From the West End to the East End, the places to base yourself in London are almost endless; couple that with some of the best hotels the world has to offer, and potential visitors are spoiled for choice. To help narrow it down a bit, here’s a more curated selection of London’s best and brightest hotels.

1. Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard

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Actually set within London’s iconic Shard skyscraper — the 34th to 52nd floors, to be exact — the Shangri-la is a 5-star hotel featuring incredible views out over the skyline of the British capital.

Rooms here are stylishly decked out with unique design and boast floor to ceiling windows, so the view of London really takes centre stage. With access to dazzling amenities – including three restaurants, London’s highest bar, and a pool on the 52nd floor – there’s no way guests won’t be impressed.

Location: Its setting within The Shard means it’s located on St Thomas Street, with landmark sights like Borough Market close by and London Bridge Underground Station just a few minutes’ walk away.

2. The Langham London

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A classic, well-known London hotel, The Langham has long been a fixture in London’s luxury landscape. First opening in 1865, it has hosted foreign dignitaries, royalty, and celebrities throughout its 150-year history.

Inside, it’s about as deluxe as you’d imagine – from the comfortable, elegantly decorated rooms, to the award-winning bar and restaurant. There’s even a delightful Palm Court to indulge in some afternoon tea. The onsite spa and health club features a 20-yard swimming pool, fully equipped gym, and steam rooms.

Location: Set on Regent Street, close to all the shopping and entertainment options of Oxford Circus, Soho, and jewels of London’s West End like The Palladium.

3. Ace Hotel London Shoreditch

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Ace Hotel London Shoreditch is a funky, fashionable hotel with an upbeat atmosphere. Throughout, it has been designed with nods to punk style, with bold, graphic taste being the order of the day; each guest room has also been uniquely decked out for a decidedly cool place to stay.

Enjoy meals at the Ace Hotel’s restaurant (catering to a variety of dietary needs), or grab a selection of refreshments at the hotel’s onsite juice bar — but away from the juice, there’s the rooftop bar to soak up some of the fun, too.

Location: Set in fashionable Shoreditch, Brick Lane is less than a ten-minute walk away, while nearby Old Street Underground Station offers great transport links around the city.

4. The Ned

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Located in a former bank, The Ned has layers of history. The Grade-1 listed building was designed by Sir Edwin “Ned” Lutyens 1924 and today incorporates vintage ’20s and ’30s furnishings for an opulent twist on modern-day luxury.

The former Grand Banking Hall is now home to eight restaurants, so guests will never be stuck for something to eat at The Ned. Other great amenities here include a spa, gym, and a swimming pool, while some guest suites even boast their own terraces.

Location: Set in the City of London, a stone’s throw from St Paul’s Cathedral, it’s just a 15-minute stroll from here to Oxford Street, Soho, and the West End.

5. Vintry & Mercer

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The Vintry & Mercer boasts style by the bucketful. With its black and white tiles, houseplants, carefully curated details, and selection of mid-century modern furniture, it’s like living in the pages of a deluxe design magazine.

Guest rooms are sleek and stylish in a minimalist boutique-style, while all amenities throughout the hotel feel high-end, especially in the onsite restaurant, which serves up a delicious selection of British and Asian cuisine.

Location: Less than one kilometre to St Paul’s, close to Mansion House Underground Station. It’s easy to take a lovely walk along the storied River Thames from here to Central London.

6. Leonardo Royal London St Paul’s

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A modern marvel of a hotel, this 5-star offering boasts a huge glass atrium in its lobby, where guests will find no less than four restaurants to satisfy their appetites. Rooms here are clean and calm, with smart furnishings and large windows — allowing the view of St Paul’s Cathedral to steal the show.

Elsewhere, there’s a health and fitness club to make full use of, including access to fitness classes and even personal trainers onsite.

Location: Situated right beside St Paul’s Cathedral, staying here means being a short walk from Blackfriars, Millennium Bridge, the London Stock Exchange, and other grand sights in London’s business district.

7. ME London by Melia

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Another one of London’s contemporary luxe hotels, the ME London by Melia is certainly a designer option. Described as having a “cosmopolitan atmosphere,” the hotel boasts chic rooms featuring integrated tech, Balinese showers, and floor to ceiling windows.

More modern designs feature in the lounge bar for evening drinks, or you may want to opt for the rooftop cocktail bar — also doubling as a prime breakfast spot.

Location: Overlooking Somerset House on the Strand (home of London Fashion Week), from here, you’ll be close to the Lyceum Theatre, the London Transport Museum, and bustling Covent Garden.

8. The Bloomsbury Hotel

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The grand Bloomsbury Hotel features top-end service by attentive, professional staff, beautifully appointed guest rooms, and a relaxing guest lounge with a cosy fire.

Staying here doesn’t even feel like you’re staying in a hotel — in a good way. The intimate Bloomsbury Club Bar and Dining Room is a world-class London experience with classic food and drink. There’s also the option to enjoy dinner at the Dalloway Lounge, complete with terrace.

Location: Set on Great Russell Street, The Bloomsbury is surrounded by entertainment options of the West End – think theatres galore, Leicester Square just a ten-minute stroll away, all the shops of Oxford Street and the dining out and drinking in Soho.

9. The Ampersand Hotel

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The Ampersand Hotel is located within a Victorian-era building that has been lovingly updated for the modern-day. It’s a cosmopolitan, modern hotel with luxury that boasts original Victorian features throughout, including a sweeping, chandelier-illuminated spiral staircase.

Guest rooms here are classically decorated with bold wallpapers and period features for a stylish stay. Guests can enjoy the games room, work-out at the gym, or grab a bite to eat in one of the hotel’s drawing rooms.

Location: Situated in upscale Kensington and Chelsea, the world-famous Natural History Museum is a two-minute stroll from here, as is the Victoria and Albert Museum (aka the V&A).

10. The Academy

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Sultry interiors combine with classic design at The Academy for the ultimate in London sophistication and relaxation. Guest rooms have been designed by an award-winning team and feature marble bathrooms and bespoke furniture.

Set inside a row of Georgian era townhouses, The Academy features a continental buffet served daily, as well as a bar with a terrace that also serves afternoon tea for that quintessential high-end British experience.

Location: Set in Bloomsbury, the West End is at your fingertips. It’s a short walk from here to Leicester Square, Covent Garden, and Piccadilly Circus; the British Museum is practically on the doorstep.

11. Rosewood London

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Staying in the Rosewood London makes for a palatial experience – from its majestic exteriors all the way to its spacious and sleek guest rooms. This place is certainly up there as one of the very best London hotels, complete with exceptional service.

There’s the opulent Mirror Room for all-day dining options ‘til late, as well as the elegant Holborn Dining Room for breakfast. Aside from eating and drinking, there’s the option to unwind at the incredible Rosewood Spa.

Location: Covent Garden is a mere five-minute stroll from the hotel’s Holborn setting, while High Holborn is a stone’s throw from the hotel. Many of the West End’s theatres are an easy walk from here, too.

12. The Dorchester

Source: booking.com

With its Michelin-starred restaurant and 5-star credentials, The Dorchester is one of London’s top luxury hotels. Set inside a beautiful historic building, rooms here have been carefully designed with boutique decor and period features.

Guests can work out at the fitness centre or relax at the Dorchester Spa; even that is ultra-luxe, boasting chandeliers made from South Pacific pearls. Throughout the hotel, fresh, daily floral arrangements keep it feeling well attended to.

Location: Set in Westminster, between Marble Arch and Hyde Park Corner, high-end Knightsbridge (home of Harrods) is a ten-minute walk from here, while Buckingham Palace is just over half a mile away.

13. Andaz London Liverpool Street

Source: booking.com

A classic East London mix of hip modern meets Victorian decor, the Andaz London Liverpool Street features 267 guest rooms, seven restaurants and bars, and a 24-hour health club.

Everything has been meticulously thought-out for guests’ comfort, right down to the Japanese yukata bathrobes and complimentary wines and canapes in the lobby. It is a big slice of luxury.

Location: Right next to Liverpool Street Station, there are lots of transport connections, while Old Spitalfields Market is a five-minute stroll away. Brick Lane is an easy walk, too.

14. The Kensington Hotel

Source: booking.com

Simply stylish, the Kensington creates a calm environment for guests to unwind in, with elegant features — think chandeliers and four-poster beds — spread throughout the hotel. Some guest suites are designed specifically with families in mind, while others have private balconies overlooking London.

Period drawing rooms house the hotel’s restaurant, while there’s also a fitness centre to work off all that afternoon tea.

Location: Set in the heart of South Kensington, the area’s Underground Station is just 500 yards from the hotel, but “Musem Mile” — including the V&A, Natural History Museum and the Science Museum — is a five-minute walk. Harrods is just 20 minutes on foot.

15. Hotel Cafe Royal

Source: booking.com

With 5-stars to its name, Hotel Cafe Royal features 160 guest rooms designed to the highest specifications; they’re ultramodern, with clean lines and neutral colours creating bright, airy spaces to relax in after exploring London.

Guests have access to a whole lot of amenities here. There’s a Holistic Wellbeing Centre, complete with a state-of-the-art gym, pool, and hammam. A selection of restaurants and bars will wow any visitor — including the astonishing Louis XVI-style Oscar Wilde Lounge.

Location: Set in high-class Mayfair on Regent Street, Hotel Cafe Royal is just a mile from Theatreland (the West End). It’s also easy to walk to Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the British Museum.

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With just shy of 90,000 residents, it’s small by big-city standards, but it’s located on a particularly beautiful stretch of the River Avon only about 100 miles west of London.

In addition to baths, the town features an abundance of traditional and contemporary eateries, as well as museums, galleries, and a number of fairs and festivals that are held annually.

Below are 15 of the best tours of Bath and the surrounding area.

1. Roman Baths and City Walking Tour

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Bath Abbey is one of the area’s premier Roman-era attractions, and it features some of the country’s most impressive gothic architecture.

On this two-hour tour, guests and their guide will set out on foot to explore the baths and abbey while learning about the Romans’ cultural and historical traditions.

Tours also include brief stops at the Royal Crescent, several prominent homes built in the Georgian style, and Pulteney Bridge, which made a cameo appearance in a famous filming of Les Miserables.

Tours are available with morning and afternoon start times to accommodate those with different schedules.

2. City Boat Trip and Walking Tour

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As a UNESCO World Heritage Site city, Bath draws tourists from all over the world.

This 80-minute tour allows guests to see the city from land and water while benefiting from their guide’s unique insights into what makes it such a special place.

Tours meet at a convenient location in central Bath, after which participants depart on a scenic river cruise followed by a leisurely walk through town.

Highlights include St. John’s Church, Half Penny Bridge, Bath Abbey, and Paradise Gardens.

For those who’ve just arrived, this tour would be a great way to see lots of attractions quickly and familiarize yourself with the town’s layout.

3. City Sightseeing Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour

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For do-it-yourselfers and those who prefer not to commit to lengthy traditional tours, hop-on-hop-off tickets are both fun and economical alternatives.

One ticket gives guests access to two distinct bus routes, each of which offers a full list of attractions to explore.

Tickets are valid for 24 hours from the time of purchase, which means eager sightseers have an entire day to make the most efficient use of their time.

City Tour attractions include the Roman Baths and the historic Abbey that was the coronation site for the country’s first king.

Skyline Tour highlights include the Terrace Walk, Manvers Street, and the Holburne Museum.

4. Small-Group Tour to Stonehenge and Bath with an Oxford Professor

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Tours that offer guests access to more than one of the county’s premier sites are great value for savvy travelers.

This small-group combo package has the distinction of being led by an Oxford professor and includes tours of both Stonehenge and Bath.

The Bath portion of the tour includes Pulteney Bridge, the Circus, and the Abbey, where guests will learn about each attraction’s significance and have time for questions and photos.

Then the group will make their way to Stonehenge, where they’ll enjoy skip-the-line tickets to one of the world’s most alluring and mysterious sites.

Tours include everything except meals and tips.

5. 25-Minute Boat Trip to Pulteney Bridge

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From the comfort of a restored ‘60s river cruiser, guests and their guide will take to the water to see one of Bath’s most iconic attractions.

During the warm summer months, guests can bask in the sun on the deck as their skipper points out key sights on the way to historic Pulteney Bridge.

Tours wind their way past several canals that link to nearby cities. It’s common to see a variety of birds as well as North Parade Bridge, St. John’s Church, and Bath Abbey.

If the weather isn’t cooperating, participants can retreat indoors and relax with a coffee, beer, or glass of wine.

6. 1 ½-Hour Walking Tour with Blue Badge Tourist Guide

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Stretching your legs and exploring the historic city of Bath couldn’t be easier for those who take advantage of this 90-minute walking tour.

