Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SUGGESTED
ITINERARIES
by Nick Dalton & Deborah Stone
You want to get the most out of your trip in the short
time that you have available. Here are some ideas for
using your time wisely. The first itinerary is a general
highlights tour, the second gives you an in-depth look at a
region you might otherwise bypass, and the others are for those with spe-
cial interests: gardens and families.
Each itinerary can be enjoyed in a single week, but they are designed
so that you can, by and large, fit two or more together.
3
REGIONS IN BRIEF
England is a part of the United Kingdom, which comprises England,
Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Only 130,347 sq. km (50,327 sq.
miles)—about the size of New York State—England has an amazing
amount of countryside and wilderness and an astonishing regional, physi-
cal, and cultural diversity. See the map in the insert at the beginning of
this topic for the regions outlined below.
England
LONDON
Around 7 million Londoners live here, although “London”
extends to cover more than 1,577 sq. km (609 sq. miles). The City of
London is rather different, just 2.5 sq. km (1 sq. mile). The rest is the city
(as opposed to the City, the financial hub), which gives way to towns and
boroughs. London's outlying areas are described in chapter 4.
THE THAMES VALLEY
England's most famous river continues
westward from Kew to its source in the Cotswolds. A land of meadows,
woodlands, attractive villages, market towns, and rolling hillsides, this is
one of England's most scenic areas. Highlights include
Windsor Castle
(Elizabeth II's chosen residence) and nearby
Eton College,
founded by
a young Henry VI in 1440.
Henley-on-Thames,
site of the Royal
Regatta, is one of the best Thames-side towns; and at the university city
of
Oxford,
you can tour the colleges.
THE SOUTHEAST (KENT, SURREY & SUSSEX)
This is the
land of Admiral Nelson and Virginia Woolf, Sir Winston Churchill and
Turner. It's where you'll find the boisterous seaside city of
Brighton;
and
Canterbury,
famed for its religious pilgrimages and cathedral. Kent is
