEAN mains €15-25; hnoon-2pm & 7-10pm Tue-Sat), Promenade du Paillon or grab an aperitif at Les Distilleries Idéales (www.lesdistilleriesideales.fr; 24 rue It’s hard to imagine that this beautifully de la Préfecture; h9am-12.30am) and snack landscaped park was once a bus station at Lou Pilha Leva (%04 93 13 99 08; 10 rue and multi-storey car park. The park du Collet; small plates €3-5; h9am-midnight; unfolds from the Théâtre National to v). Grab a delicious ice-cream cone at place Masséna with a succession of green Fenocchio (www.fenocchio.fr; 2 place Rossetti; spaces, play areas and water features, 1/2 scoops €2.50/4; h9am-midnight Feb-Oct). and is now a favourite among Niçois for 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- rama of the whole city – Baie des Anges Nice’s flagship modern art museum on one side, the port on the other. Fabu- (www.mamac-nice.org; place Yves Klein; lous for picnics (there’s a waterfall) or to h10am-6pm Tue-Sun) focuses is on Euro- let the kids loose in the playground. pean and American avant-garde from the 1950s to the present, with works The Walk » Follow the path north through the by leading artists such as Niki de Saint Phalle, César, Arman and Yves Klein. park towards the cemetery, then follow Allée The building’s rooftop is also an exhibi- Font aux Oiseaux and the Montée du Château tion space (with knockout panoramas back into the old town. Find your way along the of the city). Then it’s back to the Prome- backstreets to bd Jean Jaurès, and cross the road dade des Anglais for a post-walk pastis. into Promenade du Paillon. 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 ©

ATLANTIC e# OCEAN 0 200 km 0 100 miles Great Orkney Islands Britain Thurso John O'Groats \\# #\\ Stornoway #\\Wick Lewis #] #\\ Helmsdale St Kilda Ullapool \\# GF FGLoSLNcoBohoucarmtrhthrhbaHaUodUoeiibSdfsis#\\resyttdatih#\\daeelPesIsolerFMtoroeafrU\\#elStli#\\akgWy1iGge6il\\#leKLlni#\\A\\#oyacuclmGeoghaeuoai]#slfFr#\\sltRoIohunrcB(st1vhe3N\\#en4er4NnwLNmeeote]#v)ocss\\#ihsnssMmF#\\oiorArrtaehv1ySie9#\\CEmlONgoCTiarnaLet#÷iiAroFnnNrgaaDolsr]#Pem^#ar\\#rbSsAkutbrogneherdhaeveNennOS R T H E A FGMull 20 Per#^th #^Dundee Iona Oban #] CampbIesllatyoJInuMwvrDuane#]ulrlaAmorrafGrbyaalnA#\\arytsKorgin#]lom]#]#wLLa#^oorSmcnhtoo#^incrdlkinJged#_bEudrgi\\#nh M#\\buelrr÷#go#\\sheNNBoaetrritwohniucamkl -bPueaprrolkann-dTweed Kintyre Dumfries FG FGNIORRETLHABNERDeNlfa#_stStranrIaMs]#leearnoW#\\f N#]hLaiatDtekiohoenauDavgCileslPntaar]#a#\\srirclktiKs1÷#el8\\#esw#\\^#iAcDmkYNoaPbrarelktelnTiissnonhh÷#inidgei1nraetee5losPDnaa#^]#r#]lkeNDs eu]#wrhMc÷#aaimdNNsdtaolltre#]eitohs-nSbuYacrpoloarPorkuabngrMko-hToryoornusgeh Castletown ^#York ISriesah Blackpool #] Leeds #^ #] Hull IRELAND GFCaernPCaBearnaLrfidlnonŷignsnguao#]lnar#]LiLv÷#]##\\leaBrNSnepnadtotowuiwoosddn-lynoa#^-nloCSPiaotaoerkdcMkp#^a]##]1on5roSctntho-LeTkseree^#ti-ceneSrt^#s^#htNeeforfti]#eti#\\lnLdSignthacmaomlfno#\\rdSkegNneosrs#]wich #_ Dublin St George's FG FG FG GF GF GFPSetmDAabbvr#\\ioBedkrsaeyr#\\BnsDrtsNNea2wtBcaraaCo1atttyBmniphyioPortaWlnioBanehnsroaeatAnSk#]rl^#oaleL#÷lcP^#wloEaNE#÷narSCakExsPn÷#tamaxi^#s1orroeek6ndotaaBriG_#elfirBl#\\froHmoBuau1cSyrin6ei-ra^#osnsglBntitehs-o#]aeWmba#]tlrhyumo]#eruCy#^#æ1#^th]#7h\\#SetPlSuotptneo#^roe^#nr#^aORShnthtWe-fsx#^oeaAon^#mfimauvrg1nododet5orc-nhiduhnateg^#LLmhsOutBptN_#e#^torEroiDnC^#gNn1OhaG7^#NtmLoAEbSnCNar#]osDa\\#iu]#dtRntbgythDC#^^#oeeeeoouIrnvpl\\#brecdsnruh-wSoereCDtnysiraoca-tvl\\#Siheaterierosaf Channel Newquay ]# #^ #] Torquay FRANCE Land's Plymouth ENGLISH CHANNEL Isles of End ]# Penzance 204 Scilly

IRISPHOTO1/SHUTTERSTOCK © DON'T MISS Hardknott Pass & Wrynose Pass Drive England’s two steepest road routes, where gradients reach 30%, on Trip i Bath Cairngorm Sled-Dog Centre f The Best of Britain 21 Days Three countries and several millennia of amazing Hanging on for dear life history. (p207) as a team of huskies careers along forest g Britain’s Wild Side 21 Days trails (even when there’s A fresh-air fuelled tour of Britain’s best wilderness spots, including eight glorious national parks. jno snow), on Trip (p221) Kinlochleven h The Historic South 9–11 Days Three of England’s most spectacular cathedrals, Tackling the ladders and plus London, and Bath’s Georgian cityscape. bridges of the 500m via (p235) ferrata climbing route, which weaves through i Classic Lakes 5 Days the crags of Grey Mare’s Literary links a-plenty, England’s highest hill and utterly unforgettable views. (p247) Tail, on Trip k j Royal Highlands & Cairngorms 4–5 Days Kidwelly Castle Where roads swerve between majestic mountains and the Royals come to relax. (p261) The battlements of lesser-known Kidwelly k Great Glen 2–3 Days prove particularly Bewitching lakes and mountains – plus some satisfying to clamber monster spotting at Loch Ness. (p271) laround on Trip l West Wales: Swansea to St Davids 4 Days A glorious blast west beside sweeping beaches and vast sand dunes. (p279) 205

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 a b c d e f 1219 7219 9219 c219 d219 e219 f219

STUDIO51 / SHUTTERSTOCK © The Best of 15Britain 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 ##_#13 716 miles 21 DAYS Edinburgh 1128 MILES / # Delve into the tangle of 1815KM alleyways around the Carlisle Scottish capital's GREAT FOR... Royal Mile B York BEST TIME TO GO # Myriad festivals take 0 miles place between May and September. _# # Manchester London This electrifying I ESSENTIAL metropolis is one of PHOTO the world's great cities Britain’s biggest city spread below the 284 miles # Cambridge London Eye. Cardiff Visit the Welsh #_#9# Oxford K BEST FOR capital's castle, Bath # HISTORY museums and Salisbury # # sci-fi sights Follow atmospheric J%##_#1 footpaths through the world’s largest stone # circle at Avebury. Winchester ELodcinabtiuornghCaVpietwionofdteh#teaiclsittyo#frgoomheCraelton Hill 207

GF49 miles to 19 ‚ Dunfermline \\# #Glasgow Edinburgh #_13 #^ Blantyre\\# ¸0Lanark #\\ #\\ #] \\# A702 Peebles \\# Kilmarnock 15 The Best of Britain ]# Ayr 0¸A713 SCOTLAND London’s bright lights and blockbuster attractions#\\ ¸0Dumfries #] A74(M) bookend this epic expedition around the British 0¸A75 mainland. In between, you’ll encounter ancient sights, learn about fabled figures from King Arthur to Carlisle #^ Shakespeare, and visit masterpiece-filled museums and galleries and celebrated football stadiums – #\\ interleaved by quaint villages, patchworked farmland and glorious rolling green open countryside, along Kirkcudbright with the best of British drinking, dining and nightlife. Keswick #\\ Whitehaven \\# Ramsey 0¸A595 FG18 #\\ #\\ Ambleside Isle of Man #] Douglas ISriesah Blackpool ]# Isle of Liverpool ^# Anglesey #] Beaumaris \\# Llandudno Bangor]# \\#Betws-y-Coed Houses of Parliament #] (www.parliament.uk; Caernarfon Parliament Sq, SW1; TRIP HIGHLIGHT tWestminster), topped by Llŷn ¸0Snowdon the Big Ben clock tower. Peninsula A494 1 London CarBdaiygan ¸0A483 #] Gear up for your trip with at least a couple of Westminster Abbey WALES #\\ days in Britain’s most ex- hilarating city. Traversed (%020-7222 5152; www. #^ by the serpentine River Thames, London is awash westminster-abbey.org; 20 0¸ ¸0AberyA4s8t7wLylatnhwrtydA470 Hay- with instantly recognis- Wells on-Wye able landmarks and open Dean’s Yard, SW1; adult/child \\# spaces, from Trafalgar \\# Square (tCharing Cross) to £20/9, verger tours £5, cloister PHreisllesli the London Eye (%0871 781 3000; www.londoneye. & gardens free; h9.30am- com; adult/child £21.20/16.10; h10am-8pm, to 9.30pm in 4.30pm Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri, Crickhowell summer; tWaterloo). Other #\\ unmissable sights incude: to 7pm Wed, to 2.30pm Sat; #\\ Abergavenny tWestminster) \\# 0¸M4 St James’s Park (www. Swansea#^ #Cardiff #_9 royalparks.org.uk; The Mall, Bristol SW1; deckchairs per hr/day Channel £1.50/7; h5am-midnight, deckchairs daylight hours #\\ 0¸M5 208 Ilfracombe ¸0A39

