UK Subdivisions
England
 London is the place to start. Nowhere in the country can match
the scope and innovation of the metropolis, a colossal, frenetic city, perhaps not as immediately attractive as its European counterparts, but with so much variety that the only obstacle to a great time is the shockingly high cost of everything. It's here that
you'll find Britain's best spread of nightlife, cultural events, museums, galleries, pubs and restaurants. The other large cities, such as Birmingham, Newcastle,
Leeds or Liverpool each have their strengths: Birmingham has a resurgent arts scene, for example, while people travel
for miles to sample Newcastle's nightlife. These days Manchester can match the capital for glamour in cafés and clubs, and also boasts the inimitable draw of the world's best-known
football team.
England's ancient cathedral cities, such as Lincoln, York, Salisbury,
Durham and Winchester , cannot be equalled for sheer physical beauty. Wherever you're based, you're never more than a few miles
from a ruined castle, a majestic country house, a secluded chapel or a monastery. In the southwest there are remnants of a Celtic culture that was all but eradicated elsewhere by the Romans, and everywhere you can find traces of prehistoric settlers - most
famously the megalithic circles of Stonehenge and Avebury .
Scotland
The Scottish capital, Edinburgh , is a handsome and ancient city, famous for its magnificent castle and Palace of Holyroodhouse as well as for a world-acclaimed international arts
festival and some excellent museums - not least the outstanding National Museum of Scotland . A short journey west is Glasgow, a sprawling industrial metropolis that has done much to
improve its image in recent years and can now boast a range of fine museums and galleries to complement the impressive architectural legacy of its eighteenth- and nineteenth-century heyday.
Southern Scotland , often underrated, features some gorgeous scenery, but nothing quite to compare to the shadowy glens and well-walked hills of the Trossachs , or to the Highlands , whose multitude of mountains, seacliffs, glens and
lochs cover the northern two-thirds of the country. Inverness is an obvious base, although Fort William , at the opposite end of the Great Glen near Ben Nevis , Britain's highest mountain, is an alternative.
Wales
Although Cardiff boasts most of Wales' national institutions, including the National Museum, the appeal of a visit lies outside the towns, where there is ample evidence of the war-mongering
which shaped the country's development. Castles are everywhere, from hard little stone keeps of the early Welsh princes and the mighty Carreg Cennen to Edward I's doughty fortresses such as Beaumaris, Caernarfon and Harlech . Passage
graves and stone circles (such as on Holy Island ) offer a link to the pre-Roman era when the priestly order of Druids ruled over early Celtic peoples, and great medieval monastic houses, like ruined Tintern Abbey , are easily accessible. |
