Chester

Enjoy a visit to Chester, one of the finest heritage cities in the world, with the most complete city walls in Britain. Explore the exciting history of Chester with a walking tour through the unique half-timbered galleried streets and enjoy the splendor of the black and white buildings.

Liverpool

A day in the lively and cosmopolitan city of Liverpool is recommended. Make sure to visit the Albert Dock, Britain’s most popular heritage attraction, which has something for everyone, interesting shops and gift carts, together with top class attractions such as the Beatles Story, Merseyside Maritime Museum and the Tate Gallery.

Take time to visit the village of Hawkshead in Cumbria with its delightful network of narrow streets, alleyways and arches leading to the square. In the main street is the Beatrix Potter Gallery, with a changing exhibition of illustrations from her children’s books and a display about her life and work in the Lake District. Travel south east to Near Sawrey and visit Hill Top, the 17th century farmhouse with a delightful country garden. It is here that Beatrix Potter wrote and illustrated many of her books between 1905 and 1913.

Spend the day in the beautiful north west corner of England known as the Lake District. Narrow passes, soaring mountains, plunging waterfalls and lakes of every shape and size create a landscape which has inspired poets, writers and artists. You may want to take a boat trip on Lake Windermere the largest natural freshwater lake in England. A must is to visit Dove Cottage in Grasmere where William Wordsworth lived and wrote some of his finest poetry. View many of the poet’s possessions, manuscripts and memorabilia. Do not leave without tasting some of Sarah Nelson’s Grasmere Gingerbread, baked to a traditional local recipe in the old village school.

Spend the day in the beautiful north west corner of England known as the Lake District. Narrow passes, soaring mountains, plunging waterfalls and lakes of every shape and size create a landscape which has inspired poets, writers and artists. You may want to take a boat trip on Lake Windermere the largest natural freshwater lake in England. A must is to visit Dove Cottage in Grasmere where William Wordsworth lived and wrote some of his finest poetry. View many of the poet’s possessions, manuscripts and memorabilia. Do not leave without tasting some of Sarah Nelson’s Grasmere Gingerbread, baked to a traditional local recipe in the old village school.

Take time to visit the village of Hawkshead in Cumbria with its delightful network of narrow streets, alleyways and arches leading to the square. In the main street is the Beatrix Potter Gallery, with a changing exhibition of illustrations from her children’s books and a display about her life and work in the Lake District. Travel south east to Near Sawrey and visit Hill Top, the 17th century farmhouse with a delightful country garden. It is here that Beatrix Potter wrote and illustrated many of her books between 1905 and 1913.

Located close to Southport, the spectacular Great Hall has an intricately carved ‘moveable’ wooden screen and dramatic hammer-beam roof. Evidence suggests that Shakespeare performed in this hall for the owner, Sir Thomas Hesketh, whose family owned Rufford for over 400 years. The house contains fine collections of 16th- and 17th-century oak furniture, arms, armour and tapestries. The grounds are laid out in late-Victorian style and feature a herbaceous border, orchard, topiary, sculpture and a woodland walk.

Southport is located to the North West of Liverpool. Developement in the Victorian era has left the town with a glorious legacy, the spaciousness of Southport, the parks and gardens and wide tree-lined streets. Lord Street, one of Britain's finest boulevards, is the main shopping thoroughfares, straight and wide for almost a mile. Along one side are shops with Victorian glass topped canopies and on the opposite sides are gardens, fountains and classical buildings.

Enjoy a visit to Chester, one of the finest heritage cities in the world, with the most complete city walls in Britain. Explore the exciting history of Chester with a walking tour through the unique half-timbered galleried streets and enjoy the splendor of the black and white buildings.

A day in the lively and cosmopolitan city of Liverpool is recommended. Make sure to visit the Albert Dock, Britain’s most popular heritage attraction, which has something for everyone, interesting shops and gift carts, together with top class attractions such as the Beatles Story, Merseyside Maritime Museum and the Tate Gallery.

The magnificent black and white half-timbered facades contain fascinating interiors spanning many centuries: the Great Hall and priests’ holes evoke Tudor times, while the oak parlour and smaller rooms, some with William Morris wallpapers, are evidence of the Victorian desire for privacy and comfort. There is also fine Jacobean plasterwork and intricately carved furniture. A fully equipped Victorian kitchen and servants’ hall enable visitors to see ‘behind the scenes’. The restored garden has spring bulbs, a rose garden, summer border and stream garden, and there are woodland walks and fine views over the Mersey Basin towards North Wales.

