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DISCOVER SOUTHERN ENGLAND AREA HIGHLIGHTS The diverse beauty of this part of Britain makes it a superb area to explore. Rolling chalk hills the region’s prehistoric treasures complement Roman villas. Quiet stone and thatched villages are foils to Georgian opulence.
Avon - Dorset - Isle of Wight - Wiltshire - Hampshire - Berkshire - Sussex - Surrey Start at the mouth of the River Avon, in Bristol, which for centuries saw traders bringing wealth to the city turning the harbour into Britain’s premier port for wine and tobacco. Bath, famous as a spa since Roman times, the bathing complex is one of Britain’s greatest monuments. Stroll the Royal Crescent, considered to be one of the most majestic streets in the country. The stunning Dorset coastline, millennia of carving by the sea have left a sweep of chalk hills and geological treasures. Stonehenge. Built in several stages from around 3,000 BC, it’s Europe’s most famous prehistoric monument. From the bleak Salisbury Plain to the lush water meadows of the Avon then to Salisbury itself.
Stonehenge
Visit Winchester, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Wessex. The present cathedral
was begun in 1097. It’s a bit of a misnomer but the New Forest is one of the few primeval New Forest Pony oak woods in England. 145 square mile expanse of heath and woodland, bogs and glades was proclaimed a protected royal hunting ground by William the Conqueror. Queen Victoria put the Isle of Wight ‘on the map’ when she had Osborne House built as a retreat from public life. Back across The Solent to Portsmouth, affectionately known as ‘Pompey’, the home of the Royal Navy for 500 years. The city’s historic dockyard has Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar, HMS Victory. Perched above the marshes around Arundel are the Gothic towers and battlements of its castle - home to the Dukes of Norfolk. Further inland the green meadows of the Wey Valley are a delight at the Hog’s Back, running along a ridge between Guildford and Farnham. Arundel Castle
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