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Cambridge developed around an Anglo-Saxon bridge, the Danes used it as a trading post and William the Conqueror built a castle there. The city’s greatest fame, however, derives from being home to Britain’s second oldest university, established sometime after 1209. The first of Cambridge’s residential colleges, Peterhouse, was established in 1284 and it is these self-governing institutions that make up the university. The entre of Cambridge is King’s Parade, where you’ll find King’s College (founded in 1441) with its breathtaking chapel and, close by, other colleges – like St John’s (1511) and Trinity (1544) – which can be visited. In parallel with King’s Street are the Backs – a stretch of riverside gardens and lawns linking several colleges. The university boasts more Nobel Prize winners than you can shake a stick at, as well as a multitude of well-known graduates including politicians, writers and entertainers.
Wander along in and out of colleges, , take a punt on the Cam, stop for a coffee, ice-cream, or a pint. For visitors, Cambridge also offers notable churches (including one of only 5 round churches in England), outstanding botanic gardens, several museums with interests ranging from archaeology, computing, earth sciences and the polar regions – though the most famous is probably the astonishing Fitzwilliam Museum, which includes world-class artwork as well as major collections from antiquity. Theatres and cinemas offer a variety of entertainment and there is a large general weekday market as well as specialist arts and crafts ones at weekends. Nearby attractions include Duxford air museum, and the Cambridge American Cemetery just outside the city is a thought-provoking place to visit.
St Ives is a former fishing village on the north Cornish coast, which has been a popular tourist destination since Victorian times. It is known for its four beaches - Porthmeor (for surfing), Porthgwidden, Harbour beach and Porthminster - cobbled streets, quaint houses, pavement cafes, pubs, working harbour and well established art scene. The Tate St Ives gallery on the seafront has rotating modern art exhibitions, focusing on British artists. Nearby is the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, situated in the artist’s former studio.
St Ives has been named the best seaside town in the UK, but also the most expensive. It is extremely attractive, but can get very busy. The town is named for Sanctus Ya, or St Ia, a female Irish, possibly Byzantine, saint to whom the church is dedicated.
Lynton and Lynmouth are really two villages forming a single town on the edge of Exmoor, on the north Devon coast. Lynmouth began as a pretty fishing village and, when there was no longer any space to build there, it expanded to Lynton 700 feet above it on the clifftop. The two are connected by the water-gravity-powered Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway. Lynton is mainly 19th and 20th century, Lynmouth is a little older and was favoured by the artist Thomas Gainsborough and the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. However, it was wrecked by a devastating flood in August 1952, when 34 people died and hundreds made homeless. Some of the village was never rebuilt. Nevertheless, it is an attractive place and popular with tourists. It is also walking country. The South West Coast Path and Tarka Trail pass through it and the views from the cliffs are wonderful.
Ventnor developed as a seaside health resort in Victorian times and still retains some of that atmosphere. It was a favourite childhood place of Winston Churchill’s. The town is in a lovely location, built on a steep slope beneath St Boniface Down, has a good beach and, though a little flaky in parts, it also has a quirky character, some nice little shops, decent amenities and is deservedly popular. In the 19th century, Ventnor was referred to as the 'English Mediterranean' and its relatively sheltered location does actually create its own favourable microclimate, with more sunny days and fewer frosts than other places on the Island. It boasts its own botanic gardens on the site of the former Royal National Hospital for Diseases of the Chest.
Stamford, on the River Welland, is one of Britain’s most attractive small towns. It was once declared the Best Place to live in the UK in the Sunday Times and described by Sir John Betjeman as the finest stone town in England. The Romans were nearby, but it was the Anglo-Saxons who made Stamford a town and it grew as a Danish settlement and one of the Five Boroughs of the Danelaw. It was a commercial centre in the middle ages, famous for its pottery and wool – and a convenient stopping-place on the great road north (which now thankfully by-passes it). Stamford contains a huge number of listed properties made from the local limestone, five medieval churches – including the notable All Saints’ - and attractive shops and pubs. There is a Friday market. Stamford has also often been used as a film location in period dramas. The Burghley Horse Trials are held annually in early September at Burghley House, on the outskirts of the town.
Whitby is a popular seaside town and fishing port, on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors and at the mouth of the River Esk. It is famous for its fish ‘n’ chips, ruined abbey church, Captain Cook, Dracula and Whitby jet – a gemstone, mainly black, popular with Romans and Victorians alike. The first abbey was established by King Oswy of Northumbria in the 7th century. It was home to Caedmon, allegedly the first English poet, and famous as the venue for the Synod of Whitby in 664. The current abbey ruins date from the 11th century and are generally (though not exclusively) reached by climbing the 199 steps from the harbour to East Cliff, pausing to look at the unusual St Mary’s parish church. Captain Cook learned his trade sailing from Whitby; a statue of him looks out from West Cliff and there is a museum dedicated to him in town. The town also has an association with Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula – there is a Dracula Experience in the town and references to it are ubiquitous. Whitby is also a terminus for the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR), a heritage railway that runs between there and the town of Pickering to the south.
