Castle Combe, England

Castle Combe has been called 'The Prettiest Village in England' and with good reason; visitors have been coming to enjoy its charms for at least a century and the small street leading from the Market Cross down to the By Brook is as picturesque today as it ever was.

Castle Combe’s history goes back much further than this though. The site of the castle is above today’s village, but little other than earthworks now mark its one time presence. Originally it was a British hill fort which became occupied by the Romans due to its proximity to The Fosse Way. After the Romans, came the Normans, who built the fort up into a Castle.

By the Middle Ages the village in the valley had become an important centre for the wool industry. The spinsters and weavers lived in the cottages (hence names such as "Weaver’s House") and the river, still known as By Brook, provided the power to run the mills.

In more recent times the village has played host to many filming activities, the most famous of these being ‘Doctor Doolittle’ filmed in and around the village in 1966. More recently the village has had a major role in 'War Horse', 'Stardust' and 'The Wolf Man'. The village is also a sanctuary to wildlife as it is a conservation area and enjoys the beauty of nature at its very best.

The village houses are all of typical Cotswold type, constructed in stone with thick walls and roofs made from split natural stone tiles. The properties are many hundreds of years old and are listed as ancient monuments. Strict rules apply to preserve the beauty and character of Castle Combe for later generations to admire.

Ledbury, England

A Herefordshire town and its nearby villages and attractions, this attractive town has much for the visitor to see , with its black and white timber framed buildings it has a charm that has attracted tourists from the world over, with its many small individual shops shopping can be done at a leisurely pace.

Ledbury is steeped in history, in 1645  the Royalists fought with Oliver Cromwell's troops in the main street a battle which was won by the Royalists.

A  much photographed landmark in the town is the Market House, this dates back to 1653. Ledbury Market House and was erected by John Abel who was known as the ‘Kings Carpenter', this impressive structure is built in brick and timber and stands on sixteen massive wooden posts, originally built as a grain store the building is now used as the Town Council chamber, a twice weekly market is held here.

Each July Ledbury plays hosts to a poetry festival and attracts many persons of fame in the literary world.

The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre

This great little award-winning and family-friendly Museum contains two fun and fact-packed biographical galleries, the fantabulous interactive Story Centre and a sunny courtyard. Look out for a range of whizzbanging workshops and extra-usual events. Situated in the village where Roald Dahl lived and wrote for 36 years, the Museum was created as a home for the author's unique archive and to inspire a love of stories and creative writing in all our visitors.

Bibury, England

Bibury is situated in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds on the River Coln 9 miles from the market town of Burford.

The village was once described by William Morris as 'the most beautiful village in the Cotswolds'.

The village centre clusters around a square near St. Mary's, a Saxon church. Some of the Saxon remains inside the church are replicas as the originals are housed in the British Museum.

One of the village's main tourist spots and overlooking a water meadow and the river is Arlington Row, a group of ancient cottages with steeply pitched roofs dating back to the 16th Century.

Henry Ford thought Arlington Row was an icon of England. On a trip to the Cotswolds he tried to buy the entire row of houses to ship back to Michigan so that he could include them in Greenfield Village.

Bibury has provided the backdrop for blockbuster films including Stardust and Bridget Jones's Diary.

Bath

The city was first established as a spa with the Latin name, Aquae Sulis ("the waters of Sulis") by the Romans sometime in the AD 60s about 20 years after they had arrived in Britain (AD 43), although oral tradition suggests that Bath was known before then. They built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills of Bath in the valley of the River Avon around hot springs. Edgar was crowned king of England at Bath Abbey in 973. Much later, it became popular as a spa town during the Georgian era, which led to a major expansion that left a heritage of exemplary Georgian architecture crafted from Bath Stone.

The City of Bath was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1987. The city has a variety of theatres, museums, and other cultural and sporting venues, which have helped to make it a major centre for tourism, with over one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors to the city each year. The city has two universities and several schools and colleges. There is a large service sector, and growing information and communication technologies and creative industries, providing employment for the population of Bath and the surrounding area.

All significant stages of the history of England are represented within the city, from the Roman Baths (including their significant Celtic presence), to Bath Abbey and the Royal Crescent, to Thermae Bath Spa in the 2000s. The size of the tourist industry is reflected in the almost 300 places of accommodation – including over 80 hotels, and over 180 bed and breakfasts – many of which are located in Georgian buildings.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, or VSOE, is a private luxury train service from London to Venice that is popularly referred to as the Orient Express.

The original company was founded by James Sherwood of Kentucky, USA, in 1982; five years earlier, in 1977, he had bought two of the original carriages at an auction when the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits withdrew from the Orient Express service, passing the service on to the national railways of France, Germany, and Austria. Over the next few years, Sherwood spent a total of $16 million purchasing 35 sleeper, restaurant and Pullman carriages. On 25 May 1982, the first London-Venice run was made.

The VSOE has separate carriages for use in the UK and for continental Europe, but all of the same vintage (mostly dating from the 1920s and 1930s). Passengers are conveyed across the English Channel by coach on the Eurotunnel shuttle through the Channel Tunnel. Whereas restored Pullman carriages are used in the UK, in continental Europe restored dark blue former Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits carriages are used. Note that the service in the UK is called the British Pullman, and it has a brown and cream livery and is a day-only train that serves elaborate teas and brunches and visits such sites as castles and spa towns. The service in Europe is the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and has sleeping carriages for full overnight, luxury service. Both the VSOE and the British Pullman are among the World's Top 25 Trains as listed by The Society of International Railway Travelers for high levels of dining, food, off-train experience and accommodation on board.