As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the town of Bath is chock-full of significant attractions that are best explored with an official Blue Badge guide.

Tours include premier sites like the Royal Crescent, Circus, Queen Square, and the majestic Abbey. At each stop, guests will benefit from their guide’s unique local perspectives and insights.

Guests typically discover things that those on larger tours tend to miss, so don’t be shy about asking for suggestions for things to see and do later on.

7. Jane Austen Center Ticket

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Though it’s not so well-known outside literary circles, author Jane Austen is Bath’s most famous deceased resident.

Her works have been favorites for generations, and there’s a museum in Bath that’s dedicated to preserving and promoting her legacy.

Guided tours of the Jane Austen Center are offered every 30 minutes; they’re given by enthusiastic local docents decked-out in Georgian garb, which makes for a truly memorable experience.

While on-site, guests will have the option of having their photo taken with a Jane Austen wax figure, sampling period food, or relaxing with a drink in the Regency Tea Room.

8. Short Orientation Walking Tour

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Apparently, most visitors to Bath have pretty tight schedules, because short tours are more prominent than they are elsewhere.

For those who bore easily and value free time, that means lots of opportunities to see prominent attractions without dedicating big chunks of time to traditional tours.

This 50-minute walking tour focuses on Bath’s city center and is a great option for those with kids who’ve got short attention spans.

Plan on seeing the Roman baths, the Abbey, and Queen Square, and learning about what makes each so unique and significant.

Tours begin at the Quay Waterside and require a moderate amount of leisurely walking.

9. Canapés and Prosecco Boat Cruise

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There may be no better way to spend a relaxing hour while in Bath than by relaxing on a laid-back river cruise while noshing delectable finger foods and enjoying a glass of Prosecco.

Tours are available in the morning and afternoon to accommodate those with varying schedules. They take guests past some of the city’s premier attractions, like the 17th century Bath Abbey, St. John’s Church, and Halfpenny Bridge.

Depending on the prevailing weather conditions, participants will have the option of both in and outdoor seating areas, and tours begin and end in a convenient location along the Quay.

10. The Cotswold

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Though many visitors spend most of their time within Bath’s city limits, getting out into the countryside is a great way to see things from a different perspective.

The English countryside is characterized by rolling hills, quaint villages, and obscure historic attractions that are well worth checking out.

This full day excursion focuses on discovering the Cotswolds. As such, guests aren’t likely to run into buses full of camera-wielding tourists at every turn.

11. Ghost Hunters Silent Disco Guided Tour

Source: www.getyourguide.com

Rumor has it that more than four decades ago, a young ghost hunter descended on Bath in an attempt to prove once and for all that the historic town harbored spirits from the past.

Sadly, his work was inconclusive, primarily because he met a mysterious and untimely death.

For those interested in picking up where he left off and listening to the music that was pumping through his Walkman’s headphones at the time of his death, this ghost hunters silent disco tour would be a great fit.

Tours are unique, fun, and eerie, and are open to groups of between 10 and 28 participants.

12. Cotswold Discovery Tour from Bath

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Featuring historic villages, impressive castles, and one of the country’s most picturesque Abbeys, the Cotswolds are the perfect day-trip destination for those looking to get out of town for a few hours.

Tours begin and end at a convenient central location in Bath and include stops at attractions like Castle Combe, Bourton-on-the-Water, the tomb of King Athelstan, and the quaint market town of Malmesbury.

From their local guide, guests will learn about the region’s history, culture, and economy. They’ll visit a few filming locations for popular movies like War Horse and Dr. Dolittle, which was filmed in the area in the ‘60s.

13. Stonehenge Private Half Day Tour from Bath

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Stonehenge is arguably England’s most unique archaeological site, and it’s just a short drive for day-trippers staying in Bath.

According to those in the know, the site dates back more than 5,000 years. Though it’s been studied for centuries, it’s still full of fascinating mysteries and unsolved riddles.

Along with their private guide, tour participants will learn about the world-famous landmark, get close enough to take stunning pictures, and maybe formulate their own theories as to why it was built in the first place.

The return trip winds its way through the impressive Salisbury Plain before ending back in central Bath.

14. Lunchtime Cruise to Riverside Pub

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Scenic cruises along the beautiful River Avon are popular vacation activities for visitors to Bath.

This lunchtime cruise makes its way past many of the town’s most iconic attractions, including the junctions of Avon and Kennet canals, St. John’s Church, Bath Abbey, and Pulteney Bridge.

Along the way, the skipper will describe each attraction, while guests relax in comfy chairs with refreshing beverages.

When the boat has docked at Locksbrook Inn, guests will enjoy stunning riverside views from the comfort of their reserved tables.

Each guest also gets a complimentary drink to sip while they’re deciding what they’ll have for lunch.

15. Wells, Cheddar Cheese and Cheddar Gorge Day Tour from Bath

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The small city of wells is home to one of the region’s most impressive cathedrals that dates back to the 13th century.

On this value-packed combo tour, guests will delve into the past while enjoying a number of prominent human-made, natural, and culinary centerpieces of the English countryside.

After Wells, guests will drive to the town that’s the birthplace of Cheddar cheese.

According to locals, it’s the world’s most popular variety. Guests will visit the last remaining cheese making facility in the area.

Before the drive back to Bath, the group will stop at Cheddar Gorge, which is consistently ranked as one of Britain’s most iconic natural attractions.

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About 550,000 people live within Manchester city limits, but the surrounding suburbs are home to nearly three million residents, making it one of the United Kingdom’s most populous urban areas.

Featuring a distinct feel when compared to the capital city of London, Manchester is most well-known for its resilient and hard-working residents, raucous sports fans, and industrial economy.

It’s also a hotspot for arts, cuisine, live entertainment, and features lots of easily accessible historical and natural attractions.

1. Private Welcome to Manchester Tour with a Local

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Discovering a new city with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide is a great way to kick-off a vacation.

Not only will you see things from a local perspective, but you’ll generally have a more engaging, educational, and all-around fun experience than those stuck on large, traditional tours.

On this private welcome tour, guests will follow their guide’s lead as they familiarize themselves with the neighborhood in which they’re staying. Then, they head off to take in many of the city’s premier attractions.

Tours are customizable and may last between two and six hours, depending on the participants’ schedules and interests.

2. Manchester Food Tour with a Local Guide

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Though it doesn’t exactly rank up there with Paris, Tokyo, and Beijing when it comes to the world’s most notable cuisines, Manchester is home to a blossoming culinary scene that has made big waves in recent years.

This gastronomic adventure tour allows guests to experience the city’s eateries from a street-level perspective while learning lots about the area’s history and culture along the way.

Tours include eight tastings at distinct culinary haunts spread across the city. Though portions are moderately sized, by the end of the excursion, everyone will have had the equivalent of a hearty meal.

Tours start mid-morning and last a few hours.

3. 60-Minute River Cruise

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From the comfort of a river vessel, it’s possible to get a thorough overview of Manchester’s layout and take in some of its most iconic attractions.

This one-hour tour departs from one of the city’s centrally-located wharves. It includes unobstructed views of Media City, Old Trafford stadium, the Pomona Docks, and the Imperial War Museum.

Guests will benefit from interesting historical narration along the way and probably discover a number of things they may want to explore further on their own when the tour is officially over.

Boats include both indoor and outdoor seating for guests’ comfort regardless of the weather.

4. SEA LIFE Entrance Ticket

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There’s no denying that having a local professional guide at your side often makes all the difference when visiting a new area, but sometimes it’s just more fun to see and experience things on your own.

If that sounds like you and your travel companions, then spending a few free and relaxing hours at SEA LIFE Manchester Aquarium is a great option.

It’s one of the country’s most impressive aquariums and features an amazing array of fish, birds, and reptiles from all over the world.

The aquarium is a big hit with families traveling with kids and features educational and interactive exhibits that keep young minds engaged.

5. National Football Museum Admission Ticket

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Manchester’s National Football Museum is one of the city’s premier sports-related attractions.

Though it’s possible to see it with a local guide, many diehard football fans choose to purchase their own ticket and experience it on their own terms.

Tickets are good for an entire day and give guests access to the museum’s multiple floors that include football paraphernalia, interactive exhibits, and interesting accounts of players and coaches from seasons past.

Visitors can test their skills on the ever-popular Penalty Shootout Challenge, have their photos taken with famous trophies, or just enjoy a casual stroll while recalling notable matches of yesteryear.

6. LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Entrance Ticket

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During much of the fall and winter, the weather in Manchester isn’t particularly conducive to outdoor activities.

Luckily, there are plenty of indoor options available for those who’d rather not brave the elements.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center is the ultimate indoor playground; it’s actually comprised of dozens of exhilarating attractions all under one roof.

It’s all about fostering an atmosphere of activity, creativity, and engagement for young minds, and it tends to occupy little ones as few other places can.

The center is wheelchair friendly, has an on-site café, and touches on everything from space and the natural world to aviation and technology.

7. Haunted Manchester City Exploration Game and Tour

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App-based game tours are fun and educational options for those who’d rather not spend their time crammed into a stuffy bus on an all-day tour.

Using their collective brainpower to solve clues and decipher riddles, guests will use their smartphones as a map and GPS guide to lead them to many of the city’s most significant attractions.

Each step brings the team closer to unlocking the tour’s hidden story, and since it’s an unguided excursion, participants can take as much or as little time as they’d like at each site.

Tours last about 90 minutes and focus on the eerie, macabre, and hair-raising.

8. Silent Disco Adventure Tour

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Like dandelions and microbreweries, silent disco adventure tours are popping up all over the place.

Though it pales in relation to Liverpool, which is the home of The Beatles, Manchester has its own rich music traditions.

On this tour, guests will be able to act as if they were famous performers while taking in many of the city’s premier attractions.

Participants are encouraged to throw caution to the wind and sing and dance as if their lives depended on it.

Tours include high-tech headsets, a professional guide, and throngs of shocked onlookers gawking at the sheer spectacle of it all.

9. Guided City Walking Tour

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Despite its large population and the inescapable urban hustle and bustle, Manchester is a very pedestrian-friendly city.

On this small-group walking tour, guests will stretch their legs, see lots of attractions up close and personally, and get a good idea of the city’s geographical layout.

Tour highlights include the city’s industrial heart, its extensive network of human-made canals, and the historic Town Hall.

Tours cover a moderate amount of ground around the city center, feature an afternoon start, and generally last about 2 ½ hours from start to finish.

Don’t be shy about asking your guide for recommendations for places to eat, shop, and sightsee.

10. Lake District, Windermere, and Lancaster Tour from Manchester

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The Lake District is the perfect day-trip escape destination for those in need of more rural settings than are typically found within Manchester city limits.

Once in the town of Bowness on Lake Windermere, guests will have the option of taking a leisurely stroll around the lake, exploring the town, or joining a cruise toward Windermere.

It’s a particularly idyllic and beautiful part of the country and was home to famous poet William Wordsworth as a youngster.

Before returning to Manchester, guests will head to Lancaster to gaze upon its regal medieval architecture and impressive castle.

11. Self-Guided Chatsworth House Day-Trip by Train from Manchester

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After meeting their tour provider at the Manchester train station, participants will receive their travel packets and get an overview of the day’s events.

Then it’s off through the country towards Sheffield, where they’ll board a tour bus for Chatsworth.

The views include picturesque villages and seemingly endless expanses of rolling hills. Once in town, guests will have ample time to explore many of Chatsworth House’s premier attractions.

The home was once the residence of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and features opulent living quarters, impressive art, and sprawling grounds that include breathtaking gardens and spectacular fountains.

12. Hard Rock Cafe Manchester Skip-the-Line Ticket

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Lovers of hearty American fare and rock ‘n roll memorabilia need not visit two distinct locations to get their fill of both.

Hard Rock Café Manchester is located in the city center and is a popular eatery catering to locals and visitors alike.

During peak times, it can be darn near impossible to get a table, which is precisely why skip-the-line tickets are such good value for those who don’t want to miss out.

Their menu includes great food and beer from all over the world, and the restaurant is decorated in music-related paraphernalia that, for many guests, is like taking a walk down memory lane.

13. Liverpool and the Beatles Day-Trip from Manchester

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For Beatles aficionados visiting Manchester, Liverpool is just a short train ride to the west. In addition to featuring abundant music-related attractions, it also has its fair share of historical and cultural ones.

Guests of this professionally managed but self-guided tour will depart for the coast by train. Once in the city, they’ll hop aboard a sightseeing bus that will whisk them to the city’s premier sites.

Highlights include Royal Albert Dock, the Beatles Story, the Anglican Cathedral, and the waterfront area that’s a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Free entrance to the Maritime Museum and the Walker Art Gallery are also included.

