MUST SEE PLACES IN THE UK

If you like wild seas and a beautiful rocky coast - then Cornwall - the stretch on the north coast between Padstow and Newquay is beautiful. Plymouth with its fantastic harbour, the Hoe, where Francis Drake played bowls before dealing with the Spanish Armada and the art galleries of St Ives are in day tripping distance. I grew up there and love it.

Also the Cotswolds for very English villages in warm honey coloured stone and rolling unspoilt countryside.

I agree about the west coast of Scotland north of Oban - heaven - but plagued by midges.

Where else? ...Wales - Bangor.Conwy, Caernarvon, Anglesey, Snowdonia.

There really are some beautiful places.

Stratford on Avon and all the Shakespeare properties is brilliant but always full of tourists.

Hope this helps

Oh, man, you mean to say there are places in the UK that are must-sees? I've gone and declared my trip to London last month as my last visit to the UK. Oh, shucks! c.i.

ciccerone - you aren't one of those americans who visits a capital city and thinks they've seen the country are you?????

England (not to mention Scotland and Wales) is an incredibly varied country - there are hundreds of must see places - shame you missed them - do some research?!!!

Vivien, Please look at my profile. c.i.

hi ci looked at your profile - where did you see in England apart from London to judge us so harshly???

Vivien, I have spent over one month in the UK, traveled through Scotland and Ireland. London happens to be one of my favorite destinations. One of the primary reasons for my visit last month was to meet up with other A2Kers at the London Meet on March 20 at ye olde Cheshire Cheese and dinner at the Bombay Palace, but also to make it my last visit to London. I have probably seen more of London than most Londoners. I've visited almost every major museum, walked the streets in most areas - even met the owner of London Walks, seen dozens of shows including three on my last visit of seven days/six nites, visited the Tate Modern, rode the London Eye, and visited the Courtauld Gallery at the Somerset House. When I visit most countries, I travel with Overseas Adventure Travel, because they provide the people to meet natives to have tea or have dinner at the home of a private citizen. Sometimes we stay over night. We have visited villages and schools in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Namibia, China, Egypt, India, Cape Town, and Fiji. I usually bring school supplies to donate to the schools we visit. I have mailed school supplies and/or money from home after our visit. I still keep in touch with six tour guides in five countries by email. I also have friends all around the world including Tanzania, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, UK, Germany, Amsterdam, Paris, and all across the US. I travel two or three times every year to foreign lands, and I usually like to come home having met a new friend or two. On April 30, I will be traveling to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands for 17 days. In early August, my wife and I will be on the Trans-Canada Train Tour from Montreal/Toronto to Vancouver. Finally, I've invited the A2K London Gathering folks to a private tour of Northern California when they visit. A couple I met on my first Egypt trip lives in Utah, and my wife and I took them to Jelly Belly Candy Factory and to Napa Wine Country for lunch. They visited once again a couple years later, and we had lunch at a local fish food restaurant. The tour guide I had in Egypt was on a speaking tour of the US. When he visited our area, I took him on a tour of Sausalito and San Francisco. I always invite my tour guides for a visit and promise them a great tour of Northern California. I think I do more than just visit the major cities of a country. c.i.

ci - sounds exciting. Glad you liked London. Would love to visit some of the other places - specially South America. I only know Europe I'm afraid.

Vivien -- I think CI is pulling your leg, though I don't know about his proclamation about not going back to the UK. Hadn't heard about that!

I personally love your country and have been to many of the places you mentioned... not for nearly long enough. I've hill-walked in Snowdonia, driven around Cornwall and spent a month in Lymington, enjoying the boats, the coast and the New Forest. We spent a week north of Oban and never noticed a single midge... had gorgeous weather too, but it was late in the season... maybe the bugs had died in a frost before we got there?

I have not been to the Cotswolds or the Lake District... next time, maybe next time. I'm sure there are other great places, too. I am not a city person, but I did like London, perhaps because it has so many famous sites. That makes it pretty exciting for a country girl. Of all the places in and around London, I remember most fondly Kew Gardens. Wonderful place!

Piffka, When you visited Kew Gardens, did you visit that house with the paintings by, I think her name was, Brown? She traveled all around the world and painted scenes from the places she visited. It's been many years since my visit there, but I can still mentally picture those paintings. That Chinese pagoda? A plane was flying over it, and I took a picture with both the pagoda and the airplane. I thought it was neat. Some of the trivia we remember about the places we visit. c.i.

Hmmm, CI, I don't recall the paintings by Brown. I've spent two full days there in the last three years -- morning to evening and still not seen it all nor ever gone to Wakehurst Place. In 2000, I spent Easter there. One of my favorite things then were the bluebells under the trees by Queen Charlotte's Cottage. They were really magnificent, as is the house.

The Pagoda is wonderful but I liked the rosewood Japanese Gateway the best. It is so intricately carved and has some wonderful horse figures within it. The Japanese Garden nearby is also very nice.



I also liked the long line of statues near the Princess of Wales conservatory, all representing the many different royal houses. I was so disappointed that there were no postcards of each of these (the Black Hound, the White Horse, the Red Stag, etc.) -- I'd have bought the entire set!

Thanks for sharing the photo of the Japanese garden. I'll look for a photo of the building with the paintings in it tomorrow. I'm sure I bought some post cards of some of the paintings, and I'll post those too. Since I need to use Raven's Realm to post pictures now, I'm not sure I'll be successful. Just be forewarned. c.i.

Thanks! I look forward to seeing them!

re. Japanese garden(s):

quite a fine example is to be found in Dorset (another lovely county, btw), near Poole (a wonderfull place itself):
Compton Acres Garden
(> Gardens > 3D panorama > Japanese)

Just testing to see if I can load photos on to A2K. This is Cardiff Castle. c.i.

Walter, That is an amazing 360 degree photo of the Japanese garden. Thx for sharing, c.i.

I haven't read through this entire thread, but I would like to comment.

I spent two years in England during the late 1950's.

London, of course, it the great MUST.

I cannot even calculate how much time I spent in the Tower of London-- but know it was not enough time. The Tower is one of the great places of the world. Be sure to allow as much time as possible for it.

Hyde Park is a must see -- and Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards.

The Palace of Westminster (where paliament meets) is stupendous. St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey are both great.

I was a cathedral nut -- and there are two other must see cathedrals -- Lincolnshire and York -- both breath-taking.

Piffka, I'm looking for my photo album of England/UK, but haven't located it yet. Will continue to look. c.i.

Frank, When in York, did you also visit the Train Museum? York is one of the best walking cities of the world. The museums, the narrow streets, and the wall surrounding the city are all still pretty much intact - not true of so many places in the world today. c.i.

Here's a must see place.