¸0 eA1 # 0 50 km Mar-Oct; tSt James’s Park 0 25 miles or Green Park) and Palace (www.royal.gov.uk; Cleveland #\\ Berwick-upon-Tweed North Row, SW1; tGreen Park) Sea Kelso ¸0A1 Buckingham Palace (%020-7766 7300; www. \\# \\# royalcollection.org.uk; Buckingham Palace Rd, Melrose SW1; adult/child/under-5 £21.50/12.30/free; h9.30am- ¸0#\\ Jedburgh 7.30pm late Jul–Aug, to 6.30pm A68 Sep; tSt James’s Park, Victoria or Green Park) 0¸A69 ^#Newcastle-upon-Tyne GREAT BRITAIN 15 The Best of Britain Hyde Park (www.royalparks. ^# org.uk/parks/hyde-park; h5am-midnight; tMarble ¸0M6 ¸0The ]# Durham Arch, Hyde Park Corner or Queensway) Pennines A68 ]# Middlesbrough Kensington Gardens ¸0A66 #] Darlington (www.royalparks.org.uk/ parks/kensington-gardens; #\\ h6am-dusk; tQueensway or Lancaster Gate) and 0¸A1 Palace (www.hrp.org.uk/ kensingtonpalace; Kensington ]# Scarborough Gardens, W8; adult/child 0¸ENGLAND 0¸A64 LINK A65 YOUR TRIP 0¸M6 Harrogate \\# #1^#4 York Leeds j Ro]#yal Highlands & #^ Hull Cairngorms Huddersfield #] Take a detour mid-trip 0¸Bolton #] to to explore classic #] A1 ¸0A16 Scottish countryside: from Edinburgh head two hours ^# #1#^2 Manchester ]# Lincoln north th#^rough Perthshire to #] #\\ the lovely village of Braemar. #] Skegness Stockport ¸0A16 #] Warrington Sheffield \\# i Classic Lakes A6 #] Break up the long ¸0 ¸0M6 Buxton drive between Manchester a]#nd Edinburgh by turning #] Stoke- Nottingham west off the M6 onto the on-Trent A590 to^#tour the charming ^# Lake District. ¸0 ¸0A41 A46 \\# #]Shrewsbury Leicester \\#Stamford \\# 209 ¸0M6 ^# 0¸ 0¸A1 A10 Birmingham^# ¸0M1 0¸A6 \\# Northampton #1^#5 ]# 0¸Ludlow 0¸ # ¸0A435 Cambridge A49 1\\#1 Stratford- A428 upon-Avon I# p292 # # # # # 0¸ 0¸ J# 0¸\\# ^# Luton BCGrh1li0eos#^putsoctelos#]w8te]#r Av]#eCbCuhorte7Tsylwhteeonl3dhsaUWHmfohfrOiisntxe#^eg2ftooRrndea#^WMd4ii0nndgsor#\\ M11 M1 _#1 London 0¸ %Bath Stonehenge A34 \\# 6 #^4 Winchester I# ## #Wells p294 #]5 0¸ 0¸ ¸0A303 Salisbury A3 A23

GREAT BRITAIN 15 The Best of Britain £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- 2 Oxford include Oxford’s Bodleian free museums and art Library (%01865-287400; galleries include the Tate Oxford’s elegant honey- www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/bodley; Modern (www.tate.org.uk; toned buildings of the Catte St; tours £6-14; h9am- Queen’s Walk, SE1; h10am- university’s colleges, scat- 5pm Mon-Sat, 11am-5pm Sun), 6pm Sun-Thu, to 10pm Fri & Sat; tered throughout the city, one of the oldest public li- c; tBlackfriars, Southwark wrap around tranquil braries in the world, and or London Bridge) and the courtyards and along Britain’s oldest public British Museum (%020- narrow cobbled lanes. museum, the 1683- 7323 8299; www.british The oldest colleges date established Ashmolean museum.org; Great Russell St, back to the 13th century Museum (%01865- WC1; h10am-5.30pm Sat-Thu, and little has changed 278000; www.ashmolean.org; to 8.30pm Fri; tRussell Sq or inside since, although Beaumont St; h10am-5pm Tottenham Court Rd). there’s a busy, lively Tue-Sun), second in repute world beyond the college only to London’s British London’s drinking, walls. Christ Church Museum. dining and nightlife op- (%01865-276492; www.chch. tions are limitless (Soho ox.ac.uk; St Aldate’s; adult/ The Drive » Head southwest and Shoreditch make child £8/7; h10am-4.15pm great starting points), Mon-Sat, 2-4.15pm Sun) is the on the A420 to Pusey and as are its entertain- largest of all of Oxford’s continue southwest on the ment venues, not least colleges, with the grand- B4508. You’ll reach the car grand theatre stages est quad. From the quad, park for the White Horse 2.3 such as Shakespeare’s you access 12th-century miles southwest of Uffington off Globe (%020-7401 9919; Christ Church Cathedral the B4507, a 24-mile journey www.shakespearesglobe. (%01865-276150; www.chch. altogether. com; 21 New Globe Walk, ox.ac.uk/cathedral; St Aldate’s; SE1; seats £10-43, standing admission free; h10am- 3 Uffington White £5; tBlackfriars or London 4.15pm Mon-Sat, 2-4.15pm Horse Bridge). Sun), originally the abbey church and then the col- Just below Oxfordshire’s 4 p219 lege chapel, before it was highest point, the highly stylised Uffington White The Drive » Take the M40 Horse (NT; www.national- trust.org.uk; White Horse Hill; northwest through High hdawn-dusk) image is the Wycombe and the Chilterns 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 GREAT BRITAIN 15 The Best of Britain car park. and highlights includ- look out for a fascinating ing intricately carved medieval clock dating The Drive » It’s a 49-mile medieval choir stalls, from 1386, probably the Jane Austen’s grave oldest working timepiece trip to Winchester: return to (near the entrance, in in the world. Don’t miss the B4507 and drive southeast the northern aisle) and the cathedral’s original, to Ashbury and take the one of the UK’s finest 13th-century copy of B4000 southeast to join the illuminated manuscripts, the Magna Carta (www. southbound A34. the dazzling, four-volume salisburycathedral.org.uk; Winchester Bible dating Cathedral Close; h9.30am- 4 Winchester from the 12th century. 4.30pm Mon-Sat, noon-3.45pm Book ahead for excellent Sun) in the chapter house, Set in a river valley, tours of the ground floor, or a 90-minute tower tour this ancient cathedral crypt and tower. (adult/child £12.50/8; pre- city was the capital of booking essential), which Saxon kings and a power The Drive » From Winchester, sees you climbing 332 base of bishops, and vertigo-inducing steps evokes two of England’s hop on the B3049 then the A30 to the base of the spire mightiest myth-makers: for the 26-mile drive west to for jaw-dropping views famous son Alfred the Salisbury. across the city and the Great (commemorated surrounding countryside. by a statue) and King 5 Salisbury Arthur (a 700-year-old The Drive » It’s just 9.6 copy of the round table Salisbury has been an 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 6 Stonehenge h10am-5pm), the only walls and half-timbered 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 13th-century Salisbury celestial timepiece, no Winchester’s archi- Cathedral (%01722-555120; one knows for sure what tecture is exquisite, www.salisburycathedral.org. drove prehistoric Britons from the handsome uk; Cathedral Close; requested to expend so much time Elizabethan and Regency donation adult/child £7.50/ and effort constructing buildings in the narrow none; h9am-5pm Mon- Stonehenge (EH; %0370 streets to the wondrous Sat, noon-4pm Sun). This 333 1181; www.english-heritage. Winchester Cathedral early English Gothic–style org.uk; adult/child on-the-day (%01962-857225; www. structure has an elaborate tickets £18/11, advance booking winchester-cathedral.org.uk; exterior decorated with £15.50/9.30; h9am-8pm The Close; adult/child incl cath- pointed arches and flying Jun-Aug, 9.30am-7pm Apr, May edral body & crypt tours £8/ buttresses, and is topped & Sep, 9.30am-5pm Oct-Mar; free; h9.30am-5pm Mon-Sat, by Britain’s tallest spire at p); it is one of Britain’s 12.30-3pm Sun) at its core. 123m, which was added great archaeological mys- One of southern Eng- in the mid-14th century. teries. The first phase of land’s most awe-inspiring Beyond the cathedral’s building started around buildings, the 11th- highly decorative West 3000 BC, when the outer century cathedral has a Front, a small passageway circular bank and ditch fine Gothic facade, one leads into the 70m-long were erected. A thousand of the longest medieval 211

