After Touring 157 Days in Great Britain, We Would Visit These Again and Again!

This is another page to help with your Great Britain vacation planning.  With two exceptions, we have visited each of these venues... some of them several times over!  And yes, we would love to see them again.  Sometimes, one visits places based on a recommendation only to find that the venue did not meet your expectations.  Included in this list are the attractions that exceeded our expectations.  Based on the numbers of visitors they each get, we are not alone in our recommendations.  We think that you will agree that...  these are the 'Best of the Best'.

Venues shown with an F are wonderful options for a family.  Those marked T can be reached by train (in some cases followed by a taxi ride.)  C indicates that - unless you are able to find a package group tour - a self-drive car may be the only reasonable option. 

This page is organized in three ways.  Click on the active links in the Map, browse the A - Z List, look through the Categories to find those that interest you, or go directly to a specific category by clicking one of the following links.

Castles | Cathedrals & Churches | Country Parks | Edinburgh | Gardens & Garden Centres | Stately Homes, Great Houses & Great Estates | Industrial Age | Life Below Stairs | London | Military & Bunkers | Museums | Railways, Miniature Railways, Model Railways and Tramways | Royalty | Stratford-upon-Avon | Towns & Villages | Tudor Life | York |

TIP  The names of the venues on this map are 'clickable' links.  With the exception of the major cities, each will take you to the corresponding entry in the 'A - Z List' where you will find a short narrative and link to the venue's own website on the internet.  In the case of Edinburgh, London, Stratford-upon-Avon and York, clicking on these will take you to that cities' entry in the categories section.

TIP  The names of the venues in each category are links which will take you to the corresponding entry in the 'A - Z List'.  There you will find a short narrative and link to the venue's own website on the internet.

Castles | Cathedrals & Churches | Country Parks | Edinburgh | Gardens & Garden Centres | Stately Homes, Great Houses & Great Estates | Industrial Age | Life Below Stairs | London | Military & Bunkers | Museums | Railways, Miniature Railways, Model Railways and Tramways | Royalty | Stratford-upon-Avon | Towns & Villages | Tudor Life | York |

• Culzean Castle  C

• Hever Castle  FC

• Powis Castle  C

• Warwick Castle  FT

• Windsor Castle  FT

• Coventry Cathedral  T

• Liverpool Cathedral  T

• Oratory of St Philip Neri - Brompton Oratory

• St Giles Cathedral

• St Lawrence Church  T

• St Paul's Cathedral

• York Minster

• Blenheim Palace  FC

• Chatsworth House & Gardens  T

• Culzean Castle  C

• Sheffield Park Garden  C

• Stourhead  C

• Tatton Hall & Park  C

• Waddesdon Manor  C

See the 'Edinburgh Module' on our Modular Tour pages.

• Edinburgh Military Tattoo  F

• St Giles' Cathedral

• The Yacht Britannia  F

• Blenheim Palace  FC

• Bridgemere Garden World  C

• Culpeper Garden  C

• Chatsworth House & Gardens  T

• Culzean Castle  C

• Hampton Court Palace  FT

• Hever Castle  FC

• Levens Hall  C

• Powis Castle   C

• (The) Shakespeare Properties

• Sissinghurst Castle Garden  C

• Blenheim Palace  FC

• Chatsworth House & Gardens  TC

• Erddig  C

• Hampton Court Palace  FT

• Tatton Hall & Park  C

• Waddesdon Manor  C

• Quarry Bank Mill & Apprentice House  FC

• Erddig  C

See the 'London Module' on our modular Tour pages.

• Buckingham Palace  F

• Cabinet War Rooms  F

• Hampton Court Palace  FT

• London Eye  F

• Harrods

• HMS Belfast  F

• Oratory of St Philip Neri - Brompton Oratory

• St Paul's Cathedral

• Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

• Windsor Castle  FT

• Cabinet War Rooms  F

• Culzean Castle  C

• England's Secret Bunker - Kelvedon Hatch  FC

• Fleet Air Arm Museum  FC

• Hellfire Corner  T

• HMS Belfast  F

• Scotland's Secret Bunker  FC

• Castle Museum  F

• National Railway Museum  F

• National Tramway Museum  FC

• National Waterways Museum  FT

• Forth Railway Bridge

• Great Cockcrow Railway  FC

• National Railway Museum  F

• National Tramway Museum  FC

• Pecorama  FC

• Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway  FT

• Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

• Winchcombe Railway Museum & Garden  C

• Buckingham Palace  F

• Hampton Court Palace  FT

• Hever Castle  FC

• National Railway Museum  F

• The Royal Yacht Britannia  F

• Windsor Castle  FT

See the 'Stratford-upon-Avon Module' on our Modular Tour pages.

• The Shakespeare Properties

• Bourton-on-the-Water  FC

• Bowness-on-Windermere  FT

• Portmeirion  FC

• Kentwell Hall  FC

• Hever Castle  FC

• Hampton Court Palace  FT

• The Shakespeare Properties

See the 'York Module' on our Modular Tour pages.

• Castle Museum  FTC

• National Railway Museum  F

• York Minster

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

TIP  When following these links, use your browser's "back button" to return to this page.

• Blenheim Palace(Palace Tour) FC  Blenheim is home to the Dukes of Marlborough and the birthplace of that lion of World War II, Sir Winston Churchill.  As a reward for his military victory over the French in the Battle of Blenheim in 1704, Queen Anne gave the Duke of Marlborough the Royal Manor of Woodstock and the then grand sum of £240,000 [with today's conversion rate about US$ 400,000] to build the Palace which is now the home of the 11th Duke.  Designed by Sir John Vanbrugh (who also designed Castle Howard), it is set in a 2100 acre 'Capability' Brown park with a lake created for the purpose of spanning it with a 390 ft bridge.  Tour the Palace (including the Churchill rooms), stroll the Italian Garden, ride the 1000yd (over ½ mile) long, 15-inch gauge miniature railway, walk through the Arboretum to the Rose Garden and, then, past the Water Terrace Gardens to view the Grand Bridge.

