Innholdsfortegnelse for Britain 2025 i Britain

Magnificent stately homes, ancient monuments, iconic cities and timeless villages – Britain has all of this and more. Brought to you by the award-winning BRITAIN magazine, this dedicated travel special is your go-to guide to the best of Britain, from world-famous sights to under-the-radar gems. Each part of the country has its own mini chapter, with must-see highlights to help you plan a trip. And we’ve visited some of Britain’s most beautiful corners to inspire you, from the thatched villages of the Cotswolds to the whisky distilleries of Scotland; and from the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales to the idyllic beaches of the Channel Islands. Wondering when to book a visit? Consult our indispensable events calendar for details of the 2025 events to plan a trip around, from royal…

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…

What makes a county royal? Berkshire was designated England’s only royal county by Queen Elizabeth II in 1958; Windsor Castle, her favourite residence, lay within its boundaries. But Berkshire’s royal connections don’t simply end there. William, Prince of Wales and his brother Harry went to school at Eton College, just over the River Thames from Windsor, and William and his family now live in a cottage in Windsor. Their father, King Charles, often played at the prestigious Guards Polo Club in his youth, and he married Camilla, now Queen, at the Windsor Guildhall in 2005. But perhaps the best example of Berkshire’s regal favour is that it gave the royal family their name: in 1917 George V changed the family’s official name from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the House of…

Wales has more castles per square mile than anywhere else in the world, thanks in part to Edward I, whose 'Iron Ring' of magnificent fortresses represent Europe’s most ambitious military building project. There’s plenty of scope for a castle-hopping tour of Wales – there are 600 to choose from – but it would be a shame to miss Wales’s humbler charms. Dip in anywhere along the 870-mile Wales Coast Path, the first in the world to follow a country’s coastline in its entirety, for scenery to swoon over. The picturesque villages of Pembrokeshire and the vast beaches of the Gower peninsula are highlights. For romance, head to Snowdonia National Park. The panoramic train ride to the top of Snowdon is one of Wales’s great experiences. For more majestic mountain scenery,…

Wedged between the shimmering waters of the Moray Firth in the north and the brooding bulk of the Cairngorm Mountains in the south, Speyside is characterised by the wide, meandering River Spey that lends its name to the area. Skinny-legged trees line the watercourse, which is loomed over by hills for much of its journey – often dusted with snow in winter and carpeted in green in summer – and as you travel across the region you’ll dip in and out of valleys, patchworked by forests and fields. This landscape has played a huge role in Speyside’s success, being perfect for growing the barley used in its most famous product: whisky. Home to more than a third of Scotland’s distilleries, at some points it feels as though every corner has…

Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a lifelong Londoner, Britain’s vibrant capital is entrancing. Beyond the top tier of world-class sights, from the Tower of London to the British Museum, there are numerous smaller museums, galleries and buildings to absorb you, each with stories to tell. And even if you don’t set foot in a single one, you’ll find endless (and free) entertainment exploring the capital’s markets, tucked-away Georgian squares and City backstreets, or people-watching on the South Bank, home to Tate Modern, the London Eye and Shakespeare’s Globe. Then there’s the food. London has evolved into one of the world’s great culinary capitals, with an impressive 80 Michelin-star restaurants; take afternoon tea, join a food tour or fine-dine with a skyline view. However you round off your evening –…

Honey-hued, toffee-rich, buttery, caramel-coloured – the golden limestone of the Cotswolds is often described in mouth-wateringly edible terms. With their warm stone walls and pitched roofs, the buildings here are as sweet as gingerbread houses, set in a storybook landscape of rolling hills and farmland. Appropriately enough, the Cotswolds is fast becoming a foodie destination. Covering some 800 square miles, the region is dotted with thousands of farms, distilleries and organic producers, so it’s no surprise that in the Cotswolds you can eat and drink very well indeed. At the heart of the region is the county of Gloucester-shire, where in between ancient market towns and sleepy villages the farmland was traditionally divided along geographical lines: the Stroud Valley, for example, was given over to arable farmland, while the Severn…

