Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
museum. Ironbridge's little high street has cute stores and coffee shops, and
there are plenty of pretty places to stay locally.
On the following day, head about a mile out of town to
Blists Hill Victorian
Town,
a collection of old buildings turned into a townscape on the site of
old blast furnaces. It's a wealth of industrial history turned into a world of
wonder and fun with a steam train, shops, horse and cart rides, a fairground, and
an old-time fish-and-chips shop. There's a carnival atmosphere, and its hillside
setting means country walks and clambering along the Hay Incline Plane, a
fantastical contraption that lowered barges to river level. When you've finished,
drive down the river to the
Tar Tunnel,
a spot where natural bitumen was
collected and used for pitch; children love donning hard hats for the short,
dark exploration. Then walk across the footbridge and along the river to
Jack-
field Tile Museum,
where even youngsters find the Edwardian extravagance
interesting.
Day 7: London
Head back to London (several hr.), and use the rest of the day for exploring
London Zoo
(p. 119). Both you and the children will love it as there's plenty
of “London” in the zoo, with park-like gardens and views over the Regent's Park
Canal. It's also good for any age, with interactive displays, up-close enclosures,
and a children's zoo, as well as all the big animals and a rainforest.
3
ENGLAND'S BEST GARDENS IN 1 WEEK
England's gardens grow beautifully, and in some cases they have been doing so for
centuries. This tour takes you to those that are at the very pinnacle of horticulture
and beauty. You'll need a car, and your travels will take you across some wonderful
countryside. You might naturally expect this to be a summer tour, but while these
gardens are at their best from June to September, they are designed to be year-round
spectacles, with winter foliage, spring bulbs, and rich late-season hues.
Day 1: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
London's great garden,
Kew
(p. 123), is a fantastic world tucked away behind
high walls, one that has been developing for 250 years and which lays claim to
containing more than one in eight of all known plant species. You can generally
find parking, but there is a Kew Gardens stop on the District Line Tube. This is
a full day out at any time of year as there are 121 hectares (300 acres), which
vary from clipped formal gardens to wild woodland areas. The ornate Palm
House is massive and dates from the 1840s, while the Princess of Wales Con-
servatory is modernistic. Kew was long a prim, traditional garden but now boasts
the Rhizotron (an underground look at tree roots) and the Xstrata Treetop Walk-
way, which runs 18m (60 ft.) high through the tops of oaks and other trees.There
are also museums, an art gallery, a Chinese pagoda (from 1762), and the
Orangerie, a lovely restaurant that serves everything from sandwiches to table-
service meals. There is a gate directly on the Thames, so this is also a good
excuse for a riverside walk, or you can cross Kew Bridge to the pubs at Strand
on the Green (the Bell & Crown, Bull's Head, and City Barge) for a post-Kew
riverside drink.
