Britain

Packed with 196-pages of the best attractions, days out, places to stay and food and drink destinations, the 2015 BRITAIN Guide is your definitive companion to getting the best out of your holiday. From forgotten medieval villages, to country houses within easy access of London and shopping areas for picking up quintessential gifts, you won’t want to leave home without it.

EDITOR'S LETTER

Britain

YOUR LETTERS • Write to us with your thoughts on the magazine and memories of Britain

The BULLETIN • Tour heritage buildings, visit gardens of glass and catch Blake at the Tate

Champagne jelly

READING CORNER • Take inspiration for your British adventure from these great reads

HOUSE RULES • Combining 1,000 years of history, majestic architecture and the drama of modern-day politics, a visit to the seat of British government is quite an experience

BOOK AHEAD

In the LIMELIGHT • 250 years ago, theatre impresario David Garrick staged a Jubilee in Stratford-upon-Avon, putting the Bard’s birthplace on the map

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UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS • With the Downton Abbey film about to hit our screens, we explore what relationships were really like between the upstairs and downstairs residents of Britain’s big houses

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Our Chief of Men • Oliver Cromwell was quick to seize control after the shocking death of Charles I, but was he hero or villain?

DID YOU KNOW?

MAKING A SPLASH • When body and soul need soothing, there’s nowhere more restorative than a country-house hotel spa

BOOK AHEAD

A TWO-NIGHT SPA BREAK AT ST MICHAELS RESORT

HAUTEVILLE HOUSE • The bold, eccentric decor of Victor Hugo’s Guernsey home speaks volumes about the poet’s world and his works

THE PLANNER

SECRETS of SUTTON HOO • In a sleepy corner of Suffolk, one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time took place – now all the more accessible thanks to a major project by the National Trust

THE PLANNER

SOUTHWOLD • When it comes to unspoilt seaside charm, pretty Southwold has it in spades

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

Whispering Windrush • Follow the meandering course of the River Windrush through some of the Cotswolds’ most idyllic villages

THE PLANNER

Top 10 TRURO • We visit Cornwall’s only city, the vibrant market town and port of Truro, and discover there’s more to the Cornish coast than beaches

THE PLANNER

The Govan Stones • These mysterious carved stones represent one of Britain's best early medieval sculpture collections