Must-See Sights of the United Kingdom

The Brecon Beacons are lovely! Do you like books? If so, you must stop in Hay-on-Wye. 

Tim and I are *Both* bibliophiles....we actually have a joke about how many books I'm going to have to ship back to the US!

Tim and I are *Both* bibliophiles....we actually have a joke about how many books I'm going to have to ship back to the US!

Then Hay is the place for you! 

Oh, that does sound lovely!

I'm keeping an eye on this thread as it will help me plan my journey from London to Inverness with my parents...

Lake District definitely!

I'd give Warwick Castle a miss and see Kenilworth Castle instead.  I found Warwick Castle a bit touristy.

Edinburgh, Bath, the Cotswolds, the Peak District, the Scottish Highlands, the Tower of London

I'd definitely give Stonehenge a pass. There are much more impressive stone circles around.

I'd definitely give Stonehenge a pass. There are much more impressive stone circles around.

Avebury's my fave! 

Durham - a world heritage site - historic buildings in a stunning setting - and all within walking distance of a mainline railway station!

Peterborough cathedral! This place was origionally destroyed three times, thought to have imposed early English gothic and is one of the most important 12th century buildings in England. It's huge and stunning!

On my own visits I've been to Wales and also visited Warwick Castle and LOVED it!

In Wales, Matt took me to see Devil's Bridge and Falls and we drove through Rhayader and the Cambrian Mountains, past the old Roman lead and silver mines. I was absolutely FASCINATED by the breathtaking views in the country. Nothing like I have ever seen in the US. We also drove on to see Aberystwyth, and that was lovely as well. We had a very nice walk by the sea. (Shame the CD I burned those pictures on was then scratched somehow, so all I have left are the few I have posted on facebook and myspace.

As far as castles...Matt and I are castle FREAKS! I LOVE CASTLES of any sort. When I first visited Matt (when he lived in Dudley) we saw Dudley Zoo and Castle, which was okay as far as the fact that it's historical...but less than stimulating for the overall experience. I was quite impressed with Warwick Castle because there was SO much there. There was an archer who was speaking to the crowd about some of the battles and although it may have been a bit touristy, I just soaked it up because I enjoyed his animated storytelling and humor.

Anyone interested in castles...there's a great site that lists a bunch around the UK and has great photos and facts about each one.

I'm super anxious to see St. Michael's Mount next!

http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/

OOhh! we took American relatives from our wedding to various places last week..

Bath (visited the Roman Baths ) - very cool...going back tho because the shops we trendy and we didn't have enough time to investigate them all!

We did London one day and our trip included The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey & Big Ben, St Paul's Cathedral, Shakespeare Globe Theatre, London Bridge, London Eye,Downing Street, Benjamin Franklin's House, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Scotland Yard, Natural History Museum, Imperial War Museum, Tate Modern..blah blah blah ( we walked 15 miles around London ) - you need a few days in London to spend decent time at each area really,  We had to unfortunately give the Relatives a tick box tour of London!! piccy here, piccy there..and so on...  We are going to do the Jack The Ripper tour soon - looking forward to it.

I like Winchester.  Fantastic mind blowing Cathedral, King Arthur's Round Table. and we watch open air performances of Shakespeare in the ground of Woolsey Castle...very cool! you take your own picnic furniture, pack lunch and booze, usually a very cool evening.

Humour purposes has to be the Giant of Cerne Abbas Giant of fertility in Dorset (look it up) only because of the giggle factor.

Stonehenge is down the road from me..which some find interesting..for me its a bit blah..

Portsmouth harbour is good for little boat trips around Naval ships.

Glastonbury for the festivals and peculiar local residents..very hippy place..where else would you find a man dress as Gandulf from LOTR at 2 in the afternoon drinking tea in a cafe..and the shops are funky there too.

Isle of Wight - Osbourne House - queen Victoria's residence.

Any coastal parts of Devon & Cornwall.

Runnymede for the MagnaCarta.

We stayed in a lovely carriage house while in Marlborough.
The Avebury stones were wonderful.
Glastonbury
Winchester Cathedral
The moors in Devon
Shaugh Prior is my favorite spot
Tavistock
Totnes

These come to mind without having to think about it.

S-Yank
 

I absolutely fell in love with Derbyshire.  Matlock Bath, Bakewell, Haddon Hall and best of all, Chatsworth.  That can be a day's visit just by itself.  The house is spectacular, and the gardens magnificent and it is in the most scenic setting.

Mount St. Michael's in Cornwall is also really cool, and St. Ives is very picturesque.

If you are a Princess Diana fan, Althorpe is fascinating, but is only open for a couple of months in the summer.

Lake District definitely!

I'd give Warwick Castle a miss and see Kenilworth Castle instead.  I found Warwick Castle a bit touristy.

It is, but it is the largest and best preserved medieval castle in Europe.  And they have a working trebuchet which is worth the price of admission in itself!

Also, Stamford, Burghley House.  I second the Peak district. 

I absolutely fell in love with Derbyshire.  Matlock Bath, Bakewell, Haddon Hall and best of all, Chatsworth.  That can be a day's visit just by itself.  The house is spectacular, and the gardens magnificent and it is in the most scenic setting.

Oooh! I agree about Chatsworth! It's a beautiful! I've been to quite a few of the of the National Trust homes and Chatsworth was definitely the best so far.