Great England Side-trips

Great England Side Trips

London is a gem, sure enough. One could honestly spend months, even years in the town and have a new experience in a new place, every day, without getting bored. But there is so much more to England – it is an honest shame that more folks don’t make it outside of Big Ben’s aegis. Whether the backdrop you seek is modern or historical, any destination in the sceptered isle will surprise you with something interesting, beautiful, or uniquely and charmingly English.

A quick jaunt to the south of the Big Smoke will take you down to Hampshire and the New Forest. This isn’t a forest in our modern sense of the word – the New Forest was a hunting preserve set up by William the Conqueror after he took England from the Saxons in 1066. Ironically, it was in this very preserve that William I’s son, William Rufus, was “accidentally” shot by the arrow of a man in his own party. That’s all in the past, but it won’t seem too distant when you stay over in one of the hundreds of quaint, ancient inns that dot the New Forest map. Most of them have very well apportioned pubs within, and serve some un-stereotypically fantastic English cuisine. They are most definitely worth investigating.

Over in Dover, whence the train takes the Chunnel under the channel, we have one of England’s more iconic sites, the White Cliffs. Located at the point on England nearest to the continent, these chalk cliffs stand out in stark white defiance to France, from whose shores they are easily seen. Before air travel, for millennia, these cliffs were either the first or last view a traveller would have of the sceptered isle. The cliffs are geological formations composed of chalk. Much of southern England’s natural landscape lies on a chalk foundation… and there are some very interesting prehistoric carvings throughout the region, right in the side of hills, which are also worth a look.

Blackpool has been a perennial favorite for native Britons in the summertime since the mid-18th century, when it became fashionable for them to “take the waters” to improve health. Roads were built to make travel to the hamlet more convenient, and the result is this colossal tourist destination. It hasn’t been nearly as popular in recent years as compared to the mid-20th century heyday. So you’ll be charmed by its old-timey feel – not jostled by throngs – as you stroll down the promenade. Whether you wish to “take the cure”, want to check out the “Illuminations”, or just hanker for some killer fish and chips, you can satisfy these requirements and do so much more in Blackpool.

Speaking of ‘pools,’ there is one from which the British invaded us nearly 50 years ago, and it is a major tourist destination in its own right. When John, Paul, George and Ringo first got it together in 1960, it would be safe to say they didn’t think their birthplaces would become pilgrimage sites, but such is the cult of the 1960’s pop they shaped. Liverpool is a tremendously fascinating place. At the turn of the 20th century, Liverpool was the economic powerhouse of England, known as the “New York of Europe.” Elaborate, fantastic buildings were built, and people came from all over the world to be where the action was. This era is captured perfectly in both the music and the name of the song “Pomp and Circumstance,” composed and first performed right here in 1901. Liverpool is one of the most diverse places in England, hence its motto “The World in One City.”

Beyond London

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Great England Side-trips

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