41. Ravenglass Roman Bath house
The bath house of a Roman Fort, these ruins in Cumbria are the tallest Roman structures remaining in Britain. According to English Heritage, who manage the site, the bath house served a fort that guarded a Roman harbor. Soldiers who used the bath house may have served in Hadrian's fleet. Always open, to "any reasonable hour", the ruins make a good destination for a walk in the country from nearby Ravenglass Station.42. Runnymede
Stephen Chernin/Getty Images
In June 1215, under an oak on this meadow west of the Thames, King John signed the Magna Carta limiting his absolute power in relation to 25 barons. The rights outlined then eventually gave rise to the United States Constitution and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
Visitors to this peaceful meadow can see:
- The Magna Carta Memorial erected by the American Bar Association
- Memorials to John F. Kennedy and the Commonwealth Air Force
- Several small buildings designed by British architect Sir Edmund Lutyens.
Open: Always open. Car parking closes at dusk.
43. The Uffington White Horse
Another of England's chalk figures, and possibly the oldest one. The Uffington White Horse, is partially visible from several vantage points but only completely visible from the air. Recent testing of soil samples from the base of the chalk trenches has established that the horse is at least 3,000 years old. The same tests showed that the horse is in virtually the same position as when he was built by digging trenches and then filling them with blocks of chalk. No one knows why he was built but the White Horse of Uffington has inspired several other contemporary chalk horse constructions throughout Dorset and the west of England.44. Whipsnade Tree Cathedral
Mark Dykman/Tour Dust Adventure Travel
Trees, hedges and shrubs planted in the shape of a medieval cathedral. The Tree Cathedral was created after World War I as a gesture of "faith, hope and reconcilliation."
Today the tree cathedral remains a peaceful place for country walks and walking well behaved dogs. Though not consecrated ground, occasional religious services are held there and the National Trust, which owns the site, is open to applications for more. Naturalists will enjoy the National Trust's tree and plant list, which describes everything planted at the site.
Open: Every day until half an hour of closure of parking facilities. Parking closes at 7p.m. from April to the end of October and at 5 p.m. from November to January 31.
45. St Fagans National History Museum of Wales
This is one of Wales most popular heritage attractions as well as one of Europe's best open air museums. Located on the grounds of St. Fagan's Castle and Gardens, it's a 100-acre open air museum with forty buildings that have been relocated from all over Wales. Together they illustrate Welsh culture and daily life from Celtic times to the present. The Castle itself is an Elizabethan manor house built in 1580, though heavily remodeled in the 19th century. Around the park, the practice of traditional crafts and activities as well as the rearing of native breeds of farm animals bring Welsh culture through the centuries to vivid life.Open: Every day, year round, 10a.m. to 5p.m.
46. Sketch in the World's Greatest Museums
Martin Child/Getty Images
All the UK's national museums are free. To make the experience of visiting them even more memorable, take along a sketch pad and capture really personal memories. Most of the museums are happy to let you sketch and draw in most of the rooms - except those that have rare and exposed paper or textiles. At the Victoria and Albert they even provide neat little foldaway stools for artists to sit on while they work. As long as you don't touch the artworks, lean against displays or block other people's views, you can spend as long as you like sketching away like a 19th century aristo on the grand tour.
47. Wild Camping in Scotland
Mike Harrington/Getty Images
Wild camping is what the British call tent camping away from designated campsites. Open access legislation make this easier than it used to be, though it's still discouraged or banned in most places in England and Wales (See "Off-Piste" Recreation on Open Access Land).
But it's legal in Scotland, where you can pitch your tent freely on all open access land - with a a few guidelines:
- Camp "lighweight"- ie in small numbers and for not more than two or three nights in one place.
- Don't camp in enclosed fields of crops or farms animals.
- Keep away from buildings, roads or historic structures unless you have the owners' permission
- Avoid disturbing deer stalking or grouse shooting.
- Clear all trash, fires or pollutants.
48. Wiltshire's Prehistoric Landscape
www.britainonview.com
Around the town of Marlborough on the eastern edge of Wiltshire, the landscape is dotted with enormous earthworks, ceremonial avenues and stone circles. Some are older than Stonehenge. Among the highlights, within walking distance of each other:
- Avebury Stone Circles The largest stone circle in Europe, the center of a huge, prehistoric complex and erected about 4,500 years ago. The landscape is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that also includes Stonehenge.
- Silbury Hill An enormous prehistoric mound, covering five acres and 130 feet high. It was probably built around 2,500 BC.
- West Kennett Long Barrow One of the largest Neolithic chambers in Britain, this burial place was built about 5,400 years ago.
49. Woolwich Ferry
Getty Images
The Free Woolwich Ferry Service crosses the Thames between Woolwich and North Woolwich ( part of Greenwich, east of London). The current service, which carries pedestrians, cyclists, cars and trucks, has been operating since the 1880s - but there has been a ferry service at this point of the Thames since about 1308. During the week, two ferries run, with services leaving at 10 minute intervals from each side. It's a rough, workaday sort of boat with no frills for foot passengers, but you won't get a better view of Canary Wharf, the Millennium Dome or the Thames Barrier.
Word of advice though - if you are driving, avoid peak periods and rush hours because you might have to wait quite a while for your free ride.
50. Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
The Yorkshire Sculpture Park is an outdoor catalog of 20th and 21st century British sculpture. Covering 500 acres of rolling countryside on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, the park presents works of art displayed in a way that only the wealthiest patrons, with vast estates might expect to see them, tucked into leafy glades or perched on the crests of hills. Among the dozens of artists whose works are permanently displayed outdoors are:
- Anthony Gormley
- Barbara Hepworth
- Henry Moore
- Elisabeth Frink
- Eduardo Paolozzi
