Britain 2024 - Sample Issue

BRITAIN 2024 YOUR ESSENTIAL TRIP PLANNING GUIDE

GREAT BRITISH HOLIDAYS 132 pages of inspiring ideas

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HISTORIC YORK

PRETTY AS A PICTURE Britain's most beautiful villages

WHAT'S ON IN 2024

Royal displays, summer highlights & festive events

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STATELY HOMES & GARDENS KING ARTHUR'S CORNWALL IDYLLIC ISLANDS TO VISIT DURHAM'S HISTORY TRAIL

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VILLAGES

Castle Combe, Wiltshire The Cotswolds is an area of England not left wanting in terms of picture-postcard villages, yet Castle Combe lays claim to being the fairest of them all. The ubiquitous honey-coloured stone is on display in mismatched cottages of every description, yet it is the sheer care that goes into their upkeep that makes this a particular standout. Immaculately tended hanging baskets adorn every street, while ivy and other climbing plants gives the place a pleasingly lived-in quality and echoes the leafy nature of the surrounding Wiltshire countryside. And if the bridge over By Brook isn’t the most quintessentially English view, you can have your money back.

The medieval Market Cross marks the centre of village life, with the elegant Castle Inn and the lively White Hart pub looking out upon a spot where cloth trading would have once taken place. In the nearby 13th-century St Andrew’s Church, look out for the tomb of Sir Walter de Dunstanville, which dates from that time – the local baron is shown cross-legged to indicate he fought in the Crusades.

PHOTO: © ANNA STOWE/ALAMY

Britain’s best

VILLAGES

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Small yet perfectly formed, these quaint settlements are a compact vision of the very best our nation has to offer WORDS FLORENCE SHEWARD

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southwest england

Heart of England

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: CORNISH COASTAL PATH © GARY HOLPIN PHOTOGRAPHY/HOLBURNE MUSEUM, BATH © VISITENGLAND/ BATH TOURISM PLUS/COLIN HAWKINS/DUNSTER CASTLE © LOOP IMAGES LTD/ALAMY/STONEHENGE © DONALD SLACK/ALAMY/ BIBURY, COTSWOLDS © TONO BALAGUER/ST MICHAELS MOUNT, CORNWALL © ROBERT HARDING/AL AMY

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SOUTHWEST ENGLAND

Every summer, British holidaymakers flock to England’s southwest coast. In Cornwall, they might stroll, surf or sunbathe on one of 300 beaches.

In Devon, they might head for the Torbay area, dubbed ‘the English Riviera’ for its palm trees and waterfronts.

But the West Country, which also covers Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Bristol and Wiltshire, isn’t just for sunny days. Even when it’s overcast, visitors enjoy the outdoors – fossil-hunting on the Jurassic Coast, exploring two national parks (Dartmoor and Exmoor), hiking near Cheddar Gorge or discovering prehistoric ruins, Stonehenge among them.

Find out about legendary figures like King Arthur at Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset, where he is said to be buried, and literary greats such as Jane Austen in Bath, where she lived and set two of her novels.

Try local food and drink as you go, sampling Bath buns, Cornish pasties, cider, and scones with clotted cream and jam.

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southeast england

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The Roman Baths in the city of Bath

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: BODIAM CASTLE © TOMAS MAREK/ALAMY/HAMPTON COURT © RICHARD LEA-HAIR/SEVEN SISTERS CLIFFS © MAURIZIO RELLINI/4 CORNERS/BLENHEIM PALACE © PETE SEAWARD/CLIVEDEN/GREAT DIXTER © ELLEN ROONEY/ALAMY

SOUTHEAST ENGLAND

Much of southeast England is an easy train ride from London but seems a world away. The area, which takes in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and Sussex, is characterised by countryside, coast and charm. Seaside resorts have a creative vibe. Margate in Kent is home to Turner Contemporary, a leading art gallery built on the site of a boarding house that used to host JMW Turner. Brighton in East Sussex has the spectacular Royal Pavilion, with its domes and minarets.

Visitors while away whole days milling around country estates and gardens, from Sissinghurst in Kent, renovated by the writer Vita Sackville-West, to grand Cliveden House, on the BuckinghamshireBerkshire border, which has been home to one prince of Wales, two dukes and an earl. For more royal history, there’s magnificent Windsor Castle.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, live in a cottage on site.

East of England

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southwest england

Heart of England

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: BIRMINGHAM'S BACK TO BACKS © NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/ROBERT MORRIS/PACKWOOD HOUSE © NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/ CHRIS LACEY/BIRMINGHAM'S CANALS © VISITBRITAIN/SIMON WINNALL/HARDWICK HALL © NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/ROBERT MORRIS/LUDLOW © JOHN WARBURTON-LEE PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY/WIGHTWICK MANOR © NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/ANDREAS VON EINSIEDEL

The Roman Baths in the city of Bath

HEART OF ENGLAND

The Heart of England, taking in Birmingham, Warwickshire, Herefordshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Coventry and Worcestershire, has long been a hub of creativity and production. Discover the world of William Shakespeare in Stratford-uponAvon in Warwickshire, by visiting his birthplace, then watching a play at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Or immerse yourself in the lives of entrepreneurial Victorians at Blists Hill, an open-air museum in Shropshire’s Ironbridge, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, a region known for its world-class ceramics, houses a handful of potteries. Take a tour and have a go at the craft yourself.

This area of England is also famous for its dramatic landscapes. With its wild peaks and craggy moorland, the Peak District National Park offers ample opportunities for an invigorating walk, while Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire boasts 1,000 ancient oaks, as well as ties to Robin Hood.

East of England

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PHOTO: © GETTY/JOHN FINNEY PHOTOGRAPHY

Peak time With stunning scenery, grand stately homes and underground caverns, the Peak District is ripe for exploring WORDS NATASHA FOGES

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