You book a 10:00 AM ticket for Edinburgh Castle, arrive at 9:45, and stand in a queue that snakes past the ticket office, through the esplanade, and back toward the Royal Mile. Forty-five minutes later, you’re inside — but you’ve already lost the morning light for photos and the crowds are three deep at the Crown Jewels. I made that mistake on my first visit. By my third, I had a system. Here’s what the data shows about actually getting into Edinburgh Castle without wasting half your day. How Edinburgh Castle Ticketing Actually Works Edinburgh Castle uses a timed-entry system…

Straddling the Essex-Hertfordshire border, the Lee Valley Country Park is a 1,000 acre picturesque site teeming with wildlife and the home of the Lee Valley White Water Centre (where you can follow in the footsteps of the London 2012 Olympic canoers). It’s also a surprisingly peaceful and calming place to while away an afternoon. Aside from the odd cyclist, dog-walker and family picking blackberries and raspberries, I came across very few people during my two-and-a-half hour stroll along the banks of the River Lee and its surrounding wetlands. I did, however, enjoy the company of lots of birds, including some…

With its extraordinarily well-preserved keep that’s surrounded by uncommonly tall earthworks, the castle at Castle Rising is one of the most memorable and unusual in the UK. Situated in the small, charming Norfolk village a few miles north of King’s Lynn (below), the castle has an illustrious history. Built in the 12th century by William D’Aubigny, Earl of Arundel and husband of Queen Adeliza (Henry I’s widow), the castle was sold to Queen Isabella (Edward II’s widow) in 1331, who spent the last 25 years or so of her life in luxurious retirement there. The castle remained in royal hands…

Last Friday, the Charterhouse, near Smithfield Market in London, opened to visitors for the first time in its 700+ year history. I’d walked past the medieval manor many times when I lived in London, always dying to have a peek inside, so when I was in London yesterday, my friends and I decided it was time to have a look around. The Charterhouse dates back to the mid-14th century when the area was used as a burial ground for victims of the Black Death. In 1371, a Carthusian monastery was built on the site and it remained a monastery until…

Towards the end of March 2022, I set off on a little road trip around northern East Anglia. When I was looking in my guidebook for inspiration for places to visit, one place that jumped out at me was Ely. I was aware Ely was a small cathedral city in Cambridgeshire but knew little else about it. So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered this unassuming city in the heart of the Fens boasts a truly spectacular cathedral that’s up there with the best in the UK, if not in Europe. I spied Ely’s cathedral, nicknamed the ‘Ship…

The 8.6-mile Regent’s Canal runs from Paddington Basin in west London to Limehouse in the east, and the short stretch between Little Venice and Regent’s Park is one of my favourite London walks. So when I was in London in August and had a bit of time to kill, I decided to revisit this old favourite. I started my walk in Little Venice, so-called because it’s where the Grand Union and Regent’s canals meet. No-one’s quite sure who gave the area its name, but the infamous Lord Byron and his fellow poet Robert Browning have both been attributed with coining…

I’ve visited over 40 castles in the UK, and Nunney Castle is the one that stops me mid-stride every time. It’s not the biggest. Not the most famous. But for my money, it’s the most photogenic ruin in England — a perfect miniature fortress dropped into a Somerset village like someone forgot to pick it up after a medieval photoshoot. Built in the 1370s by Sir John Delamare, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years’ War, this castle was designed to impress. Four round towers, a deep moat, and walls that still punch above their weight after 650 years.…

When my friend and I were looking for things to do in London last month, one of my friend’s colleagues suggested we visit ‘The Cult of Beauty’ exhibition at the Wellcome Collection. The free exhibition at the Euston Road museum explores concepts of beauty through the ages and across cultures in the context of gender, race, age, health and status. We arrived at the Wellcome Collection around 11.30am to find the exhibition was closed until 12pm, so we went off to explore the main collection while we waited. On coming back at 12pm, we found the museum had put a…

West Mersea sits at the end of a road that floods twice a day. The tidal causeway, the working oyster sheds, the estuary views with no coastal development spoiling them — these things are connected. This village stayed small because access stayed inconvenient. Plan around the tide and you get one of the best value lunch days within two hours of London. Ignore it, and you get a queue of cars on a flooded road going nowhere. How to Cross The Strood Without Wasting Your Trip The Strood is the only road onto Mersea Island. It’s a raised causeway crossing…

Five hundred years since they ruled over England and Wales, the Tudors still captivate audiences in a way few other royal dynasties can. Aside from the crazy drama that wouldn’t be out of place in the most far-fetched soap opera (six wives, multiple beheadings, religious schisms, to name a few), much of the family’s enduring appeal is down to its clearly defined image. Very few English monarchs are as instantly recognisable to the masses as Henry VIII or Elizabeth I (above). With his wide-legged stance, square bearded face and red hair, Henry VIII (below) still cuts an imposing, majestic figure…