ANDRAS POLONYI / EYEEM / GETTY IMAGES © VALERY EGOROV / SHUTTERSTOCK © WHY THIS IS A GREAT TRIP CATHERINE LE NEVEZ, WRITER A trip titled Best of Britain is bound to be a classic, but what seals it for 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

GREAT BRITAIN 15 The Best of Britainyears later, an inner circle of granite stones, known MARK THOMAS / GETTY IMAGES © as bluestones, was added. An ultramodern makeover has brought an impressive visitor centre and the closure of an 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, 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

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

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

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

11th century – and as a St; h11am-11pm Sun-Thu, to Cardiff Principality Stadium military stronghold; and 1am Fri & Sat; Wc; g36, climbing to the hilltop 41), with over 100 single e York Arthur’s Seat (Holyrood malts behind the bar. Park; g6, 35) for city A magnificent ring panoramas. 4 p219 of 13th-century walls encloses York’s medieval Edinburgh has 700- The Drive » Drive southeast narrow streets. At its plus pubs, more per heart lies the immense, square mile than any on the A68, passing through awe-inspiring York other UK city. Sample a the Scottish Borders, and enter Minster (www.yorkminster. dram of Scottish whisky Northumberland National Park org; Deangate; adult/child £10/ at icons like Malt Shovel at the English border. Join the free, incl tower £15/5; h9am- (%0131-225 6843; www.taylor- southbound A1 at Darlington, 5.30pm Mon-Sat, 12.45-5pm then take the eastbound A59 to Sun, last admission 30min walker.co.uk; 11-15 Cockburn York (191 miles altogether). 217

GREAT BRITAIN 15 The Best of Britain LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: town extraordinaire, SCOTLAND’S CRAFT GIN with a tightly packed core of ancient colleges Scotland is famed around the world for its whisky, and riverside ‘Backs’ (col- but Scottish craft gin (http://ginclubscotland.com) lege gardens), which you is also fast gaining ground. Over 70% of UK gin is can stroll around (p292). produced in Scotland – there are more than a dozen gin distilleries in the country, and no fewer than The colossal neoclas- five in the Edinburgh area. Bars all over the capital sical pile containing the are offering cocktails based on brands such as NB, Pickering’s, Crossbill and Strathearn. Fitzwilliam Museum (www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk; before closing). Built mainly through the Treas- Trumpington St; donation between 1220 and 1480, urer’s House (NT; www. requested; h10am-5pm it encompasses all the nationaltrust.org.uk; Chapter Tue-Sat, noon-5pm Sun) was major stages of Gothic ar- House St; adult/child £8/4; built to house the fabu- chitectural development. h11am-4.30pm Apr-Oct) to lous treasures that the The transepts (1220−55) manifestations in pubs seventh Viscount Fitzwil- were built in Early Eng- including the Old White liam bequeathed to his lish style; the octagonal Swan (www.nicholsonspubs. old university. Standout chapter house (1260−90) co.uk; 80 Goodramgate; exhibits include Roman and nave (1291–1340) in h10am-midnight Sun-Thu, to and Egyptian grave the Decorated style; and 1am Fri & Sat); even shops goods, artworks by many the west towers, west like the Antiques Centre of the great masters and front and central (or (www.theantiquescentreyork. some quirkier collections lantern) tower (1470−72) co.uk; 41 Stonegate; h9am- such as banknotes and in Perpendicular style. 5.30pm Mon-Sat, to 4pm Sun) literary autographs. are said to be haunted. Don’t miss a walk on For the full Cambridge York’s City Walls, which 4 p219 experience, rent a river follow the line of the boat from operators such original Roman walls The Drive » From York, it’s as Scudamore’s Punting and give a new perspec- (%01223-359750; www. tive on the city. Allow 1½ 156 miles to Cambridge. Take scudamores.com; Granta to two hours for the full the A64 southwest to join onto Place; chauffeured punt per 45 circuit of 4.5 miles. the A1 heading southeast. min per person £16-19, 6-per- son self-punt per hr £22-28; York is considered f Cambridge h9am-dusk). England’s most haunted city, from the ghosts of Surrounded by meadows, 4 p219 Roman soldiers marching Cambridge is a university The Drive » Hop on the M11 for the 55-mile zip to London. 218

Eating & Sleeping London 1 renaissance-style former bank, now an exquisite boutique hotel with 40 bedrooms 4 Hoxton Hotel Hotel £ ranging from snug to suite. Furnishings are the perfect combination of period elegance and (%020-7550 1000; www.hoxtonhotels.com; contemporary style. On the top floor is a small spa with an infinity pool overlooking the town 81 Great Eastern St, EC2; r from £49; a iW; hall; downstairs is a nice bar and restaurant. tOld St) In the heart of hip Shoreditch, this sleek hotel takes the easyJet approach to selling GREAT BRITAIN 15 The Best of Britain its rooms – book long enough ahead and you Edinburgh d might pay just £49. The 210 renovated rooms 4 Southside Guest House B&B ££ are small but stylish, with flatscreen TVs, a (%0131-668 4422; www.southsideguesthouse. co.uk; 8 Newington Rd; s/d from £80/105; W; desk, fridge with complimentary bottled water g all Newington buses) Though set in a typical Victorian terrace, the Southside transcends the and milk, and breakfast (orange juice, granola, traditional guest-house category and feels more like a modern boutique hotel. Its eight stylish yoghurt, banana) in a bag delivered to your door. rooms ooze interior design, standing out from other Newington B&Bs through the clever use Avebury 7 of bold colours and modern furniture. Breakfast is an event, with Bucks fizz (cava mixed with 4 Manor Farm B&B ££ orange juice) on offer to ease the hangover! (%01672-539294; www.manorfarmavebury. com; High St; s £70-80, d £90-100; pW) A rare chance to sleep in style inside a stone circle – this red-brick farmhouse snuggles just inside Avebury henge. The elegant, comfy rooms blend old woods with bright furnishings, while the York e windows provide spine-tingling views of those 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) 4 Lincoln House This redbrick terrace-house hotel sports a 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 Cambridge f romance, book a four-poster room. 4 Worth House B&B ££ Manchester c (%01223-316074; www.worth-house.co.uk; 152 4 King Street Chesterton Rd; s £75-85, d £95-145; pW) The 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 a iWs) 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 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 a b c d e f g 1233 3233 6233 8233 9233 b233 f233

VWB PHOTOS / GETTY IMAGES © Britain’s Wild 16Side 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 1290 miles 21 DAYS 1435 MILES / mK Cairngorms 2310KM National Park Isle of Skye # Inverness]# Explore Britain's GREAT FOR... biggest – and loftiest – #15 J national park BEST TIME TO GO 1007 miles ^# #_EDINBURGH Glasgow June to September offers the best #13 conditions for outdoor activities. Kielder Water & ^# Forest Park Carlisle I ESSENTIAL Stargaze at PHOTO state-of-the-art Kielder Observatory Cornwall’s Bedruthan Steps at sunset. ^# Manchester K BEST FOR Bangor ]# WILDLIFE 432 miles Ll##_6 ^#Bristol Spot wild red deer, # New especially in autumn, at Brecon Beacons Exeter Forest Exmoor National Park. National Park ^# Discover the four completely different facets of the Brecon Beacons CLoacirantgioonrmCsapNtiaotniodneatlaiPlsartok gRoivheer rSepey, Aviemore 221

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

Tain #\\ Dornoch e# 0 100 km (Western Riding; %01425- #\\ Moray 0 50 miles 610278; www.burleyvilla. co.uk; near New Milton; per hr LNoecshs Firth Elgin NORTH from £35) organises rides #\\ using traditional English and also Western saddle #\\ Nairn styles (per 90 minutes £48). #] Inverness 4 p233 #15Cairngorms SEA The Drive » Take the A31 National Park #\\ 0¸A93 #^ Aberdeen southwest to Weymouth #\\ and Chesil Beach. Follow the \\# Aviemore ]#Stonehaven Jurassic Coast northwest along Newtonmore the B3157 to Lyme Regis (81 miles in total). 0¸ ¸0A9 A93 2 Lyme Regis ¸0A827 #\\Montrose #\\ Arbroath Fossils regularly emerge from the unstable cliffs Per#^th #^ Dundee surrounding Lyme Regis, GREAT BRITAIN 16 Britain’s Wild Side #\\St Andrews exposed by the landslides of a retreating shoreline, Stirling #\\Falkland making this a key stop #^ #\\ Dunfermline along the Unesco-listed Jurassic Coast. #^0¸Glasgow #_ Edinburgh #\\LBanla#\\anrtkyrePe#\\ebleAs68#\\ For an overview, Dino- #] Melrose #\\ Berwick-upon-Tweed saurland (%01297-443541; ]# www.dinosaurland.co.uk; #\\ Kelso LINK \\# YOUR ]# TRIP SCOTLAND Jedburgh Kielder Water h The Historic South ¸0 ¸0 #A713 A7 13 & Forest Park \\#Soak up some of #Dum#]fries England’s rich heritage Newcastle- before starting your wild trip – it’s an hour and a Kirkcudbright #^ 12 #^ upon-Tyne half south on the A34 from Oxford to the New Forest. #\\ Hadrian's k Great Glen Whitehaven C\\#aKrleisswleickWPaelnlTnhienes \\# Do this lake-and- ¸0 0¸\\# A59#\\1Ambleside mountain t#\\hemed ramble # 0¸Lake District 11 ]# Darlington through the Scottish Highlands in reverse from #]# National Park A19 Inverness. A684 #]Scarborough Yorkshire Dales 223 10 National Park #^ York Blackpool]# #^Leeds ]# Hull #0¸# ¸0 #¸0#]8#]#\\BAB4aLe7n\\#0ia7vgBueSNPomertranaapwrotroskMiiwso-oyadn-lCnoa#^olnceihad#]eSsthBerMure6#^xw]#tsoSobnntu#\\o-Trkyre9e-MnNP1S]#tLeaheateiki#^ofc#^fDneNiasiesoltltdPtertaircirntkgham ¸0A49 ¸0#^ Aberystwyth A1 Ludlow #^ Birmingham Cambridge ¸0Llanwrtyd #\\ Wells Stratford- #^ A470 upon-Avon #\\ M5 ¸0\\# Brecon ENGLAND #WALES Beacons Gloucester #^ Luton 6 National ]# The #^ Oxford Swansea Park Cotswolds London #_ 0¸#^ A470 17 ¸0 ¸0 GF#Cardiff _# #^Bristol #^ M5 Ilfracombe #\\ 5 Exmoor ]# Bath Reading Wells Salisbury M3 #\\ 0¸ ¸0lL# # #E3xete#^rPNaartkioLny2amleA3NR03eewgiAsF3o5 res#^t#]B1our#^nSeomutohuatmh ptoBn#^righton Dartmoor LByamye #^ National Jurassic ENGLISH Coast CHANNEL Park

