News |
 |
Visit Britain: Free Regional Guides Reflect England’s Diverse
History, Culture and Landscapes
As more American travelers each year are discovering the diversity of
England’s regions, VisitBritain has produced six separate brochures to
help them plan vacation trips. Along with identifying visitor attractions,
historic places and events and suggesting touring itineraries, the free
guides have information on a wide range of accommodations and
transportation choices.
England’s North Country says the region
is “as contemporary as it is classic,” from the mysterious atmosphere of
Durham Cathedral and the ruins of Fountains Abbey to the “stunning iconic”
21st century architecture of cities such as Manchester and
Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The region has England’s highest peak, deepest lakes
and biggest waterfall and no fewer than five national parks. Its literary
heritage includes the homes and inspiring locations of Wordsworth, Beatrix
Potter, the Brontës and James Herriot. Writers, poets and
composers – Shakespeare, D.H.Lawrence, Edward Elgar and George Eliot among
them – have also been inspired by the landscapes of the Heart of England,
from the craggy Peak District to the northern Cotswolds and the green
hills which form the border with Wales. There are Roman relics, castles,
palaces, stately homes and gardens, the lively city of Birmingham and
renowned festivals of music, drama and the arts. To many
visitors, the East of England region is the England of the imagination:
gentle landscapes, historic towns and villages, thatched, half-timbered
cottages, stately houses and gardens, magnificent Gothic cathedrals, lakes
and meandering rivers. Painters inspired by eastern England include John
Constable, whose 19th century scenes of Suffolk are easily recognizable
today, and Thomas Gainsborough, whose birthplace in the town of Sudbury is
now a museum. Two guides feature south-west England. Itinerary
suggestions in Bath, Bristol & the Cotswolds focus on gardens, myths and
legends, movie and literary sites, antiques, arts and crafts and abbeys
and cathedrals, in addition to Bath, a Roman and Georgian gem, and
Bristol, considered one of the finest waterfront cities in Britain. The
Neolithic stone circles of Stonehenge and Avebury were already ancient
when the Romans arrived in Britain nearly two millennia ago.
The guide to Cornwall and Devon identifies coasts dotted with charming
fishing villages and yachting harbors, as well as brooding inland moors.
In Cornwall, the clifftop ruins of King Arthur’s Tintagel Castle can be
visited, and the futuristic Eden Project demonstrates and explores the
relationship between plants and humans. Devon was the home and inspiration
of mystery author Agatha Christie. South East England
incorporates several counties close to London and along the south coast,
taking in magnificent historic cities such as Canterbury, Oxford and
Brighton and the soft landscapes of the South Downs, Romney Marsh and the
Chiltern Hills. The River Thames wanders through this region of palaces,
castles, formal gardens and sleepy hamlets. Copies of these
guides are available free from VisitBritain’s Travel Center, Suite 701,
551 Fifth Avenue (at 45th Street), in New York City, Mondays through
Fridays between 9.00am and 6.00pm. VisitBritain’s Travel Center can also
be reached via email at:
travelinfo@visitbritain.org or telephone on Toll Free: 877 899 8391.
Online: www.visitbritain.com.
VisitBritain media contacts:
New York: Paul Chibeba, tel. 212 850 0311; Email:
paul.chibeba@visitbritain.org
Chicago: Helen Bull, tel. 312 787 0464; Email:
helen.bull@visitbritain.org
Los Angeles: Wendy Missenden, tel. 310 470 2782; Email:
wendy.missenden@visitbritain.org
Online:
www.visitbritain.com/mediaroom
VisitBritain
551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 701
New York, NY, 10176-0799
'Leading the world to Britain'
| 
