Table of contents for London Guide 2021 in Britain

ANNUAL EVENTS Trooping the Colour This parade of over 1,400 soldiers and 200 horses has marked the official birthday of the British sovereign for over 260 years. 12 June Wimbledon Tennis Championships The world's oldest tennis tournament is set to go ahead this year – without the queues. 28 June-11 July BBC Proms A world-renowned eight-week classical music festival held each summer in the Royal Albert Hall. 30 July-11 September RHS Chelsea Flower Show A must for all keen gardeners, the Chelsea Flower Show has cutting-edge show gardens and fabulous floral displays. 21-26 September HIGHLIGHTS SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUMS A superb trio of museums – the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the V&A – make this cultural pocket of southwest London a must-visit. NATIONAL GALLERY This beautiful gallery houses…

The West Country is full of wonder: the mystical land of King Arthur and Stonehenge; the awe-inspiring Jurassic Coast, embedded with the fossils of dinosaurs; moorland dotted with ancient monuments and traversed by wild ponies; and a spectacular coastline tapering out at Lizard Point, Cornwall's southernmost point. Covering Gloucestershire, Bristol, Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall, the area holds an impressive four UNESCO World Heritage Sites and two national parks. If the coast, with its quaint fishing towns and cheerful seaside resorts, leaves the most lasting impression, the interior is pretty spectacular too. With cities like Bath, a harmonious cityscape in creamy limestone, and Salisbury with its elegant cathedral, there's much to explore. The region is also prized for its food and drink: Gloucester Old Spot pork, Somerset cider and…

The Southeast, with its scenic coastline and bucolic scenes of apple orchards and country lanes, exerts a nostalgic pull on many Londoners, as it’s traditionally a region where city-dwellers took their summer holiday. Easily accessible by train from the capital, the area covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and East and West Sussex. Many of the Southeast’s prettiest spots have an appealingly old-fashioned feel. Charming seaside towns such as Whitstable, renowned for its oysters, and cheerful Brighton line the coast, with many a castle bearing witness to the days when this coastline saw off waves of invaders. The breathtaking White Cliffs of Dover are a high point – literally – while the rolling South Downs and the High Weald hold stunning scenery, sleepy villages and…

Birthplace of William Shakespeare and of the Industrial Revolution, this earthy region encompasses Birmingham, Warwickshire, Herefordshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Coventry and Worcestershire. Stratford-upon-Avon is the obvious honeypot: Shakespeare's home town with its quaint streets, historic houses and world-class theatre never loses its appeal. Scattered around the region are plenty of Tudor traces: chocolate-box cottages, stately homes such as Hardwick Hall, and dramatic Ludlow Castle. The Iron Bridge spanning the River Severn is one of the world's most famous industrial landmarks, and rightly so – it paved the way for the use of cast iron in structures all over the world. This part of England, once known as the 'workshop of the world', prospered on iron and coal, and later became known for its potteries – some of which still exist. Don't…

Chatsworth House is the jewel in the crown of the Peak District, and there’s nowhere better to stay than at the Cavendish Hotel, a historic 18th-century coaching inn owned by the Duke of Devonshire, in an enviable location on the Chatsworth Estate. The great house itself, a treasure trove of art surrounded by world-renowned gardens, is a mere 20-minute cross-country stroll away. This fine hotel also provides an ideal base for discovering the Peak District. One lucky winner and their guest will win a luxury two-night stay at this very special hotel, staying in one of the Superior rooms and enjoying a three-course evening meal with a bottle of wine in three AA Rosette restaurant The Gallery on one night. Local, fresh, seasonal produce takes centre stage here, and Head…

Travelling along the flat Fens under broad, open skies to Britain’s easternmost county, you feel as though you’re approaching the ends of the Earth. On the way to nowhere, North Norfolk is a place of windmills and watery vistas, of cosy pubs and flint-stone villages. This sleepy region is less populated now than it was in the Middle Ages, when the capital Norwich was England’s second largest city, a hub for the lucrative wool trade. The peaceful landscape is dotted with medieval church spires (Norfolk has the highest concentration anywhere in the world), remnants of the county’s distant heyday. These days, North Norfolk is famous for its beaches. The coastline, to which holidaymakers flock in summer, is head-turningly picturesque – which might explain why a wealth of historic attractions, tucked…

