The United Kingdom
Four nations, one shared history
Where can you find four countries in one, each with its own defining characteristics, but with at least one big thing in common?
The United Kingdom is that rare beast. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are the four separate entities: Four capital cities, four unique histories, four national football teams, four ways (at least) of looking at the world… all rolled into one haphazard, at times strained, but unquestionably fascinating union.
With its self-contradictory national myths, the UK can be hard to pin down for locals and visitors alike. Brits are oddly proud of their reputation for mind-your-own-business reserve, while simultaneously fond of tipsy banter with strangers in friendly pubs. They cultivate the so-called “stiff upper lip” and a supposed penchant for good manners, while roaring for their local football team with a rowdy, delirious tribalism. The UK has global, culture-defining cities among its fair share of small-town parochialism. It celebrates its history, monuments and Monarchic rituals alongside an ever more diverse and progressive urban society which borrows (admittedly, often without asking) from cultures in every corner of the world.
It’s an onion of a national identity. All the visitor can do is keep peeling back the layers to see what lies beneath.
Where to go? What to do? It’s all a matter of taste. You’ll find towns and cities with world beating museums, music and cultural festivals; Edinburgh, Hay, Glastonbury, among a panoply of others. You’ll find a country that’s working hard to shake off its reputation for stodgy cuisine (yes, really!) You’ll find castles, estates and ruins that are older than many countries all set in timeless, rolling (and occasionally dramatic) countryside that is tailor-made for walking and hiking trips.
From country pubs to the Notting Hill Carnival; Sunday afternoons on village greens to the world’s largest Diwali festival outside India. The ball’s in your court. With four countries in one calling you, and countless good reasons persuading you, all you have to do is…go.
Cycling in Scotland
Best routes, regions and how to plan your trip
Ancient, often mist-wreathed and mysterious, Scotland has a pull for those seeking solace. From dark, craggy, mountain ridges to exquisite, empty, beaches this is a country as diverse as its myriad islands, dramatic Highlands and rolling Lowlands. Through it all runs a deep and vibrant culture and a richly welcoming, though guarded, people...read more
The United Kingdom Travel Guides
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Scotland
Much more than kilts & bagpipes
There is a border between England and Scotland, but it’s easy to miss... -
The Highlands
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Great Glen Way
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Caithness
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John O'Groats
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Thurso
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Speyside
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Cairngorms National Park
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Loch Ness
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Caledonian Canal
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Inverness
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Fort William
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Sound of Arisaig
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Knoydart
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The Borders
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Dumfries and Galloway
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Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park
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Loch Linnhe
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Edinburgh
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Hebrides
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Isle of Mull
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Isle of Jura
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Isle of Islay
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Shuna Island
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Isle of Barra
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Isle of Lewis
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Isle of Skye
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St. Kilda
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Isle of Rùm
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Isle of Eigg
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Isle of Arran
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Oban
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Orkney Islands
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Isle of Arran
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Glasgow
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Aberdeen
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Balmoral
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Morvern Peninsula
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Kintyre Peninsula
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Glencoe
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England
Rolling countryside and special cities
Get underneath the skin of eccentric England and you’ll discover a place of outstanding natural beauty, ancient history and modern metropolises... -
South West Coast Path
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Dorset
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Cornwall
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Dartmoor National Park
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Exmoor National Park
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Somerset
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Devon
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Cotswolds
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Isle of Wight
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South Downs
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Kent
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Chiltern Hills
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Norfolk
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Suffolk
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Cheshire
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Cumbria
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Easton
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Kirkby Stephen
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Grange over Sands
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Herefordshire
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Symonds Yat
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Hereford
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Lake District
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Windermere
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Keswick
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The Peak District
The UK's original national park
The Peak District is the UK's first national park, established in 1951 to carve out a protected space between the encroaching industrial cities of the midlands and northern England... -
Yorkshire
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York
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North York Moors
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Yorkshire Dales National Park
Located between the Lake District and the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales National Park offers rolling hills as well as encompassing Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside peaks... -
Low Row
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Keld
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West Witton
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Hawes
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Aysgarth
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Middleham
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West Burton
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Askrigg
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Hardraw
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Wensleydale
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Malham
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Burnsall
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Linton
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Kettlewell
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Arkengarthdale
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Reeth
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Buckden
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Ravenstonedale
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Sedbergh
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Carlton
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Yorkshire Wolds
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Tyne & Wear
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Shropshire
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Northumberland
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Worcestershire
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Broadway
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Hadrian's Wall
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Lincolnshire Coast Path
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Wales
History, hills and Hiraeth
Wild Wales is the perfect place to get away from it all and explore nature... -
Cardigan Bay
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Brecon Beacons National Park
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Monmouthshire
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Pembrokeshire
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Powys
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Snowdonia National Park
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Anglesey
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Llyn Peninsula
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Northern Ireland
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Places to go in The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom Tours
Pembrokeshire Coastal Path South
Self-guided walking holiday
5 daysFrom £400
Pembrokeshire Coastal Path North
Self-guided walking holiday
4 daysFrom £320
The South West Coast Path (all sections)
Self-guided walking holidays on the SWCP
4 daysFrom £340
Classic Cornwall Short Break
Self-guided walking holiday
2 daysFrom £170
The Smugglers Way
Self-guided walking holiday
2 daysFrom £170
Pembrokeshire Coastal Path
Self-guided walking holiday
12 daysFrom £1,020The United Kingdom Travel Companies
Scotland
EasyWays
Specialists in Scotland walking holidays
The United Kingdom
Macs Adventure
Active adventures at home and abroad
The United Kingdom
Encounter Walking Holidays
Self-guided walks in South West England & Wales
South Downs
South Downs Discovery
South Downs Way walking holidays
The United Kingdom
Open Road Open Skies
Cycling and walking adventures
The Highlands
Scot Mountain Holidays
Self-guided & guided activity holidays in Scotland
Scotland
