Where
Britain is divided into four separate countries,
England itself is made up of four quite distinctive
areas--The South of England, Heart of England,
East of England, and England's North
Country--each offering something unique
and exciting: majestic moorland and craggy peaks,
lush green fields and fens, wide sandy beaches
and quaint fishing villages. But England is
not just countryside–there are elegant,
refined and historic cities with Roman, Georgian,
Tudor and Victorian influences; architectural
splendors; university cities; cathedral cities
and other vibrant, exciting cities with museums,
art galleries, modern
trendy restaurants, nightlife and some amazing
theater. Whatever quintessentially English characteristic
you crave--afternoon tea, cricket on the village
green, a walk along the promenade or great theater
and shopping--England has something for everyone.
Two
international airports at Birmingham and Manchester
offer direct
flights to and from the US. Or you can fly
to London and use the great network of trains
and buses,
purchase a tour
package, or rent
a car and drive yourself. Wondering where
to stay? You'll find hotels, hostels and
hostelries, traditional thatched cottages, city
apartments, farms, stately manors and an abundance
of charming bed & breakfasts--something to suit
everyone's taste and budget.
The
South of England
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Stonehenge,
Salisbury
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England's
"Land of Heritage" from Dover on the
east coast with its famous White Cliffs to Land's
End in the West. The southeast counties of Kent,
Surrey, East-
and West-Sussex are known as the
"Garden of England", where you'll
find castles and gardens galore, many with royal
or literary
connections --Dickens,
Chaucer, Henry VIII. Follow "1066 Country"
along the coast to Hastings or Rye and to Brighton--a
traditional English seaside resort famous for
its Pavilion and antiques. The River Thames
flows from London through the Chiltern Hills
of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire,
and the University town of Oxford. If you arrive
by ship, you'll probably dock in Southampton,
on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire.
Take a ferry
to the Isle of Wight or Channel
Islands to explore the historic warships
and Naval Museum in Portsmouth. Dorset
is Thomas
Hardy country, but you'll find plenty of
other literary connections in the south from
Jane
Austen to Agatha Christie--especially in
the "English Riviera" towns of Torquay, Paignton
and Brixham. Ancient Stonehenge
is probably the most famous and most popular
tourist spot in Wiltshire, but there
are abundant monuments and hillside figures,
from giants to white horses, in the area. Walk
or hike the coastal trails of Devon and Cornwall,
or explore the wind-swept moors with rocky Tors
and delightful wild ponies, but don't miss the
thriving art-lovers resort, St Ives, with its
modern Tate Gallery or Tintagel--the Birthplace
of King Arthur. Try a taste of local cider from
the orchards of Somerset,
or cheese from Cheddar Gorge in the Mendip Hills,
explore Exmoor, climb Glastonbury Tor.
Designated a World
Heritage Site, the city of
Bath
is awash with architecture,
history and culture. Highlights include the
Roman Baths, Pulteney Bridge, the Royal Crescent
and Bath Abbey. The compact streets are also
filled with charming shops and restaurants.
At the end of 2002, a remarkable new Spa opens
in Bath, drawing on the UK's only natural hot
springs. You could also find out about our maritime
heritage in
Bristol -- there's something for everyone
in the South."
Heart of England
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The
Malvern Hills, Worcestershire
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Discover
the Heart of England, and over 2,000 years of
civilization in a land famed for its natural
beauty and heritage. Shropshire, in the
west of the region, is where England meets Wales.
Home of Brother Cadfael and Ironbridge you will
also find beautiful medieval towns with distinctive
"black and white" Tudor architecture
that continues into Herefordshire. The
cathedral city of Worcester lies in the
midst of unspoiled rolling countryside and the
Malvern Hills. Cheltenham, a Regency Spa town,
marks the start of the "Romantic Road" that
leads you through the Gloucestershire
Cotswold villages, with their honey-colored
picturesque stone cottages. Shakespeare Country
is Stratford-upon-Avon, where you'll find the
Bard's birthplace, former home and final resting
place, and of course Shakespeare
Theater, Historic Warwick, with its famous
medieval castle, Kenilworth and Royal Leamington
Spa. Birmingham offers a great gateway
to the region with its international airport,
but don't miss out on a great city bursting
with art, culture, music, nightlife and shopping.
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and
Birmingham Royal Ballet are world class, and
the Jewelry Quarter is a shopper's hidden gem.
The Black Country highlights Britain's
industrial heritage, and The Potteries,
in Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, is
the birthplace of English ceramics: Wedgwood,
Royal Doulton, Spode, Minton, Portmeirion, Moorcroft
or Ansley, and more. Derbyshire and the
surrounding hills of the Peak District offer
a walker's paradise, stately homes and Bakewell
Puddings. Lincolnshire borders the east
coast, with its cathedral city, Lincoln, the
bustling market town of Boston--associated with
the pilgrim fathers--and the annual spectacular
flower and bulb festival in Spalding. Robin
Hood lived in Sherwood Forest, in Nottinghamshire,
where the English Civil War began and ended,
although Nottingham is just as famous for its
beautiful handmade lace. Leicestershire
is renowned for Stilton cheese, Pork Pies and
where Richard III met his untimely end, while
Althorp in Northamptonshire was the family
home of Diana, Princess of Wales, surrounded
by more rolling countryside and wide, unspoiled
open spaces--all just waiting to be explored.
East
of England
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Thaxted,
Essex
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Coast
and countryside, gardens and historic houses,
cathedral cities and gentle waterways...take
time to explore the "Real England".