14. Historic Chester Self-Guided Tour & Lunch from Manchester

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After receiving their detailed and value-stuffed travel packs from their tour operator, guests of this self-guided tour will make their way by train to historic Chester.

The trip takes about an hour, after which guests will have the option of exploring the city on foot or by bus.

Chester is most well-known for its Roman-era attractions that include remnants of the city’s original walls and a cathedral that’s nearly 1,000 years old.

Guests may also opt for a guided walking tour of the city’s center, or continue exploring on their own.

A light lunch of soup and sandwiches is also included while in Chester.

15. Yorkshire Dales Tour from Manchester

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Departing from Manchester, guests of this tour will head north to the quaint and scenic Yorkshire Dales village of Grassington.

After exploring the town, participants will head to the majestic Aysgarth Falls, which were a filming location for a number of movies – as was the town of Askrigg, which is the tour’s next stop.

Guests will have ample time to set out on their own to explore the town’s historic attractions, after which there are additional stops at a local town known for its traditional creamery, and the Ribblehead Viaduct that’s been around since the Romans built it centuries ago.

Tours last about ten hours and begin and end in Manchester.

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It’s located in the northwestern portion of the country, and is a stone’s throw inland from the Irish Sea on the River Mersey.

Liverpool’s roots date back to the early years of the 13th century when it was originally established as a small borough.

Since the Industrial Revolution, it has changed into one of the region’s busiest ports and most productive industrial areas. Now, it’s known the world over for its diehard football fans and abundant historic and Beatles-related attractions.

Below are 15 of the best tours of Liverpool.

1. Private 3-Hour Beatles Tour by Taxi

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Music lovers visiting Liverpool tend to spend significant portions of their vacation time following in the footsteps of the Fab Four. Previous guests of this private 3-hour taxi tour have described it as akin to taking a giant leap into the past.

After being picked up from their accommodations by their driver-guide, guests will set out to explore a number of haunts that were once the stomping grounds of John, Paul, George, and Ringo before they were household names.

Tour highlights include Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, and other prominent attractions that played significant roles in the band’s rocket to stardom.

2. The Dark Side of Liverpool 1 ½-Hour Ghost History Tour

Source: www.getyourguide.com

For those who’ve had their fill of the city’s traditional attractions, this dark side ghost history tour would be a great way to spend a few hours exploring the city’s eerie and macabre side.

Along with their guide, guests will head into parts of the city that most tours tend to avoid, and therein lies its allure.

Tours include fascinating tidbits of Beatles lore, a few unknown gems of World War II history, and some of the city’s most impressive gothic cathedrals and their sprawling graveyards—many of which are packed with those who died from the plague in centuries long past.

3. Liverpool River Cruise, Bus Tour, and Cathedral Tower

Source: berm_teerawat / shutterstock

Liverpool’s waterfront area is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, and seeing it from the deck of a river ferry is an experience worth taking advantage of when in town.

The narrated cruise portion of the tour lasts just shy of an hour, after which participants will explore the city by bus and get up-close-and-personal with a number of prominent attractions, including the iconic Cathedral Tower.

The tour costs include tickets to the Cathedral Tower and entrance to the U-boat docked at the Woodside Ferry Terminal.

After it’s all said and done, each guest will be able to proclaim that he or she has indeed been ‘ferried across the Mersey.’

4. Silent Disco Adventure Tour

Source: www.getyourguide.com

If you’ve ever asked yourself what a silent disco tour was, you’re in luck’ this one-hour Liverpool adventure excursion is the answer to that very question.

Though tours of this nature may not be a good fit for introverts and those who shun making a spectacle of themselves, they tend to be among the most memorable and exhilarating experiences of many vacationer’s trips.

Following their guide’s lead, guests will don their headphones and embark on a tour of Liverpool’s attractions while singing, dancing, and generally carrying-on like someone who’s lost their mind.

Bring an open mind and comfy shoes.

5. Official Peaky Blinders Half-Day Tour

Source: scullydion / shutterstock

Anyone’s who’s ever sat through a season or two of Peaky Blinders knows that Liverpool has a reputation as a tough and unforgiving town.

The good news is that fans of the show can visit nearly a dozen filming locations in and around the city without subjecting themselves to gang wars, gunshots, or revenge beatings.

This four-hour bus tour includes the services of a friendly and knowledgeable local guide who is solely focused on providing a unique and immersive experience that also touches on history and culture as they relate to the show.

Tours include round-trip transportation to and from a central meeting point in the city.

6. Liverpool Football Club Explorer Bus Tour

Source: terry bouch / shutterstock

This LFC tour has been painstakingly designed to include many of the city’s premier football attractions in one valuable package, making it a big hit with locals and international visitors alike.

Since the league was formed nearly 150 years ago, Liverpool is the only city in the United Kingdom to have a championship-level team without interruption.

Tour stops include the team’s stadium, an interactive on-site museum, the LFC’s official merchandise store, and the ever-popular Boot Room Sports Café.

Tickets are valid for one day, but schedules change on match days, so click the link below for more details.

7. 50-Minute River Mersey Cruise

Source: Shaun Jeffers / shutterstock

Relatively short tours are a great bet for visitors who want to experience all Liverpool has to offer without committing to more traditional full-day outings.

On this 50-minute River Mersey cruise, guests will see a number of the city’s premier attractions, including its two cathedrals, Albert Dock, and the impressive waterfront.

Guests will learn interesting tidbits of local history along the way. They’ll also have the option of getting off and exploring on their own at the Seacombe or Woodside terminals and hopping on another ferry later to complete their trip.

Tours also include complimentary entry to the U-Boat Story submarine museum at Woodside.

8. 24-Hour Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

Source: cowardlion / shutterstock

The city of Liverpool features varied attractions that touch on everything from sports and the arts to history and architecture.

For those who prefer to see things on their own schedule, hop-on hop-off tours are great ways to efficiently use limited time without spending an arm and a leg.

This 24-hour bus tour option includes stops at more than a dozen sites, like the fabled Mersey ferries, the city’s epic cathedrals, and several other attractions like Albert Dock and the Caravan Quarter.

Tours run year-round. Guests can explore the attractions that interest them and skip those that don’t.

9. Magical Beatles Museum Ticket

Source: Ink Drop / shutterstock

Not surprisingly, Liverpool is home to one of the most authentic and extensive Beatles’ museums anywhere in the world.

For lovers of all things related to the Fab Four, there’s no better way to spend a few hours or an entire day than by showing yourself around the museum’s fascinating exhibits.

There you’ll find hundreds of one-of-a-kind items that include real instruments used by the group, promotional posters from the days before they attained stardom, and glasses that belonged to John Lennon as a young man.

Tickets are valid for one day, so visitors can see things at their own pace without feeling rushed.

10. One Big Brilliant Day Out Walking Tour

Source: JuliusKielaitis / shutterstock

For those who value physical exertion and efficient utilization of valuable vacation time, this One Big Brilliant Day Out Walking Tour is the perfect option.

Though the tour covers a lot of ground, it generally proceeds at a leisurely pace, which makes it appropriate for those of most ages and levels of physical ability.

After meeting their guide at a central location, hearty walkers will set out to learn about the city’s history and culture, and visit many of its most prominent attractions.

Tours include background on The Beatles’ legacy and stops at the impressive waterfront and Radio City Tower that stretches nearly 300 feet into the sky over the city and Mersey River.

11. Haunted Liverpool City Exploration Game and Tour

Source: kenny1 / shutterstock

Phone-based app tours are becoming big hits with travelers who’ve had their fill of traditional tours with fixed itineraries.

All guests need to get started on this Haunted Liverpool City Exploration Game and Tour is a well-charged smartphone and a solid internet connection.

Once underway, groups will solve clues and riddles, after which they’ll be remotely guided to some of the city’s most haunted and macabre corners, where they’ll learn about local history from a unique and often hair-raising perspective.

There’s no time limit, so guests can see things at their own pace and make impromptu stops for rest and refreshment if the spirit moves them.

12. 2-Hour Strawberry Field and Penny Lane Tour

Source: chrisdorney / shutterstock

In just a few hours, it’s possible to hit some of Liverpool’s most iconic Beatles attractions with a knowledgeable local guide.

After a brief meet and greet near The Beatles statue on the waterfront, guests will be whisked past a number of significant childhood sites where the would-be stars studied, partied, and performed before being catapulted onto the global stage.

At Strawberry Field and Penny Lane, guests will literally follow in the band’s footsteps. There’ll be ample time to ask questions, snap memorable photographs, and learn about how the area has changed since the ‘50s and ‘60s.

13. The Beatles Story Ticket

Source: Debu55y / shutterstock

More than half a century ago, four young men from Liverpool embarked on a meteoric musical career that propelled them to international stardom the likes of which the world had never seen.

In case you’re wondering, their names were John, Paul, George, and Ringo, and they came from surprisingly humble beginnings.

The Beatles Story is one of the city’s premier attractions. Guests who choose to visit will have access to interactive exhibits, authentic memorabilia, first-hand accounts, and living history audio guides that feature narration in more than ten languages.

Tickets are good for one full day, so guests can see things at their own pace.

14. Theatrical History Tour and Dead House

Source: www.getyourguide.com

Tours in which the guide dresses in historical garb and speaks in traditional, era-specific lingo tend to make for truly unique and memorable experiences.

This history of Liverpool tour is led by a theatrical guide and focuses on areas of the city that often get avoided by more traditional tours.

Tours last about 90 minutes and get underway when the sun has already set, making for an alluringly eerie and educational evening.

Highlights include Castle Street and the Town Hall, as well as the underground morgue known as the ‘Liverpool Dead House’ and the Church of Our Lady and St. Nicholas.

15. The Beatles to the Blitz Walking Tour

Source: Debu55y / shutterstock

Music lovers from all over the world descend on Liverpool every year to explore the back alleys and quiet residential streets that were once the stomping grounds of the young men who’d go on to become The Beatles.

This unique combo tour combines several prominent musical attractions, as well as historical ones that relate to the city’s bombing during World War II.

Guests will learn why Liverpool was recently voted one of the country’s cultural capitals and visit Chinatown, a number of musical attractions, and filming locations for some blockbuster movies in recent years.

Tours last about 2 ½ hours and begin mid-afternoon.

The post 15 Best Liverpool Tours appeared first on The Crazy Tourist.

Of these, Clumber Park is a National Trust site, while Thorseby Park and Welbeck Abbey feature museums and galleries.

Moments from the town is Creswell Crags, a limestone ravine honeycombed with caves that were inhabited by prehistoric humans for tens of thousands of years.

And you would never guess to see it from the outside, but Mr Straw’s House is one of the town’s top attractions.

This Edwardian house looks like an ordinary suburban home from the street, but within very little has changed in more than 85 years.

Also make time for Worksop Priory, which has held onto much of its Norman stonework despite big changes in the 20th century.

1. Creswell Crags

Source: Jeremy Alan Baxter / shutterstock

On Worksop’s west flank is an enclosed magnesian limestone gorge, something to behold in its own right, but also layered with human history dating back 43,000 years.

Europe’s northernmost cave art and flint tools from a succession of prehistoric cultures have been discovered in Creswell Crags’ many caves, fissures and rock shelters.

Among the finds was the Ochre Horse, a bone engraved with horse’s head found in Robin Hood’s Cave and dating back as far as 13,000 years, on show at the museum here.

You can tour Robin Hood’s Cave to learn about life during the last Ice Age, while Church Hole features the oldest cave art in the UK, with 13,000-year-old images of birds, reindeer and bison, and arcane symbols.

The gorge itself is free to visit, while the museum and various themed tours come with a small fee.

2. Clumber Park

Source: Tom Curtis / shutterstock

Owned by the National Trust since 1946, Clumber Park used to be the seat of the Dukes of Newcastle, who abandoned the property in the early 20th century.

The estate, composed of parkland, woods and farmland is more than 3,800 acres in size, and while the house was demolished after a fire in 1938 lots of outbuildings remain.

There’s a cathedral-like Gothic Revival chapel, garages, a stable yard and decorative entrance lodges.

The four-acre walled kitchen garden grows local varieties of fruits and vegetables and is astonishing for its 137-metre glasshouse containing vineries, a palm house and apiary.

An inspiring feature at Clumber Park is the Lime Tree Avenue, the longest in Europe at two miles.

This was planted in 1840, and has 1,296 common limes, while a splendid cedar avenue funnels cold air away from the walled garden in winter.

Clumber Park is massive, so a good way to see it all is by hiring a bike from the National Trust’s Discovery Centre.

3. Welbeck Abbey

Source: en.wikipedia.org

The story of this stately home, the seat of the Dukes of Portland, in 15,000 acres, goes back to the middle of the 12th century when a Premonstratensian monastery was founded here.

