The Cotswolds

Tourists flock to this beautiful country region in the summer, and for good reason.  The whole area seems to have been frozen in time, somewhere in the 1500s.  Tiny towns lined with stone houses and churches are scattered amid gorgeous, classic English rolling hills.  There are rivers to wade and hills to climb, horseback riding trips, and public footpaths criss-crossing from town to town.

There are enough quirky museums, even zoos, antique shops, tea rooms, churches and historic sites to spend days in the Cotswolds alone.  If you want a slower-paced few days' respite from the busyness of a city, stay in a bed and breakfast and drink in the views.

Our favorite spots in the Cotswolds include:

The Mechanical Music Museum.  Tour an amazing collection of antique music boxes that delight and amaze! More here.

Ancient Roman Villlages.  There are a number to choose from, all tucked away in beautiful countryside and very evocative.

Burton-on-the-Water.  As picturesque a village as it gets!  Fun shops and tea rooms, too.

The Rollright Stones.   An ancient stone circle set in the middle of farmland, with great folktales to go with it.  Know the stories before you go to get the full experience!  

Hailes Abbey.  By far our favorite of all the ruined abbeys in England.  Set quietly in the middle of farmland, the ruins of the once rich, huge, and famous abbey (the most popular pilgrimage site besides Canterbury), are now forgotten and overgrown with vines.  The audio guide is awesome, giving you a more vivid idea of monastic life than anything else we know.  The nearby Medieval church is a remarkable site itself, and it also boasts a labyrinth in the grounds, through which you can wander and ponder like Medieval pilgrims. 

Belas Knap Longbarrow.  Take a short hike to a stone age burial mound, set in an evocative, beautiful spot.  You can crawl into the barrow a little ways, and even climb up on top, have a seat on the grass and take a moment for some existential meditation while you stare at the views.

Whitby Abbey

Imagine the ruins of an old cathedral perched above the North Sea, dripping with gothic mystique.  This is the ruined abbey that inspired Bram Stoker to write Dracula and set part of his classic there.  The church next door is surrounded by a gothic style Victorian cemetery, complete with bat-winged skeletons and large blackened tombstones.  The church is also interesting architecturally, being constructed in a mishmash of different asymetrical sections, each from different eras in time.

The view to the North features the medieval town of Whitby.  Now a thriving and unique modern city, you'll find every amenity there and plenty to do and see.  Check out their website for a complete list.

We strongly recommend visiting in April or October during the Whitby Goth Weekend.  Witness hoards of fully-clad goths strutting around the city and abbey and posing for the mass of photographers.  What an experience!

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The Peak District

On the border between Northern and Central England sits the Peak District national park, great for hiking and experiencing quaint village charm.  Partly high moorland with scattered small peaks to summit, partly peppered with very small stone-built villages, and--like anywhere else in England--partly farmland.  We would personally recommend the village of Castleton and a pub there called The George.  Sit next to one of the fireplaces and try the bar-b-q bacon chicken.  Nearby are several interesting caves including "The Devil's Arse" (named for the constant, growling wind that emits from the opening), dramatic ridge-line and moorland trails, a ruined medieval castle, steam train rides, and heart-melting countryside drives.

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.

Tintagel

The legendary home of King Arthur, Tintagel Castle lies in ruins, perched high above the sea on dramatic cliffs.  It's an insanely romantic spot, with trails to wander along the coast among ruins that may date back to Roman times.  Hit up the tea room on site for a really great authentic Cornish Cream Tea (sweet scones, clotted cream, and tea).  

Nearby Tintagel town is quaint with shops that play up the Arthur connection.  Try the Cornish ice cream offered in shops along the main street. 

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Cornwall

There are three regions on the island of Great Britain whose Gaelic roots still distinguish them from the rest of English culture.  Cornwall is the only one that isn't its own country.  In the extreme southwest corner of England its rugged and hilly landscape, its food, its people and culture, its coastline, and its vibe are all its own, and it's the only English county without a single mile of motorway.  From cornish pasties (a meatie pie, NOT a pastry) and cornish cream to King Arthur legends; from rolling countryside to dramatic cliffs to warm beaches in hidden coves; from Bodmin Moore and its mysterious lore to the South West Coastal Trail; you could stay for days in Cornwall and never get bored.

Sites of Interest: Tintagel, Land's End, Penzance, The Eden Project, Bodmin Moore

Places to Stay: the Jamaica Inn (of Hitchcock fame), Tintagel

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Wroxerter Roman City

A really fascinating taste of Ancient Rome -- in Britain!  You can wander the ruins of an ancient Roman city, nestled quietly in the beautiful countryside.  An audio tour walks you around the ruins, explaining what everything used to be.

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Hadrian's Wall

(Hadrian's wall is the cover photo - gorgeous!)

When Rome was busy taking over the world, they charged through Britian without much trouble, until they reached the untamable Pict tribes up in Scotland.  Rather than exhaust their troops and supplies fighting the seemingly unstoppable barbarians for one tiny, rocky piece of land, they stopped and built a wall.  "This is the end of the Roman empire!" it proclaimed, and it now marks the farthest north Rome ever got.

The country up north is hauntingly beautiful, and the great wall continued to mark the border between England and Scotland for years.  Now it's just a cool place to go hiking.  (Oh, and there's also the spot where they filmed a bit of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.) Incredibly scenic vistas await you, as well as the ruins of some impressive Roman camps and towns, and a whole lotta sheep.  After a stint in a city, this is a great place to breathe some fresh air, get some exercise on the 3-mile hike along the wall, and gasp at the beauty of Britain.