Intimate and intriguing Regency house with interesting collections, set in extensive estate. At its centre stands the home of Miss Rosalie Chichester, who lived here for 84 years until 1949. Crowded with treasures amassed from her travels, the house contains model ships, tapestry, pewter and shells. The stable block houses one of the best collections of 19th-century horse-drawn vehicles in the country and offers carriage rides around the grounds. The gardens are largely informal but include a small Victorian garden with conservatory and ornamental pond, leading to a partially restored walled kitchen garden. Wonderful walks take in historic parkland grazed by Jacob sheep and Shetland ponies, leafy woodlands and a lake with heronry and bird hide.

On the edge of the Castle grounds, a short stroll along the banks of the River Bovey leads you to the quintessential Devon village of North Bovey with a cluster of traditional white-washed thatched cottages set around an historic village green. The Ring of Bells, a charming 13th century inn, offers an extensive selection of local ales and fayre.

Spend the day amongst the scenic and contrasting villages of the North Devon Coast. Visit Appeldore, a fishing village of olde world charm. Croyde Bay, where the village nestles in a sheltered combe, with thatched cottages and a stream that follows the main street. Ifracombe, with its unique tunnel beaches and historic harbour, set amidst cliffs and caves. Lynton and Lynmouth, both picturesque villages with a host of gift shops and tea rooms to explore and a unique water operated cliff railway that links Lynton to Lynmouth 900 ft below.

A day in Exeter is recommended. Capital of Devon, Exeter is full of history and heritage. The Norman Cathedral dates from 1394, the Guildhall, one of England’s oldest municipal buildings, a pub where Drake and Raleigh once drank their ale, a rich variety of museums, theatres and shopping in modern precincts and cobbled streets. Walk the remains of the City Walls and visit the historic quayside.

The Capital of Devon, Exeter is full of history and heritage. The Norman Cathedral dates from 1394, the Guildhall, one of England’s oldest municipal buildings, a pub where Drake and Raleigh once drank their ale, a rich variety of museums, theatres and shopping in modern precincts and cobbled streets. Walk the remains of the City Walls and visit the historic quayside.

located across a narrow, sheltered valley which winds its way to the spectacular Atlantic Coast only a mile away. Within a designated ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ visitors may wander freely around the beautiful gardens and grounds which lead to the rocky cove. Peacocks and bantams roam at will whilst donkeys and Black Welsh Mountain sheep graze the Old Deer Park. Hartland Abbey is the lived-in family home of the Stucley family. Although it was built in the 12th century, remaining as a monastery for 400 years and passing through the female line three times, it has never been sold. Consequently, it contains collections of pictures, furniture and porcelain which have accumulated over many generations. The story of the Abbey mirrors local and national history at every turn.

Enjoy a boat trip from Dartmouth to Totnes on the very scenic and glorious River Dart. Many of the castles in Devon and Cornwall were built in times of threatened invasions: the earliest include Tintagel, the birthplace of King Arthur, and not very far from Bovey Castle is perhaps the most haunted Castle in England. Devon was also home to dashing Elizabethan seafarers: Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh and the Gilberts (discoverers of Newfoundland) whose family still live in Compton Castle today.

Enjoy a visit around the many picturesque villages of East Devon. Branscombe is one of the most relaxing and picturesque of East Devon's many villages. Believed to be the longest village in the country, it sweeps down along a spectacular valley, past colourful cottages down to the sea. There are pretty rows of thatched cottages with hanging baskets and climbing roses, a picturesque dovery and a church with one of the most inspiring views in the county. Honiton is the acknowledged capital of antiques in Devon, with a considerable number of good quality shops specialising in a wide variety of treasures. Closer to Bovey Castle are the delightful and ancient towns of Ashburton and Chagford, which are also worth a browse.

Spend the day amongst the scenic and contrasting villages of the North Devon Coast. Visit Appledore, a fishing village of olde world charm. Croyde Bay, where the village nestles in a sheltered combe, with thatched cottages and a stream that follows the main street. Ifracombe, with its unique tunnel beaches and historic harbour, set amidst cliffs and caves. Lynton and Lynmouth, both picturesque villages with a host of gift shops and tea rooms to explore and a unique water operated cliff railway that links Lynton to Lynmouth 900 ft below.

