Atlas

Places

Where to base yourself, how long to stay, and the one thing that usually goes wrong.

• England · 3–4 nightsLondonA dozen towns that share a river and a transport card.museums · neighbourhoods · food · theatre
• Scotland · 2–4 nightsEdinburghA capital on a ridge, with a rational city at its feet.old town · viewpoints · festivals · day trips
• England · 1–2 nightsBathRoman water under a Georgian stage set.architecture · walking · a first England trip
• England · 2 nightsYorkWalls, snickelways, and a railway city that still feels medieval after dark.walking · history · a northern base
• England · 2–4 nightsThe Lake DistrictFells, water, and a holiday geography that fills up in July.walking · villages · not hurrying
• England · 2 nightsThe CotswoldsLimestone villages, long views, and a coach circuit that is easy to outwalk.villages · walking · a gentle England
• England · 3–4 nightsCornwallA long county of coves, pasties and a summer traffic problem.coast · food · not being in a rush
• Scotland · 2–3 nightsIsle of SkyeBlack rock, changing water, and an island that punishes a one-night stand.landscape · slow driving · walks
• Wales · 1–2 nightsCardiffA capital on a human scale, with a castle in the middle and the sea at the end of the street.a Welsh capital · food · easy arrival
• Northern Ireland · 2–3 nightsBelfastA red-brick port with a short memory in the stones and a long one in the people.the city · the Antrim coast · food
• England · 1–2 nightsLiverpoolA maritime city with museums that punch above, and a sense of humour that gets there first.music · museums · the waterfront
• Wales · 2–3 nightsEryriSnowdonia by its Welsh name: slate, sharp hills, and towns that exist for more than the car park.mountains · Welsh language · trains and paths
• England · 1–2 nightsOxfordA working city that happens to be built of colleges.architecture · walking · a day from London
• England · 1–2 nightsCambridgeKing’s College, the Backs, and a river that is not the whole university.the Backs · a quieter college city · cycling
• England · A day, or one nightWindsorThe largest castle in the world still used as a house, and a town that knows it.the castle · a royal park · an easy trip from London
• England · 1–2 nightsDurhamA cathedral and a castle on a river peninsula, and one of the great small cities of the north.the cathedral · a northern stop · walking
• Scotland · 2 nightsGlasgowScotland’s larger city: sandstone, museums, and a humour that does not wait to be asked.museums · music · a city that is not Edinburgh
• Scotland · 1 night, or a long daySt AndrewsA ruined cathedral, an old university, and the golf that the town has decided to be famous for.the coast · ruins · a Fife detour
• England · 1–2 nightsWhitbyAn abbey on a cliff, a harbour full of boats, and a town that earns its fish and chips.the coast · a Gothic afternoon · a base on the North Sea
• Wales · 1 night, or a day from EryriConwyA complete medieval town wall, a castle in the water, and a bridge that used to be the wonder.a castle · town walls · the north Wales coast
• England · 2 nightsThe Peak DistrictEngland’s first national park: gritstone edges, limestone dales, and cities close enough to fill the car parks.walking · villages · a northern landscape without the drive to the Lakes
• England · A day, or one night if the ferry is yoursDoverThe white cliffs, a harbour that faces France, and the shortest serious statement of the island.the cliffs · an arrival or a leaving · a Kent coast walk
• Scotland · A day from Fort William, or a night on the Road to the IslesGlenfinnanA viaduct, a loch, and the monument where the Jacobite rising was raised.the West Highland line · a Highland set piece · not only the train