GREAT BRITAIN 16 Britain’s Wild Side Coombe St; adult/child £5/4; 3 Dartmoor The Drive » Head west h10am-5pm mid-Feb–mid- National Park Oct) overflows with through Tavistock to pass fossilised remains; look Covering 368 sq miles, through the Tamar Valley, out for belemnites, a this vast national park another AONB, on the A390. plesiosaurus and an (%01626-834684; www. At Dobwalls, pick up the A38 impressive locally found visitdartmoor.co.uk) feels and drive west along the ichthyosaur. Kids love the like it’s tumbled straight forested River Fowey to join lifelike dinosaur models, out of a Tolkien tome, the southwest-bound A30. rock-hard tyrannosaur with its honey-coloured Take the Victoria turn-off eggs and 73kg dinosaur heaths, moss-covered and travel northwest past dung. boulders, tinkling Newquay Cornwall Airport to streams and eerie granite the Bedruthan Steps (62 miles Three miles east of tors (hills). altogether). Lyme, the Charmouth On sunny days Dart- 4 Bedruthan Steps Heritage Coast Centre moor is idyllic: ponies (%01297-560772; www. wander and sheep graze On Cornwall’s surf- charmouth.org; Lower Sea beside the road, as seen pounded coast loom the Lane, Charmouth; h10.30am- in Steven Spielberg’s stately rock stacks of 4.30pm daily Easter-Oct, WWI epic War Horse. But Bedruthan (Carnewas; NT; Thu-Sun Nov-Easter) runs Dartmoor is also the set- www.nationaltrust.org.uk/car one to seven fossil- ting for Sir Arthur Conan newas-and-bedruthan-steps). hunting trips a week Doyle’s The Hound of These mighty granite (adult/child £7.50/3). In the Baskervilles, and in pillars have been carved Lyme itself, Lyme Regis sleeting rain and swirling out by thousands of years Museum (%01297-443370; mists the moor morphs of wind and waves, and www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk; into a bleak wilderness the area is now owned by Bridge St; adult/child £4/free; where tales of a phantom the National Trust. The h10am-5pm Easter-Oct, 11am- hound seem very real. beach itself is accessed 4pm Wed-Sun Nov-Easter) Be aware too that the via a steep staircase and organises three to seven military uses live am- is submerged at high walks a week (adult/ munition in its training tide. Towards the north child £11/6); local expert ranges (p225). end is a rocky shelf Brandon Lennon (%07854 known as Diggory’s Is- 377519; www.lymeregisfossil Dartmoor is a haven land, which separates the walks.com; adult/child £8/6; for outdoor activities, main beach from another hSat-Mon) also leads including hiking, cycling, little-known cove. expeditions. Book walks riding, climbing and in advance. white-water kayaking; The Drive » Drive east to join the Dartmoor National The Drive » Drive west on Park Authority (DNPA; the northeast-bound A39, which www.dartmoor.gov.uk) has runs parallel to the Cornish the A3052 through the dazzling detailed information. coast, to the town of Lynmouth East Devon AONB (Area of And there are plenty of in Exmoor National Park (94 Outstanding Natural Beauty) to rustic pubs to cosy up in miles in total). Exeter and take the B3212 up when the fog rolls in. into Postbridge, a small village in 5 Exmoor National the middle of Dartmoor National 4 p233 Park Park (52 miles all up). In the middle of Exmoor National Park is the higher moor, an empty, 224

expansive, other-worldly TRIP HIGHLIGHT the park’s highest peak; GREAT BRITAIN 16 Britain’s Wild Side landscape of tawny and the rolling heath- grasses and huge skies. 6 Brecon Beacons land ridges of the Black National Park Mountains (Y Myny- Exmoor supports one ddoedd Duon) – not to be of England’s largest Brecon Beacons National confused with the Black wild red deer popula- Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Mountain (singular) in tions, best experienced Bannau Brycheiniog) rip- the west. The park’s main in autumn when the ples for 45 miles from the visitor centre (%01874- annual ‘rutting’ season English border to near 623366; www.breconbeacons. sees stags bellowing, Llandeilo in the west. org; Libanus; h9.30am-5pm charging at each other High mountain plateaus Easter-Sep) has details of and clashing horns in of grass and heather, walks, hiking and biking an attempt to impress their northern rims trails, outdoor activities, prospective mates. The scalloped with glacier- wildlife and geology (call Exmoor National Park scoured hollows, rise first to check it’s open). Authority (ENPA; www. above wooded, waterfall- exmoor-nationalpark.gov. splashed valleys and 4 p233 uk) runs regular wildlife- green, rural landscapes. themed guided walks The Drive » Drive north along (free), which include Within the park there evening deer-spotting are four distinct regions: the A470 to reach the southern hikes. Or head out on an the wild, lonely Black boundary of Snowdonia National organised jeep safari. Mountain (Mynydd Du) Park at Mallwyd (79 miles in the west, with its high altogether). The open moors and moors and glacial lakes; a profusion of marked Fforest Fawr (Great 7 Snowdonia bridleways offer excellent Forest), whose rushing National Park hiking. Cycling is also streams and spectacu- popular here; Exmoor lar waterfalls form the Wales’ best-known and Adventures (%07976- headwaters of the Rivers most-visited slice of na- 208279; www.exmoor Tawe and Neath; the ture, Snowdonia National adventures.co.uk) runs a Brecon Beacons (Bannau Park (Parc Cenedla- five-hour mountain- Brycheiniog) proper, a ethol Eryri) became the biking skills course (£50) group of very distinctive, country’s first national and also hires bikes (per flat-topped hills that in- park in 1951. Every year day £25). cludes Pen-y-Fan (886m), more than 350,000 people walk, climb or The Drive » From Lynmouth TOP TIP: to Libanus in the Brecon WARNING: DARTMOOR Beacons National Park it’s MILITARY RANGES 143 miles. Take the A39 east along the coast to join the Live ammunition is used on Dartmoor’s training M5 at Bridgwater. Take the ranges. Check locations with the Firing Information Second Severn Crossing bridge Service (%0800 458 4868; www.mod.uk/access) or (westbound bridge traffic incurs tourist offices. Red flags fly at the edges of in-use a £6.60 toll, payable by cash, ranges by day; red flares burn at night. Beware debit card or credit card) and unidentified metal objects lying in the grass. Don’t head west towards Cardiff to join touch anything; report finds to the Commandant the northwest-bound A470. (%01837-650010). 225

ELGOL / GETTY IMAGES © DUNCAN SHAW / GETTY IMAGES © WHY THIS IS A GREAT TRIP CATHERINE LE NEVEZ, WRITER For a relatively small island, Britain’s 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

GREAT BRITAIN 16 Britain’s Wild Sidetake the rack-and-pinion railway (%01286-870223; GARRY RIDSDALE / GETTY IMAGES © www.snowdonrailway.co.uk; Llanberis; adult/child return diesel £29/20, steam £37/27; h9am-5pm mid-Mar–Nov) to the 1085m summit of 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 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

