Britain

Packed with 196-pages of the best attractions, days out, places to stay and food and drink destinations, the 2015 BRITAIN Guide is your definitive companion to getting the best out of your holiday. From forgotten medieval villages, to country houses within easy access of London and shopping areas for picking up quintessential gifts, you won’t want to leave home without it.

EDITOR'S LETTER

Britain

YOUR LETTERS • Write to us with your thoughts on the magazine and memories of Britain

Plain sailing

A wonder in wax

Regal finery

Blooming lovely

A humble home

A brush with royalty

Old-fashioned Sponge Cake with Summer Berries and Homemade Jam

READING CORNER • Take inspiration for your British adventures from these great reads

What’s in a Name? • Know your Piddles from your Puddles as you explore some of England’s most idyllic, historic – and curiously named – villages in the picturesque county of Dorset

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WIN A RELAXING STAY AT A HISTORIC COUNTRY-HOUSE HOTEL

The MERRY MONARCH & THE MAN • Was Charles II the charming, happy-go-lucky rogue of popular history, or was there a darker side to his personality and the times?

SISTERS in SCANDAL • A new TV adaptation of The Pursuit of Love, Nancy Mitford’s novel based on her eccentric family, puts the lives of her infamous sisters in the spotlight once again

ON THE MITFORD TRAIL

The power of the portrait • For some 500 years, portraiture has been one of the most important insights into a monarch’s role, as a new exhibition of royal portraits reveals

A Royal ENGAGEMENT • Part One A new biography of Her Majesty The Queen traces the events of a reign that spans seven decades. In this extract from The Queen, the first in a two-part series, we learn of the engagement between a young Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip

In Shakespeare’s footsteps • The Bard’s links with Stratford-upon-Avon and London are well known, but where did he spend the undocumented years before his first successes on the stage?

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NOTTINGHAM • The spirit of the world’s best-loved folk hero lives on in the history and culture of this fascinating city

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Highland BEAUTY • Argyll’s wild mountains and tranquil lochs are a stunning refuge for a host of precious sights, from ancient forts to pods of porpoises

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TOP 10 PORTSMOUTH • With royal connections, sea views and historic forts, this great maritime city is ripe for exploring

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Washington Old Hall • This stately stone manor, associated with the ancestors of George Washington, offers an intriguing window into 17th-century gentry life

STYLISH RETREATS IN THE UK’S HOTTEST LOCATIONS