The Scottish Highlands

 
The Scottish Highlands in Northern Scotland are home to Ben Nevis, the highest point in Great Britain, myriad scenic hiking trails, and plenty of pristine lakes.  They also contain a lot of Scottish history, including the infamous massacre at Glencoe, and were home to the kilt-wearing Celtic tribes of old that we think of so fondly.  Castle lovers can flock to Scotland for a lifetime's fix of castles.  Hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts will find more secluded trails and mountains here than anywhere else in Great Britain.


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Ironbridge Gorge

This region in Shropshire is all about England's Victorian industrial past.  The scenic gorge (dominated by the first iron bridge in England, dating to the 1700s) is lined with old Victorian mining and manufacturing facilities-turned-museums.  It's a popular vacation destination for English families, and you could easily spend three days here bouncing around the various sites with your Ironbridge Gorge passport (a ticket that gets you into everything).  Blists Hill, a full-blown living history Victorian town is especially fun for families.

Witley Court

There are four main marvels at Whitley Court.  A ruined mansion, its huge manicured grounds, a rococo style chapel, and a massive, elaborately decorated fountain.

The mansion was dramatically gutted by fire sometime in the 1930's.  Today you can wander around it, guided by an audio tour, and marvel at its grandiose architecture.  The huge grounds, complete with a large pond, and rose garden, provide manicured paths for your strolling pleasure.  Attached to the remains of the mansion is a (still intact) rococo style church that used to serve the residents.  Definitely don't miss this.  We haven't seen anything like it outside of the continent!  Bring a picnic to eat on the lawn behind the manor and check out the magnificent fountain.  It's main sculpture is Perseus fighting the sea monster and it still erupts every 15 minutes by using pressurized water from a reservoir somewhere uphill.

Down House

In a tiny country village just outside of London, lies Down House, the home of Charles Darwin. A visit the house is not just a lovely dose of countryside quiet, but also a fascinating journey into the life and character of the world's most famous scientist.  

His home life was classic Victorian, complete with children running to and fro, sledding down the stairs, and games of backgammon every night.  Tour his greenhouses, where he undertook so many experiments, and wander the garden path where he did so much of his thinking.  An audio guide walks you through the furnished part of the house, and a self-guided exhibit upstairs tells you more about the man and his work. 

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Dover

Dover is a destination with a great variety of amazing sites: an early medieval castle, secret WWII tunnels, and the famous White Cliffs.   All these sites are interactive and kid-friendly. 

Dover Castle, which is over a thousand years old, has been recently completely refurnished to portray the castle in its Medieval heyday -- this is the only castle we know of in England where you can really get the flavor of life in the Middle Ages (it might surprise you that it was full of bright colors!). 


Right next to Dover Castle are the Secret Wartime Tunnels that Churchill had dug into the cliffs of Dover during WWII.  Since Dover was really close to France, it was prime land for watching the enemy's actions across the channel.  Military personnel worked and lived inside the tunnels for months on end, successfully keeping them secret for the entirety of the war.  They are preserved as they were during the war, and you can visit by guided tour.  A truly unique experience that brings to life the wartime experience.  Don't miss it! 


The famous chalk-white Cliffs of Dover are an awe-inspiring sight, and you can walk along the tops of them for a mile or two.  Great spot for a picnic!  Familiarize yourself with the classic English tune, "The White Cliffs of Dover" so you can sing it while you're there.

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Brighton

England's famous seaside resort dates back to Georgian times.  You may know it from all the Jane Austen characters who dream of running off there.  This is the classic English seaside experience, with a carnival pier, a long pebble beach, lots of shops, good seafood, and the obligatory Flake 99. 

Brighton is home to the unique and bizarre "Pleasure Palace" that King George IV built when he was prince. What do you do when you have all the money in the world and nothing to do until your crazy Dad dies? You do whatever you want. And I like to think of this palace as a Prince's version of a lego castle. It's huge and absolutely amazing inside - it's all elaborate chinese and Indian-inspired architecture that really just looks like some rich jerk said, "I want a massive palace with gold ceilings and secret passageways and the world's biggest kitchen and the world's best chef to cook me disgustingly elaborate feasts." And that's pretty much what happened.

