March/April 2019

Britain

The official magazine of Visit Britain

Britain1 min read
Editor's Letter
Flicking through the pages of this month’s BRITAIN before it goes to press, I’m struck by the sheer variety of experiences to be had within our shores. Just a sample from this issue: you can explore the thousand-year-old Tower of London with a Beefea
Britain2 min read
Your Letters
In BRITAIN Vol 86 Issue 6 there was a great article on Horace Walpole’s house, Strawberry Hill. My godson and his bride were married there, almost 25 years ago. It was an Indian wedding, and the most glorious ceremony I have seen…the colours spectacu
Britain3 min read
Visit Doncaster
www.visitdoncaster.com You might know Doncaster for its world famous horseracing fixtures The St Leger Festival in September or more recently the family friendly multi award winning Yorkshire Wildlife Park home of England’s only Polar Bears and the
Britain4 min read
The BULLETIN
London’s 'oldest new theatre', a wonder of Victorian engineering, has finally reopened after 80 years. The theatre at Alexandra Palace first opened in 1875 and was a popular venue, with audiences of over 3,000 watching everything from pantomime to op
Britain5 min read
Welsh Romance
Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, described north Wales as “full of horror”. The region was remote; the landscape wild and rugged. Yet within decades, artists and writers thronged to get there. The painter JMW Turner went five times at the end
Britain3 min read
Alternative Accommodations in North Wales
A hostel like you’ve never seen before, with modern spacious rooms and an incredibly cosy feeling throughout. This is currently North Wales’s only five-star hostel within a stunning setting near Snowdonia. It has been a base location for exploration
Britain1 min read
The Planner
The train from London Euston to Bangor takes just over three hours. It’s then 20 minutes by taxi to Snowdonia National Park. www.thetrainline.com From cosy Salem Chapel Bed & Breakfast it’s just a five-minute drive to two summit footpaths. Penmachno
Britain5 min read
Guardians Of The Tower
Yeoman Warders – nicknamed Beefeaters – are the ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London and still swear allegiance to the Queen. In addition to manning the Tower and all things within it, they have been historically responsible for the supervisio
Britain5 min read
Divorced, Beheaded, Survived
Part Two T he death in 1537 of Henry VIII’s third wife Jane Seymour had cast the King into a deep depression and his marital track record – divorcing his first wife Catherine of Aragon and executing his second wife Anne Boleyn – hardly recommended hi
Britain3 min read
WHITE CLIFFS of DOVER
Northern Ireland may have the Giant’s Causeway, Wales its mountains and Scotland its glens, but it’s hard to imagine any geographical phenomenon that sums up ‘England’ more than the White Cliffs of Dover. Their dazzling chalk bluffs, haunted by the m
Britain5 min read
Hardwick Hall
From the second Hardwick Hall heaves into view there’s no doubting whose show it is. High on the parapets the initials E.S. appear fourteen times, each crowned with a ducal coronet. Elizabeth Countess of Shrewsbury knew how to make a statement. Confi
Britain5 min read
WANDERING the WINE GARDEN of ENGLAND
In 1077, a monk named Gundulf travelled from Normandy to a small English city on the River Medway, to assume the bishopric of its derelict 400-year-old cathedral. He quickly set to work building a new cathedral, which still stands today, but he also
Britain1 min read
Vineyard Essentials
Some vineyards are open daily, while others arrange tours only with groups – always check in advance. The www.winecellardoor.co.uk website and app are invaluable, with a map and directory of every vineyard open to visitors in England and Wales. There
Britain2 min read
An Indulgent Wine-tasting Break
BRITAIN has teamed up with country house hotel group, Hand Picked Hotels, to offer one lucky reader and their guest the chance to win an indulgent and leisurely overnight break for two at the historic Buxted Park Hotel in East Sussex. The prize inclu
Britain5 min read
Into The Woods
There’s nothing new about the New Forest. Far from the spindly saplings that the name conjures up, this is a vast swathe of ancient woodland carpeting 566 square kilometres of Hampshire and Wiltshire. Designated a royal forest by William the Conquero
Britain3 min read
Buxton
At 1,000 feet above sea level, Buxton jointly holds the title of the highest market town in England and is surrounded by some of the country’s most spectacular scenery – with the UK’s oldest National Park on its doorstep. Founded by the Romans who ca
Britain4 min read
PLAYGROUND Of The NORTH
Scotland is rich in tales of dramatic history, battlefields and beheaded queens. Aviemore stands out as a relatively peaceful destination, a town now celebrated as a family-friendly resort, an outdoor playground for all ages. Perennially popular with
Britain2 min read
Salisbury
Salisbury is often seen as a place to break a car journey on the way to Stonehenge, but the picturesque city is well worth a visit in its own right. A ‘city in the countryside’, it offers the best of both worlds. The charming historic centre is abuzz
Britain3 min read
Salisbury: Cut-out-and-go Guide
The closest international airport is Southampton; from here, it’s under an hour to get to Salisbury by car or train. South West Trains run direct from London Waterloo in an hour and a half. www.southamptonairport.com; gwr.com In the heart of the city
Britain2 min read
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson was a tall, ungainly man, shabby and twitchy. He was also one of the greatest literary figures of the 18th century, compiling the most popular English dictionary until the Oxford English Dictionary 150 years later. A Dictionary of the

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