ANNUAL EVENTS Scarborough Seafest Feast on seafood as you celebrate the Yorkshire coast’s seafaring history at this foodie festival, with plenty of stalls and cookery demos. 23-25 July Castle Howard Proms This spectacular classical concert in the grounds of Castle Howard, North Yorkshire, is a memorable musical experience. 21 August Kynren Auckland Castle hosts this epic open-air night spectacular that brings to life 2,000 years of Britain's history, with fireworks and water effects. 7 Aug-11 Sept Ulverston Dickensian Festival Thousands dress up to celebrate the Dickensian era at this popular annual festival in Cumbria. 27-28 November HIGHLIGHTS MANCHESTER This vibrant city is not just home to the most famous football club in the world. It’s got stunning art and architecture, including the John Ryland Library, Manchester Cathedral and the award-winning…

ANNUAL EVENTS Man V Horse Marathon This annual 22-mile race sees runners compete against riders on horseback in the mid-Wales town of Llanwrtyd Wells. 12 June Pembrokeshire Fish Week This fishy event is held for nine days, attracting seafood lovers for a host of activities from fishing competitions to cooking demos. 26 June-4 July Wales Airshow A spectacular show along the entire five-mile stretch of Swansea Bay. At ground level are children's entertainments and a funfair. 3-4 July World Bog Snorkelling Championships This quirky event held in Llanwrtyd Wells attracts visitors from far and wide. 29 August Abergavenny Food Festival Chefs, farmers and food writers feature at this culinary celebration in Monmouthshire. 18-19 September HIGHLIGHTS PORTMEIRION With stunning views, colourful gardens and amazing architecture, this Italian-inspired village built by Sir…

ANNUAL EVENTS Highland Games People across the Highlands compete in a variety of sporting games at this event, full of bagpipes, kilts and whisky. June-September Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Musicians perform on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle for this iconic spectacle. 6-28 August Edinburgh Fringe Festival The world’s largest arts festival sees people perform in venues all over the city. 6-30 August Hogmanay Scotland marks New Year's Eve with one of the best New Year's Eve celebrations in the world. Events in Edinburgh include a torchlight procession and street party. 30-31 December Burns Night Scotland celebrates its most famous poet with a traditional Burns supper of haggis. 25 January HIGHLIGHTS THE HIGHLANDS From majestic mountains – including Britain’s highest Peak, Ben Nevis – to verdant valleys such as Glencoe and…

Country house hideaways Rothay Manor, Cumbria There’s no better place than the Lakes for a few days’ walking, and this handsome Regency manor, a ten-minute stroll from Ambleside, makes the ideal base. All the details are just right: an acclaimed restaurant – one of the best in the Lakes – stylish but comfy rooms whose vast beds come with cloud-like mattresses, and private hot tubs to ease aching muscles after yomping the fells. The full Cumbrian breakfast will set you up for more of the same the next day. www.rothaymanor.co.uk Grove of Narberth, Pembrokeshire A romantic Welsh hideaway, Grove of Narberth overlooks the Preseli Hills and is just a 15-minute drive from pretty Tenby. Rooms are dotted with art, antiques and period fireplaces, imbuing them with warmth and character. Six…

ANNUAL EVENTS Top of the Gorge This activity weekend run by the National Trust includes trail-running, mountain-biking and a cycle road race – with stunning views. 12-13 June Bath Festival The festival finale weekend will see international acts get together for a musical extravaganza in the heart of Bath. 7-8 August Falmouth Tall Ships A fleet of tall ships from around the world will arrive in this Cornish town for three days of festivities. 17-19 August Bristol International Balloon Fiesta Over 150 balloons from across the world sail above Bristol at this annual event. 12-15 August Bournemouth Air Festival An action-packed four-day airshow on the Dorset coast. 2-5 September HIGHLIGHTS BATH This beautiful Georgian town is famed for its spa waters, honey-stone houses and Jane Austen connections: Bath was home…

ANNUAL EVENTS Glyndebourne A wonderful summer opera festival held in the grounds of this country house in East Sussex. 20 May-29 August Royal Ascot World-class horse racing, high fashion, fine dining and pageantry sum up this popular event on the British social calendar. 15-19 June Alice's Day Mad hatters can join the annual festivities celebrating Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in Oxford, a city-wide celebration. 4 July Henley Royal Regatta Thousands of spectators gather for this annual five-day rowing event in Oxfordshire. August Whitstable Oyster Festival A popular celebration of the town’s connection with the oyster industry. Late July HIGHLIGHTS WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER An iconic landmark, the spectacular, 100m-high White Cliffs overlook the English channel; the perfect place for breathtaking coastal path walks. CANTERBURY This charming city impresses with stunning…

