Say the word Essex and people tend to picture nightclubs, fake tan and reality TV. Which is, frankly, a little unfair. The real Essex is …
Essex is where England is not quite what you expect
Destinations
South Yorkshire, built on coal, shaped by steel, with straight talk and a warm welcome
In South Yorkshire, you find a corner of England that has long been built on solid ground, quite literally. This is a county of steel, …
The Cotswolds Leafy Lanes Road Trip
If England ever had a stage set for charm it would be the Cotswolds. Honey-coloured cottages with roses climbing their walls, villages with names that …
Nottinghamshire is where England gets a bit legendary
Nottinghamshire is one of those counties where history and myth have become thoroughly tangled. This is Robin Hood country, where men in green tights still …
Bath and the art of soaking in history
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 …
Suffolk, where the fields roll on and the sea never hurries
Tucked into the east, where the North Sea gently brushes the coastline and the skies seem unusually generous, you find Suffolk. It is not a …
Lincoln, a cathedral, a castle and a rather persistent imp
There are some places where history whispers. In Lincoln, it bellows from every cobbled street, turreted wall and medieval nook. Perched on a steep hill …
Cheshire, Romans, royals and rather good cheese
Tucked in the northwest, somewhere between the peaks of Derbyshire and the plains of Merseyside, you find Cheshire. It is a county of country houses, …
Fog on the Tyne and fire in the belly
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city that never quite does what you expect. One moment you’re standing by Roman ruins, the next you’re peering up …
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 …