Great Britain Guide - (Page 8)

A step back in time G reat Britain's heritage is alive and well in its royal castles, university towns, Roman marvels, and worldrenowned music. FROM STONEHENGE TO BEATLEMANIA Britain's traditional legacy is astounding- whether your clients encounter it at the ancient site of Stonehenge or by following Manchester's rebellious music trail. In Kent, for example, recommend a visit to Canterbury Cathedral, with a history dating back to AD 597 and housing the country's most important collection of early medieval stained glass windows. In London, a must-see is St Paul's Cathedral, where visitors can climb the dome to the Golden Gallery to enjoy breathtaking views of London. For Roman history buffs, there's the World Heritage City of Bath with its Roman temple and bathing complex; in Kent, there's the Lullingstone Villa, stemming back to around AD 100 and one of the most A GARDEN STROLL Green spaces abound in Britain. Here are some top picks. Alnwick Garden: Next to the castle of the same name, this garden's unique features include a treehouse (where visitors can dine), the Poison Garden and myriad water features. Drummond Castle Gardens: These are Scotland's most important formal gardens ﬁrst laid out in the early-17th century and redesigned and terraced in the 19th century. The copper beech trees planted by Queen Victoria in the 1800s are preserved to this day. Botanic Gardens: These gardens in Northern Ireland were ﬁrst established in 1828 and have been enjoyed by the people of Belfast since 1895. It features a rose garden and rare oaks planted in the 1880s. Levens Hall: In Cumbria, England, the topiary here is some of the oldest in the world dating back some 300 years; hard to imagine that they've survived in their original design. Stone h e ng e , W il t s h ir e , E ng l a nd magnificent villa survivals in Britain; and in Caerleon, Wales, travelers can visit the Fortress of the Legion, one of the most important military sites in Britain under the Roman Empire. To delve even further back into Britain's history, tell clients to take a detour to Orkney, Scotland, with its own Neolithic stone circles, such as the Ring of Brodgar, or to Wales with the Pentre Ifan Burial Chamber, a Neolithic chambered tomb in Pembrokeshire. For a more modern take on British heritage, this is the year-during the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' invasion of the U.S.-for your clients who are Beatles fans to make the trip to Liverpool, and specifically The Beatles Story Liverpool. It's the world's largest permanent exhibition completely devoted to the lives and times of The Beatles. Of course, a visitor hasn't truly immersed themselves in British heritage without visiting Oxford or Cambridge, both home to Britain's oldest universities. Or perhaps your clients want to play at being British, and for that you can recommend clay pigeon shooting in Gleneagles, Perthshire, Scotland; afternoon tea at Cliveden, a country house in Berkshire, England; croquet at Cricket St Thomas, a 19th century former stately home tucked away in England's Somerset countryside; falconry at Stapleford Park, in Leicestershire, England; and a medieval feast at Ruthin Castle in Wales, where the Jester Feast is a re-creation of the legendary banquets hosted by the Earl of Warwick in the 16th century. PACKAGE IT With a collection of over 400 of the country's finest historic attractions including Roman villas, castles and stately homes and gardens, English Heritage (english-heritage.org.uk) provides a 9- or 16-day Overseas Visitor Pass for your clients that includes unlimited admission to England's greatest historic attractions such as the Bayham Abbey, Grime's Graves-the only Neolithic flint mine open to visitors in Britain-and the York Cold War Bunker, as well as free or reduced entry to hundreds of events. 8 08-09_Heritage_GB.indd 8 2/19/14 1:37 PM http://english-heritage.org.uk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Great Britain Guide

Getting There
Culture
Food & Drink
Heritage
Countryside
Shopping
British Tour Operators
U.S. Tour Operators

Great Britain Guide