Tabla de contenidos para August/September 2021 en Discover Britain

Scotland’s West Highlands is packed with history and breathtaking scenery featured in many blockbuster films. Lochaber in particular is a land of peaceful solitude and magnificent mountains, lochs and glens, making it the perfect place to relax. In fact, Fort William, the area’s largest town, prides itself on its reputation as “The Outdoor Capital of the UK”. Ten miles away, nestled in the picturesque village of Roy Bridge, is the base for our competition winner’s stay: the charming Stronlossit Inn, where true Highland hospitality awaits. The winner and their guest will travel there in ease, style and comfort, whizzing between England and Scotland while you slumber aboard the famous Caledonian Sleeper. In your private room, you’ll enjoy a blissful night’s sleep on mattresses from Highland-based Glencraft, which has served four…

“Wye Valley is the landscape that led William Gilpin to coin the term ‘picturesque’” Kate Humble If I rolled down the hill that we live on I’d end up  in Tintern Abbey. Our smallholding lies in The Wye Valley AONB on the England-Wales border. It’s the landscape that led writer William Gilpin to coin the term ‘picturesque’ in the 18th century, and it also inspired poets Coleridge and Wordsworth. I am an inveterate walker with my Welsh sheepdog Teg. We are about to embark on a 100-mile walk across the Brecon Beacons, our local mountain range. We recently completed The Wye Valley Walk, journeying 136 miles from mid-Wales back home. Abergavenny, one of our local towns, has become internationally renowned for its food festival. It brings about 40,000 people, and…

To anyone whose idea of England extends to rolling hills and quaint villages, the far west Cornwall coast might feel like the ends of the earth. The landscape is, in places, as rough and ragged as the hands of the workers who have toiled here for several thousand years – for this is mining country. Metalliferous mining is thought to have begun in Cornwall around 2,000 BC. It started with copper, then tin and later arsenic, lead and silver. The geology was such that granite and slate collided, resulting in metallic mineral rich deposits – in fact, some say our tin resources were one of the reasons the Romans invaded Britain in AD 43, as the ore was used to forge bronze. By the early 18th century, shafts were being…

Matter of taste I read with delight the article on puddings. As an American, I found it funny that an American biscuit is compared to a British scone. Oh, my no. I have eaten Welsh scones in the UK and British scones in British Columbia at the Empress Hotel, as well as making them out of a British bread cookbook and they are nothing like my southern grandmother’s biscuits. The American biscuit is a fluffy, light quick bread with a crumb that is very yeast bread-like and not at all sweet (no sugar in them), while the scones I have had are heavier and although the crumb is very tender, is not the same as a biscuit. Both are delicious but very different. It was a delightful read and I…

Our nation might have a reputation for politeness, being buttoned up and even slightly bumbling – yet some of the most famous Britons of all time have been embroiled in bitter and even deadly rivalries. The monarchy, for instance, has always been a hotbed of feuds. The Tudor kings and queens in particular absolutely loved a spat and were ruthless in how they dispatched their opponents: imprisonment and beheadings were the order of the day. Yet no matter at what stage in history we find ourselves, conflict seems to be part of the job description for a working royal – from sibling rivalries and love triangles to seeing off pretenders to the throne. Political life in Britain is also largely about conflict, although some parliamentary skirmishes have been more potent…

Why Harrogate? Harrogate exists as a wonderful example of what the Victorians imagined a resort town might look like. Much of the grand stone architecture was built to impress visitors and provided relaxing surrounds for enjoying the many spas contained here. That focus on the health benefits also led Harrogate to become a surprisingly green and pleasant locale too, not only as it is carved out of the Forest of Knaresborough (once a royal hunting ground), but also because at its heart are many landscaped public spaces, including The Stray and the grade II-listed Valley Gardens. The beautifully compact RHS Garden Harlow Carr meanwhile is worth a visit to explore sub-tropic, lakeside and kitchen gardens, centred on Queen Mother’s Lake. History Though the North Yorkshire settlement dates back to at…

As the recent Carey Mulligan movie, The Dig, explored to great effect, part of the joy of archaeological excavations is the inherent mystery attached to the objects that are dug up. Taken individually, these tools, jewels and other relics usually offer little in the way of historical context until their back stories are pieced together by experts and their original creators are determined. One great exception to this, of course, is the Alfred Jewel. It is remarkable that one of Britain’s national treasures might once have been given away free with a book This dazzling piece of ornate, 1,200-year-old goldsmith’s work came to light in 1693, ploughed up in a field in Somerset. There was little doubt over who commissioned it, however, given that it was unearthed with its inscription…

The Royal Mile is one of the most well-known thoroughfares in Britain and no visit to Edinburgh is complete without pounding the pavements at the heart of the Scottish capital’s Old Town. Take a tour of the headline attractions first, but leave time to discover the underbelly and whispers of Auld Reekie’s Royal Mile, uncovering centuries of secrets, hidden gems and mysteries. The Royal Mile is made up of several consecutive streets, including Canongate, High Street, Lawnmarket and Castlehill, which start at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and head up to the iconic Edinburgh Castle. It runs almost exactly a mile in length and serves as a royal processional route. Edinburgh has been Scotland’s capital since the 15th century and the Royal Mile was initially at the heart of Scotland’s politics,…

One of the most talked about British portraits, which now hangs in the Ambassador’s Room at Scone Palace in Perthshire, has fascinated historians since the 18th century. One of the two subjects of the portrait – Dido Belle, the mixed race, illegitimate child of British naval officer Sir John Lindsay – was only identified by historians in the 1990s. Prior to that point, the painting was known simply as The Lady Elizabeth Murray, the name of the painting’s other subject – and Dido’s cousin. The apparent equality and affection shared by the pair was certainly unusual for the time. In fact, their uplifting story inspired the 2013 film, Belle, and continues to attract many visitors to the grand Georgian stately home where the two young girls’ friendship blossomed: Kenwood House…

Having carved out a 30-year career in stonemasonry and written a book about it too, Andrew Ziminski is undoubtedly one of Britain’s most passionate proponents of this ancient craft. He’s also one of the most experienced, regularly lending his hand to the conservation of several of our most iconic cathedrals and monuments. The author of The Stonemason: A History of British Building is sat in what he calls “paradise”, watching the swifts and swallows enjoy the late spring sunshine from a seat in the chancel of St Mary’s Church in Moorlinch, Somerset. Andrew has been commissioned to repair the church’s windows and tower while refurbishing the weathervane. His words echo within the cavernous space, which was completed by masons in the 13th century, though a church was first recorded here…

Britain’s country houses were almost like the pop music divas of today, constantly being reinvented for different eras as fashions waxed and waned. Yet rather than clothing or make-up changing from year to year, it was the interiors and even the very architecture of these already-grand properties that were given a regular facelift. These homes belonged to the celebrities of their day too. They were owned by the swashbuckling, hedonistic aristocratic dynasties and frequented by the suitors and socialites that the landed gentry sought to impress with the latest décor and fixtures. Wilton House is the perfect example of this peculiar practice where the most historic houses and the families who could trace their lineage back the longest were the slaves to fads and fashions. This constant state of reinvention…