Calton Hill, at the east end of Edinburgh City, is a landmark that is home to several monuments, such as the National Monument, Nelson Monument, an 18th century cannon and the Dugald Stewart Monument. There are panoramic views all round and it is a place for walking and to watch outdoor celebratory events – such as Hogmanay fireworks.
Discovered during building work, the remains of London’s Roman Amphitheatre lie 20 feet beneath the Guildhall Art Gallery. Dating from the 2nd century, here up to 7,000 people would watch animal fights, executions and gladitorial contests.
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Tower Bridge is the iconic Gothic-Victorian bridge that crosses the Thames at the Pool of London and opens to allow ships to pass through. When it opened, London was the busiest port in the world. Seeing the roadways – bascules – open is quite a sight; and it happens roughly twice a day.
Oliver Cromwell, once the most powerful man in the land and leader of the only republican government in Britain’s history, had a family house in Ely for 10 years. This is it.
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Plockton, the so-called ‘jewel of the Highlands’, is a tiny, popular, attractive village in the Wester Ross area of the Highlands, not far from the Isle of Skye. It’s a good place to just relax, but also well-placed as a base for further exploration.
Ashby St Ledgers is a small, attractive, village between Daventry and Rugby. The largely Jacobean manor, remnodelled in the 20th century, was owned by the Catesby family from 1365 to 1611 and the gatehouse is famous for being the place where the Gunpowder Plot was planned. Neither gatehouse nor manor is open to the general public, but the manor is available for private hire. Also in the village is a wonderful medieval church, dedicated to St Leodegarius, a pub (the Olde Coach House) and a series of attractive thatched estate workers’ cottages designed by Lutyens.
Bibury in the Cotswolds has been described as “the most beautiful village in England.” It is a particular favourite of Instagrammers, who love Arlington Row. But there’s more to it than that.
Historic Christchurch Greyfriars, destroyed in the Great Fire and again by German bombs, is now a tranquil, haunted, garden.
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The Scallop is a 13 foot (4 metre) high sculpture by Suffolk artist Maggi Hambling,
situated on the beach just to the north of Aldeburgh. Made of 10mm thick stainless steel and designed to withstand 100mph winds, the installation is a monument to past Aldeburgh resident Benjamin Britten. Cut into the rim of the scallop are the words “I hear those voices that will not be drowned” from Britten’s opera Peter Grimes.
Alnmouth is a charming coastal resort at the River Aln’s mouth, featuring sandy beaches, an ancient golf course, and a small museum. Once a busy port for grain and timber, its fortunes declined after a storm in 1806 altered the river’s course. Today, it is a popular place to visit.
Eleven O One is a 9-foot high weathered steel statue in Seaham, a former mining town. Created by Ray Lonsdale in 1914, it evocatively depicts a British soldier after hearing news of the Armistice news at 11 o’clock on November 11, 1918.
