Peak District
With stone turrets, time-worn timbers and walled gardens, Haddon Hall, 2 miles south of Bakewell on the A6, looks exactly like a medieval manor house…
Must-see attractions in The United Kingdom
Orkney
Here is a fine example of the drystone fortified towers that were both a status symbol for powerful farmers and useful protection from raiders some 2200…
Southern Scotland
Dundonald Castle commands impressive views and, in its main hall, has one of the finest barrel-vaulted ceilings preserved in Scotland. It was the first…
Snowdonia & the Llŷn
Dating from 1435, half-timbered Nantclwyd y Dre is thought to be the oldest town house in Wales. It originally belonged to a family of weavers and it…
Southeast England
Arundel Castle was first built in the 11th century but all that's left of the early structure are the modest remains of the keep. It was ransacked during…
Nottingham
Built in 1588 for coal mogul Sir Francis Willoughby by avant-garde architect Robert Smythson, Wollaton Hall sits within 200 hectares of grounds roamed by…
Jersey
This picture-perfect medieval castle has loomed over Gorey Harbour for over 800 years. It has worn many hats over the years: a formidable defence against…
Oxford & the Cotswolds
A pioneer in wetlands conservation, this 325-hectare reserve, beside the River Severn 5 miles northeast of Berkeley, is a haven for migratory and resident…
Orkney
At low tide – check tide times at any Historic Environment Scotland site – you can walk out to this windswept island, the site of extensive Norse ruins,…
Williamson Park & Tropical Butterfly House
Northwest England
Lancaster's highest point is the 22-hectare spread of this gorgeous park, the highlights of which are (besides the views) the Tropical Butterfly House,…
Southern Scotland
Boat lovers should check out Irvine's Scottish Maritime Museum. In the massive Linthouse Engine Shop – an old hangar with a cast-iron framework – is an…
The Lake District
Two miles south of Bowness on the B5360, Blackwell House is a glorious example of the 19th-century Arts and Crafts Movement, which championed handmade…
The Midlands & the Marches
Although British space missions usually launch from French Guiana or Kazakhstan, Leicester's space museum is a fascinating introduction to the mysteries…
National Mining Museum Scotland
Scotland
This museum inside the Lady Victoria Colliery – the former heart of Midlothian's mining industry, 9 miles south of Edinburgh – paints a vivid, moving…
Anglesey & the North Coast
The title 'Storiel', a portmanteau of the Welsh words for 'story' and 'gallery', signals the combined historical and artistic focus of this well-curated…
Oxford & the Cotswolds
Based in what looks outside like a suburban house, this modern and highly engaging museum celebrates everyday life in Roman Verulamium. Assorted galleries…
Yorkshire Dales National Park
There can surely be no other place like this in the world: a modern walled garden furnished with Victorian-style follies, some veering into gothic horror,…
Kirkwall
The intriguing Earl’s Palace was once known as the finest example of French Renaissance architecture in Scotland. One room features an interesting history…
Anglesey & the North Coast
Completed in 1585 for merchant and courtier Robert Wynn, Plas Mawr is one of Britain's finest surviving Elizabethan town houses. The tall, whitewashed…
The Midlands & the Marches
After turning down the job of royal physician to King George III, Erasmus Darwin became a leading light in the Lunar Society, debating the origins of life…
Peak District
A pleasant mile-long stroll southwest from the town centre brings you to Poole's Cavern. This magnificent natural limestone cavern is reached by…
The Cotswolds
England's only surviving rococo garden, half a mile north of Painswick, was laid out by Benjamin Hyett in the 1740s as a vast 'outdoor room'. Restored to…
Greater Manchester Police Museum
Manchester
One of the city's best-kept secrets is this superb museum housed within a former Victorian police station. The original building has been magnificently –…
Oxfordshire
On the lower slopes of its high namesake hill, this elegant, minimalist horse image is the oldest chalk figure in Britain. Created during the Bronze Age,…
South Cornwall
High on a hilltop above Lostwithiel, 9 miles from St Austell on the A390, the ruined castle of Restormel was built by Edward the Black Prince (the first…
Dumfries & Galloway
Three miles east of Stranraer, these magnificent gardens are among Scotland's most renowned. They cover 30 hectares and are set on an isthmus between two…
Dumfries & Galloway
Stretching for 9 miles northwest of Castle Douglas between the A713 and A762, Loch Ken is a popular outdoor recreational area. The range of water sports…
Edinburgh
Opened in 1913, Edinburgh Zoo is one of the world's leading conservation zoos. Edinburgh's captive breeding program has helped save many endangered…
Liverpool
Between 7 February 1941 and 15 August 1945 the secret command centre for the Battle of the Atlantic was in the basement rooms of Derby House. Known as…
Snowdonia & the Llŷn
The dignified ruins of this Cistercian abbey are a 2-mile walk north of Llangollen. Founded in 1201 by Madog ap Gruffydd, ruler of northern Powys, its…
Biggar & Upper Clydesdale Museum
Southern Scotland
This museum is an enthusiastic community project that is well worth a visit. The pièce de résistance is Gladstone Court, a reconstructed street with…
The Midlands & the Marches
Chesterfield is worth a visit to see the astonishing crooked spire that rises atop St Mary and All Saints Church. Dating from 1360, the 68m-high spire is…
Anglesey & the North Coast
Founded in 1881, given the royal imprimatur by Queen Victoria in 1882, and still going strong, the Cambrian runs a full calendar of exhibitions by its…
Southern Highlands & Islands
This museum, in Kilmartin village, is a fascinating interpretive centre that provides a context for the ancient monuments you can go on to explore,…
South Cornwall
Glendurgan was established by Alfred Fox in the 1820s to show off the many weird and wonderful plants being brought back from the far corners of the…
Anglesey & the North Coast
Christmas for twitchers, this Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) sanctuary on the lovely Conwy estuary is home to lapwings, sedge warblers,…
Southern Highlands & Islands
One of Scotland's most spectacularly sited castles, Castle Stalker perches on a tiny offshore island – Monty Python buffs will recognise it as the castle…
The Midlands & the Marches
The 11th-century Great Malvern Priory is packed with remarkable features, from original Norman pillars to surreal modernist stained glass. The choir is…
Anglesey & the North Coast
The survival of most of its 1300m-long town wall, built concurrently with the castle, makes Conwy one of the UK’s prime medieval sites. The wall was…
Isle of Man
Until the early part of the 20th century, most farmers on the island engaged in a practice known as crofting – a social system defined by small-scale…