• Bourton-on-the-Water  FC  We like to think of Bourton-on-the-Water as the quintessential Cotswold village.  Although overflowing (That's an understatement.) with tourists in 'high season', we found that its charming atmosphere - the tiny river Windrush crossed by low stone bridges runs through the town centre - makes a delightful break for lunch or just tea and scones.  Be sure to see the Miniature Village, Bourton-on-the-Water in one-tenth scale. If you have the time, visit the other Cotswold villages via the Guide Friday (another link) tourist bus service.

• Bowness-on-Windermere (alternate link) (another link)  FT  'The Lake District' in Cumbria is famous for the natural beauty of its mountains and lakes.  Windermere and Bowness-on-Windermere are, indeed, packed with tourists in the summer.  That need not be off-putting ['discouraging'].  We like to stay at The Burn How Garden House Hotel which is pleasantly isolated but only a five-minute walk to the shore of Lake Windermere where you will find the local 'TIC' (Tourist Information Centre).  The TICs staff can help you arrange for a tour by coach or van.  Nearby, take a boat to Lakeside and ride the Lakeside & Haverwaite Railway (another link), cruise the length of Lake Windermere to Ambleside, or explore the National Park Visitors Centre.  It is a three minute stroll to Bowness' town centre ['downtown'] with shops, restaurants, pubs and the 'World of Beatrix Potter' exhibition.

• Bridgemere Garden World  C  Located six miles from Nantwich, this is Europe's largest, retail garden centre selling plants and horticultural supplies.  Here you will find the ubiquitous tea room and cafe.  But, you will also find - and this is the primary reason for coming here - the 'Garden Kingdom', a six acre exhibition of twenty 'demonstration gardens' including the cottage garden, rock & water garden, folly garden, Bridgemere roses garden, white garden, Victorian garden, woodland garden autumn border and herbaceous borders.  The gardens are both large and small in scale.  Bring your camera and take home some ideas for your own 'English' garden!

• Buckingham Palace  F  For several years now, HM ['Her Majesty'] The Queen has graciously allowed the public to tour the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace.  Entry is by 'timed ticket' for a specific date and time.  It has been open to visitors in August and September while the royal family visits their homes at Sandringham in Norfolk, the Palace of Holyrood House in Edinburgh and Balmoral Castle in Scotland.  A kiosk ['ticket booth'] is set up in a nearby Park during that time, although it is best to try to arrange for an 'advance' ticket purchase.

• Cabinet War Rooms  F  Located across the street from St James's Park in central London, the 'Cabinet War Rooms' were the British government and military command centre during World War II.  Winston Churchill, the then Prime Minister, directed the war effort from this bunker in the heart of central London.  Concealed in a 'closet' that looked - on the outside - like the PM's private loo ['lavatory'], you will see the 'hot line' telephone that connected Churchill with President Franklin D. Roosevelt during those dark hours of crisis.  The rooms today are just as they were during WWII.  You are, quite literally, walking through history.  Allow an hour to an hour and a half for the audio tape tour.

• Castle Museum  FT  Follow the York Castle Museum's well marked tour route and you won't miss anything...  the period rooms (Victorian Parlour ['living room'], 1850s Moorland Cottage, Jacobean and Georgian Dining Rooms, 1950s Front Room), 'Every Home Should Have One' (home appliances dating back to the early 1900s), Dr. Kirk's Gallery (a collection of everyday life), Costume Gallery, Children's Gallery (toys, dolls, doll houses), Half Moon Court (recreated Edwardian era - 1901 to 1914 - street) and,  the museum's masterpiece! (Camera ready?  Got film?), Kirkgate (authentic Victorian shops line the oldest recreated street in any museum.)   Allow two hours or more for a leisurely visit and time for a break in the museum's tea room

• Chatsworth House & Gardens (site map) (history, house tour and behind the scenes) (garden tour)    TC  Often called 'The Second Versailles', Chatsworth is the present day home of Their Graces, The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.  While we guess that you might be able to see the house and a bit of the gardens in the three or so hours the coach tours allow, you may want to spend five or six hours here on your own to include a proper walkabout the 100 acres of formal gardens and parklands.  Be sure to take their iPix™ virtual tour that begins with the history of the house.  It is possible to visit the estate by rail and a taxi.  The Chesterfield railway station is 30 minutes away by taxi.

  The first view of the house is from the bridge over the River Derwent, the course of which was relocated to make this spectacular view possible.  Tour over twenty rooms.  Nothing will have prepared you for the experience of the magnificent Painted Hall.  In the State Music Room, ask a docent to point out the trompe l'oeil [literally, 'deceives the eye'] violin hanging on a door in the back of the room. It's not real.  It's a painting!  The Chapel has wood carvings believed to be by Grinling Gibbons.  The Libraries contain over 17,000 books.  You will wish that you could arrange to have dinner in the Great Dining Room.  As you leave the Sculpture Gallery, look for Rembrandt's 'Portrait of an Oriental' on your left.

  Before beginning a thorough walkabout the gardens, purchase the souvenir booklet with a map of the grounds.  Your 'check-list' for touring the formal gardens will include the...  Orangery Borders, Broad Walk, stepped-greenhouses of John Paxton, 1st Duke's Green House, Rose Garden, Seahorse Fountain on the South Lawn, Emperor Fountain and Canal Pond, Ring Pond, the present Duchess' grand creation 'The Serpentine Hedge', Old Conservatory Garden, Maze, Wellington Rock, Willow Tree Fountain, The Great Cascade (where water flows down the hillside over sixty steps arranged in 24 flights), Kitchen Garden, and Cottage Garden with its delightful topiary.

