BRITAIN THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
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Romantic Lake District hideaways
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ENGLAND’S QUEENS Our greatest female monarchs celebrated
The sleepy villages that inspired Agatha Christie’s mysteries
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EDITOR'S LETTER It’s now officially summer and what better way to celebrate than on a trip to the English Riviera, in Devon, the setting for our feature Sun, Sea and Smuggling (p6), which also provided much of the inspiration for Agatha Christie’s famous mysteries. Of course it wouldn’t be summer in Britain without the ubiquitous picnic and with this in mind, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite outdoor theatres in Shakespeare Under the Stars (p22) so you can enjoy a bit of culture alongside your al fresco dining. Talking of the great outdoors, there are few destinations as evocative as the Lake District – Romantic poet William Wordsworth once described it as “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found” – and we’ve tracked down some of the region’s most charming hideaways in Romance of the Lakes (p49). Finally, the recent birth of Princess Charlotte has prompted us to celebrate some of our nation’s greatest female monarchs in Women Rule (p61), while in Cooking for Royalty (p80) we talk to the woman who was Prince Charles’s personal chef for 11 years. Enjoy.
Sally Coffey, Editor
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The colourful seaside town of Salcombe, Devon
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BRITAIN THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
TRAVEL CULTURE HERITAGE STYLE
WIN
a private tour of the Royal Yacht Britannia
AWARD-WINNING MAGAZINE
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S hakespeare
under the stars From London’s Globe to Cornwall’s Minack Theatre
8
Romantic Lake District hideaways
Cream of Devon
ENGLAND’S QUEENS Our greatest female monarchs celebrated
The sleepy villages that inspired Agatha Christie’s mysteries
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JULY/AUGUST 2015 £4.25 09
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Cover image: Devon © Andrew Roland/Alamy
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SUN, SEA AND SMUGGLING With two dazzling coastlines, Devon was a smuggler's paradise and its connections to Agatha Christie are equally intriguing
SHAKESPEARE UNDER THE STARS From Regent's Park Open Air Theatre to the Globe, here are some of our most atmospheric al fresco performance venues
CAPITAL VIEWS
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Enjoy glorious vistas of London, from far-reaching views from the top of the Shard to romantic panoramas from Hampstead Heath
SECRETS AND SPIES We go behind the scenes at Bletchley Park, the unlikely spy base where Alan Turing and his team helped break the Enigma code
ROMANCE OF THE LAKES There are few places more romantic than the land of lakes and mountains, which inspired William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter to create their most famous works BRITAIN 3
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FEATURES 61 72 78 80
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WOMEN RULE The author of two books charting the history of our female monarchs shares stories on the most memorable queens in history
THE ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA We take a photo tour of the Edinburgh-based yacht that HM The Queen once called home
COMPETITION Win a private tour for two and a glass of Champagne on board the Royal Yacht Britannia
COOKING FOR ROYALTY The former chef to Prince Charles talks about working on Britannia and cooking for the young princes
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SCANDALOUS ACCUSATIONS In the first of our new series, read about a Victorian mystery that captured imaginations
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The arrival of the new royal baby, a rare artistic discovery and a recipe fit for the royals
Discover the Cambridgeshire city famous for its cathedral and links to Oliver Cromwell
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SUN, SEA & SMUGGLING With its history of illicit trading and connections to crime writer Agatha Christie, the beautiful county of Devon is a place of intrigue and boasts not one but two stunning coastlines WORDS SALLY COFFEY
3 HOURS FROM LONDON
Starehole Bay, Salcombe, offers impressive views and a sandy beach
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A visit to Torre Abbey, in Torquay, should also be on your itinerary. This 12th-century abbey is the largest surviving medieval monastery in Devon and Cornwall. Having been transformed into a private mansion following King Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries, today it hosts art exhibitions and events and from 11-20 September this year it will host the International Agatha Christie Festival, which celebrates the author’s 125th birthday. The Abbey is also home to the Spanish Barn, a medieval tithe barn where 397 Spanish Armada prisoners were held for two weeks after being captured by Sir Francis Drake. The barn is said to be haunted by ‘The Spanish Lady’; the fiancée of a young lieutenant who joined the Armada dressed as a sailor, and was imprisoned and died here. Legend has it she roams the barn crying for her lost love. There are many beaches to choose from in south Devon, from the tucked away South Sands, where a boutique hotel creeps onto the shore, offering privacy and comfort in equal doses, to the more traditional South Milton Sands, where shallow waters and rock pools encourage children to explore. At the latter the beachside café serves up tasty crispy squid and crab cakes. Meanwhile, the charming fishing villages of Salcombe and Brixham are delightful places to fill up on fresh seafood lunches or go present-hunting. www.britain-magazine.com
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From left to right: Dawn above Holwell Tor, Dartmoor; pretty Rose Cottage in the village of Cockington, on the outskirts of Torquay
Craftmanship
TRAVEL ESSENTIALS GETTING THERE By train: The West Coast Main Line train runs to the east of the Lake District, connecting Oxenholme, Penrith and Carlisle with London and Glasgow. Direct trains run from Manchester to Windermere. Towns and villages such as Ambleside, Windermere, Coniston and Keswick are linked by bus, with extra summer services. By air: The nearest airports are Manchester and Glasgow. There is a railway station at Manchester airport with services that run to Oxenholme (next to Kendal), Kendal, Staveley and Windermere.
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By car: The average journey time from London is around five hours. The M6 motorway runs to the east of the Lake District. Turn off either at Kendal (Junction 37) or Penrith (Junction 40) for quickest access to the national park. GETTING AROUND By car: Bear in mind narrow roads and traffic jams in places, depending on time of year. If you don’t want to drive there are plenty of car hire companies in the area. By bus: The Lake District has good public transport links and Stagecoach Cumbria runs a network of local bus services. www.stagecoachbus.com
Poet's View Cottage
By train: Get around by train on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway or the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. A particularly scenic trip runs along the coastline of Cumbria from Barrow-in-Furness to Carlisle. www.lakesiderailway.co.uk www.ravenglass-railway.co.uk www.northernrail.org
1820, today it is a luxurious five-star boutique hotel in an enviable location on the edge of Ullswater, the Lake District's second largest body of water. www.glenriddinghouse.com KESWICK BOAT HOUSE Sitting on the shores of Derwent Water, and extending into the lake, Keswick Boat House offers stunning views set in peaceful lakeside surroundings. Overhanging balconies are the perfect place to enjoy tea and coffee in the morning, while access to row boats make this a water lover's paradise. www.cumbrian-cottages.co.uk
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By boat: There’s no better way to explore the lakes than by boat and there are several charters to choose from, including Ullswater Steamers, which has operated on its namesake lake for 150 years, or Windermere Lake Cruises – the most popular attraction in Cumbria. www.ullswater-steamers.co.uk www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk
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