Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
W Getting lost on Dartmoor (Devon): The landscape in the National Park con-
stantly changes, rising to steep hills, then plunging into deep gorges. The roads are
narrow and winding, and often unmarked. It's when you get lost that you'll end up
alone at the top of a hill as a herd of wild ponies runs by, a storm hard on their
heels. Heaven. See p. 376.
W Walking the South Downs Way (Hampshire/West Sussex): Fill your lungs as you
follow the chalk downland that sweeps along the south coast some 99 miles. It
crosses windswept cliffs, climbs open hills, and ducks into valleys and then up
again. It's a week's experience for serious hikers, although you can dip in for a
Sunday afternoon stroll. See p. 276.
W Gardening at Wisley (Surrey): Gardens bloom across the country but you have
to start somewhere, and this home of the Royal Horticultural Society (less fre-
netic than London's Kew Gardens) is the biggest and the best. There are flow-
ers, woods, hills, cathedral-like glasshouses, show gardens, plant trials, and
good food. See p. 280.
W Spending a day on the Blue Flag Beach at Westward Ho! (Devon): Two divine
miles of broad, golden sand earned this beach the name “Golden Crescent.” Com-
pacted sand and perfect blue waters are prized by kite-surfers, swimmers, surfers,
and those who just want to lounge and watch them work. See p. 368.
THE best FREE EXPERIENCES
W Entering another world in Richmond Park (Surrey): Go through big gates in high
walls and you find deer grazing in flank-high ferns and swans lording it over a host
of other waterbirds on the Pen Ponds. This great Royal Park's hills, woods, and
grassland look as they might have in Henry VIII's time. Go in Spring to see Isabella
Plantation in bloom with azaleas and rhododendrons. See p. 285.
W Admiring the world's souvenirs (London): The British Museum has artifacts
from around the world, including Greece's Elgin Marbles and a wealth of Egyptian
treasures. For kids, it's an incredible space to fire their imaginations. And no matter
how many times you come, you'll find something different (and you'll never have
time to see it all). See p. 86.
W Waking at the foot of Scafell Pike (Cumbria): It's a summer's morn and you leave
your tent to conquer England's highest peak. The stone steps are seemingly end-
less, but you forget the thigh-burn as you take in the panoramic views of Wastwa-
ter behind you, then push onto the peak-top plateau for a satisfying 360-degree
view of mountains and tarns below. See p. 622.
W Doing the National Gallery (London): One of the world's greatest collections of
Western art, packed with artists from da Vinci to Rembrandt to Picasso. It's also
incredibly well thought out, so straightforward to navigate the areas in chronologi-
cal order. As if that's not enough, next door is the National Portrait Gallery, featur-
ing works by everyone from Warhol to Rossetti to George Bernard Shaw. See p. 89.
W Cycling the Mawddach Trail (North Wales): The scenery is breathtaking as you
leave the seaside town of Barmouth, in the shadow of Snowdon; this path on an
old rail line crosses the Mawddach Estuary then follows the waters along the
beautiful, deep valley to Dolgellau, almost 10 miles. See p. 724.
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