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…

On Tuesday, 8 May 1945, at 3pm, the bells of Big Ben rang out on the BBC Home Service. Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister, took to the airwaves live from 10 Downing Street to announce that the war in Europe had come to an end, following Germany’s surrender the previous day. The Second World War had lasted nearly six years and cost millions of lives. Throngs of Londoners, many dressed in red, white and blue, gathered outside Buckingham Palace, cheering when King George VI appeared on the balcony. Summer 2025 marks 80 years since VE – Victory in Europe – Day. To commemorate the anniversary, there will be flypasts, street parties and celebrations at town halls up and down the country. Councils and care homes, pubs and restaurants will light…

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. The breathtaking White Cliffs of Dover are a high point – literally – while the rolling South Downs and the High Weald hold stunning scenery and sleepy villages. Henry VIII’s magnificent Hampton Court Palace and imposing Windsor Castle are further draws. Visit Hampshire in 2025…

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…

Famous for its wide, open skies and tranquil landscapes, the East of England encompasses Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. The linear landscape of the Fens, a huge coastal plain stretching across much of the area, makes this an area rich in wildlife. The region has inspired many an artist and composer – most notably Romantic painter John Constable, who set his evocative pastoral scenes here, and Benjamin Britten, one-time resident of Suffolk, whose legacy is Snape Maltings, an internationally important concert hall and cultural hub. The area also boasts some stunning architecture. One of the country’s finest cathedrals is in Ely, while you could easily while away a day admiring the colleges and churches of Cambridge. Cultural corners apart, this is classic bucket-and-spade territory: beautiful beaches with the…

The gentle TV series All Creatures Great and Small, chronicling the adventures of Yorkshire vet, James Herriot, has been a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic, and is set to return to our screens this year. With its low-stakes storylines – which might include a cow with sunstroke, a dog stuck in a peat bog, or calcium-deficient sheep – the series harks back to a simpler age. But adorable animals and winsome vets notwithstanding, it’s the unspoilt, tranquil landscapes that are the real star of the show. I spent a day exploring the Dales’ most beautiful corners, from All Creatures locations to lost-in-time villages; from majestic abbeys to ancient valleys dotted with the traces of Saxons and Vikings. To experience the highlights of the Dales in a day,…

A land of craggy peaks, majestic lochs and glens ablaze with purple heather, Scotland’s wild and wonderful landscapes take some beating. For unparalleled scenery, head for the Highlands. Covering two-thirds of the country, the region’s untarnished beauty is jaw-dropping. If this gives you a taste for wild Scotland, the islands – there are over 700 of them – offer more of the same, plus history (Orkney’s Neolithic remains, for example), fantastic cuisine (foodies love Skye) and whisky (Islay’s distilleries produce some of the world’s best single malts). For more on Scotland’s islands, see p.118. The untamed beauty of the north may feel like the edge of the world, but you’re just a couple of hours from Scotland’s lively cities. Historic, beautiful Edinburgh, its fairytale castle perched on an ancient volcano,…

Britain has more than 1,000 islands – although only about 200 are inhabited. Each has its own appeal, charm and character. Scotland’s islands are not only the most numerous but are also especially scenic and serene. Arran, often described as ‘Scotland in miniature’ has beautiful beaches, mountains and woodlands, Skye has dramatic, otherwordly scenery, while Islay in the Inner Hebrides is the place for whisky lovers. Of England’s islands, the Isle of Wight, off Hampshire, is the largest, and has been a popular retreat for over a century. The Isle of Man, off the coast of Lancashire, has its own language (Manx), as well as some fabulous medieval castles, while the Scilly Isles off Cornwall bask in some of Britain’s balmiest temperatures. Wales’s highlights include Skomer, off Pembrokeshire, which is…