  You will leave wishing that you could have met the Duke and Duchess in person.  After spending the day visiting Chatsworth, you will find that you have! ...through the staff of Chatsworth ...who are a reflection of Their Graces' hospitality, kindness and graciousness.  If, by chance you should meet Their Graces, be sure to offer them 'Best Congratulations!'  They are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary in 2001.

• Coventry Cathedral (another link)   T  Coventry's darkest hour of World War II came on 14th November 1940 when an air raid reduced the 14th-century Cathedral Church of St Michael (the full name of Coventry Cathedral) to ruins.  The new cathedral, consecrated in 1962, stands beside the ruins of the old in thought-provoking juxtaposition  ...the words 'Father Forgive' are inscribed on the remains of the old sanctuary wall.  The 270ft long, 80ft wide, seven storey high nave seating 2000 contains the largest tapestry in the world, 'Christ in Glory'.  Ask a Verger to point out the late Terence Cuneo's masterful painting of the cathedral's consecration ceremony.

• Culpeper Garden & Virtual Tour(alternate link)   C  Only a small bit of the 500 acre estate, the former kitchen garden of Leeds Castle,  is now home to the Culpeper Garden, named after the 17th-century owners.  Crisscrossed paved walkways and grass paths are avenues edged with box hedge surrounding beds of herbaceous plantings in this peaceful oasis.  Designed by Russell Page in 1980, enclosed on three sides by the brick walls of the estate buildings and overlooking the Great Water, this is an English Cottage Garden at its best.  Our compliments and good wishes to the gardeners!  (Of course, adjacent you will find Leeds Castle.)

• Culzean Castle  (alternate link) (another link) (castle tour)  C  Culzean (pronounced 'kuh-lane') is the crown jewel of the National Trust for Scotland.  The 18th-century, Robert Adams designed, gothic castle - notable for its cantilever, oval staircase - stands on a cliff overlooking the Firth of Clyde.  It is surrounded by a 500 acre country park with 92 acres of gardens - a garden terrace adjoining the castle and, a short walk away, what is likely the largest walled garden in Scotland.  Prior to gifting the castle and country park to the National Trust for Scotland, The Marquis of Ailsa arranged for - the then - General Eisenhower to be given the private apartments on the top floor of the castle (now available as an exclusive hotel) for his use in his lifetime.  This was in grateful recognition of his role as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War II.  Eisenhower visited on at least four occasions... on one visit, when he was President of the United States, Culzean became America's Whitehouse!  Rooms in the castle are devoted to an Eisenhower exhibition.  In 1999, extensive works were in progress to expand the walled garden (former kitchen garden) even more!  Allow the better part of four hours for a relaxing visit.

• Edinburgh Military Tattoo  F  For the past fifty years, the Edinburgh Tattoo has taken place each summer in the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle.  Quoting from a Tattoo press release, 'Against the spectacular backdrop of Scotland's top tourist attraction, over 800 performers...are set to provide a wealth of peerless entertainment....'  The show starts with the massed Pipes and Drums marching out from the Castle onto the esplanade and ends with the haunting sound of the lone bagpiper high on the castle ramparts.  In between are military marching bands, Scottish dancers & choir... a cast of over 800 performers.  Oh! To be in Scotland now that August is here!  Visit the Tattoo's web site for information on ordering tickets by telephone or post ['mail'].  But, order them early in the year so you get the date you want.  The second show on Saturday nights ends with a fireworks display.  Those shows are an early sell-out.  Planning ahead...  tentative dates for the Tattoo performances are 2 - 24 August 2002, 1 - 23 August 2003, 6 - 28 August 2004, and 5 - 27 August 2005.  Note that these dates need to be confirmed each year.

• England's Secret Bunker - Kelvedon Hatch  (another link) (and another)  FC  Built in 1952 near the town of Kelvedon Hatch, the three levels of this 27,000 sq ft (the size of 18 to 20 average homes) 'cold war' nuclear bunker are buried 100 ft below the ground of a farm in Essex.  This top secret bunker was a Regional Government Headquarters known at one time as 'RGHQ 5.1'.  The entrance is concealed in a  modest, unassuming, rural bungalow.  (Today, if it were not for the white-on-brown 'tourist information signs', you would never find it.)  In the event of a Cold War 'nuclear crisis', it would have been home to as many as 500 key, government personnel.  Massive generators and air filtration equipment, five dormitories, sick bay, BBC broadcast studio, military 'ops' [operations] command centre... it's all still here ...in silent testimony to an age which we all hope has past.  Kept under strict military security for forty years, this bunker remained on the Government 'Official Secrets' list until it was decommissioned and sold - in 1993 - to the Parrish family on whose farm it was built.  They have since opened it as a cold war museum.  Allow at least two hours for the audio tape tour and viewing of the contemporary television films prepared for emergency broadcasts.  Even on a hot July afternoon, you will find that it is cold that deep in the ground.  So, dress in layers!  Be sure to say 'Thank you' to the Parrish family for they are now the Keepers of an important part of Britain's history.