This monastery was powerful, and the Abbot of Welbeck oversaw all of England’s Premonstratensian communities until it was dissolved under Henry VIII.

After that the abbey was converted into a mansion by Sir Charles Cavendish, son of Bess of Hardwick, a giant of Elizabethan society.

The house was heavily reworked in the 19th century by John Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland, who even added a 1,000-yard tunnel between the house and the riding school.

Tours of Welbeck Abbey’s state rooms are held daily throughout the month of August, but are booked up a long time in advance.

The tour lasts 90 minutes and takes you into rooms that have welcomed statesmen, aristocracy and royalty, and are embellished with paintings by Joshua Reynolds, John Wootton and Peter Lely.

4. The Harley Gallery

Source: The Harley Gallery / facebook

Sitting in Welbeck Abbey’s courtyard gardens is the award-winning Harley Gallery, established in 1977 and devoted to contemporary exhibitions by prominent artists.

These shows are updated five times a year and among the artists featured at the gallery are Peter Blake, David Hockney, George Stubbs and Euan Uglow.

In spring 2019 there were exhibitions by the jewellery artist Romilly Saumarez Smith and the Belgian re-collector and multimedia collage artist Sylvie Franquet.

The museum is free to enter, and is next door to the Portland Gallery, displaying the fine and decorative art amassed by the Dukes of Portland over hundreds of years.

Among the outstanding pieces are paintings by Van Dyck and Michelangelo, and the pearl earring worn by Charles I when he was executed in 1649.

5. Thoresby Park

Source: ☺ Lee J Haywood / Flickr

The estate at Thoresby Park was in the hands of the Pierrepoint family from the 1600s until 1955 when the Earl Manvers title became extinct after Gervas Pierrepoint died without a male heir.

In the 18th century the parkland was landscaped by Capability Brown, while the current Thoresby Hall is an Eclectic Victorian building designed by Anthony Salvin and completed in 1860. The house is now a luxury hotel and spa, but the 1,000 acres of parkland are open to the public, and Thorseby’s magical Walled Garden is a must in the spring and summer months.

The old stables courtyard boasts a military museum (more below), a cafe and a set of craft workshops.

Among these is a glassmaker, jeweller, fabric shop and a craft corner selling everything you need for your own projects.

6. Worksop Priory Church

Source: Alan Heardman / Wikimedia

The Norman lord, William de Lovetot founded the Augustinian Worksop Priory in 1103. After the priory was suppressed under Henry VIII in the 16th century the domestic buildings were lost, but the nave was saved as a parish church.

This is joined to modern transepts, lady chapel, crossing tower, sanctuary and east end, all built from the 1920s to the 1970s.

But there’s a lot of history to be found in the west towers and nave.

The towers are from the 1100s to the 1300s and have four original gargoyles.

The main entrance below these is a well-preserved Norman Romanesque doorway with three layers of ornamented archivolts and jambs with foliate capitals.

To the north you can view the remnant of the cloister wall, while the nave also has Norman round-headed arches with dog tooth patterns and stiff-leaf capitals on the piers.

7. Mr Straw’s House

Source: Mr Straw's House NT / facebook

At 5-7 Blyth Grove, Mr Straw’s House is an Edwardian semi-detached built in 1905. Up to the late-20th century it was home to two bachelor brothers, Walter and William jr.

They had inherited the property from their mother Florence whose husband William passed away in 1932. The house was last decorated in 1923, but as a Victorian woman in mourning, Florence never updated the decor again and left many of her husband’s possessions in place.

Walter passed away in 1976, and William jr. lived here alone until 1990, but over these 60+ years neither had redecorated, choosing to live frugally without any modern conveniences.

Mr Straw’s House now belongs to the National Trust, and is a perfect time capsule for early 20th-century domestic life, with heirlooms and personal possessions in situ.

You can visit Tuesday to Sunday, from March to November.

The garden is a joy, with its own orchard, while Walter Straw’s cactus collection is still growing in the greenhouse.

8. Tropical Butterfly House Wildlife and Falconry Centre

Source: Tropical Butterfly House, Wildlife and Falconry Centre / facebook

Now open for more than 25 years, this animal attraction is closer to a fully-fledged zoo than its name makes it sound.

But rather than relying on just static displays the Tropical Butterfly House Wildlife and Falconry Centre gets you close to its inhabitants with a series of encounters all day long.

This might be a spectacular bird of prey flight demonstration, a lemur walk-through, a meerkat talk and an otter feeing session.

There’s also an indoor rainforest environment, home to crocodiles, bats, exotic birds and a variety of invertebrates including tropical butterflies.

Kids can meet more familiar animals at the Farm Barn, and be entertained at the Camelot-themed adventure playground, a splash play area and an indoor activity and craft centre.

9. Langold Country Park

Source: Steve F / Wikimedia

Minutes north of Worksop there’s 300 acres of parkland on a historic estate that was landscaped by the Gally Knight family in the 18th century.

They were responsible for the man-made lakes here, well stocked with bream, tench and roach, and a hotspot for anglers.

The park also merges with Dyscarr Wood, a Site of Special Scientific Interest as a standout example of limestone ash-wych elm wood.

Back in the park there’s a water play area for smaller children in summer, a bandstand, a skate-park, a cafe and a large meadow left to cultivate wild flowers and attract butterflies.

10. Chesterfield Canal

Source: Nicola Pulham / shutterstock

This waterway between Chesterfield and West Stockwith was a big catalyst for growth in Worksop after it opened in 1777. The Chesterfield Canal shipped lead, limestone and coal out of Derbyshire to West Stockwith on the River Trent.

Going in the other direction into Chesterfield were iron, timber and grain.

The canal was last used for cargo in the 1960s, and thanks to a campaign soon after, the eastern portion of the canal, between Worksop and West Stockwith has always stayed navigable.

West of Worksop a big stretch has been restored so that all but nine of original 46 miles are open.

The countryside east of Worksop is very rural, and you can walk for miles amid pastoral fields and without seeing as much as a house from the towpath.

On Sundays in summer you can board the Hugh Hensall, a narrowboat moored at the Lock Keeper Pub in Worksop for an hour-long cruise.

11. The Canch Park

Source: www.geograph.org.uk

Straddling the River Ryton there’s a park rated among the very best in the country.

The Canch is a Green Flag Winner, and mixes ornate formal flowerbeds with all sorts of facilities for the community.

On the south side are the peaceful Memorial Gardens, with specimen trees, shrub border plantings and a pond around the old Carnegie library building.

You can also spend a few minutes in the Sensory Garden, which was planted in the park’s disused lido.

Among the facilities there’s a splash pool in summer, a skate park, a multi-use games area, outdoor gym equipment and playgrounds for juniors and toddlers.

12. The Queen’s Royal Lancers & Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum

Source: The Queen's Royal Lancers and Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum / facebook

Part of the courtyard at Thoresby Hall is occupied by this military museum for three renowned cavalry regiments, the South Nottinghamshire Hussars, the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry and the Queen’s Royal Lancers.

The collections encompass more than three centuries of conflict, recalling the days of horseback warfare and cavalry charges, through the tank battles of the Second World War, to 21st-century engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq.

There are lots of graphic panels, models and video presentations, complemented by medals, weapons, horse-riding paraphernalia and uniforms.

Among the outstanding pieces are a tin of chocolate from the Boer War, a British red coat from the American War of Independence and a bugle used in the ill-fated charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaklava in the Crimean War.

13. Hodsock Priory

Source: Eddie Jordan Photos / shutterstock

Owned by the Buchanan Family since 1765, Hodsock Priory is another glorious mansion, wrapped in gardens on an 800-acre estate.

The house is closed to the public except for weddings and special events.

But you can visit the gardens during small windows in late winter to see a haunting carpet of snowdrops, and then again in spring for the bluebells.

At this time the formal gardens are also ablaze with other early blooms, like daffodils, winter honeysuckle, cyclamen, hellebores, acers, irises and aconites.

Your visit will also feel momentous as you approach the house on a mile-long drive, headed by a fine Tudor gatehouse.

14. Horse Riding

Source: Coloured Cob Equestrian Centre / facebook

Coloured Cob Equestrian Centre is out in the countryside near the Creswell Crags Museum and Heritage Centre.

Right on a bridleway, Coloured Cob offers some truly extraordinary pony treks, for all ages, and with a range of ponies and horses to match all sizes and ability levels.

Children can take their first ride at Coloured Cob, while grownups can witness Creswell Crags on horseback or take a four-hour adventure into the Clumber Park Forest.

Up to 25 riders can take part at one time, and one of the most popular rides is the remote Elm Tree Pub a couple of miles away in Elmton.

Coloured Cob also has a menu of riding lessons, hacks and carriage driving sessions, as well as a choice of long-term courses for people based in the area.

15. School of Artisan Food

Source: School Of Artisan Food / facebook

The Lower Motor Yard on the Welbeck Estate is home to the only not-for-profit school in the UK devoted to artisan cooking and food preparation.

If you have money to burn and time to spare, you could sign up for a host of courses for anything from French patisserie to butchery, home dairy skills, curing and smoking, preserving and pickling, artisanal bread-making, sausage-making and foraging and wild-food cooking.

Some of the courses are vocational and last for weeks or months at a time.

But you can also join one-day introductory courses to learn the fundamentals, while many of the more focussed entry-level courses for skills like curing and smoking or cheesemaking are never more than one or two days long.

The post 15 Best Things to Do in Worksop (Nottinghamshire, England) appeared first on The Crazy Tourist.

Since the Middle Ages Witney has been distinguished by its woollen blankets, woven using water from the River Windrush, which was claimed to be a secret to their high quality.

The blanket industry has all but disappeared, but the 18th-century Blanket Hall, where blankets were weighed and measured, has recently reopened, and the town museum has displays recalling this old trade.

Wychwood, the UK’s largest organic brewer, is based in Witney, while there’s a market trading twice weekly and a flourishing High Street with trusted chains and independent businesses.

1. Cogges Manor Farm

Source: Timitrius / Flickr

A wonderful piece of rural heritage, Cogges is a manor founded in the 13th century, and made up of farm buildings, a manor house, walled garden and orchard.

Used as a shooting location for the period drama Downton Abbey, the manor is a heritage attraction appealing to all members of the family.

Kids will adore the pygmy goats, Shetland ponies, rabbits, guinea pigs and Oxford sandy and black pigs.

Many of these can be cuddled during the “meet the animals” sessions on weekends.

There are 15 acres of grounds, including the walled garden and orchard growing many fruit varieties, including Moorpark apricot, Cox, Blenheim orange and Morello cherry.

The Cogges Kitchen prepares locally roasted coffee and homemade scones, using produce from the walled garden, while the Manor House opens regularly for tours and is mostly from the 16th century with hints of the 13th-century building in the kitchen, hall and dairy.

2. Witney High Street

Source: Reading Tom / Flickr

A lot of Witney’s amenities and monuments are on the long High Street, lined with buildings from Cotswold stone.

The High Street starts at the south end with the Butter Cross, which stands opposite an 18th-century Town Hall.

This Classical building has an arcade supported by Tuscan columns.

The Victorian Corn Exchange is from 1863 and often opens up for exhibitions and live music, while we’ll go into more detail on the 18th-century Blanket Hall on the next entry.

There’s a beautiful row of lime trees on the street’s west side, while typical UK high street chains and a healthy dose of locally-owned shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants vie for your attention.

3. The Witney Blanket Hall

Source: Philip Bird LRPS CPAGB / shutterstock

In 1721 Witney’s Company of Blanket Makers opened the Blanket Hall, to govern the blanket-making trade.

For the next 120 years every blanket woven in Witney had to be brought here to be measured and weighed.

On the upper floor in the Great Room the Company would meet to agree on the trade rules.

The Blanket Hall became obsolete from 1845 after mills were set up using their own guidelines, and from that time on the Blanket Hall filled all sorts of roles, from a brewery to a wedding venue, lemonade factory and grand private home.

In 2015 the Blanket Hall turned back the clock, reopening as a museum documenting Witney’s relationship with blankets and the people who worked in this trade.

You can take tours of the Blanket Hall and shop for authentic woollen blankets, while there’s a cafe/pie shop and a pleasant garden winding down to the river.

4. Minster Lovell Hall

Source: John Salmon / Wikimedia

In the 1430s one of the richest men in the country, William, Baron of Lovell and Holand built himself a manor house by the River Windrush.

Minster Lovell Hall surrounded a square on three sides and had a tower on the south-west corner.

One of many noteworthy guests in the 15th century was Richard III, but after Richard III’s defeat at the Battle of Bosworth the manor was seized by the crown and passed to the uncle of Henry VII and then Henry VIII’s grooms of the stool (basically toilet attendants). The extensive Grade I ruins are looked after by English Heritage and are made up of the partially intact hall, the corner tower and a nearby dovecote, all in a romantic riverside setting.