GREAT BRITAIN 16 Britain’s Wild Side much a living centre of 9 Peak District The Drive » From Bakewell Welsh culture, too, as you National Park can see for yourself at take the A623 northwest Oriel Ynys Môn (%01248- Founded in 1951, the towards Manchester and pick 724444; www.orielynysmon. Peak District was up the northbound M66, then info; Rhosmeirch, Llangefni; England’s first national at Burnley take the northeast- h10.30am-5pm; p). A park and is Europe’s bound M65 to Skipton. Enter the great, introductory day busiest. But even at peak Yorkshire Dales National Park on walk from Beaumaris times, there are 555 sq the B6265 to Grassington and takes in the ancient miles of open country- head northwest on the B6160 monastic site of Penmon side in which to soak to Aysgarth. Then take the A684 Priory (Cadw; www.cadw. up the scenery. Caving along the River Ure to Hawes (a wales.gov.uk; Penmon; parking and climbing, cycling total of 118 miles). £2.50; h10am-4pm; p), and, above all, walking Penmon Point with views (including numerous a Yorkshire Dales across to Puffin Island, short walks) are the most National Park and Blue Flag beach popular activities. The Llanddona. Protected as a national Peak District National park since the 1950s, 4 p233 Park Authority (%01629- the glacial valleys of the 816200; www.peakdistrict.gov. Yorkshire Dales (named The Drive » Return to uk; bicycle hire per half-day/ from the old Norse word day adult £14/17, child £10/12) dalr, meaning ‘valleys’) the mainland and take the has reams of information are characterised by a A55 northeast, crossing the about the park and also distinctive landscape of border into England where operates several cycle- high heather moorland, the road becomes the M56. hire centres. The charm- stepped skylines and Continue northeast towards ing town of Bakewell also flat-topped hills above Manchester before turning off has a helpful tourist of- valleys patchworked on the southeast-bound M6. At fice (%01629-816558; www. with drystone dykes and Sandbach turn east on the A534 visitpeakdistrict.com; Bridge little barns. Hawes is and follow the signs to Leek, St; h9.30am-5pm Apr-Oct, home to the Wensley- then take the A53 northeast 10.30am-4.30pm Nov-Mar). dale Creamery (www. before turning east towards wensleydale.co.uk; adult/child Longnor then Bakewell (138 4 p233 £2.50/1.50; h10am-4pm; miles all-up). p c), producing famous Wensleydale cheese. In TOP TIP: the limestone country of WALKING SAFETY TIPS the southern Dales you’ll encounter extraordinary The British countryside can appear gentle, and often examples of karst scenery is, but conditions can deteriorate quickly. Year-round (created by rainwater on the hills or open moors carry warm waterproof dissolving the underlying clothing, a map and compass, and high-energy limestone bedrock). food (eg chocolate) and drinks. If you’re really going off the beaten track, leave your route details with The Drive » Head southwest someone. on the B6255 to Ingleton. Take the A65 northwest to Sizergh then the A590 southwest to the Lake District’s southern reaches at Newby Bridge. Drive north along Lake Windermere before veering northwest to Hawkshead (53 miles all up). 228

IAN WOOLCOCK / SHUTTERSTOCK © b Lake District connections: among the Cornwall Bedruthan Steps National Park many writers who found inspiration here are The Drive » Drive northwest The Lake District (or William Wordsworth, Lakeland, as it’s com- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, on the A591 to join the A595 monly known round Arthur Ransome and, of to Carlisle. Then take the A689 these parts) is by far course, Beatrix Potter, and A69 northeast to Walltown the UK’s most popular a lifelong lover of the along Hadrian’s Wall (72 miles national park. Ever since Lakes, whose delightful altogether). the Romantic poets ar- former farmhouse, Hill rived in the 19th century, Top (NT; %015394-36269; c Hadrian’s Wall its postcard panorama www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ of craggy hilltops, moun- hill-top; adult/child £10/5, ad- Hadrian’s Wall is one of tain tarns and glittering mission to garden & shop free; Britain’s most revealing lakes has stirred visitors’ hhouse 10am-5.30pm Mon- and dramatic Roman imaginations. It’s awash Thu, 10am-4.30pm Fri-Sun, ruins, its 2000-year-old with outdoor opportuni- garden 10am-5.45pm Mon-Thu, procession of aban- ties, from lake cruises to 10am-5pm Fri-Sun), inspired doned forts, garrisons, mountain walks. many of her tales includ- towers and milecastles ing Peter Rabbit. marching across the wild Many people visit and lonely landscape of for the region’s literary 4 p233, p259 northern England. This wall was about defence and control, but this edge-of-empire bar- rier also symbolised the 229

MICHAEL_DODD / GETTY IMAGES ©boundary of civilised well as great birdwatch- order – to the north lay ing. Comprehensive GREAT BRITAIN 16 Britain’s Wild Side the unruly land of the information is available marauding Celts, while at www.visitkielder.com. to the south was the tends over a huge area, Roman world of orderly The lack of population from Balloch north to taxpaying, underfloor here helped see the area Tyndrum and Killin, and heating and bathrooms. awarded dark-sky status from Callander west to There’s an excellent by the International the forests of Cowal. visitor centre at Walltown Dark Skies Associa- (Northumberland National Park tion in 2013 (the largest From Balloch, Visitor Centre; %01697-747151; such designation in www.northumberlandnational Europe), with controls Sweeney’s Cruises park.org.uk; Greenhead; to prevent light pollu- (%01389-752376; www. h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm tion. For the best views sweeneyscruiseco.com; Oct, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov- of the Northumberland Balloch Rd) offers a range Mar). The finest sections International Dark Sky of trips including a of the wall run along Park, attend a stargazing one-hour return cruise the southern edge of session at state-of-the- to Inchmurrin (adult/ remote Northumberland art, 2008-built Kielder child £10.20/7, five times National Park. Observatory (%0191-265 5510; www.kielderobservatory The Drive » Follow the B6318 .org; Black Fell, off Shilling Pot; public observing session northeast along Hadrian’s Wall. adult/child £16.50/15; hby Turn north on the B6320 to reservation). Book ahead Bellingham. Continue northwest and dress warmly as it’s alongside the North Tyne river seriously chilly here at and Kielder Water lake to the night. village of Kielder (a 43-mile journey). The Drive » It’s a 139-mile TRIP HIGHLIGHT drive from Kielder to Balloch 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 e Loch Lomond artificial lake Kielder Water, holding 200,000 Loch Lomond is main- million litres. Surround- land Britain’s largest lake ing its 27-mile-long and, after Loch Ness, shoreline is England’s the most famous of Scot- largest plantation forest, land’s lochs. It’s part of with 150 million spruce the Loch Lomond & the and pine trees. Kielder Trossachs National Park Water is a water-sports (www.lochlomond-trossachs. playground (and midge org), which became the magnet; bring insect heart of Scotland’s first repellent), and also has national park, created walking and cycling as in 2002. The park ex- 230

Kielder Water & Forest Park Mountain-biking through the forest daily April to October, Easter-Oct) also arranges TRIP HIGHLIGHT twice daily November to boat trips and water- and March), and a two-hour land-based activities f Cairngorms cruise (£18/10.20 twice from various bases National Park daily May to September around Loch Lomond. plus weekends April and The vast Cairn- October) around the The Drive » Follow the gorms National Park islands. CanYou (www.cairngorms.co.uk) Experience (%01389- A82 along Loch Lomond’s stretches from Aviemore 756251; www.canyouexperi western shoreline and pick in the north – with a up the northeast-bound A85 handy tourist office ence.com; Loch Lomond at Crianlarich. Then take (%01479-810930; the northwest-bound A9 to Shores; h10am-5.30pm Aviemore (a total of 141 miles). 231

GREAT BRITAIN 16 Britain’s Wild Side OUTER HEBRIDES Gaelic) takes its name from the old Norse sky-a, If you’re not ready to return to the mainland after meaning ‘cloud island’, a visiting the Isle of Skye, consider a trip to the Outer Viking reference to the Hebrides (aka the Western Isles; Na h-Eileanan an often-mist-enshrouded Iar in Gaelic) – a 130-mile-long string of islands Cuillin Hills. It’s a west of Skye. More than a third of Scotland’s 50-mile-long patchwork registered crofts are here, and no less than 60% of velvet moors, jagged of the population are Gaelic speakers. With limited mountains, sparkling time, head straight for the west coast of Lewis lochs and towering sea with its prehistoric sites, preserved blackhouses, cliffs. Lively Portree beautiful beaches, and arts and crafts studios – the (Port Righ) has the Lochmaddy Tourist Office (%01867-500321; Pier Rd; island’s only tourist of- h10am-5pm Mon-Sat Apr-Oct) can provide a list. Ferries fice (%01478-612992; www. (car £30, driver and passenger £6.10 each) run once visitscotland.com; Bayfield Rd; or twice daily from Uig on Skye to Lochmaddy (1¾ hours) and Tarbert (1½ hours). h9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am- www.visitaviemore.com; The Lower down, scenic glens 4pm Sun Jun-Aug, shorter Mall, Grampian Rd; h9am- are softened by beauti- hours Sep-May; W). 5pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun ful open forests of native year-round, longer hrs Jul & Scots pine, home to Skye offers some of Aug) – to the Angus Glens rare animals and birds the finest walking in in the south, and from such as pine martens, Scotland, including some Dalwhinnie in the west wildcats, red squirrels, short, low-level routes. to Ballater and Royal ospreys, capercaillies and The sheltered coves and Deeside in the east. crossbills. sea lochs around the coast of Skye provide The park encompasses 4 p233 magnificent sea-kayaking the highest landmass in The Drive » Take the A9 opportunities. Skyak Ad- Britain – a broad moun- ventures (%01471-820002; tain plateau, riven only northwest to Inverness, then www.skyakadventures.com; 29 by the deep valleys of the the southwest-bound A82 Lairig Ghru and Loch along Loch Ness (keeping an Lower Breakish, Breakish; 1-day Avon, with an average al- eye out for mythical beasts). titude of over 1000m and At Invermoriston join the course per person from £100) including five of the six westbound A887, which runs expeditions and highest summits in the becomes the A87, and continue courses for both begin- UK. This wild mountain to Kyle of Lochalsh where you’ll ners and experienced landscape of granite and cross the Skye Bridge to the paddlers to otherwise heather has a sub-Arctic Isle of Skye. Continue along the inaccessible places. climate and supports A87 to reach Portree (a 145-mile rare alpine tundra journey all up). Skye’s stunning scen- vegetation and high- ery is the main attrac- altitude bird species, g Isle of Skye tion, but when the mist such as snow bunting, closes in there are plenty ptarmigan and dotterel. The Isle of Skye (an of castles, crofting muse- t-Eilean Sgiathanach in ums and cosy pubs and restaurants, along with dozens of art galleries and craft studios. 232