• Erddig  C  Late 17th-century Erddig (or Erthig) is a thirty minute drive south of the 'walled city' of Chester.  By all accounts, the Yorke family had a remarkable relationship with their staff.  The Yorkes believed that 'the household was still one community and that the servants should be respected as individuals.'  A visit here gives particular insight into the enormous household required to maintain a country estate.  Your first  experience of the house is of the domestic, 'below stairs' life.  You will tour the servants' passage, agent's office, housekeeper's room, servant's hall, butler's pantry  ...and, then, the 'upstairs' - the Erddig's public and private rooms.  The outbuildings are silent witness to the vast numbers of servants needed to keep the estate going  ...the joiner's ['carpenter's'] shop, the estate yard, blacksmith's shop, wagon shed, lime yard and sawmill, stableyard, brew house, laundry yard with the wet and dry laundries, bakehouse, scullery, kitchens.  Thirteen acres of gardens feature a Victorian parterre and formal, 18th-century walled gardens.  Allow three hours for your visit, more during the summer when school children are on holiday.  Arrive early in the day as their can be queues ['lines'] waiting to get in.

• Fleet Air Arm Museum  FC  Located near Yeovilton in Somerset, The Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm Museum is a great day out for the entire family.  The history of British aviation is chronicled with aircraft from WWI, WWII, the 1950s and 60s, to Concord.  Historical, full-size 'dioramas' take you back to the battlefields of WWI.  Learn the history of the women who served their country in the 'WRENS' (Women's Royal Naval Service).  The museum's masterpiece is the 'Carrier' experience.  Board a helicopter for your 'flight' to the aircraft carrier.  (Hint:  You never really get off the ground!)  Disembark onto the Flight Deck filled with planes ready for their missions.  Tour the Carrier's Operations Room, Aircraft Direction Room, Flying Control and the Carrier's Bridge.  Allow three hours minimum, four hours or more when British children are out of school for the summer.

• Forth Railway Bridge  (another link) (and another)  Completed in 1890 and 8,296 feet (over 1½ miles) in length, the Forth Railway Bridge is a monumental tribute to the ingenuity and optimism of the Victorian era.  Used by 200 trains a day, it takes 7,000 gallons of 'Forth Bridge Oxide of Iron Brushing Paint' and four years to paint the colossal, 450 ft high structure.  It is fifteen minutes from Edinburgh's Waverley Station by rail.  You can purchase a same day, return ['round-trip'] ticket from Waverley to North Queensferry Station and ride across the bridge twice!  A rather expensive, thirty minute, eleven mile taxi ride from Edinburgh city centre ['downtown'] will get you to South Queensferry, on the shore of the Firth of Forth, from where the bridge is best viewed  ...providing there is not a pea-soup fog!

• Great Cockcrow Railway  FC  The Great Cockcrow Railway is a 7¼in [inches 'between the rails'] live steam, miniature railway.  The name was chosen for its initials 'GCR' which the average British railway enthusiast will recognise as 'Great Central Railway' - one of the Big Four railways in the post-Beeching era.  This would be a wonderful day-out for children what with rides over two routes, each over one mile in length.  Note that the railway is only open to the public in 'high season' (summer months) on Sunday afternoons between 2 and 5.30.  Typically, there are over twenty-five miniature steam locomotives on shed ['based on the property'].   This is one of the two places on this list that we have not personally seen.  We found out about it after our last holiday in Great Britain.  It is definitely on our 'must see' list for next time!

• Hampton Court Palace (alternate link)  FT  1529.  To 'keep his head', Wolsey presents his Cardinal's Palace to Henry VIII.  1689.  King William and Queen Mary make it their home.  1837.  Queen Victoria opens it to the public.  Easter Monday, 31st March 1986.  The south range of Hampton Court Palace is engulfed in flames.  Priceless art, Grinling Gibbon's carvings, glorious rooms... lost.  Five years of restoration and the magic of British craftsmen and women have recaptured the beauty of the Fountain Court rooms.  Touring the Palace and sixty acres of Tudor, Baroque and Victorian Gardens - including the newly restored Privy Garden - will take five to six hours.  Our 'advice' page explains how to visit Hampton Court Palace on a day trip from London.  Try to arrange your visit for those few days in July when the annual  Royal Horticultural Society Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (alternate link) - literally, the world's largest flower show! - fills the grounds from the River Thames to past The Long Water with over twenty demonstration gardens and grand Marquees ['extremely large tents'] whose displays are an encyclopedic inventory of the garden world.  Fortunately, the RHS flower show is open until 7.30 in the evening.  With all that walking, be sure to wear your trainers ['athletic shoes'].

• Harrods  Visit London without stopping at Harrods?  Unthinkable!  Harrods celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1999.  Visitors can spend days shopping its seven floors.  (Before you leave on holiday, check the Harrods website to download a printable map of the store.)  Your 'must see' check-list includes window shopping the length of the store along Brompton Road, the five rooms that make up its famous Food Halls, the Hall of Luxury - The Egyptian Hall (the art is based on the 19th Dynasty in Ancient Egypt), and a visit to the Harrods Shop on the lower ground floor.  Be sure to see the displays of 'Harrods Bears'!  Allow one and a half to two hours minimum for your visit.  Linger in the store long enough to see and hear the kilted bagpipers as they march through the halls.  Out of consideration for your fellow shoppers, there are two requirements...  backpacks ('rucksacks') cannot be worn in the store and, tempting though it may be, photography is not allowed inside.  By tube ['subway'], take the Piccadilly Line to Knightsbridge.

• Hellfire Corner - Dover's Secret Tunnels (alternate link) (another link) T  Carved from the 'White Cliffs of Dover' chalk beneath Dover Castle, Hellfire Corner's multilevel labyrinth of secret tunnels predates Napoleonic times.  As a key military command centre ['center'] during World War II, these secret tunnels were home to 700 military and civilian personnel.  From here, Admiral Ramsay and his staff worked for nine days straight directing the evacuation of the 400,000 troops of the British Expeditionary Force from the beaches of Dunkirk.  Dover is a day trip from London by rail.  Admission is by guided tour.  Dress in layers.  Even in the summer, it is cold in the tunnels.  And, by the way, be sure to tour Dover Castle above ground and visit the Dover Museum in the town centre ['downtown'].