ANNUAL EVENTS Coventry City of Culture Coventry is UK City of Culture 2021, and there's a lively programme of cultural events planned, from the prestigious Turner Prize exhibition to a city-wide street art festival. All year Buxton International Festival One of the UK’s leading art festivals, BIF in Derbyshire celebrates the best in opera, music and literature. 8-25 July Ludlow Food Festival Held at Ludlow Castle, this is the oldest food festival in the UK and attracts foodies from around the world. 10-12 September Christmas at Chatsworth The festive season is a big deal at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. Warm and inviting scenes enliven this magnificent house, beautifully dressed for Christmas. November to early January HIGHLIGHTS LINCOLN CATHEDRAL Once described by a smitten John Ruskin as "out and out the…

The best-known Victorian pleasure piers in England may be at Brighton and Blackpool, but Saltburn-by-the-sea in North Yorkshire has one too, and an original Cliff Lift to boot. Likewise, Dorset’s Jurassic Coast isn’t the only fossil-hunter’s paradise on the block: try Yorkshire’s Dinosaur Coast at Staithes. And although visitors flock to Devon on the trail of Sir Walter Raleigh and his Golden Hind, just over a century later in 1728, Captain James Cook was born to more humble stock in the unassuming Yorkshire village of Marton. He would go on to achieve national hero status too, as the first European to chart New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. Yorkshire is formidable – England’s largest county, with a population bigger than Scotland – but it is a gentle…

Calling all curious travellers: if you’re on the lookout for an alternative sun, sea and sand destination in the British Isles, the wild west coast of Wales may be just the thing. Turn away from the popular southwest and south coast, make for Pembrokeshire’s western reaches and be prepared to fall head over heels for St Brides Bay. The Gower peninsula may get most of the attention, but this notch in the Welsh coastline has similarly spectacular beaches, charming towns and villages, fantastic wildlife and, crucially, enough space for everyone. Topping it all, literally, is St Davids, Britain’s smallest city, perched at the tip of the bay and wooing visitors with its medieval cathedral, winding lanes and foodie hotspots. Of course, it’s thanks to the cathedral that St Davids –…

Few places can rival northern Scotland for dramatic coastal scenery. Here powdery white sands run for miles between crashing ocean and windswept dune, and towering cliffs of ancient, darkest stone surround inlets so sheltered their waters appear as unrumpled as a sheet of glass. In wee stone harbours up and down the coast, seals gather and otters hide, while offshore amid the waves you’ll find playful pods of bottlenose dolphins and large colonies of puffins and gannets. With such abundance, though, comes the greatest indecision. Unfurl a map of Scotland on your kitchen table and the challenge begins – how can you sort the unmissable from the leave-until-next-time? How much is realistic in a one-week break? And how will you navigate your way from loch to loch, up mountain and…

ANNUAL EVENTS Cowes Week The world's oldest and largest sailing regatta takes place on the Isle of Wight every summer, with plenty of shore-side entertainment too. 31 July-6 August Alderney Week The Channel Isles' biggest festival: a week of live music, carnivals and family-friendly events in picture-postcard Alderney. 2-7 August Dark Skies Week The Scillies enjoy pristine night skies, and a new community observatory on St Martin's will be the focus of this brand-new stargazing festival. 2-9 October Up Helly Aa Mesmerising Viking-themed fire festivals in Shetland rural communities. The largest and best known is Up Helly Aa in Lerwick, but there are 12 in total. January-March HIGHLIGHTS ISLAY WHISKY DISTILLERIES The scenic Hebridean isle of Islay has no fewer than nine working distilleries, which produce some of the most…

For months London’s museums stood empty, but all that changed in May with the long-awaited reopening of museums, galleries and other venues. There are some exciting shows planned to welcome you back, which we’ve outlined on these pages (plans can change so please check dates and other details with the museums directly). The Royal Academy of Arts is one of the oldest permanent collections of art in the UK, housed in magnificent Burlington House. The Royal Academy reopens with a hopeful reflection on the wonders of the natural world and the beauty of spring. David Hockney spent 2020 at home in Normandy, chronicling the unfolding of spring in a flurry of works ‘painted’ on his iPad. The 116 large-scale works that make up this showstopping exhibition are both a breath…