Eating & Sleeping New Forest 1 road from each other, provide quite a contrast. Where the Bulls Head accommodation – 4 The Pig Boutique Hotel £££ occupying the oldest pub in town – is historic and elegant, the townhouse is contemporary, (%0345 225 9494; www.thepighotel.co.uk; high-tech and design driven. Breakfast for both is served at the old inn. Beaulieu Rd, Brockenhurst; r £175-265; pW) One of the New Forest’s classiest hotels remains an utter delight: log baskets, croquet mallets and Peak District National Park 9 GREAT BRITAIN 16 Britain’s Wild Side ranks of guest gumboots give things a country- house air; espresso machines and minilarders 4 Melbourne House & lend bedrooms a luxury touch. The effortless Easthorpe B&B ££ elegance makes it feel like you’ve just dropped by (%01629-815357; www.bakewell- a friend’s (very stylish) rural retreat. accommodation.co.uk; Buxton Rd; d from £70; Dartmoor National Park 3 pW) Occupying a picturesque, creeper- covered building (Melbourne House) dating 4 Tor Royal Farm B&B ££ back more than three centuries and a new annex (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 Lake District National Park b rooms are rather old-fashioned – cream-and- white furniture, puffy bedspreads, easy chairs 4 Summer Hill – but they’re cosy, and the sumptuous afternoon Hotel ££ tea (£14) is reason to stay here alone. Country House (%015394-36180; www.summerhillcountry Brecon Beacons National Park 6 house.com; Hawkshead Hill; d £102-122; p iW) On Hawkshead Hill, this 1700s house 4 Peterstone Court Hotel £££ has a wonderfully out-of-the-way setting, 3 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 Cairngorms National Park f £15-17, dinner £14-21; h7.30-9.30am & noon- 9.30pm). Llanhamlach is 3 miles southeast of 4 Old Minister’s House B&B £££ Brecon, just off the A40. (%01479-812181; www.theoldministershouse. Isle of Anglesey 8 co.uk; Ski Rd, Inverdruie; s/d £125/140; pW) This former manse dates from 1906 and has 4 Ye Olde Bulls Head five rooms with a luxurious, country-house Hotel ££ atmosphere. It’s in a lovely setting amid Scots Inn & Townhouse 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 233

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 a b c d e f 3245 5245 7245 9245 c245 d245 f245

RON ELLIS/SHUTTERSTOCK © The Historic 17South 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 450 MILES / 440 miles 720KM Blenheim Palace Noseying around the GREAT FOR... rooms of Winston Churchill’s home BJ Km Ll#1#4 BEST TIME TO GO # Oxford LONDON #_ Spring and autumn. # Summer if you don’t mind more crowds. Bath I ESSENTIAL ##9 ##2 PHOTO # # Lounging in a punt with a backdrop Beaulieu Brighton of Oxford’s divine buildings. Salisbury Leeds Castle Staring upwards at Delighting in the beauty K BEST FOR Salisbury Cathedral’s of this moat-framed SURPRISES soaring spire fortification 262 miles 39 miles The world’s biggest stone circle: Avebury (not Stonehenge). LSoacliastbiuornyCCaaptthioenddraeltaAil1s3ttoh-gcoenhteurrey building with the tallest spire in England 235

17 The Historic 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 to a motor m#\\useum, e]#xplore unspoiled v#\\illages and encounter 14th-century fellow travellers’ ta#\\les. In short, take a road trip through the very best of Britain’s past. Ross-on-Wye Blenheim ]# \\# GLOUCESTERSHIRE Milton ·/M1 ]# Keynes Gloucester ]# Palace BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Luton Forest Cheltenham A424 14 #^ A40 \\#Burford A34 /· ·/ #Monmouth\\# \\# ·/of Dean 53 miles to SeveSrntroud #\\ ]# Aylesbury #\\ \\# GF‚ ·/ /· /· #Km21 Chepstow ^# Southern\\# Witney #^15 Oxford Cotswolds Cirencester M5 A46 M40 St Albans ]# ·/\\# #\\ Tetbury A420 ]# WILTSHIRE High ]# M4 Wycombe ·/SEesvteuranry Watford # ·/Bristol 1#^3 Richmond \\# FG # ·/ # ·/16 Keynsham #\\ 1]#2 I# Bath H# /·p294 Chippenham ]# OXFORDSHIRE Slough #\\ Swindon #\\ A4 Avebury M4 WEST M4 BERKSHIRE 1#\\1 Marlborough #^ Reading \\# M3 SaFvoerrensatke #\\ ]# Newbury Lacock \\# Devizes ·/ /·SOMERSET /·Glastonbury ##\\ p244 A360 SaPlilsabinury A30 M25 Warminster #\\ Amesbury Basingstoke ]# Guildford 10 #\\ ]# Aldershot #\\ \\# Andover /· ·/ ·/A37 Stonehenge A345 HAMPSHIRE ·/ ·/A3 SURREY A24 A303 #\\Haslemere #Salisbury ]#9 ##\\ #^7 Winchester Horsham \\# /· ·/Shaftesbury Yeovil ]# #\\ Sherborne A36 Romsey M3 \\# /·A354 \\# Eastleigh #\\ Petworth Cadnam #\\ #^ Southampton WEST Lyndhurst \\# DORSET SUSSEX Bridport Ferndown Chichester Lymington ##\\8 Beaulieu 4FG4\\# Dorchester /· \\# \\# # /·#^6 ]# A27 #^ ]# 16 #\\ Ryde Jurassic Coast A31 Portsmouth Worthing Hove Poole #\\ #^ Bournemouth Newport#\\ ]# Isle of Weymouth ]# #\\ Swanage Wight \\# Ventnor

1 London the top for unforgettable The Drive » London’s streets GREAT BRITAIN 17 The Historic South London views. Next ex- Vibrant London is so plore the city's rich past and suburbs meet bursts of packed with historic at the Museum of Lon- the Kent countryside; you’re sights, where’s best to don (www.museumoflondon. heading for the A20 towards start? In the capital’s org.uk; 150 London Wall, EC2; Sidcup, then the M20 towards touch­stone: St Paul’s h10am-6pm; tBarbican). Dover. Shortly after Maidstone (%020-7246 8350; www. Then head east to elegant leave the motorway behind, stpauls.co.uk; St Paul’s Church- Tower Bridge to learn in picking up A20 signs for Lenham yard, EC4; adult/child £18/8; its exhibition (%020-7403 and then Leeds Castle, some 40 h8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Sat; 3761; www.towerbridge.org.uk; miles from the capital. tSt Paul’s). Designed by Tower Bridge, SE1; adult/child Sir Christopher Wren in £9/3.90, incl Monument £11/5; TRIP HIGHLIGHT 1675 after the Great Fire, h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, 9.30am- its vast dome is famed for 5.30pm Oct-Mar, last admission 2 Leeds Castle avoiding Luftwaffe raids 30min before closing; tTower during the Blitz. Head Hill) just how they raise Immense and moat- inside and up 257 steps the arms – and the road – ringed, for many Leeds to the walkway called the to let ships through. Castle (www.leeds-castle. Whispering Gallery, then com; adult/child £24.50/16.50; to th#^e Golden Gallery at 4 p219 h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct-Mar) is one of the world’s most romantic. 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 than 1000 years of his- /·\\# Stevenage M11 Baintree \\# Felixstowe \\# tory, it has been home to ESSEX a who’s who of medieval HERTFORDSHIRE 44#] ·/ Colchester A12 #]Harlow \\# Clacton- on-Sea 44#] LINK #^ Chelmsford YOUR TRIP /·M25 #] Brentwood l West Wales: 44London Swansea to Basildon #] NSoerath St Davids lL##_1 444#\\ #\\ Dagenham #] Southend- \\# Dartford Canvey on-Sea Island /·A2 Chatham Margate From Oxford, head west on 4/·M20 ]# Whitstable the M4 to Swansea for the #\\ Croydon \\# #] sweeping beaches and vast sand dunes of the Welsh /·M25 #^# North #^#3 Canterbury coast. Downs \\# Reigate Maidstone 2\\# ·/ ·/Leeds Castle M20 A28 ·/A2 #] Ashford #] KENT Dover g Britain’s Wild Side It’s an hour and a Royal Tunbridge #\\ half south from Oxford to the New Forest to pick up Haywards Wells /·A21 ·/A2070 ^# this exploration of Britain’s Heath EAST glorious national parks. SUSSEX Folkestone #\\ ·/A259 Romney 237 #4#\\ Marsh Lewes Rye English Bexhill Channel \\# ^# (La Manche) #] #^#5 ·/A27 Hastings Brighton H# #^ Eastbourne #æ Beachy ofSDtroaviter p239 Head