• Hever Castle  FC  Hever Castle is most remembered as the childhood of Anne Boleyn, the second of Henry VIIIs six wives.  In 1903, Hever was acquired by the American, William Waldorf Astor (later Viscount Astor), who set about restoring the moated castle.  In the course of time, he created the Tudor village, gardens and even the 35 acre lake  ...which was dug out over two years time by 800 men.  Today, the thirty acres of gardens include the...  Italian Garden, Tudor Garden, Rose Garden, 350ft long Herbaceous Border, Herb Garden and 'Yew Hedge' Maze.  For your visit, allow the better part of four hours  ...more if you plan to get lost for a while in the Maze!

• HMS Belfast  F  When HMS ('Her Majesty's Ship) Belfast' was first commissioned in 1939, she was a state-of-the-art cruiser.  Now moored in the River Thames on the bank opposite the Tower of London, she saw action on D-Day, 6th June 1944, her six inch guns bombarding enemy positions prior to the Allied invasion of Normandy.  Below decks, you will be convinced that she is bigger on the inside than on the outside!  You will want to have a copy of the souvenir booklet with the deck plans and visitor's route so as to see everything and not get lost on your two hour (minimum) tour.  Be sure to wear flat shoes or trainers ['athletic shoes'].

• Kentwell Hall  FC  Drive seven-tenths of a mile down the B1064 from Suffolk's Long Melford town centre and you find that you have arrived  ...in the 16th-century.  The reputation of Kentwell's historical recreations of the domestic life of a Tudor Manor has spread beyond the shores of Great Britain.  'Kentwell is inhabited by up to 250 men, women and children who live, act, dress and speak as authentically as possible....'  Meet and talk with the entire household from 'My Lords and Ladies' to the scullery maids.  Plan your visit here carefully by checking their website for the current schedule of the 'major' and 'minor' Re-Creations.

• Levens Hall  (garden tour)  C  Cumbria's 13th-century, Elizabethan Levens Hall is home to a fantastic, 3 acre, formal topiary garden in the Dutch style  ...box hedges with bedding plants surround the 20ft high, 100+ year old trees clipped into cones, cork-screws, peacocks and pyramids.  The drawing room of the Hall features a magnificently carved mantelpiece.  It is almost unbelievable that this historic topiary garden laid out in the 1790s almost fell victim to the planned route for the A590/591 roadway.

• Liverpool Cathedral (another link)  T  The first impression that we had of the Anglican, Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool was of the sheer massiveness of its 690ft long, red sandstone exterior.  The cathedral was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott who also designed London's Battersea Power Station and  Britain's famous and ubiquitous red telephone box. (Oh! You would like to know more about Britain's historic telephone boxes (site may be off line?).  Jolly good!) Inside, the Latin phrase 'multum in parvo' [literally, 'much in little'] comes to mind...  it seems even bigger on the inside than the outside!  Completed in 1978, The Cathedral Church of Christ is the largest Anglican cathedral in the world and (with 9765 pipes!) has the largest, operational, cathedral organ in the world.  Twice the size of London's St Paul's Cathedral, the interior - in its massive simplicity - is the antithesis of St Paul's Baroque exuberance.  'Vive le différence'.  

• London Eye  F  This is one of the two venues on this list that we have not experienced.  When we were last in London, the 'London Eye' Ferris wheel was under construction.  We saw it when it was still horizontal.  Suspended over the River Thames, it rises over forty stories in the air offering spectacular views of London and beyond.  At the time this web page was prepared, there was talk in the British press of offering the timed tickets for the thirty minute ride on an advance purchase scheme ['plan'].  If you want a ride on the London Eye, be sure to look into getting your tickets before you go to avoid disappointment.

• National Railway Museum  (photos) F  The 'NRM' is, quite simply, the best railway museum in the world!  Being railway enthusiasts, we have visited the NRM six times and still have not seen it all!  Located a ten minute walk from York Station (a five minute walk from the Royal York Hotel (another link), railway enthusiasts will find that even eight hours here will not suffice.  If you cannot spend the better part of a day, ask at the front desk for the museum's current list of 'highlights' which you can see in two hours or less.  An 'Express' visit will include 'Mallard' (the fastest steam locomotive in the world), the cross-sectioned (to see its inner workings), full-size, steam locomotive 'Ellerman Lines', 'The Works' (behind-the-scenes workshops at the NRM), the model railway, 'Mail by Rail', and 'Palaces on Wheels' - an exhibit of trains used by Kings and Queens.  A 'road train'  operates between the NRM and York Minster.

• National Tramway Museum  FC  Crich in Derbyshire is home to the exceptional National Tramway Museum.  The collection of fifty vintage trams ['streetcars'] is not just a 'stuffed and mounted' display of static museum pieces.  They are rolling down the high street ['main street'].  Hop on!  You have an all-day ticket for unlimited rides on the mile-long, scenic route!  Their must see 'Tramways & Light Railways Exhibition'  is hidden away in an unassuming building  ...be sure to ask where it is so you don't miss it.  Plan on spending a minimum of three hours for your visit.

• National Waterways Museum  FT   This award winning museum is located in Llanthony Warehouse on the Gloucester Docks.  The museum's new 'Boat Decoration Gallery' boasts the biggest collection of canal art (often referred to as 'Roses and Castles') in the world.  Allow 2½ to three hours to experience - not just view! - the 200 year history of Britain's canals.  Before you leave the National Waterways Museum, you will have decided that, on your next holiday in Britain, you will definitely hire ['rent'] a canal boat.  Combined with a visit to Gloucester Cathedral, this could be a day trip out of London's Paddington Station.