5. St Mary’s Church

Source: Philip Bird LRPS CPAGB / shutterstock

A Grade I monument, St Mary’s Church has Norman origins and has elements from every Medieval English style, from Norman Romanesque to 15th-century Perpendicular Gothic.

The oldest parts are the north aisle and north porch.

The latter, dating to the 12th century, features a tell-tale Romanesque round arch and foliate capitals on its jambs.

In the 13th century the tower, spire, transepts and chancel were reworked in the Early English style, and the side chapels came roughly a century later.

That magnificent Perpendicular west window meanwhile was moulded in the 15th century.

In the south chapel you’ll come across a tomb chest for one Richard Wennan (d. 1501) and his two wives, while there are 14th-century effigies of a man and woman in the north transept and the north-west chapel has an effigy of a member of the clergy, also form the 14th century.

6. Witney and District Museum

Opening Wednesday to Saturday from April to October this local museum is run completely by helpful volunteers and will give you lots of context about the history of Witney and its surroundings.

You’ll learn more about the town’s signature trades, like blanket making, glove making and brewing.

There’s a working loom, an impressive collection of local handmade toys and interesting reconstructions of a Victorian classroom and a kitchen from the 1950s, all using authentic furniture and props.

As for artefacts you can peruse fossils, Roman finds from the North Leigh Villa (covered below) and Medieval objects recovered from Witney’s Bishop’s Palace and Minster Lovell Hall.

The tourist information point is in the same building, while the adjoining cafe is fine way to round off a visit.

7. Witney Butter Cross

Source: Simon J Wilshire / shutterstock

An abiding landmark on Market Square, Witney’s Butter Cross is a Grade II* market shelter raised at the turn of the 17th century.

This structure comprises a timber frame and 13 round ashlar limestone pillars.

The little Baroque cupola on top is a later addition from 1683, and boasts a clock and sundial, as well as a medallion bearing the inscription, “Erected 1683 by Gulilmus Blake Armiger of Cogges”.

8. Wychwood Brewery

Source: Wychwood Brewery: Store, Tour & Tap / facebook

Producing 50,000 barrels (8,200,000 litres) of cask ale every year, the Wychwood Brewery is the largest brewer of organic ales in the country.

The company is possibly best known for its Hobgoblin brown ale, which like the rest of its line draws on the folklore of the ancient Wychwood Forest, that once covered the landscape north and west of Witney.

Guided tours of the headquarters in Witney come highly recommended.

These last two hours and show everything from raw ingredients to the finished product.

You’ll see the big copper mash tuns and learn about the double drop brewing method used for Brakspear’s ale (taken over by Wychwood in 2002). And at the end you’ll be free to taste a Hobgoblin or a choice of Wychwood and Brakspear brews.

9. Crocodiles of the World

Source: Crocodiles Of The World / facebook

Established in 2011 by the conservationist Shaun Foggett, this unique zoo has been a big success and moved to its current home in Brize Norton in 2014 after outgrowing its previous location.

There are more than 150 crocodiles from 17 species (out of a total 24), at the only zoo in the UK dedicated to crocodiles.

Of course you’ll find the fearsome saltwater crocodiles, as well as some species you may never have set eyes on before, like the endangered Siamese and Cuban crocodile, tomistoma, slender-snouted crocodile, Cuvier’s caiman, black caiman and broud-snouted caiman.

The zoo also keeps an assortment of mammals like meerkats, Asian short-clawed otters and rare cotton-topped tamarins, as well as several species of monitor lizards, snakes, tortoises and a small collection of exotic birds.

10. North Leigh Roman Villa

Source: john shortland / Flickr

In the Evenlode Valley you can view the vestiges of a Roman courtyard villa, dating to around the turn of the 2nd century AD, although the site has older, Iron Age origins.

The villa was first excavated in the 1810s and then again in 1910, while an aerial survey in 1943 identified an unseen west wing.

By the 4th century this residence was extravagant, with 60 rooms on the three sides of the courtyard, including four baths, 11 rooms warmed by a hypocaust and 16 decorated with mosaics.

One of these mosaics, dating to the 3rd century and thought to have been in the dining room, has been preserved in situ and is protected by a shed with a glass.

11. Oxford Bus Museum

Source: Oxford Bus Museum and Morris Motors Exhibition / facebook

This museum charts 200 years of road transport history in Oxfordshire, from a primitive hobby-horse bicycle to a collection of 40 historic buses and coaches.

You can also check out a preserved horse-drawn tram, and all manner of public transport paraphernalia like ticket machines, bus stops, uniforms, posters, timetables and an exhibition of black and white photographs.

Over half of the museum’s buses and coaches were run by City of Oxford Motor Services, and range from a 1913 Commer WP3 to a 1999 Dennis Trident.

Since 2004 this has also been the home of the Morris Museum, telling the story of this local manufacturer with 11 Morris cars and one van.

Also in the Morris Museum is the Faulkner Collection, displaying 40 mostly 19th-century bicycles like the Singleton English velocipede and the Penny Farthing.

12. Witney Lake and Country Park (Ducklington Lake)

Source: Nikolay Baklev / shutterstock

On the other side of the A40, less than a mile from the town centre, is a lake, wet meadow and grazing land in more than 70 acres.

Witney lake was created by gravel extraction and is remarkably deep throughout, with just a straight drop and no muddy edges or beaches.

There’s a path around the banks, which has recently been improved and has picnic tables and benches at close intervals.

As well as some seldom seen invertebrates and wetland plants, the lake is a real haven for birdlife.

You may see kingfishers and swifts in summer, snipes and lapwings in winter, while great crested grebes are year-round residents.

13. Bishop’s Palace

Source: www.oxfordshirecotswolds.org

Just to the east of St Mary’s Church in the grounds of Mount House you can find the remains of a once grand manor house owned by the Bishop of Winchester.

An archaeological dig has brought to light a set of buildings fronting a courtyard and all ringed by a moat.

These are sheltered beneath a canopy and may require a little imagination as the original buildings were pulled down in the middle of the 18th century.

But you might be inspired by the thought that some important historical figures set foot at this very place, not least King John around 1209. New garderobes were even constructed for the occasion!

14. Witney Lakes Resort

Source: Witney Lakes Resort / facebook

On Witney’s western periphery there’s an upscale leisure destination, whether you’re up for a spa day or a round of golf.

There’s an 18-hole par-71 championship course in lakeland terrain.

With tricky doglegs, huge drives and technical par 3s you’ll have to use every club in the bag and every skill at your disposal.

Book via the website for a cheaper green fee (One Ball, £22 on weekdays and £26 on weekends) The spa at Witney Lakes is as complete as they come, offering a huge menu of treatments, from five different types of massage, to facials, wraps, manicures, make-up, waxing and tanning.

15. Woolgate Centre

Source: Woolgate Centre / facebook

On Market Square in Witney’s conservation area, this shopping centre is smartly designed to blend in with the townscape, using Cotswold stone and traditional building styles.

You’ll come across big name retailers at the Woolgate Centre, like Waitrose, Waterstones, H&M, Next, Game and Holland & Barrett, as well as a few independent shops, adding to the sense of cooperation with the town centre.

For a break and a chat there are branches of Costa Coffee and Starbucks, or you can try out the pubs, cafes and restaurants just across the High Street (The Eagle Vaults, The Blue Boar, Ye Olde Cross Keys, Como Lounge, Bill’s Witney).

The post 15 Best Things to Do in Witney (Oxfordshire, England) appeared first on The Crazy Tourist.

You can reach all three cities in 20 minutes or so by road, but there’s plenty to keep you occupied in the immediate area.

For one thing, Washington is where George Washington’s family lived until the 16th century.

Their ancestral seat is a National Trust property, with 17th century architecture and interiors going back hundreds of years before.

Two instantly recognisable landmarks in the North East, the Penshaw Monument and the Angel of the North, are in Washington’s backyard, as is the incomparable Beamish Museum and the Riverside Ground, for first class and international cricket.

1. Washington Old Hall

Source: Glen Bowman / Flickr

This manor house with roots going back to the 12th century was the ancestral home of the first president of the United States, George Washington.

His family resided here until the 16th century when they moved to Sulgrave Manor in Northamptonshire and the Old Hall was sold to the Bishop of Durham.

In the late 19th century the house became tenement flats and was uninhabitable by the 1930s.

Following a restoration after the Second World War the Old Hall was reopened by the American ambassador and placed in the care of the National Trust.

Most of the manor house’s architecture is from the early-1600s, with stone mullioned windows and elements of the earlier Medieval building inside.

The garden is geometric 17th-century parterre and a tranquil nuttery where children can learn how to build an insect habitat.

2. Penshaw Monument

Source: Craig Duncanson / shutterstock

Commanding the landscape for miles, the Penshaw Monument is a Neoclassical gritstone folly at the top of a 136-metre hill.

Designed like a Doric tetrastyle temple, the monument was raised in the 1840s in honour of John George Lambton (1792-1840), the first governor of the Province of Canada.

Lambton contributed to the Durham Report of 1838, which studied how the UK could better manage its colonies, and the monument was a tribute to this work.

It stands 20 metres tall and 30 metres long, and there’s a hidden stairway to the top of the entablature.

This was reopened in 2011 after a long closure, but can only be climbed on a guided tour by contacting the National Trust.

Whether you go to the top or not, there are awesome views from the monument, over Tyne and Wear and out to the North Sea.

3. North East Land, Sea and Air Museums

Source: North East Land, Sea And Air Museums / facebook

The largest collection of aircraft in the region is on show at the site of the former airbase, RAF Usworth.

Most of the exhibits are from the UK’s post-war aviation boom, and include a Gloster Meteor, an English Electric Lightning, a Hawker Hunter, and maybe most important of all, an Avro Vulcan.

This became the first Vulcan to go into a private collection when it was flown to the museum in the 1980s.

There are more than 30 aircraft on show, and lots of accompanying hardware like Rolls-Royce, Bristol and De Havilland engines, a WE.177 nuclear weapon, the wreckage of a German Heinkel He 111 bomber from WWII, a Bristol Bloodhound surface-to-air missile launcher and a WWI Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun.

4. WWT Washington Wetland Centre

Source: WWT Washington / facebook

At this Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust attraction you can observe a wealth of visiting birds, as well as a collection of exotic species kept in habitats.

Among the permanent residents are Asian short-clawed otters, Chilean flamingos, Hawaiian geese and white-faced whistling ducks.

The park sells bird-feed by the bag, so little ones can get a good look at these species while feeding them.

The Washington Wetland Centre is in more than 100 acres on the banks of the Wear, and features groves of ancient woodland, two reed beds and a large lake.

The reeds are a haven for sedge warblers, reed buntings and reed warblers, while the lake, known as Wader Lake, welcomes oystercatchers, tufted ducks, curlews, little-ringed plovers, redshanks, lapwings and pied avocets.

5. Angel of the North

Source: varunya / shutterstock

An icon for the North East, the Angel of the North is a large-scale contemporary sculpture by Anthony Gormley.

Sitting on a hill next to the East Coast Main Line and the A1 and A167 roads, the sculpture is 20 metres tall, with wings that have a span of 54 metres.

An intriguing detail about these wings is that they’re angled inwards at 3.5°, to give “a sense of embrace”. The angel is made of steel with a rusty patina, as a nod to Tyneside’s industry and the hulks that used to litter the Tyne.

To keep it in place during high winds, the sculpture is anchored to the hilltop on 600 tons of concrete, descending 21 metres into the hill.

While Gormley was working on the piece in the mid-90s the project aroused controversy, but was quickly embraced after completion and is now a beloved landmark, used as an establishing shot for Tyneside in TV and film.

6. Beamish Museum

Source: Beamish Museum / facebook

This outstanding museum is a massive time capsule for industry in the North of England around the Edwardian period at the start of the 20th century and the Georgian period at the start of the Industrial Revolution.

There are historic buildings in situ or transported piece-by-piece to this site, as well as many thousands of industrial artefacts, vehicles, livestock and a small army of interpreters in period costume.

At the 1900s town you can see how traditional sweets and remedies were made at the sweetshop and pharmacy, find out what a visit to the dentist was like more than 100 years ago, order a pint at an Edwardian pub or sip tea at an authentic period tearoom.

There’s also a working 1.5-mile tramway and a narrow-gauge colliery railway.

At the Pit Village you can descend into a genuine drift mine from the 1900s and, on a guided tour, get to know the tough realities of working underground.

7. Arts Centre Washington

Source: Arts Centre Washington / facebook

In a converted stone farm complex, the Arts Centre Washington is a multi-disciplinary cultural centre with a vibrant programme that will appeal to all-comers.