It’s called Land’s End for good reason. Tucked away in the extreme southwest of mainland Britain, the Penwith peninsula feels like the very edge of the world. Flanked by the Atlantic on all sides – and often bearing the full brunt of its rages – the landscape here is as wild and rugged as it comes. And it’s all the more beautiful for it. If you’re looking to escape the throngs of the city and enter the wilderness then West Penwith is not a bad place to start. A land where the myths and legends are as impenetrable as the fog that rolls in from the sea. Welcome to the Wild West. But in fact, with a direct train line to London Paddington and recently improved road links, Penwith today…

There’s a potent sense of the past in 1066 Country, an idyllic swathe of the Sussex countryside in England’s far southeastern corner. It was here on Senlac Ridge one autumn day in 1066 that William of Normandy’s invading army put King Harold’s footsore soldiers to the sword, bringing Saxon England to a brutal end and setting his new domain on a path towards nationhood. Birdsong rather than battle cries may greet you as you tread the soil of the most famous battlefield in English history, but the landscape – which unfurls beneath the town of Battle – remains so remarkably intact that it is still a powerfully evocative place. To stamp his authority, William ordered the construction of an abbey over the site of his victory, setting the high altar…

ANNUAL EVENTS Aldeburgh Festival This internationally famous classical music festival puts on both new and old works in the impressive concert hall of Snape Maltings. May-September King’s Lynn Festival The Norfolk town comes alive during this music and arts festival with free jazz and classical performances. 18-31 July Latitude Festival The line-up at this popular Suffolk music festival includes Snow Patrol and Bastille. 22-25 July Wells-Next-the-Sea Carnival For over a century this North Norfolk town has put on a colourful week-long carnival. 30 July-August HIGHLIGHTS ELY CATHEDRAL Considered one of the marvels of the medieval world, Ely Cathedral is magnificent to behold. Admire the Octagon – a gravity-defying 14th-century oak, lead and stone tower – and take in the 13th-century Quire and 14th-century Lady Chapel. NORFOLK BROADS Britain’s largest area…

Covering a huge swathe of the country, the North holds an enormous variety of attractions, with historic castles and cathedrals, magnificently craggy landscapes, sandy beaches and dynamic cities. Encompassing Cheshire, Cumbria, Northumberland, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Durham, Tyne & Wear, Manchester and Liverpool, this region, once known for its industrial cities, now boasts lively hubs of culture and design, though traces of its past remain in its former mines, docks and factories. Visitors flock to Northumberland, drawn by the medieval castles that scatter the county. Nearby Durham is home to a historic university and a magnificent cathedral. Further south is York, a wonderful heritage city established by the Vikings and encircled by medieval walls. The northeast coast harbours beguiling towns including Whitby, whose ruined abbey provided inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and…

Land’s End might sound definitive, but the last piece of England before America is really 28 miles beyond Cornwall’s western tip. The Isles of Scilly, an enchanting archipelago of rocky islands (of which five are inhabited) are a tempting vision from the mainland: “an eternal stone armada of over a hundred ships, aloofly anchored off England”, as author John Fowles put it. “Mute, enticing, forever just out of reach.” Reaching the Scillies is not so hard these days. Apart from regular ferries, 16-seater twin-engine planes make the journey an adventure in itself. As the mainland recedes, the Scillies shimmer into view like an exotic atoll: a constellation of islets set in deep azure sea, whose turquoise shallows are lined by white arcs of sand. For even greater thrills, a new…

Welcome to the BRITAIN 2021 directory. Now is the time to start picking out your favourite destinations and planning your perfect trip! To make your preparations even easier, we have divided this advertisement directory into separate geographical areas, for an at-a-glance look at the best of what each region has to offer, from cultural days out to beautiful places to stay. Whether you want to explore a new area, take a walking tour, wander the gardens of a beautiful stately home or catch the latest gallery or museum exhibitions, we've got just the thing for you. KEY TO SYMBOLS Information Shop Plant sales Corporate hospitality/functions Disabled access Refreshments/café/tearoom Restaurant Guided tours Audio tours Parking available Education/school visits Accommodation Civil wedding licence Open all year Special events Accept euros LONDON Homemade…