• Oratory of St Philip Neri - Brompton Oratory (another link)  The proper name of this exquisitely baroque church with the humble exterior is 'The Oratory of St Philip Neri'.  Because it is located on Brompton Road, it is known locally as 'Brompton Oratory'.  Before Westminster Cathedral (not to be confused with the Anglican Westminster Abbey) was built, this was the Roman Catholic Cathedral for the Archdiocese of London.  It is a short walk from here to Harrods or down the block to the Victoria & Albert Museum.

• Pecorama    FC  Pecorama is located in the town of Beer nr ['near'] Seaton in Devon.  Take a mile long ride past the train sheds, through the gardens and around 'Mount Delight' on the 7¼ inch gauge, live steam, Beer Heights Light (miniature) Railway.  Visit their - new in 2000 - millennium Garden.  There are gardens, children's play area and a 'crazy golf' course.  Lunch in the Garden Room Restaurant or the 'Orion' Pullman car.  You 'ice-screamers' can stop by the Tuck Shop for a light snack.  Last but not least, visit the exhibition of superb model railways - every little boy's dream come true.  You will find over fifteen model railways in all the major modelling ['modeling'] scales built in a garden, garden shed, garage, loft ['attic'], cellar ['basement'], lounge ['living room'], study, bedroom, along a corridor, even in a cupboard and in a 'picture frame'!  Be sure to check their opening hours as they close early on Saturdays.

• Portmeirion  FC  Portmeirion is the remarkable creation of the architect, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. This Italianate village in Wales is actually an 'extended' hotel with the many unique buildings being hotel rooms and suites.  Plan to book a room for the night so that you can enjoy the experience without the crush ['crowd'] of visitors.  Arrive in the afternoon at check-in time.  Begin your visit at the 'Playhouse' for the twenty minute audio-visual orientation.  As the day-trippers and bus loads of tourists leave, you will have the village, gardens and woodlands to yourself (and, of course, your fellow hotel guests).  Portmeirion was the setting for Patrick McGoohan's 1960s television series, 'The Prisoner'.

• Powis Castle (history) (garden tour) (garden history)  C  13th-Century Powis Castle has been continuously inhabited for over 700 years.  The interiors of this medieval castle are surprisingly elegant.  Your first dramatic view of the great lawn and gardens below is from the top of three grand terraces.  This terrace is lined with an avenue of enormous, ancient yews.  The next level is the Avery Terrace and, below that, an expansive garden terrace.  A walking stick ['cane'] might help to manage the long stairs down the hill (Or, should we say mountain?) for a walkabout the historic gardens.  Plan to be in the lower gardens in the morning so the sun won't be in your camera lens when you take a snap ['photograph'] of the castle above.

• Quarry Bank Mill & Apprentice House (another link)  FC  The year is 1801, you are ten years old and live in the Apprentice House with 99 other children.  Your day begins at 5.30 in the morning.  Your breakfast is a piece of bread.  At 6.00, you are at work in Quarry Bank Mill, a textile factory in Cheshire, where child apprentices were one-third of the workforce.  In the evenings and Sundays, you are learning to read in school.  But, you know that only the most able boys will be taught writing and arithmetic.  All things considered, you are well cared for.

  This 19th-century, 'Industrial Age' factory is unique among the buildings and properties cared for by the National Trust.  Powered by a 32ft diameter water wheel driven by the River Bollin, the mill's carding and drawing machines, power looms and spinning mules are operational.  To this day, they produce textiles, although on a much smaller scale for sale in the museum shop.  Visit this 'living museum' and leave with a better insight to what life was like in the Industrial Age.

• Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway  FT  Children ride the 15 inch gauge, 13 mile long Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway each day, to and from school!  Hythe Station is the eastern terminus of the RH&DR.  It is possible to visit the line on a day trip from London.  Trains from London call ['stop'] at Folkestone Central Station.  From there,  Hythe Station can be reached by bus or taxi (15-minutes, six miles).  A round-trip from Hythe to Dymchurch - the western terminus - will take a minimum of two hours forty minutes.  The best plan would be to ride the train to Dymchurch and, on the way back, get off at New Romney where you will find a Buffet Restaurant and an exhibition and model railway  on the first ['second' floor in the colonies] floor of the station building.

• (The) Royal Yacht Britannia(alternate link)  F  HMY ['Her Majesty's Yacht'] Britannia was the royal family's 'home at sea' as she sailed 1,087,623 nautical miles on 968 official voyages.  The ship's company included an Admiral, twenty Officers and 240 Yachtsmen.  The Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned in 1997.  Now moored in Leith Harbour ['Harbor'] - about ten minutes from Edinburgh city centre ['center'] by taxi (or bus) - it opened to the the public for the first time in 1998.  Admission is by 'timed ticket' which is available through an advance purchase scheme ['plan'].  You will want to spend the better part of an hour just touring the exhibition area before going on board.  Although we visited in August, the Scottish weather was - shall we say - a bit nippy at the Port of Leith on the shores of the Firth of Forth.  So, be sure to 'dress in layers'.

• Scotland's Secret Bunker  (another link)  FC  An ordinary looking Scottish farmhouse near the town of Anstruther and seven miles from St Andrews (of golf fame) disguises the entrance to an underground, two-level, Cold War nuclear bunker.  In a crisis, the Secretary of State and Minister of State along with 300 military and civilian personnel would have manned this Regional Government Headquarters as part of the plan to disperse the Government.  Walk down the 500ft long tunnel, past the security checkpoint and enter a world that was on the Official Secrets List until 1993 and is now open to the public.  Built 100ft in the ground, the bunker is - quite literally - cold.  So, dress in layers.