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Greenway

If you're an Agatha Christie fan, then make the trip out to her beloved seaside home called Greenway in Devon.  Perched high above a river, on an island, the best way to access it is by ferry (parking is VERY limited, and must be pre-booked).  Visits to the house are by guided tour, then you can wander the grounds to your heart's content.  For people who aren't interested in Agatha Christie, it's just a big furnished house, but it's still a memorably beautiful spot.

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A la Ronde

This is a wacky old 16-sided house that overlooks the sea in Devon.

Mary Parminter, the wacky woman who built it over two hundred years ago, inherited his big fat business fortune, but she didn't just sit around waiting for suitors with $$$ in their eyes to put a fancy ring on her rich little finger.

Instead, she packed up her stuff and marched off to Europe, taking her sister and two girlfriends with her.  And the four girls toured Europe for 10 years, because why not?


When the girls came back from Europe, two of them decided to build their dream house by the sea, all on their own.  And they wanted it to have 16 sides and diamond-shaped windows, because why not?  And they covered the upper level of the house with seashells in intricate designs, and made friezes out of feathers in the living room. 

Bath

Nothing beats Bath.  It is one of only two World Heritage cities in Britian (the other is Edinburgh), and it deserves the recognition! Bath was the Hollywood of the early 1800s, where the rich would go to see and be seen.  Fashionable ladies strolled the avenues, and available young aristocrats looking for life partners spent nearly every night at the "pump rooms," dancing and mingling.  It would have been a sight to see.

Nowadays, it is a different kind of site to see!  Bath has been a popular resort destination since Roman times at least!  Hot springs in the ground inspired the Romans to build a massive bath house for public bathing - this has been excavated and you can visit it - it's surprisingly similar to public pool complexes today.  In the Middle Ages, people build another bath house (not knowing that only seven inches away the Roman baths lay hidden underground!), and then, after Queen Mary bathed in the waters and miraculously overcame her infertility in the 1700s, Bath became to place to be.  Aristocrats from all over the country spent their summers there, bathing in the mineral water, drinking it, shopping, and socializing.  During this heyday, pretty much the whole town was built up - and now it is one impressive monolith of grand limestone Georgian architecture.  The city's historic center is just small enough to get around everywhere on foot (and lots of fascinating walking tours help guide you around).  

But the cool thing about Bath is that it's full of really great museums that are sometimes half empty of tourists, or in the case of the delightful Museum of Bath at Work, totally empty!

The Bizarre Bath Comedy Walk at night is highly recommended -- a hilarious evening tour around the town!  You'll need to stay the night in Bath to do this, which will make you happy.    

Of course we mustn't forget Bath's most famous champion, Jane Austen herself.  She lived in Bath for a while, as did most of the characters in her books.  Bath is a Jane Austen mecca for fans, and a few museums and tours bring the novels alive.  If you want your trip to Bath to be REALLY cool, I highly recommend the following:

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About the eccentric man who "made" Bath, Beau Nash: here. 

 

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Fitzpatrick's Temperance Bar

Fitzpatrick's Temperance Bar in Rawtenstall has been making soft drinks over 100 years.  In Victorian England, no tax on alcohol created a alcoholism problem that became a major isue in society.   Thus the temperance movement was born: no more alcohol!  A Methodist cheese-maker in Preston, Lancashire started a society whose members pledged to lay off the booze.

Many people were perfectly willing to give up the booze, but...what about our pubs, our socializing, our community gathering places?  Fitzpatrick's filled the bill.  At Fitzpatrick's people could gather to drink sarsaparilla, ginger beer, and creme soda along with the magic herbal remedies of the Fitzpatrick family (you can still get them today).

The shop, though small, is crammed with old fashioned sweets and a plethora of non alcoholic beverage options.  They even have soda on tap!  Fitspatrick's remains as the last original Temperance Bar in Britain.