When we wrote this article in early 2019 the spring programme included a one-man play based on Twelfth Night, a freestyle rapper comedian communicating social issues, a verse adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey, and lots of other plays, art exhibitions and shows for kids.

The Arts Centre is a key live music venue for the area, and engages with the community through workshops, fairs and courses in dance, arts and crafts and more.

On top of this the centre also provides studio space for artists, photographers and local businesses connected to the arts.

8. Bowes Railway

Built by the steam locomotive pioneer, George Stephenson in 1826, the Bowes Railway is the only preserved standard gauge cable railway system still in working order.

The line was developed to shift coal from the colliery at Springfield down to the River Tyne, harnessing both steam power and incline planes using ropes.

Trains still run on the 1.5-mile length of track on the first weekend of the month between February and December, while the workshops and yard open as a static museum on Tuesdays and Thursdays, loaded with information about the railway and mining in Tyne and Wear.

The railway survives by donations and has a programme of events like 1940s-themed days, fireworks and Santa’s grotto at Christmas.

9. Washington ‘F’ Pit

Source: commons.wikimedia.org

An imposing reminder of Washington’s 250-year-old coalmining heritage, the Washington ‘F’ Pit is a former colliery at what is now Albany Park.

The shaft was sunk as long ago as 1777, making it one of the oldest mines in the area, and some 1,500 men were employed here at the pit’s peak in the middle of the 20th century.

Your eye will be drawn to the giant headframe and winding gear, and the engine house (1903) below, which houses a horizontal simplex steam engine dating to 1888. If you’re into industrial architecture, the ensemble warrants a detour for a look from the outside.

The pit is also occasionally open to visitors, although you may need to contact Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens as the hours are irregular.

10. Princess Anne Park

There’s a long tract of rambling grassland and woods, starting just south of the Galleries Shopping Centre and continuing as far as Fatfield in the south.

Princess Anne Park is on the banks of the little stream, Oxclose Burn and has mostly been left to nature.

There are open meadows for picnics in summer and walking paths bending off into woods.

Given its free-flowing layout, there aren’t many facilities at the park, but the Washington Leisure Centre can be found at the north end, and there’s also a skate park close by.

11. Herrington Country Park

Source: Anthony McLaughlin / shutterstock

The Penshaw Monument is just across the road from this country park, which has a clear view to that famous landmark.

The park is on top of what used to be a colliery and is scattered with works of public art, some marking the local mining heritage, like an old pit wheel cut in half.

The park’s lake is a magnet for geese, ducks and swans, and there’s a picnic area with tables on the north bank.

For a break, the park’s cafe is close to the main entrance, just off the Washington Highway and there are a few pubs in Penshaw and Herrington around the park’s boundaries.

12. Riverside Ground

Source: Ben Sutherland / Flickr

On the Wear barely ten minutes from Washington is the home ground of Durham County Cricket Club at Chester-le-Street.

The Riverside Ground is also an international venue, staging occasional test matches (five-day affairs), and more frequently One-Day Internationals and shorter T20 internationals.

Work started on the Riverside Ground as soon as Durham was accepted into first-class cricket in 1991. The stadium can seat 19,000 spectators for international matches and has a marvellous view across the Wear to the 14th-century Lumley Castle, now a luxury hotel.

If you’re new to cricket you couldn’t picker a finer place to get acquainted with the game.

All through the summer, Durham competes in Division Two of the County Championship.

After its star Paul Collingwood retired in 2018 the players to look out for are England’s Ben Stokes and Australia’s Cameron Bancroft.

13. Birkheads Secret Gardens

Source: Craig Ian Simpson / facebook

Close to Beamish is a self-sustaining garden growing rare and unusual hardy plants on difficult clay-rich soils.

It might be hard to believe, but this land used to be an opencast coalmine.

The soil retains a lot of moisture and the water table is so high that the garden never needs to be watered.

To keep the trees and plants safe from the raking wind, this patch of land is divided into lots of cosy little spaces, like a well garden, gravel garden, willow dome, goose meadow, tunnel borders, wildlife pond, herb garden, topiary garden, and many more.

Birkheads sells many of the plants growing in these gardens, and also has a cafe with outdoor seating.

14. Golf

Source: Wearside Golf Club / facebook

Wearside has a high reputation for golf, claiming some of the best parkland courses in the North East.

Chester-le-Street is the most prestigious nearby, on the banks of the Wear in the countryside around Lumley Castle.

Before he took the throne in 1936 King George VI was a regular at this course.

Ravensworth meanwhile dates back to 1906 and has an 18-hole course, with narrow fairways and quicksilver greens.

Prices are affordable here, with a full round costing £14 on weekday and £16 on weekends.

Wearside Golf Club is on the south bank of the river, with a friendly clubhouse and operating a relaxed “ball in chute” policy at busy times, in which you place your ball in a tube and join the queue until it comes out.

15. The Galleries Shopping Centre

Source: Galleries Washinton / facebook

Washington has a big covered shopping centre, which opened in the 1970s and hosts well over 100 retailers, both inside and in the neighbouring retail park.

UK high street mainstays like Halfords, JD Sports, Sports Direct, Marks & Spencer, Argos and H&M are all here, accompanied by Iceland, Asda and Sainsbury’s supermarkets and a few fast food chains like McDonalds, KFC, Subway and Greggs.

There’s lots of fun to be had at the 26-lane AMF Bowling, complemented by pool tables, arcade machines and big-screen TVs.

The post 15 Best Things to Do in Washington (Tyne and Wear, England) appeared first on The Crazy Tourist.

For much of the Medieval period the monks of Croyland Abbey held all the power in Wellingborough, and their monastic grange can still be seen in the form of a 17th-century manor house that took its place, and a beautiful 15th-century tithe barn.

In recent years the town has developed a set of heritage trails, and the highly-rated local museum is a great primer, in a building with history of its own.

Many of Wellingborough’s older monuments are built from ironstone, and on the east bank of the Nene at Irchester an old iron ore quarry has been transformed into a country park.

1. Wellingborough Museum

Source: Wellingborough Museum / facebook

The town’s museum whisks you through the history of Wellingborough and local villages.

Starting in the basement you’ll discover the area’s prehistory and unusual ironstone geology, before travelling through Saxon, late-Medieval and Victorian times, up to the First World War.

Upstairs you can get acquainted with 20th-century life in Wellingborough, viewing a 1940s kitchen, a working railway model, a haberdashery shop and an ironmongery, as well as the sorting room from a General Post Office (pre-1969). A word on the building, which is fascinating in its own right; this is the a Victorian baths, built by a local brewer in 1892, and later turned into a shoe factory, which it remained until 1995.

2. Town Heritage Trails

Source: Green, Cream & Tangerine livery / Flickr

Wellingborough’s streets are a mix of the very old and rather new as the town was bombed in the Second World War.

There’s enough history to keep an antiquarian interested for an hour or two, and a signposted heritage trail has been laid out following a Heritage Lottery Funded Townscape Heritage Initiative launched in 2012. There are three different trails, the shortest of which is 1.2 miles and introduces to lots of things you might have missed.

On 35 stops around Wellingborough you’ll visit a couple of the items on this list, as well as many other interesting spots like a Tudor house, Wellingborough’s former town hall (now the Red Well pub), the site of the old market square, a 17th-century grammar school building and a bomb site from the Second World War.

3. Irchester Country Park

Source: Kokai / Wikimedia

Winning a Forestry Centre of Excellence Award for the way it blends nature conservation with activities for visitors, Irchester Country Park is more than 200 acres of mixed woodland in a former iron ore quarry.

The woodland was planted in the 1960s and is now maturing to provide a foliage-rich backdrop for walks on three trails, as well as a high ropes course and a quarry-themed play area.

The woodland supports plenty of birdlife, including sparrow hawks and woodpeckers, and there’s a visitor information centre hosting activities for children and in-depth information about the landscape.

The Quarryman’s Cafe makes cakes, sandwiches and light meals with fresh, local ingredients and is open all week.

Finally, several engines from the quarry’s narrow gauge railway have been preserved at a museum in the park, which we’ll talk about below.

4. Church of St Mary the Virgin

Source: Fr James Bradley / Flickr

Much newer than it seems, St Mary’s Church, built from local ironstone, was completed in 1930 and is designed in a lavish Perpendicular Gothic style with some surprise Classical flourishes.

The architect was Ninian Comper (1864-1960), who was one of the last Gothic Revival architects, and this building is one of only a few 20th-century monuments to earn Grade I listing.

Comper’s work here is touted as a masterpiece and has a highly ornamented interior with a blue and gold colour scheme, shining for its pendant vaults (painted blue and gold over the chancel), early Renaissance-style chancel screen with exuberant reliefs and marvellous stained glass in the chancel east window, north chapel east window and porch window.

Also make time for the octagonal font and the organ case, both of which are also blue and gold.

The church is usually locked, but you can get keys from the vicarage, or from Nos. 29 or 30, St Mary’s Paddock.

5. Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway Museum

Source: Phil Wimbush / facebook

At Irchester Country Park you can dip into the land’s iron ore quarrying past at this free museum, which opened in 1987. The path to the museum is on the trackbed of the old iron narrow gauge railway (Wellingborough Tramway) that used to serve the quarry.

On show in the museum shed are more than 40 pieces of rolling stock, among them four steam and six diesel locomotives.

A handful of these used to run on the Wellingborough Tramway, including a magnificent Peckett steam locomotive from 1934. There’s also a life-size diorama of an iron ore quarry, a recreated water tank and 250-metres of track for occasional demonstrations.

6. Splash Park at the Embankment

Source: Popescu Razvan / facebook

The long, hot summers of the last few years have turned this free attraction on the Embankment by the River Nene into a godsend.

The Splash Park is open every day during the summer school holidays, and on weekends during term time from Easter to September.

There’s a series of fountains and jets to entertain kids aged five to sixteen when the mercury rises, as well as picnic benches for accompanying grown-ups.

During the school holidays a mini funfair sets up here, along with refreshment stands.

For something more tranquil you could also saunter along the Nene for a while, feeding the swans and watching the narrowboats chugging past.

7. Sywell Aviation Museum

Source: Sywell Aviation Museum / facebook

Sywell Aerodrome, a little way west, was an RAF base and repair facility for Wellington bombers in the Second World War.

The museum here opened in a set of three Nissen huts in 2001, and tells the aerodrome’s wartime history, as well as the story of flight in Northamptonshire from the earliest days up to 1945. You can visit on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and weekends in spring and summer, perusing the large array of bombs, rockets, a loaded bomb trolley and air-to-air missiles.

The RAF cabinets paint a picture of the day-to-day at a WWII bomber or fighter station, with documents, uniforms, medals and even details like bedding.

You can also see a recreation of a wireless operator’s position in an RAF Lancaster, as well as wreckage from a crashed RAF Boulton Paul Defiant and B-17 Flying Fortress.

8. Sywell Country Park

Source: Connor Roy Hamilton / shutterstock

From 1906 to 1976 the 70-acre man-made lake at this nearby country park was a drinking water reservoir.

A remnant from the earliest days survives at the imposing Edwardian valve tower, as well as a pump house from the same time, which has been reborn as a cafe.

Beneath the low dam is a arboretum with a beautiful array of specimen trees, while the lake itself is famous among coarse fishing circles, home to tench as big as 10lb and pike up to 30lb.

The reservoir is circled by a three-mile trail, while there’s a visitor centre with activities and details about the countryside, along with picnic areas, a butterfly garden and an adventure playground for kids.

9. Stanwick Lakes

Source: David Hughes / shutterstock

The Nene Valley around Wellingborough has witnessed intense gravel quarrying over the last century, and one of these sites, a short way from Wellingborough, opened as a beloved 750-acre country park in 2006. In the 1980s a Roman villa was discovered here, and a mosaic from the excavation is on show at the park’s airy and sustainable visitor centre, which also houses a cafe, indoor play area and displays with interesting facts about the lakes and their wildlife.

Youngsters will love Stanwick Lakes for its Adventure Trail with balance beams and rope bridges, and adventure playground, while older visitors can take part in traditional crafts courses and spot teals, gadwalls, little egrets, chaffinches and long-tailed tits in different seasons.

10. All Saints’ Church, Earls Barton

Source: j a thorpe / Flickr

Well worth the short trip, there’s a rare example of an Anglo-Saxon church in the village of Earls Barton, lying within the same borough.

All attention at All Saints’ Church is on the tower, raised around 970. This is made from coursed rubble and limestone, and experts think that the building was a tower nave, with worship space on the ground floor and a priest’s dwelling further up.

The tower, clad with strapwork and pilasters, has Roman-influenced round arches on its doorway and in the row of narrow openings at the top.