• (The) Shakespeare Properties  Here is your check-list to see them all...  Shakespeare's Birthplace, Nash's House (No relation to us.  He was the husband of Elizabeth Hall, Shakespeare's granddaughter.), the foundations of New Place (The home where Shakespeare retired was leveled by one Francis Gastrell in 1756 because he did not like tourists!), King Edward VI Grammar School (which the playwright attended as a child), Hall's Croft (home of his daughter, Susanna, and her husband, Dr John Hall), Holy Trinity Church (Shakespeare's tomb), Anne Hathaway's Cottage (his wife's home...  where you will gratefully find a tea room across the road.) and Mary Arden's House (his mother).  The gardens at Hall's Croft, Shakespeare's Birthplace, Anne Hathaway's Cottage, New Place and - the adjoining - Knott Garden are all charming and memorable.  With the help of the local Guide Friday (alternate link) tour bus, good planning and a nine hour day...  that should just about do it.  Oh!  Did I forget to mention a stroll through Bancroft Gardens along the banks of the River Avon where visiting 'Roses and Castles' canal boats are moored?

• Sheffield Park Garden   (another link)  C  'Capability' Brown created the first of the lakes in the one hundred acre Sheffield Park Garden.  Words cannot describe how peaceful and relaxing a walk through this landscaped park can be!  The extended route includes... the Aucklandii Walk, Conifer Walk, Stream Garden, Seven Sister Glade, the Fourth Lake, Cascade Bridge, Queen's Walk, and the Big Tree Walk.  Depending on whether you choose the short or long route, allow 1½ to three hours for your visit.  A tearoom is located nearby.

• Sissinghurst Castle Garden (another link) (alternate link) C  Beginning in 1932, Vita Sackville-West and her husband, Sir Harold Nicholson, created ten acres of 'magic' in the ruins of Kent's Sissinghurst Castle.  Upon entering the courtyard, straight ahead is the tower.  It is a bit of a climb to the top, but from there you will be able to get an overview of the garden 'rooms' (Did you bring your camera?) so as to plan your route.  This is one garden that does not lend itself to a single, no-backtracking route.  If you are not careful, it is easy to miss some of the garden 'rooms'... Tower Lawn, Yew Walk, Rose Garden, Lime Walk, Cottage Garden, Moat Walk, Nuttery, Herb Garden, Moat, Orchard and White Garden,  (Did we miss any?)  When we were there, entry to this extremely popular garden was by 'timed ticket' available on the day of the visit.  Suggest arriving early to get a reasonable entrance time and avoid hearing the disappointing words, 'Frightfully sorry, sold out for the day.'

• St Giles' Cathedral  Generally regarded as the mother church of Presbyterianism, the High Kirk ['Church'] of St Giles is on Edinburgh's High Street, a part of 'The Royal Mile' that runs from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.  As you enter and walk up the steps, you are greeted by a life-size statute of the Scottish Reformation's John Knox.  The stained glass windows are all the more magnificent because they are relatively low, closer to eye level.  The organ is strikingly beautiful.  Be sure to look for the two angels playing bagpipes above the entrance to the Thistle Chapel, home of the Order of the Thistle - Scotland's highest order of chivalry equivalent to the Order of the Garter.

• St Lawrence Church (another link)  T  Upon entering, our first impression of the church's stained glass windows, chancel ceiling, vaulted tower and myriad monuments was that it had been built as a small cathedral anticipating the appointment of a bishop.  That conjecture was erroneous on our part.  The Parish Church of Saint Laurence reflects the town's medieval prosperity.  Ludlow was a centre ['center'] of the wool trade in Shropshire.  Suprizingly, the church has undergone no less than five major alterations between 1199 and the 15th-century.  The story of this remarkable church is told in a souvenir booklet - available in the gift shop - called, 'The Parish Church of Saint Laurence - A History and a Guide by David Lloyd'.  A block from the town centre, there is a 'pay and display' car park.  (See our 'driving' page for details.)  Be sure to bring your camera.  Ludlow's extraordinary Feathers Hotel is probably the most photographed building in Britain.  The ironmonger ['hardware store'] on King Street near 'The Bullring' is a window shopper's delight.  They carry a range ['product line']  of gardening tools that will make you wish you had a five foot long suitcase in which to bring them home.

• St Paul's Cathedral  Baroque!  That's St Paul's Cathedral. The churchyard is about a one minute walk from St Paul's tube ['subway'] station.  The statue of St Paul looks down on you from the Tuscan column in the churchyard.  Bear to your left and around the cathedral's apse and take the time to walk through the churchyard garden ...then, to the main entrance, the Great West Door.  'Admission fees' (You can pay by credit card.) are becoming necessary to fund the running and maintenance of these great cathedrals. (It takes the better part of twenty U.S. dollars a minute to keep St Paul's going.)  Your first view of the Nave will take your breath away.  No amount of 'doing your homework' (reading articles, looking at photographs) will have prepared you for this experience!  Allow two hours, more if you want to see the crypt and hike up 99ft to the Dome and Whispering Gallery.  Ask a Virger to direct you to the side door and the way down to the gift shop and self-service cafe (and WCs ['lavatories']).

• Stourhead  C  Wiltshire's forty acre Stourhead is the quintessential, landscaped park  ...a Palladian Bridge, long walks around a picturesque lake with classical follys ['ornamental - and expensive - garden buildings and structures'] ...The Pantheon, Temple of Flora, Temple of Apollo...  coming into view with each turn.  If you can, plan to visit on a day when Stourhead House is open to visitors.  Stourhead was the setting for the first of 22 episodes of the 1974 BBC television presentation of Anthony Trollope's 'The Pallisers'.  See our Pallisers page for more information.