Recommended Hotel:
Twice Brewed Inn, an ancient pub perched right near the Wall, friendly service, great breakfast

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Tintern Abbey

JMW Turner's paintings and William Wordsworth's poem helped make this place famous, and it is one of the most dramatic, majestic, and eerie of all the ruined abbeys in Britain.  Nestled in the rolling hills of South Wales, it is picturesque, magnificent, haunting, and humbling!  Just standing among the ruins gives you a sense of being outside of time, and with a bit of imagination the experience gets even better.

Tintern Abbey was a bustling and wealthy monastery until Henry VIII destroyed it during the dissolution (1536).  Henry had started the Church of England and thought the monasteries were becoming too wealthy and corrupt.  What better place to cash in on funds he desperately needed? He dissolved the monasteries, often killing the monks who resisted, and took all the land and wealth for himself.  Tintern Abbey is a shell of its former self - literally.  It is a glorious building without a ceiling, with grass for a floor, and stairs that lead nowhere.  

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William Wordsworth's "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey," here.

About JMW Turner, here.

Kenilworth

Kenilworth is "in the heart of the historic heart of England," and it's our beloved hometown.  It's a charming little medieval town built around a huge castle.  Kenilworth Castle was the home to some really important dudes in English history, and some momentous events happened here.

Past residents include: Prince John "the phony King of England," King Henry V, and Robert Dudley, Queen Elizabeth's "favorite" (wink wink).  

One of the coolest things that happened here was when castle resident Simon De Montfort staged a revolt against King Henry III, his brother in law.  Simon de Montfort died in a battle just outside Kenilworth, and his followers ran back to the castle to hide.  Henry III followed them, and staged the longest seige in English history!  He camped out for six months, slowly starving out the men in the castle  (at the castle, you can see the massive stone balls Henry launched over the walls with a trebuchet).  When Simon's son finally got desperate, he escaped under cover of night by swimming the moat in his nightshirt, leaving everybody else behind to starve and eventually surrender.  

Now the castle is in ruins and the moat has become rolling green countryside.  Visiting the castle is haunting, awe inspiring, and so cool!  Nearby, the town's quaint streets are peppered with thatched roof cottages and quaint shops.  Stop by "Time for Tea" for the tiny local tea room experience.  The town's huge Abbey Fields are also adjacent to the castle.  These are the grounds of a 12th century monastery, which was once one of the richest in England before Henry VIII destroyed it.  What's left is a stunning church about a thousand years old, a beautiful pond, and scattered ruins of the monastery lying among ancient tombstones.  The surrounding countryside is prime land for long country walks, picnics, wooded strolls, birdwatching, and reveling in the beauty of the lush countryside .  Kenilworth is Heaven on earth.

Recommended Places to Stay:
Families or big groups who want to stay a while should seek out one of the holiday cottages on High Street.  The Wren's Nest, Jackdaw Cottage, and The Christmas Cottage are all in prime locations.  Well-placed hotels include The Old Bakery and Milsoms Hotel.

Recommended reading:

 Kenilworth by Sir Walter Scott tells the story of Robert Dudley, his romance with Queen Elizabeth, and his wife's mysterious death.  Scott wrote it while staying in the Kings Arms and Castle Hotel in Kenilworth.

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Minster Lovell Hall

Once upon a time in the 1400s, evil Richard III snatched the English crown for himself. He did this by having the true King and the King’s little brother murdered, and they were both just little boys. Their bodies, dead or alive, were cemented into the stairwell at the Tower of London. Anyway Richard III and his malevolent cronies were still revelling in the power and glory they had so dubiously achieved when Richard’s cousin showed up and killed Richard on the battlefield. {This is the end of the Wars of the Roses, which you may have heard of.} But this story isn’t really about the Wars of the Roses. It’s about one of Richard’s malevolent cronies, Lord Lovell. Because when I learned about his fitting and miserable end, I just had to go see the place where it happened.

When he saw Richard die in battle, Lord Lovell knew he was totally screwed and headed for the hills. He was one of the richest guys in England, at least until the moment Richard was run-through with a sword, but he knew that all of his wealth and property would be seized by the new king, and he himself would be executed in a manner like unto Braveheart. So he ran to one of his more out-of-the-way houses, Minster Lovell Hall, hoping to buy some time while they searched all his bigger mansions. It’s in a really lovely spot, by a pretty stream in a tiny village. I would hate to go to such a peaceful spot knowing full well that I was likely soon going to have my intestines pulled slowly out of a hole in my belly while I screamed. But I digress. He had to hide. Like really really hide. He had a small secret room made in his house that was only accessible through a secret door with a secret key. He dismissed all his servants, retaining only his most loyal old butler. He gave this most loyal butler the key and tucked himself away in the secret room. For years and years he lived locked away in a claustrophobic little place, and his butler would sneak him some food everyday.

Better than execution, I suppose, but then the old butler died. And there was no one around to tell about the secret room or the secret key or the secret Lord in there who needed to be fed. And Lord Lovell, locked inside, slowly starved to death!

That was the story anyway. People talked about it for a couple hundred years after the fact, but no one really thought it was true. Then in 1708, while doing some remodeling, the owners of the house knocked down a wall and discovered a secret room -- and a human skeleton inside! (And also the skeleton of a dog; he must’ve had some company.)

Since then the house has become a skeleton itself. But it’s still by a beautiful stream, in a hauntingly serene and pretty spot. It’s another one of those smaller attractions (with no tourists in sight) that is just as impressive/creepy as, say, the Tower of London with its skeletons of children in the stairs. Speaking of which, who sealed those boys in the stairs? Lord Lovell perhaps.

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