GREAT BRITAIN 17 The Historic South 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- St Margaret’s St; adult/child bristles with 15th-century £9.75/7.50; h10am-5pm Mar- timber-framed houses mile cruise, high up over the Oct, to 4.30pm Nov-Feb) exhi- with quirky names such vast chalk ridge of the North bition uses animatronics as ‘The House with Two Downs. You’re headed northeast, and audio guides to Front Doors’ and ‘The largely along the A252/A28 – explore Chaucer’s stories House Opposite’. A short the Canterbury Rd which echoes of these 14th-century walk away the 13th- the old pilgrim footpath to the travellers. For a taste of century Ypres Tower cathedral city. even older Canterbury, (www.ryemuseum.co.uk; head to the mosaics of Church Sq; adult/child £4/ 3 Canterbury the Roman Museum (www. free; h10.30am-5pm Apr-Oct, canterburymuseums.co.uk; to 3.30pm Nov-Mar) affords Canterbury tops the Butchery Lane; adult/child £8/ views of Rye Bay, the charts for English free; h10am-5pm). marshes and sometimes cathedral cities – and no France. The Rye Heritage wonder. Here medieval 4 p245 Centre (%01797-226696; alleyways frame exquisite www.ryeheritage.co.uk; Strand architecture, with Can- The Drive » Now for a 35-mile Quay; h10am-5pm Apr-Oct, terbury Cathedral (www. shorter hours Nov-Mar) offers canterbury-cathedral.org; adult/ drive. Head back up and over themed walking tours. concession £12/10.50, tours the North Downs on the A28 £5/4, audioguide £4/3; h9am- towards Ashford. Then plunge The Drive » The next 50-mile 5.30pm Mon-Sat, 12.30-2.30pm down to roll, along the A2070, 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 features fine stonework, a edging the flat-lands of Romney woods and farms of the High cavernous crypt and the Marsh and arriving at Rye. 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 Eventually, it’s time to descend Becket was killed here Welcome to one of Eng- to Brighton on the shore. in 1170 after ‘hints’ from land’s prettiest towns. King Henry II, drawing Here cobbled lanes, 5 Brighton wonky Tudor buildings Famously hedonistic, THE CANTERBURY TALES exuberant and home to the UK’s biggest gay The Canterbury Tales is the best-known work of scene, Brighton rocks. 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 DETOUR: GREAT BRITAIN 17 The Historic South £12.30/6.90; h9.30am- BEACHY HEAD 5.45pm Apr-Sep, 10am-5.15pm Oct-Mar), the glittering Start: 4 Rye palace of Prince George An 8-mile detour off your route leads to a truly (later King George IV). remarkable view. Around 25 miles west of Rye, peel It’s one of the most off the A27 onto the A22 to Eastbourne. Head to opulent buildings in the seafront to take the signed route that climbs to England, and Europe’s Beachy Head. Pick a parking spot and follow the finest example of early- footpaths to the cliffs themselves. These 162m-tall 19th-century chinoiserie. sheer chalk faces are the highest point of cliffs that Take in the Salvador slice across the rugged coastline at the southern end Dalí sofa modelled on of the South Downs. Far below sits a squat red-and- Mae West’s lips at the white-striped lighthouse. Appealing walks include the Brighton Museum & Art 1.5 mile hike west to the beach at Birling Gap. Gallery (www.brighton-hove- museums.org.uk; Royal Pavilion HMS Warrior (www.hmswar 7 Winchester Gardens; adult/child £5.20/3; rior.org; adult/child £18/13; h10am-5pm Tue-Sun), then h10am-5.30pm Apr-Oct, to Calm, collegiate Winches- gear up for a lively night 5pm Nov-Mar) and a wealth ter is a mellow must-see. out by shopping amid the of imaginative, maritime- One of southern England’s boutiques of the tightly themed museums, along most awe-inspiring packed Brighton Lanes. with waterborne harbour buildings, 11th-century tours (%02392-839766; 4 p245 www.historicdockyard.co.uk; Winchester Cathedral adult/child £7/5; hhours (%01962-857225; www. The Drive » Next is a 50-mile vary). Round it all off with winchester-cathedral.org. the WWII-era submarine uk; The Close; adult/child incl blast due west, largely along HMS Alliance (www. cathedral body & crypt tours A roads, to the historic port of submarine-museum.co.uk; £8/free; h9.30am-5pm Portsmouth. As the 170m-high Haslar Rd, Gosport; adult/ Mon-Sat, 12.30-3pm Sun) sits Spinnaker Tower gets closer on child £14/10; h10am-5.30pm at its core. It boasts a fine the horizon, pick up signs for the Apr-Oct, 10am-4.30pm Wed-Sun Gothic facade, one of the Historic Dockyard Car Park. Nov-Mar) or by strolling longest medieval naves around the defences in the in Europe (164m) and 6 Portsmouth historic Point district and intricately carved medi- by climbing the sail-like eval choir stalls, sporting Portsmouth’s blockbuster Spinnaker Tower (%02392- everything from mythical Historic Dockyard sees 857520; www.spinnakertower. beasts to a mischievous you gazing at the hulk of co.uk; Gunwharf Quays; adult/ green man. Jane Austen’s Henry VIII’s flagship, the child £10/8; h10am-6pm) for grave is near the entrance, Mary Rose (www.maryrose. 23-mile views. in the northern aisle. The org; adult/child £18/13; fantastical crumbling re- h10am-5.30pm Apr-Oct, to The Drive » Time to head mains of Wolvesey Castle 5pm Nov-Mar), and jumping (EH; %0370-333 1181; aboard HMS Victory inland; a 30-mile motorway www.english-heritage.org. (www.hms-victory.com; adult/ cruise (the M27 then the M3) uk; College St; h10am-5pm child £18/13; h10am-5.30pm takes you to Winchester. Apr-Oct) sit nearby, as Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar) – the warship Nelson captained at the Battle of Trafalgar. Then there’s the Victorian 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 had been this much fun. The Drive » Leave Above: Traditional wooden punts, Oxford Winchester’s ancient streets Right: Blenheim Palace to take the motorways towards

OLGA_ANOURINA / GETTY IMAGES © to 5pm Oct-Mar) is centred on VISITBRITAIN / BRITAIN ON VIEW / GETTY IMAGES © a 13th-century Cistercian Southampton (initially the M3). monastery that fell to the 14th-century Gothic abbey After 14 miles turn off onto the ancestors of the current gatehouse, and received A35 towards Lyndhurst. From proprietors, the Montague a 19th-century Scottish here it’s 9-miles to Beaulieu family, after Henry VIII’s makeover in the 1860s. through the New Forest’s 1536 monastic land-grab. increasingly wooded roads. Today its motor museum The Drive » The SatNav includes F1 cars and 8 Beaulieu jet-powered land-speed wants to start this 28-mile leg record-breakers and by routing you onto the A326. The vintage car mu- wheels driven by James Resist! Opt for the A and B roads seum and stately home at Bond and Mr Bean. The that wind through the villages of Beaulieu (%01590-612345; palace began life as a Lyndhurst, Cadnam, Brook and www.beaulieu.co.uk; adult/child North Charford, revealing the £24/12; h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, New Forest’s enchanting blend of woods and open heath. Eventually join the A338 to Salisbury. 241

GREAT BRITAIN 17 The Historic South TRIP HIGHLIGHT most famous stone circle will b Avebury soon pop into view. The entry to 9 Salisbury the site is just beyond. 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- with pointed arches and dates, in parts, back to 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- outstanding. Don’t miss finds from the site and century Avebury Manor the daily tower tours and experience an impressive (NT; %01672-539250; www. the cathedral’s original, 360-degree projection of nationaltrust.org.uk; adult/ 13th-century copy of the the stone circle through child £6.75/3.35; h11am-5pm Magna Carta (h9.30am- the ages and seasons. Next Apr-Oct, to 4pm mid-Feb–Mar, 4.30pm Mon-Sat, noon-3.45pm hop on a trolley bus (or 11am-4pm Thu-Sun Nov & Dec) Sun). The surrounding walk; it’s 1.5 miles) to the is home to interiors span- Cathedral Close has a monument. There, as you ning five periods, rang- hushed, other-worldly feel. stroll around it, play ‘spot- ing from Tudor, through Nearby, the hugely im- the-stone’: look out for the Georgian, to the 1930s. portant finds at Salisbury bluestone horseshoe (an Museum (%01722-332151; inner semi-circle), the tri- 4 p219 www.salisburymuseum.org.uk; lithon horseshoe (sets of 65 Cathedral Close; adult/child two vertical stones topped The Drive » Next a cruise due £8/4; h10am-5pm Mon-Sat by a horizontal one) and year-round, plus noon-5pm Sun the Slaughter Stone and west; as the A4 winds for 30 Jun-Sep) include Iron Age Heel Stone (set apart, on miles past fields and through gold coins, a Bronze Age the northeast side). Then villages to the city of Bath. gold necklace and the try to work out what on Stonehenge Archer, the earth it all means. Note c Bath bones of a man found in that entrance is by timed the ditch surrounding the ticket; secure yours well in Sophisticated, stately and stone circle. advance. ever-so-slightly snooty, Bath is graced with some 4 p73, p151 The Drive » Now for a 24-mile, of Britain’s finest Geor- gian architecture. Wan- The Drive » Next: a 10-mile A-road meander through rural dering around the streets England. After dodging through (p294) is a real joy. For an drive taking you back 5000 Devizes, it’s not long before insight into how the city years. The A345 heads north. signs point left to Avebury’s came to have the shape it Soon after joining the A303, main car park. does, head to the Museum detail a passenger to watch the of Bath Architecture right windows – the world’s 242