• Tatton Hall & Park (another link)  C  A thousand acre! country park and fifty acres of gardens (including the finest example of a Japanese garden in the country) surround this 19th-century Georgian mansion in Cheshire.  If you can, plan your visit to coincide with the opening days of the annual and all-to-brief Royal Horticultural Society Tatton Park Flower Show (alternate link).  Fans of the Granada Television 'Sherlock Holmes' series (staring the 'definitive' Sherlock Holmes, Jeremy Brett) will appreciate that scenes in no less than eleven episodes were filmed at Tatton:  'The Dancing Men', 'The Greek Interpreter', 'The Speckled Band', ' A Scandal in Bohemia', 'The Final Problem', 'The Empty House', 'Shoscombe Old Place', 'The Master Blackmailer', 'The Eligible Bachelor', 'The Three Gables' and 'The Cardboard Box'.

• Venice Simplon Orient Express  The mere mention of the name conjures up images of royalty  ...kings and queens, princes and potentates from far off lands...  travelling on the 'world's most celebrated train'.  In 1977, James B. Sherwood rescued from oblivion the first two of what would become a fleet of thirty-five historic Orient-Express carriages ['passengers cars'].  Master craftsmen were engaged to restore the cars and their opulent interiors - quite literally - from the ground up.  Today, we still think of the VSOE in terms of the luxurious rail journey from London via Paris, Zurich, and Innsbruck to Venice.  Orient-Express Trains & Cruises also offer day excursions, short breaks and a Grand Tour of Britain on their British Pullman Trains (alternate link) which operate from London and other cities in Britain.  No words can even begin to convey our enjoyment and the experience of their rail tours.  An excellent book, "World's Most Celebrated Train" by Dr Shirley Sherwood,  which details the history of the Orient Express and James Sherwood's efforts to preserve the 'gold standard' of rail travel, is available from the VSOE web site.

• Waddesdon Manor  (another link)  C  Waddesdon Manor - the home of Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (of the famous European banking family) - is a 16th-century, French Renaissance château built in the 19th-century in the rolling hills of Buckinghamshire.  The Manor's twin, stairway towers were inspired by the famous staircase of Blois (as was the staircase of Biltmore in the United States.)  Housing the magnificent 'Rothschild Collection' of 18th-century French decorative art, it is a 'crown jewel' cared for by The National Trust. The terrace Parterre garden has been restored to all of its former glory.  You will want a copy of the booklet, 'Waddesdon Manor - The Garden', with its map of the 160 acre grounds for a thorough walkabout.  Entry to this extremely popular venue is by 'timed ticket' available in advance of your holiday with a telephone call and a major credit card.  Be sure to schedule your visit on a day when the 'Bachelor Quarters' are open.  Plan on spending the better part of five hours immersed in what we found to be an extraordinary experience.

• Warwick Castle  FT  The fortress of Warwick (pronounced 'war-ick') traces its history back over 900 years to 1068 when the first castle was built.  The Earls of Warwick were called the kingmakers of England.  'Prodigal' best describes the 20th-century 7th and 8th Earls of Warwick.  The former sold the contents and the latter sold the castle  ...fortunately to the Tussaud Group who have created the 'best day out' in all of England!  In our view, their recreation of an 1898 'Royal Weekend Party' surpasses (Sorry, Tussaud's.) London's Madame Tussaud's.  Over sixty acres of 'Capability' Brown landscaped grounds (with a view down to the River Avon) include a Rose Garden and Peacock Garden with its Gothic Conservatory.  A visit here is most convenient as a day trip out of Stratford-upon-Avon.  Our 'advice' page lists the 'not to be missed' features and explains how to visit Warwick Castle on a day trip from London.

• Winchcombe Railway Museum & Garden C  Railway enthusiasts will revel in this uniquely displayed, private collection of railwayana just seven miles from Cheltenham Spa.  The unpretentious entrance to this ½ acre Cotswold garden is on the High Street ['main street'] in the town of Winchcombe in Gloucestershire.  Parking can be a spot of bother ['inconvenient'].  Be sure to confirm their limited opening hours.  Sudeley Castle is nearby.

• Windsor Castle (Castle Tour) (another link) (and another)  FT  The Castle is home not only to Her Majesty the Queen and her family, but also to retired members of the Palace staff who live in 'Grace and Favour' ['Favor'] apartments in the Lower Ward near St George's Chapel.  The Chapel is home to England's great order of chivalry, the Order of the Garter.  On 20th November 1992, televisions all over the world showed pictures of the devastating fire that engulfed St George's Hall and other rooms in the north wing of the royal apartments.  Now restored to their former grandeur, the State Rooms are again open to the public.  Be sure to see Queen Mary's Doll's House!  Our 'day trips' page gives more details on visiting Windsor Castle on a day trip from London.

• York Minster York Minster - actually 'The Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of St Peter in York' - is almost a mile walk (or, five minute taxi ride) from York railway station.  This is the largest gothic cathedral in Northern Europe.  You will be awed by the great, stained glass windows.  Notice the figures in the Pulpitum (a screen separating the nave from the choir).  They are the Kings of England from William I to Henry VI.  Be sure to see the 'Treasury' in the cathedral's cellars.  In 1967, an inspection of the cathedral's fabric ['structure'] revealed 'a structural crisis of horrifying proportions'  ...the nave's 234ft high, lantern tower was in danger of collapsing.  Be sure to visit the 'Foundations' exhibit which tells the story of the five year, massive works programme ['program'] which restored stability to the structure.

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Last modified: Thursday, 27 October 2005.

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