Southwest England essentials The small medieval town of Burford in the Cotswold Hills
Top of the Gorge This activity weekend run by the National Trust includes trail-running, mountain-biking and a cycle road race – with stunning views. 12-13 June Bath Festival The festival finale weekend will see international acts get together for a musical extravaganza in the heart of Bath. 7-8 August Falmouth Tall Ships A fleet of tall ships from around the world will arrive in this Cornish town for three days of festivities. 17-19 August Bristol International Balloon Fiesta Over 150 balloons from across the world sail above Bristol at this annual event. 12-15 August Bournemouth Air Festival An action-packed four-day airshow on the Dorset coast. 2-5 September
HIGHLIGHTS BATH This beautiful Georgian town is famed for its spa waters, honey-stone houses and Jane Austen connections: Bath was home to the author from 1801 to 1806, when it was a fashionable spa resort. DARTMOOR Windswept and beautiful, this brooding granite expanse is dotted with tors and tumbling springs. Wild ponies trot freely across the moorland here, as they have done for centuries. THE COTSWOLDS Arguably Britain’s prettiest villages are clustered in this corner of England, including Bourton-on-the-Water, with its sweet bridges over the River Windrush; Burford, lined with antiques shops; and Bibury, described by William Morris as “the most beautiful village in England”. Photo opportunities abound.
DON'T MISS
ST IVES Blessed with beautiful light and sparkling sea, this town has long had links with artists, and holds an outpost of the Tate Gallery.
are these spectacular ruins of a vast Norman stronghold. A dramatic new footbridge set 187ft above sea level links Tintagel island to the castle where, as legend has it, King Arthur was conceived.
STONEHENGE The origins of this mysterious monolithic ring still confound archaeologists. What we can say for sure is that it's one of Neolithic man's most incredible achievements. However accustomed you are to seeing it in pictures, visiting in person never fails to thrill.
JURASSIC COAST England’s only natural World Heritage Site covers over 95 miles of coastline, including horseshoe-shaped Lulworth Cove and the limestone arch of Durdle Door.
CREAM TEAS Whether you spread the jam first, as in Cornwall, or the cream, as in Devon, a cream tea is a must in this part of the country. TINTAGEL In a picturesque setting on Cornwall’s northern coast
WELLS CATHEDRAL This medieval Gothic masterpiece stands at the heart of England's smallest city. HIDDEN GEM The iconic SS Great Britain sits in Bristol harbour, where it was built in 1843. It is now a museum ship where you can experience the sights, sounds and smells of the world's first great luxury liner.
Cheddar Gorge in Somerset is one of England's most dazzling landscapes: a breathtaking limestone gorge with a network of floodlit caves at its base
PHOTOS: © SEBASTIAN WASEK/4CORNERS IMAGES
ANNUAL EVENTS