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

GREAT BRITAIN 17 The Historic South DETOUR: is rich in history and LACOCK studded with august buildings. The city has 38 Start: b Avebury (p242) colleges – Christ Church (%01865-276492; www.chch. Around 16 miles into your Avebury-to-Bath cruise, ox.ac.uk; St Aldate’s; adult/child consider a detour south. A drive of just 4 extra miles £8/7; h10am-4.15pm Mon-Sat, leads to a real rarity: a medieval village that’s been 2-4.15pm Sun) is the largest, preserved in time. In Lacock, the sweet streets with 650 students, and framed by stone cottages, higgledy-piggledy rooftops has the grandest quad. and mullioned windows are a delight to stroll around. Founded in 1524 by Unsurprisingly, it’s a popular movie location – it’s Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, popped up in the Harry Potter films, The Other Boleyn alumni include Albert Girl and a BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Einstein and 13 British The 13th-century former Augustinian nunnery of prime ministers. It’s also Lacock Abbey (NT; %01249-730459; www.nationaltrust. famous as a location for org.uk; Hither Way; adult/child £12/6; h10.30am-5.30pm the Harry Potter films. At Mar-Oct, 11am-4pm Nov-Feb) is a must-see: its deeply the Ashmolean (%01865- atmospheric rooms and stunning Gothic entrance 278000; www.ashmolean.org; hall are lined with bizarre terracotta figures – spot the Beaumont St; h10am-5pm scapegoat with a lump of sugar on its nose. The Fox Tue-Sun), Britain’s oldest Talbot Museum (NT; %01249-730459; www.nationaltrust. public museum showcases org.uk; Hither Way; adult/child £12/6, includes entry to Lacock treasures such as Egyp- Abbey; h10.30am-5.30pm Mar-Oct, 11am-4pm Nov-Feb) tian mummies, Indian features an intriguing display on early photography, textiles and Islamic art. while the George Inn (www.georgeinnlacock.co.uk; 4 West Beautiful Magdalen St; mains £10-16; hfood noon-2.30pm & 6-9pm Mon-Sat, College (%01865-276000; 6-8pm Sun) is an atmospheric pub in which to re-fuel. www.magd.ox.ac.uk; High St; adult/child £5/4, 45min Highlights include the ity’ Brown. A minitrain tours £6; h1-6pm Oct-Jun, Great Hall, a soaring (50p) whisks you to the noon-7pm Jul-Sep, tours 6pm space topped by a 20m- Pleasure Gardens, which daily Jul-Sep) is worth a visit high ceiling adorned with feature a yew maze, for its medieval chapel, images of the first duke. adventure playground, 15th-century cloisters Britain’s legendary WWII lavender garden and and 40-hectare grounds. prime minister, Sir Win- butterfly house. Nearby, let someone else ston Churchill, was born navigate for a bit: head to here in 1874 – the Church- The Drive » From Blenheim’s ill Exhibition is dedi- Magdalen Bridge Boat- cated to his life, work, grandeur, it’s a 10-mile pootle house (%01865-202643; paintings and writings. down the A44/A4144 to Oxford’s www.oxfordpunting.co.uk; High The house is encircled by dreaming spires. St; chauffeured 4-person punt vast, lavish gardens and per 30min £30, punt rental parklands, parts of which f Oxford per hour £24; h9.30am-dusk were landscaped by the Feb-Nov) for a ride on a great Lancelot ‘Capabil- One of the world’s most chauffeured punt. famous university towns, the centre of Oxford 4 p245 244

Eating & Sleeping Canterbury 3 wonky stairs sit beside duck-your-head beams. The cheaper bedrooms are swish but the posher 4 Cathedral Gate Hotel Hotel ££ ones are stunning, starring slipper baths and 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 Bath c cathedral gate it adjoins, this quaint 15th- GREAT BRITAIN 17 The Historic South century hotel is a medieval warren of steep 4 Queensberry Hotel Hotel £££ staircases and narrow passageways leading to (%01225-447928; www.thequeensberry. 27 pleasingly old-fashioned rooms with angled co.uk; 4 Russell St; r £125-185, ste £225-275; floors, low doors and cockeyed walls. Some W) Award-winning, quirky Queensberry is have cathedral views, while others overlook Bath’s best boutique spoil. Four Georgian pretty Buttermarket. There’s no lift. town houses have been combined into one seamlessly stylish whole where heritage roots Brighton 5 meet snazzy designs; expect everything from 4 Artist Residence Boutique Hotel £££ gingham checks and country creams to bright (%01273-324 302; www.artistresidence upholstery, original fireplaces and free-standing brighton.co.uk; 33 Regency Sq; d £129-260; W) Eclectic doesn’t quite describe the rooms at tubs. Rates exclude breakfast; parking is £7. this wonderful 23-room townhouse hotel, set amid the splendour of Regency Sq. As befits the Bristol d name, every bedroom is a work of funky art with bold wall murals, bespoke and vintage furniture, 5 Riverstation British ££ rough wood cladding and in-room roll-top baths. The Set Restaurant downstairs has a glowing (%0117-914 4434; www.riverstation.co.uk; reputation. Book direct and breakfast is free. The Grove; lunch 2/3 courses £14/17, dinner mains £15-18; hnoon-2.30pm & 6-10.30pm) 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 4 St John’s Croft keeps the punters coming back: classic in style 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 Oxford f Queen Anne townhouse, where rattan carpets are teamed with bulging bookcases, and Indian art 4 Burlington House B&B ££ with shabby-chic antiques. The rooms are vast, (%01865-513513; www.burlington-hotel-oxford. the garden is tranquil and breakfast is served co.uk; 374 Banbury Rd, Summertown; s/d from beside the Aga in the country-house kitchen. £70/96; pW) Twelve elegantly contemporary rooms with patterned wallpaper, immaculate Salisbury 9 bathrooms and luxury touches are available at 4 Chapter House this beautifully refreshed Victorian merchant’s 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

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 a b c d 1259 2259 4259 5259 b259 c259

GRAHAM NORTON/500PX © # 18Classic Lakes Beloved of poets and painters, this road trip takes in the scenic wonders of the UK’s largest and loveliest national park. TRIP HIGHLIGHTS 45 miles 25 miles 5 DAYS Grasmere 162 MILES / Borrowdale & Visit two of 260KM Buttermere Wordsworth's houses Explore these classic GREAT FOR... Lakeland valleys BG # Cockermouth BEST TIME TO GO # Whitehaven Keswick mK Summer and Easter # # Glenridding can be hectic in the Lakes; spring and #6# autumn are best. ##8 ##4 Ambleside I ESSENTIAL #1#0 PHOTO # Posing in Wasdale, lLBowness-on- amid England’s highest hills. # Windermere K BEST FOR Wasdale Hardknott Pass FAMILIES Conquer England's Traverse the Lake highest mountain District's steepest Bike trails, sculptures 103 miles road pass and ziplines at 130 miles Grizedale Forest. LoakceatDioisntCriacpttBiolenadTeatranil,snteoagroWhreynreose Pass 247

·/Solway Firth A596 Workington #] /·A66 18 Classic Lakes Parton \\# William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Whitehaven Rowrah Beatrix Potter are just a few of the literary luminaries who have fallen in love with the Lake District. It’s ]# \\# been a national park since 1951, and is studded by England’s highest hills (fells), including the highest Frizington \\# #\\ of all, Scafell Pike (978m). This drive takes in lakes, forest, hills and valleys, with country houses, hill Cleator Moor\\# \\# walks and cosy pubs thrown in for good measure. H# Parkside p255 St Bees \\# Egremont\\# /·A595 Sellafield River Ehen Nuclear #\\ Plant Seascale \\# Irish Sea 1 Bowness-on- offers regular trips, or restaurants: don’t miss Windermere you can hire your own a meal at the Lake Road rowing boat beside the Kitchen (p259), run by England’s largest lake, jetty and travel at your an imaginative chef who at nearly 9 miles long, own leisurely pace. trained at the legendary Windermere makes an Noma in Copenhagen. obvious starting point 4 p259 Afterwards, work off for a Lakeland road trip. The Drive » From Bowness, some calories with a The town is actually split walk up to the waterfall into two: Windermere, follow Rayrigg Rd north until it of Stock Ghyll Force. a mile or so uphill from joins the A591 which rolls all the the lake, and waterfront way to Ambleside, 6 miles north. 5 p259 Bowness-on-Windermere. Cruising the lake is 2 Ambleside the classic pastime here: Windermere Lake Around Windermere’s Cruises (%015394-43360; upper end lies the old www.windermere-lakecruises. mill town of Ambleside. It’s a pretty place, well co.uk; tickets from £2.70) stocked with outdoors shops and some excellent 248