There are towns where you feel the centuries in the cobblestones, and then there is Bath, where history practically runs a hot tap and invites …
Bath and the art of soaking in history
Historic Cities
How to look clever in 48 hours, spend a weekend in Cambridge
There are cities that whisper their history politely and there are cities like Cambridge that hurl it at you with a sense of giddy academic …
Glasgow from shipbuilding grit to cultural grit
Glasgow doesn’t always get the press it deserves. Edinburgh has the skyline and the castle and the festival that turns the city into a human …
Nottingham – rebels, royals and Robin Hood
Nottingham is one of those places that arrives with its own myth. Say the name and up pops Robin Hood in his little green hat, …
Manchester has always liked to do things its own way
The first time you arrive in Manchester, it can feel a bit like standing at a party where everyone else is already halfway through a …
Mind the gap and other useful advice for surviving London
If cities were people, London would be the eccentric uncle with too many stories and no particular desire to tell them in order. It is …
Edinburgh between a rock and a rather nice Georgian place
Edinburgh is not a city that eases you in. It grabs you by the collar the moment you step off the train, marches you out …
London beyond Big Ben
There is nothing wrong with liking Big Ben. It is a cheerful little beacon of punctuality, and frankly, if a city is going to have …
Half-timbered houses, cobbles and more churches than seem strictly necessary
Arriving in Norwich feels like stepping into a well-thumbed storybook. The train pulls in after skimming across the flat lands of East Anglia, where the …
Durham, secret corners, soaring towers and a castle you can sleep in
If you were to ask a roomful of Britons to name a city break destination, Durham probably wouldn’t make the top ten. It wouldn’t even …