'The best things in life are free,' declared by Coco Chanel — who then added that ‘the second best things are very, very expensive’. So let's stick with the best, from stargazing to birdwatching. Emma Hughes picks 27 free and almost-free ways to while away a day.
Clive Aslet takes a look at Ely, the beautiful and ancient city that can be seen from miles around in the Fens.
The Battle of Hastings didn't actually take place in Hastings, but a few miles north — and you can still visit the site of perhaps the most consequential battle ever to take place on English soil.
The ancient town of Glastonbury is synonymous without spirituality, mysticism and legend — and it's an unmissable stop-off on our list of places in the 21st century Grand Tour of Britain.
Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, has 1,500 years of recorded history and remains as popular as ever with pilgrims of all kinds. Clive Aslet takes a look at its history, and tells the tale of how Country Life's founder bought and transformed this ancient spot.
Fiona Reynolds takes a stroll through a landscape which leaves her 'inspired anew'.
Our 21st century Grand Tour of Britain moves on to an ancient church in Essex.
When William the Conqueror landed at Pevensey, he moved in to the nearby castle — one which had already stood for the best part of a thousand years.
What once kept out hordes of bloodthirsty warriors is, nearly 2,000 years later, barely proof against the most timid of sheep. But if Hadrian’s Wall is now low on stature, it remains high on atmosphere, says Harry Pearson.
Clive Aslet considers the town that was one of Roman Britain's greatest cities — and even, for a while, its capital: Colchester.
Few spots on the coast of Britain are as romantic and storied as St Michael's Mount in Cornwall.
The magnificent Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is one of the great testaments to Industrial Revolution ingenuity — and as beautiful as it is impressive. Jack Watkins takes a look.
The mysterious and ancient Maiden Castle occupies a vast site in Dorset. Clive Aslet takes a look.
Our Grand Tour of Britain alights at what is arguably the world's most famous prehistoric site: Stonehenge, in Wiltshire.
Thousands of years ago, ancient Britons created a vast and spectacular stylised portrayal of a horse in the hills of the North Wessex Downs. Surely they could scarcely have dreamed that The Uffington White Horse would still be intriguing visitors to this day.
The best-preserved Neolithic settlement in Europe isn't in a French cave or an Italian hillside; it's Skara Brae on Orkney, far beyond the north of Scotland.
Yews are well known for their longevity, but few — if any — can top the 5,000-year-old Fortingall Yew.
The Giant's Causeway is a geological marvel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and an unmissable stop for anyone heading to Northern Ireland.
Keep your diary up-to-date with our selection of unmissable events and things to do in the next few weeks.