From the 12th to the 14th centuries the original chancel was demolished and the nave was extended eastwards, while the tower was given its castellated parapet in the 1300s.

In the body of the current church, take a moment to appreciate the scalloped capitals on the 13th-century tower arch, and the 12th-century blank arcading on the north and south walls of the chancel.

11. Rushden Transport Museum

Rushden Railway Station opened in 1894 on the old Wellingborough to Higham Ferrers branch of the Midland Railway.

That line closed to passengers in 1959, and freight traffic a decade later.

But since 1996 this fine Victorian building has been restored, together with a half-mile of track operated by the Rushden , Higham and Wellingborough Heritage Railway scheduling passenger services, from cream teas to Santa specials, all year round.

Inside the station you can browse all sorts of Victorian and 20th-century railway artefacts, while getting to know some of the characters that would have worked at the station, like the fireman, petrol pump attendant and drayman (beer courier). The ticket office and parcel office have been returned to their Victorian appearance, while you can take a seat in the Station Master’s chair, when he isn’t sitting in it.

12. Castle Theatre

Source: Kokai / Wikimedia

In 1995 the Castle Theatre, the area’s premier performing arts venue, opened on the site of Wellingborough’s old cattle market next to the Wellingborough Museum.

The complex houses a 503-seater Main House Theatre (700 standing), as well as the smaller Studio Theatre, along with studios, rehearsal space, an art gallery exhibition wall and bar/restaurant.

If you’re wondering what to do on an evening in Wellingborough there’s a busy and diverse programme at the Castle Theatre, with ballet, musicals, opera productions, contemporary dance, live music of all descriptions, stand-up comedy, regular film screenings and broadcasts from the likes of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.

13. Summer Leys

Source: Bob Chappell / shutterstock

Against the River Nene to the south of Wellingborough is another chain of lakes at former gravel pits.

One of these has been conserved by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust as a nature reserve, and a crucial habitat for wintering birds from Northern Europe like gadwalls, wigeons and goosanders, as well as large numbers of roosting golden plovers and lapwings.

Wading birds like redshanks and oystercatchers love the shallow lake margins and gravel islands, and come to breed in spring, while others like common sandpipers and greenshanks stop by on their migrations south in autumn.

The reserve is traced to the west by a disused railway line, which forms part of a circular walk around the reserve, leading you to a series of well-placed hides.

14. Croyland Abbey, Wellingborough

Source: Kokai / Wikimedia

Backing onto the namesake gardens in the centre of Wellingborough is a building with roots going back to the 10th century.

Croyland Abbey is named after the monastery in Crowland, Lincolnshire, for which it was a monastic grange.

The manor house standing here now is 17th-century, with lots of Victorian alterations, while a remnant from the old monastic grange is the free-standing tithe barn next door, built from local ironstone in the 15th century and a standout piece of barn construction from the period.

Today the manor contains offices, while the tithe barn is rented out for events.

15. Nene Court

Source: Nene Court / facebook

This independent retail park has a vibrant community of small businesses, counting design shops, handmade arts and crafts, fashion boutiques, a coffee roaster, a delicatessen, brewery shop, a haberdasher/craft shop, a jeweller, bridal company, beautician… to name a few.

Nene Court is a former Victorian gasworks, established by the Wellingborough Gas Light Co., later used as a hospital for soldiers in the First World War.

For when you get peckish, Nene Court has its own eatery at the Pump House Cafe.

The post 15 Best Things to Do in Wellingborough (Northamptonshire, England) appeared first on The Crazy Tourist.

Longleat mixes the family-friendly fun of one of the UK’s favourite safari parks with the splendour of an Elizabethan Prodigy House.

The sheer size of the Longleat estate is extraordinary and under its mantle of woodland there’s a Center Parcs resort, home to the luxurious Aqua Sana spa, and the Shearwater Lake.

The National Trust’s Stourhead is a comfortable drive from Warminster, while those chalk hills around the town have been moulded by human hands, building Neolithic burial mounds and Iron Age hillforts thousands of years ago.

1. Longleat

Source: Tom Payne / shutterstock

The seat of the Marquesses of Bath is a sumptuous 16th-century Prodigy House in 1,000 acres of parkland that was landscaped by Capability Brown in the 18th century.

The estate is much larger and comprises a further 4,000 acres of woodland, along with another 4,000 acres of farmland.

On the estate is the famous Longleat Safari Park and Shearwater Lake, both of which we’ll cover later.

In the meantime we need to mention Longleat Woods, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, as well as the record-breaking hedge maze on the Main Square north of the house.

Made up of 16,000 clipped English yews, this is the longest hedge maze in the world, with 1.7 miles of paths as well as six foot bridges and a central observation tower.

This is all the work of the eccentric 7th Marquess, who has laid out four other mazes on the property.

2. Longleat House

Source: Andrew Harker / shutterstock

This sensational Elizabethan house was built for John Thynne between 1568 and 1580 on land that had been occupied by an Augustine Abbey before the Reformation.

Set off by that majestic Capability Brown landscaping, the house was one of the first stately homes to welcome the public when it opened in 1949.

A tour of Longleat House is mandatory, to view the Elizabethan Great Hall, the ante-library with stunning Venetian painted ceiling, the Red Library where many of the estate’s 40,000 books are kept, the fabulous State Drawing Room by the feted Victorian interior designer John Crace, and many more.

There’s an trove of decorative arts as you make your way, like 18th-century Meissen porcelain, Flemish tapestries and historic paintings (see the portrait of Henry Frederick, Charles I’s brother in the Prince of Wales Bedroom). The house and gardens are included in the day ticket for the safari park, but can be visited on a separate, cheaper pass.

3. Longleat Safari Park

Source: Lina Schwamkrug / shutterstock

In thousands of acres of Wiltshire countryside, Longleat Safari Park was the first drive-through safari outside Africa when it opened in 1966. There are 500 animals at the park, that you can see from your car or at smaller enclosures on foot.

The drive will take you past white rhinos, lions, elephants, deer herds that have been on the estate since Elizabethan times, tigers, cheetahs, wolves and mischievous macaques.

You can get close to giraffes and zebras on foot at the African Village and Walking Safari, while the Main Square is more like a conventional zoo.

Here you can board the Longleat miniature steam railway, solve that famous Hedge Maze, meet domestic animals at the family farmyard, hand feed lorikeets and go on a cruise to see the gorilla colony, California sea lions and a pair of hippos.

This is just a brief intro to everything going on at the park, and there are new experiences with each season.

4. Stourhead

Source: Kevin Standage / shutterstock

The glorious parkland and mansion at Stourhead is also a must.

This estate has belonged to the National Trust since 1946 and for the previous 230 years the property was the seat of the Hoare family who transformed the house and its Grade I gardens in the 18th century.

Stourhead is an estate where the intricately planned landscaping and lavish follies may be even more splendid than the house.

There’s a grotto decorated with statuary, a pantheon, lakeside temples of Flora and Apollo, a Palladian bridge, cascades, bountiful rhododendrons and the Medieval-style King Alfred’s Tower, 50 metres high and graced with views of the whole scene.

On the high ground, the house itself is also Palladian, from the mid-18th century and holds Henry Hoare’s (1677-1725) art collection, comprising many hand-coloured prints of works by the likes of the Baroque painter Carlo Maratta and Mannerist Daniele da Volterra.

5. Shearwater

Source: Krzysztof Dac / shutterstock

This spellbinding man-made lake is in deep mature woodland close to Crockerton village on the Longleat Estate.

Walking trails set off from the lakeshore and into the woods.

You could hike from here to Heaven’s Gate, about an hour away and where the bishop Thomas Ken (1637-1711, a long-term lodger at Longleat after losing his see following the Glorious Revolution, wrote the hymn “Morning”, one of many that he composed on the estate.

There’s a tearoom at Bargate Cottage on the lake’s south-east corner, open in summer, and a boathouse belonging to the Shearwater Sailing Club.

Rambling around the banks you’re sure to encounter people fishing for carp, while the Shearwater Sailing Club organises races on Sundays and Tuesdays evenings in spring and summer.

6. Cley Hill

Source: anetta zalewska / shutterstock

Looked after by the National Trust, Cley Hill was donated by the 6th Marquess of Bath, Henry Thynne in 1954. The hill is a dominant landmark to the west of Warminster and locally has been a UFO hotspot since the mid-20th century, which isn’t too surprising given the proximity of Salisbury Plain.

Just a glimpse at the contours of Cley Hill will tell you that there’s a lot of history here, at an Iron Age hill-fort, two Bronze Age bowl barrows and rippling terraces hewn in Medieval times.

Cley Hill is covered with chalk grassland, speckled with wildflowers in early summer, and with little ridges sheltered from the breeze for picnics.

7. Arn Hill Nature Trail

Source: Dave Imm / Wikimedia

On Warminster’s northern edge, Arn Hill rises to 200 metres and was given to the town by the Marquess of Bath in 1920. Up here there’s a two-mile circular trail, weaving through woodland and scenic chalk grassland where a diversity of orchids bloom in summer.

On the route you’ll pass a former lime kiln, as well as the chalk quarry that used to supply it, known as Kidnapper’s Hole, now pasture for sheep.

You’ll emerge from the woods to be greeted by a panorama that encompasses the Salisbury Plain, Dorset to the south and low-lying Somerset in the west.

Arn Hill teems with wildlife in summer, like small blue and fritillary butterflies, as well as birds like chiffchaffs, meadow pipts, skylarks and tree-creepers.

8. Lake Pleasure Grounds (Warminster Town Park)

Source: The Pavilion Café - Warminster Lake Pleasure Grounds / facebook

A source of pride for Warminster, the Lake Pleasure Grounds is set around a long rectangular body of water.

There’s a cafe in the pavilion selling bird-feed for the ducks, as well as a children’s play area, a paddling pool, tennis courts and a skate park from 2019. The park has been designed to attract as much wildlife as possible, so there’s a chance you may see a heron, kingfisher or otter while you relax on one of the benches.

You can hire a rowboat or canoe for half an hour at a time in the summer; a buoyancy vest is provided.

9. Battlesbury Camp

Source: Andrew Harker / shutterstock

West of Warminster, rising above the MOD land on the Salisbury Plain is Battlesbury Camp, an Iron Age hill-fort with a double circuit of defensive earthworks (bivallate). At sites like this it’s worth remembering how little of what you see is natural.

The ditch between the two sets of ramparts feels almost like a valley and was cut by human hands a little under 3,000 years ago.

The crest of this hill would have felt well protected for the community that lived here as it is still almost inaccessible from the north-east and west sides.

Battlesbury Camp was occupied until the 1st century BC, and most likely came to a violent end, as many graves with men, women and children have been found beyond the north-west entrance.

10. Westbury White Horse

Source: Alan Jeffery / shutterstock

White Horses are a Wiltshire signature.

These massive equine figures can be seen on hillsides, created by removing the upper layer of grass to reveal the chalk below.

The tradition is mooted to go back to Anglo-Saxon times and was revived in the 18th century.

The Westbury White Horse is the oldest in the county, carved around 1742 on the edge of the Bratton Downs and holding sway over the Salisbury Plain.

The image is 55 metres tall and 52 metres wide and according to tradition is a restored version of a white horse created in the 9th century to mark Alfred the Great’s victory at the Battle of Edington in 878. A modern stone on the hilltop commemorates the battle.

There’s even earlier history at Bratton Castle, where the double ramparts of yet another Iron Age hill-fort are unmistakable.

11. Copheap

Source: Bewickswan / shutterstock

The closest of Warminster’s six hills is just to the north of the town a few steps from the train station.

Copheap was bought by the council just after the Second World War and turned into a memorial.

Heading from Copheap Lane there’s a traditional timber lych gate, with benches below and an inscription on its lintel beam.

From there you’ll have access to woods and chalk grassland with a preserved Neolithic barrow on top.

The scenery is fabulous in the clearings, with vistas over Salisbury Plain to the west and over Warminster to Cley Hill in the west.

12. The Athenaeum Centre

Source: Athenaeum Warminster / facebook

This handsome Jacobean Revival building on the High Street is a theatre built in 1858. In its early years the Athenaeum was a literary institution and the current auditorium was a lecture room, converted into a stage in 1912. The venue was rescued by a charitable trust in the late-90s and is a community-oriented amenity, putting on plays by resident theatre groups, and booking musicians from the area or making national tours.

The Athenaeum is a cosy place to watch a new Hollywood release and organises children’s activities in the school holidays as well as a variety of workshops for grown-ups, from yoga to watercolour painting.

13. Smallbrook Meadows Nature Reserve

Wetland habitats like these are quite rare among Wiltshire’s chalky grassland but there’s a sizeable patch on the Rivers Were and Wylye, beginning at the far end of the Lake Pleasure Grounds.