Booking Office Bar and Restaurant

The fantasy of time travel is simply a daydream one never expects to embark upon. But as you step into the stately venue of the former ticketing headquarters for London’s St. Pancras Rail Station, murmurs of hurried travelers beginning their journeys linger in the air and you begin to believe time travel is possible. The grandiose new resident occupying the former booking office of the British railway services transports you back, far back, to a time when travel was a luxury and preparation for it was a social experience. The appropriately titled, Booking Office Bar and Restaurant in the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, is an architectural statement of British heritage and history. Gothic arched windows frame the dramatically high ceilings while the 100ft marble bar spans the length of the palatial cathedral-like hall. Rich, stylish furnishings and dark wood décor are the backdrop to the show stopping centerpiece of the room, the original ticket booth, magnificently restored and a true testament of the respect taken during restoration, celebrating both the ephemeral lifestyle of a jet-setter and the legacy of English traditions.

The unique appeal of the Booking Office is reflected in the clientele, a revolving door of diverse guests ranging from business suits to fashionable socialites all with varying purposes and schedules. Patrons can arrive fresh from their Eurostar journeys and nibble on a selection of bar snacks, like haggis bon-bons and modern interpretations of time-honored British recipes. The drinks menu, a declaration of praise and admiration of the Victorian era, features an array of bespoke and seasonal cocktails with contemporary novelties such as Billy Dawson’s punch, served in hand made copper punch bowls. Continuing down the path of reverence to English heritage, there is an abundance of wines, ales and ciders sourced from local and historical breweries. Afternoon tea can be enjoyed on the outside seating area overlooking the platforms of St. Pancras Station.

A ubiquitous café echoing the transient spirit of its patrons, the Booking Office Bar and Restaurant is not just a passage until your next destination, it is your destination.

What the Dickens?

The new generation of traders is raising street food drama to new heights – with costumes and scripts. Three old school friends founded What The Dickens to revive iconic British fare – dressed in cravats and cuff links, and riding round on a Victorian tricycle. "We're not trying to do anything theatrical" says Dominic Rose. "We just do what we do. We're three well-dressed gents larking about. And that just happens to include an element of performance."

Some days Adam and Michael will serenade the crowd on ukeleles while Dominic serves up home-smoked bacon and devilled kidneys. Other days, the friends will just banter – "and we'll try and flog people a bit of kedgeree off the back of it" says Dominic. "But we always wear ties. That's quite important. And Michael wears his brown bowler – the less formal version of the black bowler. He couldn't get away with black – this isn't the bank."

The Powder Room

If it’s not over the car dashboard or on the loo, it’s in front of a steamy mirror that’s to be shared by hordes of squawking irritants.

Need a smarter spot in which to powder your nose?

Do it at The Powder Room, the new salon from The Powderpuff Girls. Renowned for their on-site party makeovers, the 1950s pink uniform-clad glamourettes have opened a stand-alone beauty parlour in Shoreditch, and it’s a gem of a place.

Book in for a makeover (In a Jiffy), manicure (Busy Bee, Time to Linger) or blow-dry (Make Him Look Twice) and you’ll be served tea and cakes throughout. Prices start from £10 and though the salon is currently open only on weekends (with bookings taken on Fridays), it’s also available for private hire.

Consider it a mighty pretty pit stop for your next quick fix.

St. Pancras Renaissance

The St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel is a hotel in the English city of London, adjacent to St Pancras railway station. It opened in 2011, but occupies much of the former Midland Grand Hotel which opened in 1873 and closed in 1935. Between 1935 and 2011, the building was known as St Pancras Chambers and was used as railway offices.

Dickens World

Dickens World is a themed attraction located at Chatham Dockyard in Kent in the country of england. Privately funded, it cost £62 million to create, and was opened to the public on 25 May 2007.

It is based around the life of author Charles Dickens, briefly a resident of Chatham as a child and who, as an adult, lived at Gads Hill Place in nearby Higham. Many of the locations and characters in his novels are based on buildings, places and people of the Medway Towns; for example Holcombe Manor was the inspiration for Dingley Dell, the house in Pickwick Papers.

The attraction has been heavily promoted as containing Europe’s longest indoors dark ride, the "Great Expectations" log flume. Other attractions include the Haunted House of Ebenezer Scrooge (which incorporates a Pepper's ghost effect), a Victorian school room, a 4D high definition cinema show, "The Six Jolly Fellowship Porters", a themed bar and restaurant, and Fagin’s Den, a play area. There are also mockup Dickensian-style London buildings around a central square, populated with sundry costumed characters from Dickens' works.

Churchill War Rooms

Deep beneath the bustle of London lie the original Cabinet War Rooms - today part of the Churchill War Rooms - which sheltered the people at the heart of Britain's wartime government during the Blitz.

In 1940, shortly after becoming Prime Minister, Churchill stood in the War Cabinet Room and declared: 'This is the room from which I will direct the war'. Today, you can step back in time to explore the secret headquarters where Churchill and his staff changed the course of history.

Find out the stories of the people who walked the maze of corridors as London was being bombed above them. See where Churchill and his War Cabinet met, sometimes late into the night, and look through the lens of history into the Map Room, where the books and charts have remained exactly where they were left in 1945.

In the Churchill Museum, explore the man behind the image as you discover more about the influences and pressures that shaped Churchill’s life and work.

St Edwards Parish Church

St. Edward's Church is situated in Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire. It is a Church of England parish church and a tourist attraction in the town of Stow.