UK - South East England
Amberley Museum
If you have ever wondered what Britain was like before everything became plastic, digital, disposable and apparently designed by somebody who has never actually used the thing they were designing, then Amberley Museum in West Sussex is well worth a visit.
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Arundle
There are some places in Britain that seem to have been designed specifically to appear on a chocolate box. Arundel is one of them.
Perched above the River Arun in West Sussex, this delightful little town has just about everything you could ask for from an English historic town: a magnificent castle, an impressive cathedral, old streets, independent shops, antique dealers, pubs, cafés and enough history to keep the heritage brigade happy for several days.
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Ascott House
Tucked away in the Buckinghamshire countryside near Wing, Ascott House is one of those National Trust properties that can be surprisingly easy to overlook.
It doesn't have the fame of some of the country's great stately homes, but that is probably part of its charm. This is a house with plenty of character, an interesting history and gardens that are every bit as important as the building itself.
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Bombay Saphire
Gin, Glasshouses and a Rather Good Afternoon
If you are partial to a gin and tonic, then Bombay Sapphire Distillery at Laverstoke Mill in Hampshire is somewhere you really ought to visit.
If you aren't partial to gin, I'm afraid I can't really see the point of going.
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Dungeness
If you like your seaside resorts with sandy beaches, amusement arcades, donkey rides and people selling buckets and spades, Dungeness probably isn't for you.
In fact, if you like almost anything remotely resembling a conventional seaside resort, you might want to give it a miss.
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Lymington
Lymington is one of those Hampshire towns that seems to have got the balance about right.
Sitting on the western Solent, with the Isle of Wight clearly visible across the water, it combines a handsome old town with a busy harbour, sailing, ferries and easy access to the New Forest.
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Milton Keynes
Mention Milton Keynes to many people and you can almost guarantee the response: "Ah yes, concrete cows and roundabouts."
And, to be fair, Milton Keynes does have both.
It also has shopping centres, dual carriageways, grid roads, an occasionally bewildering collection of roundabouts and enough junction numbers to keep the sat-nav permanently employed.
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Oxford
There are few British cities with quite the instant impact of Oxford. You don't really need a sign telling you where you are. One look at the honey-coloured stone, ancient colleges, towers and spires rising above the rooftops and you know immediately.
This is the City of Dreaming Spires, a place of extraordinary history, magnificent architecture and one of the world's most famous universities.
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Portsmouth
It is no surprise most of Portsmouth's attractions are centered around the sea, as the city has been home to the British Royal Navy for centuries. Portsmouth is the United Kingdoms only island city..
A narrow entrance protects the large natural harbour and with "protection" from the Isle Of Wight it was a natural location to home the military.
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Waddesdon
If you are driving through the Buckinghamshire countryside and suddenly encounter what appears to be a French château, don't panic. You haven't somehow taken a wrong turn and ended up in the Loire Valley.
You've arrived at Waddesdon Manor.
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Winchester
This beautiful Hampshire city was once the capital of England and remains packed with reminders of its extraordinary past.
Today it combines a compact historic centre with an impressive cathedral, medieval buildings, ancient streets, museums, riverside walks and enough King Arthur mythology to keep the legends department busy.
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Windsor
Royalty, History and a Rather Magnificent Castle
There are historic towns, there are pretty towns, and then there is Windsor — a town which has spent the best part of a thousand years with a rather important building sitting on top of the hill and reminding everybody who's in charge.
That building, of course, is Windsor Castle.
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Wisley
Set in more than 200 acres, Wisley is one of the Royal Horticultural Society's flagship gardens and one of the finest horticultural attractions in Britain.
It combines spectacular formal gardens with woodland, glasshouses, experimental plantings and some wonderfully peaceful places to simply wander around and enjoy the scenery.
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Stowe Gardens
Stowe Landscape Gardens are quite simply one of the great achievements of English garden design.
Set in the Buckinghamshire countryside near Buckingham, the gardens combine sweeping parkland, lakes, woodland, temples, monuments and spectacular views into one enormous landscape. It is a place where you don't simply walk around a garden — you explore a carefully constructed world.
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