In Cambridgeshire, you can explore
the cathedral cities Peterborough and Ely, find
the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell in Huntingdon,
cycle along the great dykes of the Fens, punt
along the river in the university town of Cambridge,
or visit the Imperial
War Museum at Duxford. From the Royal home
at Sandringham to the cathedral city of Norwich,
Norfolk offers pretty villages, bustling
market towns, famous gardens like those at Norfolk
Lavender, beach resorts and miles of tranquil
waterways--The Norfolk Broads. The Heritage
County of Suffolk is the home of horse
racing, at Newmarket, and artists Gainsborough
and Constable. You'll find Anglo-Saxon villages,
medieval abbeys and churches, thatched, timbered
cottages--a haven for sailing, bird-watching
and antique collectors alike--and the annual
Aldeburgh Festival. Hertfordshire and
Bedfordshire are home to several historic
houses including Hatfield House, Knebworth House
and Woburn Abbey. The famous "Gardens of the
Rose" are in the Roman town of Verulamium, St
Albans, and aviation enthusiasts won't want
to miss the historic collection at Shuttleworth.
Colchester in Essex is Britain's oldest
recorded town, founded by the Romans, and there
are other historic country towns like Saffron
Walden. The old port town of Maldon and the
friendly seaside resorts at Clacton and Southend-on-Sea
are all part of Essex's charm. Harwich is the
gateway to Holland and Europe, with regular
ferries across the North Sea. Stansted in Essex,
London's third airport, now offers direct flights
from the US--so it's even easier to explore
this region.
England’s North Country
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The
Beatles Story, Liverpool
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A
region of stunning countryside and coastline,
historic and fashionable cities, five National
Parks and its own magical island...The Kingdom
of the Isle
of Man. A region that begins with Roman
occupation through Viking, Norman, Medieval
and Victorian times and extends to the vibrant
culture of today.
Manchester
International Airport is the gateway to the
North and to England's Northwest region,
the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution,
the Rolls Royce, the first passenger trains,
great soccer clubs and the Beatles!
The region is dominated by the great Victorian
cities of Manchester and Liverpool,
two of England's most dynamic spots, with grand
old architecture alongside modern museums, art
galleries, restaurants and a thriving nightlife.
In Manchester, look out for the new Lowry Gallery
complex or take a trip to sporting legend at
Old Trafford, home of Manchester United Soccer
Club. No trip to Liverpool would be complete
without a Magical Mystery Tour of the Fab Four's
famous haunts, but also check out the Maritime
Museum or take a ferry across the Mersey from
the renovated waterfront. The magnificent Roman
city of Chester, with its distinct black and
white Tudor architecture and Norman cathedral,
is the heart of Cheshire, a county rich
in gardens and manor houses including Tatton
Park with its wonderful annual flower show.
Travel through the Ribble Valley in Lancashire
and follow the Pendle Witches Trail to medieval
Lancaster Castle, where the witches stood trial.
There's plenty of golf here, too, at Lytham
St Anne's and the elegant resort of Southport.
Blackpool with its Pleasure Beach and its world
famous Illuminations is Britain's most popular
seaside resort.
The
Lake District, in the heart of Cumbria,
is an area of outstanding natural beauty with
sixteen great lakes, from which rise huge mountains
and craggy fells. It was here that Wordsworth,
Keats and Beatrix Potter all found inspiration.
Carlisle, with its castle and majestic cathedral,
lies on the border with Scotland, and marks
the start of the great Roman Hadrian's Wall,
which originally stretched from coast to coast.
Towards the east, Newcastle on the River Tyne
offers another exciting and vibrant city. Northumbria
offers dramatic windswept coastline and rugged,
desolate moorland from Holy Island and the ruins
of Lindisfarne Abbey to the open-air museum
at Beamish, famous for vintage steam engines.
County Durham is the land of the Price
Bishops who once ruled this area like Kings
from the great Norman Cathedral at Durham, which
dominates the skyline of this historic city.
The Durham Dales form part of the North Pennines,
with wooded valleys, rivers, waterfalls and
pretty stone
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Derwent
Water, The Lake District
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villages--a
great place to walk and hike.
Yorkshire
is the county where the rugged Pennines meet
the brooding moors--the inspiration for the
Bronte sisters' literary works, and to the Yorkshire
Dales, celebrated in the books and TV series
of vet James Herriot. You'll find a wealth of
grand, stately homes at Castle Howard and Harewood
House, spectacular remains at Fountains and
Rievaulx Abbeys, and the National Railway Museum
in York. The historic city of York is not to
be missed--with its medieval city wall, the
largest Gothic cathedral in Europe, The Minster,
and narrow streets (the Shambles is the narrowest
of all!), which are lined with traditional shops
and restaurants within tall medieval buildings.
The Jorvik Viking Center recreates the Viking
way of life in the ancient city. Leeds in West
Yorkshire offers both old and new, from
Victorian architecture to new and exciting redevelopments
along the canal where you'll find the Royal
Armories Museum, relocated from the Tower of
London. To the east, in Humberside, where
the river meets the North Sea, Hull offers ferries
to Scandinavia and Europe, while further north
in Whitby, you'll find great fish 'n' chips
and the spooky ruined abbey, scene of Bram Stokers'
Dracula. Harrogate is an elegant Victorian town,
with beautiful botanic gardens and plenty of
tearooms. So much to see--so little time.
