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Once a thriving international port, Exeter’s historic quayside is now a major draw for sightseeing, boat trips, cycling, and canoeing. The Cathedral Church of St Peter is one of the UK’s finest examples of decorated Gothic work. Exeter is a beautiful city, retaining many historical gems despite being bombed during the Second World War. The city centre boasts the Guildhall, one of England’s oldest municipal buildings, dating from 1330, and attractive public gardens like Rougemont and Northernhay Gardens, the oldest in the country.
In the former industrial capital of the country, manufacturing is now taking a back seat. Birmingham’s industrial legacy lives on, however, in the restoration of some of its finest old buildings. England’s second city has grown into a thriving, growing, multicultural metropolis with an impressive number of heritage museums, new hotels, restaurants, cafes, theatre bars, and nightclubs.
At almost dead central between London and Manchester, Birmingham is no longer just a place you drive past on the M6 or travel through on the western train line. Its greatly expanded International Airport has also seen increasing numbers of visitors of all nationalities visiting the Midlands hub.
Belfast is the Northern Ireland capital and the second largest city in Ireland. It has had a prosperous history based on the linen trade in the 18th century, and cotton-spinning and shipbuilding in the 19th. In 1888 its population was growing faster than anywhere in the UK and it was granted city status. In 1925 the population peaked at 400,000 and began to decline along with the shipbuilding industry. The decline continued after World War 2, and the Troubles of the 1960s and 1970s brought the city much bad publicity.
The city now has a population of about 300,000 and divides quite naturally into ‘town’ and ‘gown’ areas. The commercial and shopping area is around Donegall Square, where many new restaurants have opened in recent years. Queen’s University is the focus of the ‘gown’ area to the south, with the Golden Mile being where you’ll find the galleries, museums, and more restaurants.
Until the late 18th century, Edinburgh consisted mainly of what is now known as the Old Town (where you’ll find the Castle, Royal Mile, and Grassmarket). The university was founded in 1583, jump-starting the city’s educational and professional development. The Bank of Scotland was established in 1695, laying the foundations for Edinburgh’s development into a leading financial capital by the end of the 20th century.
The Act of Union in 1707 joined Scotland and England together politically, and moved power from Edinburgh to London. By the late 18th century, Edinburgh had a population of 35,000. The increasingly overcrowded conditions led to many rich people leaving the city, principally to move to London. In the 1760s there was a competition to design a New Town, to attract the wealthy back to Edinburgh.
Artistic, brash, chic, dynamic, exuberant – it’s difficult to define the city of Glasgow today. Think Manhattan with a rasping Scottish accent, brimming with great architecture, a lively cultural scene and the best shopping and restaurants outside London. Urban regeneration, with a little help from Lottery money, has restored Victorian buildings, and tobacco warehouses have been transformed into a modern-day Merchant City of designer shops, bars, and bistros. Where the shipyards used to line the majestic River Clyde, the sterns of ocean-going leviathans jutting out over the water, there are now space-age exhibition, conference, concert, and science centres. The people too, have more sense of style than most outside London, and it could be said that Glasgow does not simply follow fashion, it creates its own.
There’s little doubt about Southampton’s impressive maritime heritage, it’s been a thriving international port since Saxon times and owes everything to the sea. But this is the best time to pay it a visit - 2005 has been designated SeaBritain year to mark the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar, Admiral Nelson’s finest and last hour, and, with its rich seafaring history, Southampton is staging events throughout the year to celebrate in style.
This is where King Canute believed he could command the sea to retreat, Henry V sailed from the West Gate for the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail in the Mayflower for the New World and the Queen Mary plied the route between England’s south coast and New York in the golden age of transatlantic liners.
Norwich, the capital of East Anglia, is a rich blend of historical grandeur and modern-day sophistication. The magnificent 900-year old Norman Cathedral, with the second highest spire in England, dominates the skyline. Below it, Norwich is awash with the familiar icons of 21st-century living. Shopping, dining, and nightlife are all here in great depth and variety.
It used to be said that Norwich had a pub for every day of the year, and at the end of the 19th century, partly due to a lively local brewing industry, there were many more, a total of 780. Two hundred are still left today, providing good beer, wine, and food to thirsty locals and ‘incomers’ (local slang for tourists and outsiders). It was also said that there was a church for every Sunday of the year, and it is true that Norwich has more medieval churches than anywhere in Western Europe, though many are no longer used for their original purpose.
The largest of the Channel Islands and the southernmost of all the British Isles, Jersey boasts some 70km (43.5 miles) of beautiful coastline with clear water and stunning beaches. The island regularly holds records as the sunniest place in the British Isles – and there is added warmth from the Gulf Stream that washes the shores of the island. A thriving agricultural industry is best known for its Jersey milk and internationally famous Jersey Royal potatoes, which have their very own special taste and flavour. There is also an abundance of seafood, especially locally cultivated oysters (best sampled in spring and autumn).
With no passports or visas required, no VAT, sterling in common use, English spoken, and cars driven at a gentle speed on the left-hand side of the road, it is little wonder that Jersey has become so popular with families, young people and active older visitors.
Guernsey, at 14km long by 8km wide, is the second largest of the Channel Islands. It is the main base for island hopping around the smaller nearby isles of Alderney, Sark, and Herm, which fall within its ‘bailiwick’ or administration area. Guernsey has thriving offshore finance, manufacturing and agricultural industries. The Islands flowers, tomatoes, strawberries, and potatoes are amongst the first British-grown produce in the supermarkets every year.
Guernsey has excellent beaches (27 in total) while its spectacular cliffs and rolling fields appeal to hikers, and its 500km of narrow country lanes appeal to cyclists. Warm currents give the islands an average sea temperature of 15ºC and an average land temperature of 20ºC. You’re almost guaranteed fine weather if you go in July and August. There is no VAT and also low excise duty so it’s a good place to shop too.