Exmoor National Park
Catch the owl and bird-of-prey flying show (2pm), book your own hour-long private flying session (from £45), or have the kids hitch a half-hour ride on…
Must-see attractions in England
Oxford & the Cotswolds
Cheltenham’s only surviving medieval building, dating from the middle of the 11th century, was awarded minster status in 2013, and is particularly worth a…
North Cornwall
Porth is a popular family beach 1.5 miles northeast of the town centre. Long and narrow, it's ideal for building sandcastles and sheltering behind the…
Isles of Scilly
This dynamic little winery specialises in tutored wine tastings, but it's working on its own vines too (it produced its first vintage in 2014). The 'wine…
Winchester
A people-centred canter through Winchester's past with jewellery, mosaics, sculpture, coins and tobacco tins charting a narrative from the Iron Age, via…
Cumbria & the Lakes
Towering on a grassy hill above Ulverston, this tower commemorates the explorer Sir John Barrow (1764–1848), who helped map the Northwest Passage. The…
Wessex
Explores tales of boatbuilders, sailors, smugglers, salt-makers and farmers through an engaging mix of hands-on displays, models and artefacts.
Cumbria & the Lakes
This budget museum explores Whitehaven's rum-running history through a mix of waxwork models and dioramas, including an 18th-century sugar workshop and a…
The Cotswolds
Winchcombe’s much-restored, 15th-century Perpendicular St Peter’s church is worth a visit for its majestic tower, arcaded interior and the series of…
North Cornwall
Every type of owl you could wish to see – from giant eagle to snowy – plus a few emus, meerkats and ponies. It's 11 miles from Newquay; look out for signs…
Bristol
The underwater habitats you'll encounter here include a Bay of Rays, Coral Sea, Shark Tank and an Amazon River Zone. The underwater viewing tunnel adds…
East Sussex
Shoals of barnacled exhibits swim around the huge Enterprise fishing boat at this Stade museum, housed in a former fishermens’ church. Next door you can…
Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery
Shropshire
Diverse exhibits at Shrewsbury's town museum cover everything from Roman treasures to Shropshire gold, including the Bronze Age Perry Bracelet. Its…
Winchester
The pick of Winchester's cluster of army museums, with its mini rifle-shooting range, a room of 6000 medals and an impressive blow-by-blow diorama of…
Salisbury
An ornate facade and elaborate crest distinguish the College of Matrons, which was founded in 1682 for the widows and unmarried daughters of clergymen. It…
North Cornwall
A small aquarium on Towan beach, with touch pools and various deep-sea denizens, including reef sharks, loggerhead turtles and a giant Pacific octopus…
The Midlands & the Marches
A museum tells the story of the valley's textile mills at this large complex 1 mile south of Matlock Bath. The attached shopping village is full of…
Suffolk
Magnificent Holy Trinity is more cathedral- than church-sized, a spectacular example of a 15th-century wool church. The stained-glass windows and flint…
Peak District
The exploits of the Royal Air Force Squadron No 617, aka the Dambusters, are detailed in the Derwent Dam Museum in the western tower atop the dam where…
Wessex
The hamlet's fascinating Maritime Museum and heritage centre chart the inlet's shipbuilding history and role in WWII, and feature immaculately preserved…
The Cotswolds
Tetbury's 17th-century Market House, perched on stone pillars that seem to bulge under its weight, stands on the central market square. Markets take place…
Birmingham
Constructed in 1834 and styled after the Temple of Castor and Pollux in Rome, Birmingham's neoclassical Town Hall is now used as a venue for classical…
South Cornwall
A lively animal park a couple of miles outside Looe, with wild denizens including macaws, parakeets, owls, lemurs, meerkats and zebras, as well as a…
Penzance
This statue honours Penzance's most famous son, chemist and inventor Humphry Davy, who invented the miners' safety lamp and discovered the elements…
South Cornwall
In the heart of town is the 15th-century St Fimbarrus Church, which marks the southern end of the Saints' Way, a 26-mile waymarked walking trail running…
Suffolk
Worth a peek for its fabulous medieval screen and 15th-century, bloodshot-eyed 'Southwold Jack' effigy (believed to be part of a clock), grumpily…
Northampton Museum & Art Gallery
The Midlands & the Marches
The history of shoemaking and footwear fashions is covered at this century-and-a-half-old museum. It's closed for renovations until early 2020; check the…
Kensington & Hyde Park
Beautifully landscaped gardens in Hyde Park, with flowers year-round. It's an ideal place in which to sit and contemplate for a while.
East Sussex
On West Hill, a short walk east of the Hastings Castle, is the Smugglers Adventure, where you can explore underground caverns and hear smuggling yarns…
Peak District
Opposite the Crescent, aptly named park the Slopes rises steeply in a series of grassy terraces. Climbing them provides the definitive view over Buxton's…
Birmingham
Victoria Sq's 1993 fountain The River, aka 'the floozie in the Jacuzzi', is overlooked by this disapproving statue of Queen Victoria.
Warwickshire
Housed in Warwick's striking 17th-century market hall, this museum has some entertaining displays on local history and the Warwick sea dragons (Jurassic…
Plymouth
On the side of this old harbourside house, look out for a plaque bearing the names of the Pilgrims who set sail on the Mayflower in 1620 for what became…
Isles of Scilly
Covering much of the southern part of St Agnes, this bracken-strewn heath is littered with prehistoric remains, although they can be tricky to find among…
Shropshire
Northgate is the last surviving gate of five that originally guarded the town, and contains a small museum on local history run by volunteers from the…
South Devon
It's worth tracking down Dartmouth's quaintly cobbled Bayard's Cove, the quay from which the Pilgrim Fathers set sail to America, having put into…
Kent
Interesting but erratically opening museum displaying loot from the more than 600 ships that have been wrecked on the notorious Goodwin Sands off this…
Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre
Dorset
The centre has engaging displays about the Jurassic Coast and also runs between one and seven fossil-hunting walks a week (adult/child £8/4). They're…
Dorset
A red-brick, mid-18th-century building (now a bank) that's named as the inspiration for the home of Thomas Hardy's mayor of Casterbridge, in his book of…
Isles of Scilly
The coast path around St Agnes leads to this concentric maze of stones that’s thought to be around two centuries old, but might be based on a prehistoric…
