Places to visit

Things to do: Music in the gardens, the buildings of the Weald & Downland and a circus at the cathedral

Keep your diary up-to-date with our selection of unmissable events and things to do in the next few weeks.

10 of the best beaches in Britain and Ireland, from sandy spaces for families to places of exquisite natural beauty

If you're planning a holiday in Britain or Ireland this summer, you're in for a treat: the spectacular coastlines of these countries get battered by weather in autumn and winter, but on a fine day in spring or summer they're the equal of anything in the world. Rosie Paterson picks out 10 of the very best, and suggests places to stay near each once tourism is back up and running.

10 of Scotland’s most magical white sand beaches

What better day to celebrate some of Scotland's most stunning locations than St Andrew's Day? Here's our pick of 10 of the finest white sand beaches in the country.

New tickets available for opening of Queen's private gardens at Buckingham Palace

Brodsworth Hall's 150-year-old follies — restored, reopened and remarkable

Brodsworth Hall's gardens and unusual follies have been restored during lockdown. Annunciata Elwes takes a look.

The best new gardens opening to the public in 2021 under the National Garden Scheme

The NGS was hit by Covid-19 last summer, but the signs suggest that the 2021 National Garden Scheme openings should go ahead as usual. Annunciata Elwes takes a look at some of the highlights.

Cerne Abbas: Was the giant naked man an artistic act of defiance aimed at monks?

Why Britain's finest attractions need visitors like never before — and those who go will be rewarded: 'You are likely to never see them so quiet again'

A huge drop in visits to the best museums, zoos and houses in Britain has prompted calls for an extra day's holiday at the end of summer to help us all enjoy them.

A month-by-month guide to the most beautiful gardens to visit in Britain

Some gardens are even better in winter. Read our list of the best gardens to visit all year round.

Chapel of St-Peter-on-the-Wall, Bradwell-on-Sea: The 1,350-year-old church in a remote Essex field

The Chapel of St-Peter-on-the-Wall in Bradwell-on-Sea has a fascinating — and very, very long — history.

Carn Euny, Cornwall: The baffling ruin with a tunnel dating back to the Iron Age

Annie Elwes investigates the ruins of Carn Euny.

Wistman’s Wood, Devon: The remnant of a vast forest that once covered Dartmoor

Annie Elwes focuses on Wistman's Wood, a place that could make even the brave quiver at the knees.

Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall, Dumfriesshire: 'Mesmerising even to the peregrine falcons that nest in the crags around'

Annie Elwes recommends the waterfall and surrounding wild countryside of the Grey Mare's Tail Nature Reserve.

Gwennap Pit, Cornwall: 'The most magnificent spectacle this side of Heaven’

Annie Elwes kicks off our series on Britain's secret places with a look at Gwennap Pit.

Where to see snowdrops: The best places in Britain

The sight of snowdrops peeping through in January or February never fails to cheer us up – here's our pick of where to go and see them this winter.

Nine of the most astonishing objects you can see at National Trust properties, from priceless paintings to a wooden leg to a simple tunic with a heartbreaking tale to tell

We're taking a look at nine of the greatest objects on display in the National Trust's properties across Britain.

The Ickworth Velazquez that's one of the very greatest treasures of the National Trust

In the final part of our series looking at the National Trust's finest treasures, we look at one of the very finest paintings in the Trust's ownership.

A 15th-century altar cloth that survives in almost miraculous condition, one of the National Trust's greatest treaures

Our series looking at the National Trust's finest treasures looks at a pre-Reformation altar front from Cotehele which has survived to the present day.

A Chippendale table that's 'the epitome of light-hearted Chinoiserie design', one of the National Trust's greatest treasures

Our series looking at the National Trust's finest treasures takes aim at the Thomas Chippendale dressing table of Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire.

A pair of tureens that are a Rococo tour de force in silver, and among the finest treasures of the National Trust

We're taking a look at nine of the greatest objects on display in the National Trust's properties across Britain — this time around we look at the incredibly intricate soup tureens of Ickworth.