Situated at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss, York is one of Britain’s oldest and most visited cities. The Romans established a garrison town there, Eboracum, which later became a military HQ. It was the capital of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria and one of Britain’s pre-eminent religious centres. The Danes, who called it Jorvik, captured the city on 867 and it was one of their most important trading centres. In the middle ages, William the Conqueror built a fortress there and it was a notable port and market town as well as a regional centre; later, it became known for its industries – including chocolate. So York is packed with history and there is no shortage of things to see and places to visit. The cathedral, York Minster, is the largest medieval cathedral in Britain and famous for its stained glass windows. The Castle Museum, close to the 14th C Clifford’s Tower, is deservedly known for its recreated historic streets and rooms. The Yorkshire Museum specialises in archaeology and natural history. The fascinating Jorvik Viking Centre is built on the site of the Danish town and a ride takes you through their excavated street. The Merchant Adventurer’s Hall is famous for its timber timberwork, the Treasurer’s House for its ghosts. York is also home to the National Railway Museum and was the birthplace of Guy Fawkes. But one of the best things to do – and unlike many things in York it doesn’t cost a penny – is to walk round its surviving city walls.
Oxford, the city of dreaming spires, has more than 1500 listed buildings from every period of history since the 11th century. It grew as a river crossing - a ford for oxen - in Saxon times at a strategic position beside two rivers, the Thames (known locally as ‘the Isis’) and the Cherwell. The crossroads of the old town is known as the Carfax, a word derived from the Latin (or French) for ‘four forks’. Though known as the home of Britain’s oldest university, dating from the 13th century, there was also considerable industrial development in the 20th century. The university consists of some 39 colleges and the first one, University College, was founded in 1249. Many of the colleges can be visited and have beautiful gardens as well as stunning chapels and halls. The colleges have educated world leaders as well as authors, scientists, actors and comedians. Balliol College has produced several prime ministers, including Herbert Asquith, Harold Macmillan, Edward Heath and Boris Johnson. Among Christ Church's alumni are thirteen prime ministers, including Robert Peel, WE Gladstone, Anthony Eden and Alec Douglas-Home,
Oxford is an easy city to wander in and there’s an architectural gem around most corners. Get a map and work out a route. Each college has something special, but favourites include Balliol, Christ Church, Magdalen, Merton and Exeter. Take a tour of the Bodleian Library, one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library. Don’t miss sites like the Sheldonian Theatre or the Bridge of Sighs. World class museums include the Pitt-Rivers and the Ashmolean – the world’s oldest public museum. Visit the Oxford Botanic Garden – the UK’s oldest botanic garden. Take a trip on a punt and pop into one of Oxford’s historic pubs. Oxford is also famous for its literary connections and places that have been featured in film or on TV.
Tenby perches on a rocky promontory between two sandy bays overlooking the Bristol Channel. It is a picturesque walled town with cobbled streets, a 15th C Merchant’s House and an interesting history. Famously, Henry Tudor sailed into exile from the town, returning later to defeat Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth and found a new dynasty as Henry VII. It’s a popular resort. As well as the usual beach stuff, cafes and so forth, there are boat trips to nearby islands, water sports and walking on offer along the coastal path.
The small, peaceful, town of Montgomery sits just inside the Welsh border, looked over by its medieval castle and surrounded by lovely countryside. It is mostly Georgian, but was once a walled medieval frontier town. There are few shops or pubs, but, in addition to the castle, there is an interesting church, St Nicholas’, a wonderful museum, the Old Bell, a surprising number of other fascinating features and a decent hotel, the Dragon. The church includes an astonishing Elizabethan canopied tomb and in the churchyard is the Robber’s Grave – where the grass was alleged not to have grown for a hundred years. The museum has a fascinating collection and features exhibitions about the town, castle and the Battle of Montgomery that took place during the Civil War. One not to be missed shop is Bunners, a traditional ironmonger that stocks almost everything and which is a warren of rooms and displays. The Castle Cafe in Broad Street is recommended too. Visit Montgomery to relax and walk in the countryside with red kites soaring overhead. Offa’s Dyke, the eighth century defensive earthwork that roughly follows the border between England and Wales today, is a very short distance to the east of town.
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