Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Herefordshire.
The
Ironbridge Gorge
was at the heart of the Industrial Revolu-
tion (and should be on everyone's must-see list), and the famous
Potteries
are in
Staffordshire.
EAST ANGLIA (ESSEX, CAMBRIDGESHIRE, NORFOLK & SUFFOLK)
East Anglia is a geographic bulge northeast of London, comprising four very flat coun-
ties. The land of John Constable is still filled with the landscapes he painted. The
Fens
—a broad expanse of fertile, black soil north of Cambridge—is quite mystical in
its openness. Go there to see
Ely Cathedral.
Cambridge,
with its colleges, is a big
attraction, and everyone should have a go at punting on the River Cam. The coast of
Essex is startlingly attractive, while farther north is Suffolk (with the genteel seaside
town of Southwold), and Norfolk, where the north-facing coast is windswept, bleak,
and beautiful.
THE EAST MIDLANDS (DERBYSHIRE, LEICESTERSHIRE, LINCOLN-
SHIRE, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE & NOTTINGHAMSHIRE)
Derbyshire's
Peak District is one of Britain's rugged charms; here you'll find
Chatsworth
House,
the seat of the dukes of Devonshire. Northamptonshire has
Sulgrave Manor,
the
ancestral home of George Washington; and
Althorp House,
the childhood home of
Diana, Princess of Wales.
Lincoln
has one of England's great cathedrals.
Notting-
ham
recalls Robin Hood, though Sherwood Forest is not what it was in the outlaw's
heyday.
THE NORTHWEST
Here you'll find the magnificent port city of Liverpool, once
a major gateway to the U.S., and childhood home to the most famous pop group of
all, the Beatles. There's also Manchester, Britain's one-time industrial heart, and now
a hip, happening place. Along with those you've got the charming walled Roman city
of
Chester,
and the brash but unmissable seaside resort of
Blackpool
with its
Coney Island-style fun by the sea.
THE LAKE DISTRICT
Here is some of England's most dramatic scenery: A lake
around every bend, hemmed in by ominous peaks (snow-tipped until early summer),
with tiny roads and little towns. It's a place of poetry and literature, home to, among
others, Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Ruskin, and Beatrix Potter.
Win-
dermere
is perhaps the best location for touring the area, but there are many other
charming towns, including
Grasmere
and
Ambleside.
YORKSHIRE & NORTHUMBRIA
Yorkshire will be familiar to fans of the
Brontës and James Herriot.
Yor k,
with its immense cathedral and medieval streets,
is the city to visit, though more and more visitors are calling on rejuvenated
Leeds
and
Bradford.
Northumbria comprises
Northumberland, Cleveland, Durham,
and
Tyne and Wear
(the area around
Newcastle,
a city that's now a throbbing arts
and culture destination). The whole area echoes the ancient border battles between
the Scots and English.
Hadrian's Wall,
built by the Romans, is a highlight. The
cathedral
at Durham is one of Britain's finest examples of Norman church architec-
ture, and
Fountains Abbey
is among the country's greatest ecclesiastical ruins.
Country homes abound; here you find
Harewood House
and
Castle Howard.
Wales
CARDIFF & SOUTHERN WALES
The capital of Wales,
Cardiff
is a city reborn,
the docks where coal and slate were once shipped out turned into Cardiff Bay, a tourist
attraction of arts, food, watersports, and leisure. In the old heart are the vast
National
3
