Places to visit
Places to visit
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18 of the best places across Britain to go and see bluebells this spring
We round up the best gardens to visit to see carpets of bluebells this spring and explain how to tell the difference between the native flowers and foreign interlopers
By Katy Birchall Published
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Where to see snowdrops: The best places in Britain
The sight of these tiny white flowers peeping through in January or February never fails to cheer us up – here's our pick of where to see snowdrops.
By Country Life Published
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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.
By Country Life Published
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Curious Questions: Who dislodged Britain's most famous balancing rock?
A recent trip to Cornwall inspires Martin Fone to tell the rather sad story of the ruin and restoration of one of Cornwall's great 19th century tourist attractions: Logan Rock at Treen, near Land's End.
By Martin Fone Published
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Henley Festival: 13 things you'll see at the 'posh Glastonbury'
Revellers in ball gowns and dinner jackets, turning up on board £200,000 boats to dance and party while knocking back magnums of vintage champagne? It can only be the extraordinary Henley Festival, the high-end musical extravaganza that's a sort of Glastonbury-on-Thames for the (very) well heeled. We sent Emma Earnshaw along to see what it was like.
By Emma Earnshaw Published
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The best open air theatres in Britain
Amid the sweet chestnuts, walnuts and cobnuts of a Suffolk farm, a natural amphitheatre has been transformed into a glorious sylvan venue for touring companies to tread Nature’s boards. Jo Cairdv pays a visit to the mesmerising Thorington Theatre, and picks out three more of the finest outdoor performance venues in Britain.
By Toby Keel Published
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The best regional art galleries in Britain, from Cornwall to Orkney
Wherever you are in Britain, you’re never far from an interesting gallery. Here we present an eclectic round-up of 45 places to see art outside the big cities.
By Country Life Published
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Alexandra Palace: How it's survived fires, bankruptcy and even gang warfare in 150 years as London's 'palace of the people'
Alexandra Palace has suffered every imaginable disaster, yet remains enduringly popular even a century and a half after its official grand opening. Martin Fone takes a look at the history of one of Britain's great public buildings.
By Martin Fone Published
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Ewelme, Oxfordshire: The medieval almshouses set up by Chaucer's grand-daughter and still running today
Country Life's 21st century Grand Tour of Britain stops off at the remarkable church and almshouses at Ewelme, Oxfordshire.
By Toby Keel Published
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The Flying Scotsman: How the first 100mph locomotive became the most famous train in the world
The first train to officially hit 100mph may not even have been the first, and didn't hold the rail speed record for long; yet a century later its legend is undimmed. Jack Watkins celebrates the Flying Scotsman.
By Jack Watkins Published
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The strangest museum in London? Dennis Severs’ House is art installation, theatre set and 18th century throwback
Tactfully revived, Dennis Severs’ House defies categorisation, finds Jeremy Musson.
By Jeremy Musson Published
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Melrose Abbey, the Scottish Borders: The spectacular ruin where Robert the Bruce's heart is buried
Melrose Abbey is one of the most powerfully romantic and evocative ruins in Britain — and for that matter, the world.
By Toby Keel Published
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Winchester College: The school that's survived six centuries of turmoil, including the sacking of the city around it
Winchester College is both a school for the lucky few and an architectural marvel, says Clive Aslet.
By Clive Aslet Published
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Caernarfon Castle, Gwynedd: 'One of the great buildings of the Middle Ages'
Wales is spoilt for beautiful, evocative and dramatic castles in magnificent locations — yet still Caernarfon Castle stands above the rest.
By Clive Aslet Published
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Durham Cathedral and Castle: 'The Normans at their most audacious and expansive'
The view of Durham from the train is epic and defiant: the great central tower of the cathedral rising as if it were its own unconquerable cliff, a symbol of Christian civilisation that has endured centuries of hostile waves to stand triumphant.
By Jack Watkins Published
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Canterbury Cathedral: Architectural wonder, place of worship, and site of one of history's most infamous murders
Canterbury Cathedral is the seat of the Church of England, the end of the nation's most famous pilgrimage route, and a place where 1400 years of history can be seen.
By Clive Aslet Published
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Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire: The story of Robin Hood's woods
The ancient hunting grounds of William the Conqueror are famed across the world as the hiding place of the legendary outlaw Robin Hood.
By Clive Aslet Published