England - South East

This region has just about everything,  offering fine old cities,  some fantastic sea-bordering countryside , castles ,  and stately homes.   With so many places to visit, you will be spoilt for choice - Canterbury, Brighton, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Poole, and the Isle of Wight to name but a few.  There is plenty of retail therapy on offer with an excellent range of unique shopping.   And being so close to France,  you can hop over the Channel for the day.

KENT
With its gardens, beautiful castles, coastal paths, orchards, and oast houses, Kent really is the Garden of England.   It has a fascinating maritime history, and the cathedrals of Canterbury and Rochester are enormously impressive.   Tunbridge Wells is the quintessential Kentish town with its Georgian buildings and old spas.  Visit the lovely Romney Marsh, and travel the miniature railway from Romney Hythe to the headland of Dungeness. Take the Crab and Winkle Way from Canterbury to Whitstable, a charming seaside resort famous for its oysters and fresh-fish market.   There are lots of trails either for walking or cycling.   Seal Encounter offers a high-speed boat ride from Ramsgate Harbour to the seal colony at Goodwin Sands.   Folkestone to France takes only 35 minutes by Eurotunnel. 

EAST AND WEST SUSSEX
This  14 miles of beautiful coastline has something to offer everyone – notably the lively seaside town of Brighton, Littlehampton, Hastings and Eastbourne.  Cosmopolitan Brighton is probably the most visited place, offering the magnificent Royal Pavilion as well as being a foodies` and boutique-shoppers` paradise.    In contrast, there is the pretty town of Arundel  lying in a designated area of outstanding natural beauty, and boasting its own castle, the traditional  home of the Duke of Norfolk.    Walk Ashdown Forest, a ramblers` paradise. There are 6,500 acres of forest where you are free to roam the woodlands which provided inspiration for AA Milne’s much loved characters, Pooh Bear and friends.

HAMPSHIRE AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT
Winchester, with its fine cathedral, castle hall and college has been voted one of the best places to live in the UK - and you will soon see why amongst the popular shopping streets and superb  architecture.   Jane Austen, born in nearby Basingstoke spent her last weeks here. Visit Portsmouth and Gunwharf, the world-class shopping and leisure area on the waterfront.  This is where Spinnaker Tower stands, the 170m new attraction offering magnificent views of the South Coast.   If you like sailing, have a look at the Southampton Boat Show in the autumn or take a catamaran to the Isle of Wight with its amazing Needles, abundant sporting activities, and 60 miles of beautiful coastline.    And all this just next door to the ancient woodlands of the New Forest.

BERKSHIRE
Royal Berkshire is only a short journey from London.  Discover the great outdoors on the chalk Downs and the Vale of Kennet and visit the numerous National Paths and golf and race courses – especially at Wentworth and Ascot.   Inkpen, the highest chalk hill in England, offers panoramic views over the county.    The town of Newbury, in the west of the country has some interesting shopping, good eateries, and an interesting museum in the old Cloth Hall.  Windsor Castle, the best known sight in the Country and notable for its round tower and St Georges Chapel, lies alongside the great expanse of Windsor Great Park and its Savill and Valley Gardens and the beautiful lake of Virgina Water – recently featured in the Harry Potter films.  Reading, the largest town in the county, has a university and, attached to it, a fascinating museum of English Rural Life.

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
From the Midlands to London, Buckinghamshire offers the Chiltern Hills, close proximity to London and the winding River Thames.  Take in the affluent towns of Marlow, Aylesbury, Old Amersham, Chalfont St Giles,  Chalfont St Peter,  Chesham and Great Missenden. History lovers have lots to choose from.  The county has the highest number of National Trust sites in the country.  Visit Hughenden Manor,  Waddesdon Manor and Clivedon Manor right on the Thames.  Don’t miss Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden, a real treat.

SURREY
There is always plenty to do in this, the quintessential home county.  Despite being very much part of the stockbroker belt, it has some fine, open, wooded country – in particular around Leith Hill, near Dorking.    Choose to visit one of the many castle and fine houses – at Claremont, Farnham, Guildford, Hatchlands, Loseley and Sutton Park.  The towns of Richmond, Kingston-upon-Thames, and Guildford all offer good shopping, and there is an abundance of  theme parks and other fun places for children to enjoy such as legoland and Thorpe Park.  London, of course, is also close at hand.