Broken up into six smaller meadows, this reserve is just over 30 acres and encompasses a series of ditches and a pond excavated in 1989. One of the curious things about Smallbrook Meadows is that three of the six field are on former farmland that was fertilised, so don’t produce wildflowers in summer, as opposed to the three “unimproved” fields, which are constellated with water avens, ragged robins, cuckooflowers, marsh marigolds and yellow irises in May and June.

The riverbanks and pond are a key habitat for water voles, declining around the country, but doing well here.

Kingfishers are never far away in early summer, while later in the season the dragonflies and damselflies are out in full force.

14. Aqua Sana

Source: Aqua Sana / facebook

Hiding in a valley among giant redwoods on the Longleat Estate is a luxury spa resort that caters to day guests with a wide choice of packages.

In fact the trickiest part will be picking the experience and treatments right for you.

For example, the “Brighten and Glow” day offers an Elemis facial and Frangipani hot stones, while the “Re-energising Spa Day” entails a Decléor Mind and Body Re-energising treatment.

And if you can’t make up your mind, the “Luxury Spa Experience Day” involves more than 15 different spa experiences and two hours of treatments from top to toe.

For those pushed for time there are morning escapes, afternoon teas and twilight spas to bring a relaxing end to the day.

15. Dents Museum and Factory Shop

Source: www.dentsgloves.com

One of Warminster’s most prestigious long-term residents is Dents, a glove manufacturer that has been here since 1777. Dents has been making luxury gloves for royalty since the reign of George III, and produced the gloves for Elizabeth II’s coronation.

This pair is kept at the company’s museum, which is closed for general visits but can be seen on a pre-arranged private viewing.

You can also peruse gloves to commemorate Victoria’s diamond jubilee, and a collection not made by Dent.

Among these is a pair attached to gauntlets and worn by Charles I, fine wool gloves worn by Victoria and a left-hand glove for Elizabeth I’s coronation, embellished with silver thread and sequins.

Monday to Saturday you can also drop by the Factory Shop, selling expertly crafted belts, purses, wallets, bags and hats, to match its huge range of gloves.

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The woollen cloth trade in Trowbridge had been around since the Medieval period, but went into overdrive with industrialisation, to the point where there were 20 large scale mills here in the early 1800s.

The Trowbridge Museum is in one of these factories and is an excellent resource for this half-forgotten trade.

The town has a lively arts scene, bolstered by the modern Civic Centre and the community-focussed Town Hall Arts.

You can shop at a healthy outdoor market on Wednesdays, and there’s no shortage of things to investigate in the area, like the bucolic towpath on the Kennet and Avon Canal, Medieval manor houses and romantic country gardens.

1. Trowbridge Museum

Source: Trowbridge Museum / facebook

Appropriate for a town that made a name for its woollen cloth industry, the town museum is at the historic Salter’s Home Mill, which was incorporated into the Shires Shopping Centre in 1990. The museum has a massive inventory linked to the local textile trade, including a very rare Spinning Jenny, a teazle gig (for raising the nap of the cloth), a Fulling machine (for cleansing cloth), along with all kinds of tools and woollen cloth samples.

Keeping Trowbridge’s woollen heritage alive, the museum hosts craft workshops all year, when you can take a starter course in weaving with a loom and learn wet felting.

These classes were ongoing at the time of writing in March 2019, even while the museum was temporarily closed for renovations.

2. Farleigh Hungerford Castle

Source: tviolet / shutterstock

This castle, constructed in the 14th century and made more luxurious over time, is rare for the South West of England as it came through the Civil War without being slighted afterwards.

And although the property was abandoned not long after and fell into ruin, there’s lots to uncover.

The outer court is in a tremendous state of preservation, to the point where the initials and coat of arms of Sir Edward Hungerford can clearly be seen on the eastern gatehouse, dating to between 1516 and 1522. The Hungerford family lived here for 300 years up to the end of the 17th century, and the English Heritage audioguide lifts the lid on some pretty grim secrets, like Edward Hungerford’s murder by strangulation on the orders of his wife in 1522. The chapel was restored in the 18th century and is celebrated for its splendid Medieval wall paintings and unnerving human-shaped lead coffins.

3. St James’s Church

Source: en.wikipedia.org

The first mention of St James’s Church is from 1115, while the majority of the building is Perpendicular Gothic from the late 15th century, given a sympathetic restoration in the mid-19th century.

See the nave’s panelled ceiling with winged cartouches, and the fan vaulting under the tower and north porch.

There are also tomb slabs in great condition dating back to the 12th century in the north porch.

In the graveyard look for the tomb of Thomas Helliker, a luddite who was hanged at just 19, despite having an alibi, for allegedly taking part in a machine-breaking riot at a woollen mill in 1803. His death is seen as an important step towards trade unions in the UK, and on the 200th anniversary of his death in 2003 there was a ceremony at this grave.

4. Kennet and Avon Canal

Source: 1000 Words / shutterstock

Inland navigation was made a lot easier in the 18th century with the construction of this 87-mile canal between the River Kennet at Newbury and the Thames at Reading, effectively linking the port city of Bristol with London.

Around Trowbridge the canal stays close to the natural course of the River Avon and is as rural as you’d hope, with bucolic scenery in both directions.

Head west to Bradford-on-Avon and there are long rows of trees for ample shade on sunny days, as well as the elegant Trowbridge Road Canal Bridge.

Going east, on the way to Semington there’s a sequence of swing bridges in lush countryside, and you’ll pass something rare in the UK, a solar energy farm.

On the canal in Trowbridge Hilperton Marina offers narrowboat rentals for a day, week or more, and has a well-stocked shop for voyagers.

5. Trowbridge Town Park

Source: Trowbridge Park / facebook

A well-appointed green space in the centre of Trowbridge, the Town Park is fringed by the Civic Centre, Town Hall and Castle Place Shopping Centre.

All down the west side is a long avenue with three rows of trees leading to the warm memorial at the top.

Just next to the avenue there’s a great little sports complex, complete with a crazy golf course, bowling green and tennis courts.

The kiosk, where you pay for the crazy golf, sells refreshments, while across the way, next to the Civic Centre is an action-packed play area for kids.

To the south you’ll find a lake fed by the River Biss, with a raised seating area on its east side.

You can use the park to get out into the countryside, tracing the course of the River Biss to the Biss Meadow Country Park.

6. Great Chalfield Manor and Garden

Source: samwilson.id.au / Flickr

In the 1460s the powerful lawyer and businessman Thomas Tropenell built himself a palatial manor house at Great Chalfield.

There have been modifications over time, most substantially in the 19th century, but Tropenell would recognise the building standing today.

In the parlour a 15th-century portrait is thought to depict Tropenell’s likeness – a heavy set man wearing an ermine-trimmed gown, a money bag and possibly a beaver hat.

Another holdover from the 15th century is the Tropenell Cartulary, a document recording Tropenell’s progress as a businessman acquiring estates.

The National Trust gives guided tours at set times on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, while in the Arts and Crafts-style garden is a group of four giant clipped yews called “tree houses”. Great Chalfield Manor’s extensive original architecture has made it a favoured shooting location for period dramas like 2008’s The Other Boleyn Girl and the BBC series Poldark.

7. The Courts Garden

A classic English country garden, the Courts Garden was laid out in the early 20th century around a grand house from 1720. The garden is made up of a variety of contrasting “rooms”. There’s a formal garden with masterfully sculpted yews and florid borders, or an arboretum, which is much looser and is planted with exotic species from all over the world.

The water gardens are fabulous too for their dye pool and lily pond, and with paths weaving through the surrounding flowerbeds and borders, delivering you to a classical stone temple and benches for a moment of repose.

8. Trowbridge Civic Centre

Source: Andrew Harker / shutterstock

In 2011 Trowbridge opened a state-of-the-art live entertainment and conference venue in front of the town park.

The Civic Centre stages touring musicians, particularly tribute acts, as well as well-known comedians, shows for kids, occasional club nights and festivals.

The Civic Centre is also an everyday amenity for the town, with a comfy lounge equipped with a self-serve Costa Coffee express machine and a bar stocked with craft gins.

Trowbridge’s Information centre is under the same roof, while just behind is the town’s Odeon cinema and a handful of fast-casual restaurants like Wagamama and Nando’s.

9. Westwood Manor

Source: Kirsty Baggs Morgan / facebook

In the namesake village, Westwood Manor was begun in the 15th century and mixes late-Medieval architecture with Tudor and Jacobean.

The property had been altered until Edward Lister, a diplomat at the Ottoman court, took over and restored the interiors to their 17th-century glory.

Underneath newer layers of plaster he discovered original stuccowork, window glazing and wooden wall-panelling.

Lister was also an avid collector, amassing musical instruments, tapestries and furniture, while adding beautiful topiary to the garden.

On top of all that Lister was a master in needlework, so a lot of Westwood Manor’s upholstery, in Bargello, is by his own hand.

The manor is owned by the National Trust and opens to the public on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays from April to the end of September.

10. Tithe Barn, Bradford-on-Avon

Source: 1000 Words / shutterstock

An extraordinary Medieval monument awaits in the neighbouring town of Bradford-on-Avon.

The Grade I listed Tithe Barn dates to the early 14th century and was part of an outlying landholding, or grange, belonging to Shaftesbury Abbey, a convent with some of the richest landholdings in England up to its dissolution by Henry VIII.

Landlords were able to store their produce in this building, subject to a 10% tax levied by the abbey.

Incredibly the barn, 51 metres long and 10 metres across, was in use until 1974 and is now looked after by English Heritage.

You can enter for free to look up in awe at the surviving timber cruck roof.

11. Picket and Clanger Wood

Source: Coatesy / shutterstock

These 150 acres of mixed woodland south of Trowbridge are cared for by the Woodland Trust.

The environment at Picket and Clanger Wood hasn’t changed a great deal since it was noted in the Domesday Book in 1086, and being ancient woodland allows lots of species to flourish.

There are upwards of 35 different types of butterfly here, and 300 moth species, among them the bizarre narrow-bordered bee hawk moth.

Tawny owls, willow tits, green woodpeckers, greater spotted woodpeckers, buzzards and nuthatches are year-round residents.

The Woodland Trust also rates Picket and Clanger Wood as one of the ten best places in the UK to enjoy bluebells in spring.

12. Trowbridge Town Hall Arts

Source: Town Hall Arts / facebook

There’s a multidisciplinary hub for community arts at Trowbridge Town Hall.

A word on the building, which dates to 1889 and is a mix of styles, but mostly Jacobethan, with a bold Italian clock tower.

The building was donated to Trowbridge by the local businessman Sir William Roger Brown to mark Victoria’s Golden Jubilee.

It would be impossible to list everything going on at Town Hall Arts, but for a taster there are plays, dance performances, concerts, art classes, exhibitions, dance and drama workshops, comedy nights, craft workshops, open mic music nights and performances just for children.

13. Southwick Country Park

Source: Southwick Country Park / facebook

You can venture out into the countryside without having to travel far from Trowbridge at this 150-acre country park on the town’s south-west edge.

Southwick is a patchwork of fields linked by a network of mown grass paths and divided by hedges and clumps of woodland.

Those meadows are former farmland, and, as they’ve slowly returned to nature, wildflower species like common spotted orchids have started appearing.

At the park’s pond you may catch sight of a kingfisher in summer, while buzzards, a variety of owls and sparrow hawks are some of the many birds of prey recorded in the park.

14. Hope Nature Centre

Source: Hope Nature Centre / facebook

Another reason to head to Southwick Country Park is for the Hope Nature Centre, an animal park in 15 acres, keeping donkeys, pigs, goats, sheep, alpacas, ducks, chickens and many more.

At the time of writing (2019) the park is applying for a zoo licence, so in future will have emus, owls, tortoises and parrots.

Hope Nature Centre is run by a charity, providing employment for vulnerable adults.

When you arrive you can buy some animal feed from the Park Hut so little ones can get up close and personal with the centre’s animals.

Check the calendar for seasonal events like a Mother’s Day lunch, Easter egg hunts and a Christmas market.

15. Wednesday Market

Source: Andrew Harker / shutterstock

The pedestrianised Fore Street is bedecked with stalls on Wednesdays for the weekly market, selling fruit and vegetables, flowers, meat, poultry, eggs, fish, clothing, bread, pastries, nuts, confectionery and arts and crafts.

The market was launched in 2013 to accompany the covered market open Monday to Saturday at the Castle Place shopping centre.

Also on Fore Street on the second and fourth Fridays of the month there’s a farmers’ market where you can buy all vegetables, sausages (a Wiltshire speciality), poultry, jams, honey and cakes straight from the producer.

Something out of the ordinary here is unpasteurised milk, which can legally only be sold directly to the customer.

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