One of the most beautiful gardens in the UK, spanning some 80 acres and is situated above the River Conwy on ground sloping towards the west and looking across the valley towards the Snowdonia range. The garden has two parts. The upper garden around Bodnant Hall consists of the terraced gardens and informal lawns shaded by trees. The lower portion, known as the "Dell" is formed by the valley of the River Hiraethlyn and contains the Wild garden. An endeavour has been made at Bodnant Garden to grow a wide range of interesting and beautiful plants from all over the world, particularly China, North America, Europe and Japan that are suited to the Welsh climate and soil. As well as this, care has been taken to place the plants in such a way that they enhance each other and contribute to the general beauty of the garden throughout the seasons.

the largest castle built by Edward I, started in 1283. Most of the exterior walls have survived but, although the interior has vanished, it is still used for the investiture of the Prince of Wales.

Conwy castle is a gritty, dark stoned fortress which has the rare ability to evoke an authentic medieval atmosphere. Conwy, constructed by the English monarch Edward I between 1283 and 1289 as one of the key fortresses in his 'iron ring' of castles to contain the Welsh, was built to prompt such a humbling reaction. Soaring curtain walls and eight huge round towers give the castle an intimidating presence undimmed by the passage of time. The views from the battlements are breathtaking looking out across mountains and sea. It is from these battlements that visitors can best appreciate Conwy's other great glory, its ring of town walls. Conwy is the classic walled town. Its circuit of walls, over three quarters of a mile long and guarded by no less than 22 towers, is one of the finest in the World.

The Ffestiniog Railway is the Oldest Independent Railway Company in the World. The traveller on the Ffestiniog is treated to a comfortable journey from the delightful and historic port of Porthmadog situated at the inland end of the Lleyn peninsula in North Wales, across the Cob (which serves to separate the reclaimed land in the old Glaslyn estuary from the sea) and then up an almost continuous gradient to the ancient slate quarrying town of Blaenau Ffestiniog high in the mountains. Much of the journey is within the Snowdonia National Park amongst some of the most rugged and beautiful mountain scenery in Wales. Take time to visit nearby Llechwedd Slate Caverns. Tour the underground world of the Victorian slate miner and explore the home of slate heritage. The 'Deep Mine Tour' starts on the steepest passenger railway, meet the ghost of a Victorian miner who tells of the social life of the community in the industrial revolution. The 'Miners Tramway' is a guided tour through a network of caverns with demonstrations of ancient mining skills.

Take a tour to Caernarfon. Dominated by the most imposing and complete of Edward I’s castles, with its banded walls and angled towers on the sea front. Enjoy a visit to the old town, still ringed by the almost intact walls. Continue to Llanberis to visit the Slate Mining Museum or a trip on the Snowdon Mountain Railway.

Visit the wonderful Portmeirion Village. Developed by Clough Williams-Ellis on his own private peninsula on the Coast of Snowdonia. His lifelong concern was with Architecture, Landscape Design, the protection of Rural Wales and Conservation. The village has several shops and restaurants and is surrounded by the Gwyllt sub-tropical gardens and woodlands and miles of sandy beaches.

Mumbles is a Victorian seaside resort, often referred to as ‘the Gateway to Gower’. It has much to offer, including a promenade, restored pier and fabulous shops and eateries. Oystermouth, at the village centre, is so named for its history as an oyster-fishing port. Oystermouth is dominated by the impressive castle ruins.

Visit the wonderful Portmeirion Village. Developed by Clough Williams-Ellis on his own private peninsula on the Coast of Snowdonia. His lifelong concern was with Architecture, Landscape Design, the protection of Rural Wales and Conservation. The village has several shops and restaurants and is surrounded by the Gwyllt sub-tropical gardens and woodlands and miles of sandy beaches.

Located on the outskirts of Newport and easily accessible off the M4 motorway, the 17th-century Tredegar House is one of the architectural wonders of Wales. Its 36 hectares/90 acres of award-winning gardens and parkland include formal areas and wide expanses of grassland. The Ancestral home of the Morgan family and later the Lord Tredegars. The Victorians re-modelled the original seventeenth century house so that they wouldn't have to receive guests straight into the Great Hall. They abandoned the main entrance, and turned the house on its side, building this new entrance in around 1850.