Places to visit

The day that Stonehenge was sold via the pages of Country Life

Stonehenge is shortly to be changed forever, with the planned tunnel getting the go-ahead. But it's not the first time that the site has witnessed upheaval.

18 of the best places across Britain to go and see bluebells this spring

We round up the best gardens to visit to see carpets of bluebells this spring and explain how to tell the difference between the native flowers and foreign interlopers

Where to see snowdrops: The best places in Britain

The sight of these tiny white flowers peeping through in January or February never fails to cheer us up – here's our pick of where to see snowdrops.

10 of Scotland’s most magical white sand beaches

What better day to celebrate some of Scotland's most stunning locations than St Andrew's Day? Here's our pick of 10 of the finest white sand beaches in the country.

Curious Questions: Who dislodged Britain's most famous balancing rock?

A recent trip to Cornwall inspires Martin Fone to tell the rather sad story of the ruin and restoration of one of Cornwall's great 19th century tourist attractions: Logan Rock at Treen, near Land's End.

Henley Festival: 13 things you'll see at the 'posh Glastonbury'

Revellers in ball gowns and dinner jackets, turning up on board £200,000 boats to dance and party while knocking back magnums of vintage champagne? It can only be the extraordinary Henley Festival, the high-end musical extravaganza that's a sort of Glastonbury-on-Thames for the (very) well heeled. We sent Emma Earnshaw along to see what it was like.

The best open air theatres in Britain

Amid the sweet chestnuts, walnuts and cobnuts of a Suffolk farm, a natural amphitheatre has been transformed into a glorious sylvan venue for touring companies to tread Nature’s boards. Jo Cairdv pays a visit to the mesmerising Thorington Theatre, and picks out three more of the finest outdoor performance venues in Britain.

The best regional art galleries in Britain, from Cornwall to Orkney

Wherever you are in Britain, you’re never far from an interesting gallery. Here we present an eclectic round-up of 45 places to see art outside the big cities.

How Alexandra Palace has survived fires, bankruptcy and even gang warfare in 150 years as London's 'palace of the people'

Alexandra Palace has suffered every imaginable disaster, yet remains enduringly popular even a century and a half after its official grand opening. Martin Fone takes a look at the history of one of Britain's great public buildings.

Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland: The spectacular border town with a castle that changed hands 13 times

Berwick-upon-Tweed spent centuries as a pawn in Anglo-Scottish conflict; today, it's a charming border town with spectacular sights. Clive Aslet takes a look.

Ewelme, Oxfordshire: The medieval almshouses set up by Chaucer's grand-daughter and still running today

The Flying Scotsman: How the first 100mph locomotive became the most famous train in the world

The first train to officially hit 100mph may not even have been the first, and didn't hold the rail speed record for long; yet a century later its legend is undimmed. Jack Watkins celebrates the Flying Scotsman.

The strangest museum in London? Dennis Severs’ House is art installation, theatre set and 18th century throwback

Tactfully revived, Dennis Severs’ House defies categorisation, finds Jeremy Musson.

Melrose Abbey, the Scottish Borders: The spectacular ruin where Robert the Bruce's heart is buried

Melrose Abbey is one of the most powerfully romantic and evocative ruins in Britain — and for that matter, the world.

Winchester College: The school that's survived six centuries of turmoil, including the sacking of the city around it

Winchester College is both a school for the lucky few and an architectural marvel, says Clive Aslet.

Caernarfon Castle, Gwynedd: 'One of the great buildings of the Middle Ages'

Wales is spoilt for beautiful, evocative and dramatic castles in magnificent locations — yet still Caernarfon Castle stands above the rest.

Durham Cathedral and Castle: 'The Normans at their most audacious and expansive'

Canterbury Cathedral: Architectural wonder, place of worship, and site of one of history's most infamous murders

Canterbury Cathedral is the seat of the Church of England, the end of the nation's most famous pilgrimage route, and a place where 1400 years of history can be seen.

Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire: The story of Robin Hood's woods

The ancient hunting grounds of William the Conqueror are famed across the world as the hiding place of the legendary outlaw Robin Hood.

The millionaire who created a real-life toy train set on a human scale

The astonishing assemblage of buildings, machinery and memorabilia at Fawley Hill, Buckinghamshire — the home of Lady McAlpine and the late Sir William McAlpine — is testimony to one man’s remarkable enthusiasm for the railways, as Marcus Binney discovers. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.