The Great Escape to Waddesdon Manor, Aylesbury
Mark Bibby Jackson swaps the gloom of a UK lockdown for the spring blooms of Waddesdon Manor, the former country home of Lord Rothschild, nestled somewhere near Aylesbury. Often during…
Travel Topics
Mark Bibby Jackson swaps the gloom of a UK lockdown for the spring blooms of Waddesdon Manor, the former country home of Lord Rothschild, nestled somewhere near Aylesbury. Often during…
Blenheim Palace will host the exhibition Cecil Beaton, Celebrating Celebrity from 17 May until 1 August, 2021. Some 50 iconic images by the British photographer…
April 22 is Earth Day; a global event celebrated each year to demonstrate support for the protection of our environment. This year the theme is Restore Our Earth. Say yes…
Travel the world without leaving London with the latest winning images from the international Travel Photographer of the Year awards (TPOTY). From 12 May to 10 June…
Robert Spellman has rounded up 15 UK music festivals this summer that are due to go ahead covid-permitted for Travel Begins at 40. The idea of a summer music festival…
Following on from last year’s success, The Great Northern Food & Drink Festival, returns to the North – this time in Nottinghamshire – this August. Organisers say that the festival…
From May the Whitechapel Gallery in London will present a new archive exhibition, Phantoms of Surrealism that collates artworks, photographic scrapbooks and correspondence…
Held in June each year, the RHS Blenheim Palace Flower Show is a wonderful horticultural show set in the surroundings of arguably England’s finest stately home. The show is expected to attract…
Lumiere Light Festival Durham is the largest light festival in the UK. Held every other year since 2009, the next Lumiere Festival is slated to occur in November 2023. Organisers…
Despite the roll out of Covid vaccines across the UK it still seems as if 2021 will not be a great one for international travel with many people looking towards…
A new exhibition at the Palace of Holyroodhouse featuring watercolours collected by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert is set to open this March in Edinburgh. Throughout their marriage Victoria and…
Bournemouth has been a favourite seaside haunt since the Victorian era that still scores high on the list for Brits looking for a top-notch beach holiday or weekend away. James…
A new exhibition for 2021 will explore the pioneering aesthetics and lasting legacy of the Century Guild, the English group established by artists, designers and craftspeople with the aim of…
Roger Hermiston and Eileen Wise spend a night at The Savoy, discovering the colourful history and wonderful cuisine of one of London’s foremost hotels. Past the exquisite glass Lalique fountain…
‘Moments’, a unique exhibition of works by some of the world’s best-known contemporary artists is to be installed at Moyse’s Hall Museum, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk…
Bill Brandt | Henry Moore reunites German born photographer Bill Brandt (1904–1983) and English sculptor Henry Moore …
With the UK leaving lockdown, why not consider treating yourself to one of the many luxury Christmas hotel breaks on offer in England, or say good riddance to 2020? For…
Mark Bibby Jackson returns to the East of England for a UK Staycation, visiting the seaside resort of Aldeburgh Suffolk and nearby Orford for a local experience. It seems somehow…
A frequent visitor to the island off the south coast of England, Mark Bibby Jackson shares his favourite Isle of Wight walks. Ever since a child I have been a…
The book Landscape Photographer of the Year contains full colour photos of the winning and commended entries for the 2020 competition. Mark Bibby Jackson takes a browse. “Has there ever…
Hastings has the biggest beach-launched fishing fleet in Europe, and its iconic Net Shops. Travel Begins at 40 chats with Stella Landau, Fish Festivals Organiser, about the sustainable Hastings Fish…
On a trip to the South Coast of England, Hazel Holloway takes a bird’s eye view of Brighton on the i360 Viewing Tower before sampling some wonderful fish and chips…
Reasonably curious as to what a hotel that looks like a ship would be like, James Clark books himself into the Southampton Harbour Hotel and Spa, which opened three years…
The current impasse in negotiations between the EU and UK over the terms of the latter’s exit from the former raises the increased likelihood of a No-Deal resolution to Brexit…
The UK has so much to offer with its rich history, galleries, theatres and concert halls, its commercial and scientific enterprise and its varied and undeniably scenic countryside.
UK National Parks
There are 15 National Parks in the UK, ranging from coastal areas to mountainous regions in England, Wales and Scotland. There are currently none in Northern Ireland. Unlike National Parks in other countries, in the UK parts of the designated, protected areas can be owned by private landlords. Such areas as the Lake District, Yorkshire Moors, Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, Snowdonia and the Cairngorms draw hikers and naturalists to them like a magnet.
UK Weather
The British never tire of the weather as a talking point. Broadly speaking it is a temperate climate, although winters are becoming wetter and summers warmer, probably from climate change. Warmer in the South, wetter in the West and colder in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the UK climate can be subject to diurnal change on a sudden basis, although, with the advent of satellites, the weather forecasts are more accurate. It is wise to take a waterproof with you on an extended trip.
Northern Ireland
Since the Good Friday Agreement brought greater stability to this previously troubled land, visitors are on an increase. The Titanic Museum displaying memorabilia regarding that renowned disaster and Ulster Museum looking at 3,000 years of Irish culture and history, are well worth a visit. Outside of Belfast, the Mountains of Mourne in County Down and the Giant Causeway, 60 miles outside Belfast, are not to be missed.