Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire, England, UK by WyrdLight.com

Luckily, I’m here to tell you! As a native Wintonian, I can recommend the city of Winchester as a great starting place.  It used to be the capital of Wessex, so it is full of history and at one time, its elegant cathedral was the most important in the country, seeing the weddings of royalty (such as Mary I) as well as the funerals of great cultural icons (such as Jane Austen). The cathedral is still in perfect condition today, thanks to a repair job by a diver at the start of the 20^th century and is well worth a visit. Winchester also has a number of historical monuments, such as the Buttercross and the obelisk and the Great Hall, containing King Arthur’s Round Table.

Outside Winchester, there are several stretches of beautiful countryside, such as the South Downs, setting of the novel “Watership Down”, and if you head down the M3 past Southampton, you’ll find the New Forest – National Park and former royal hunting ground.  Southampton itself is not to be missed, with extensive shopping opportunities, from the huge West Quays shopping centre to smaller independent shops around the Bargate (once a gate into the city). It’s also home to the famous docks, from which the Titanic set sail, and several points of historical interest, such as the old city wall and the Tudor House.

Seven Sisters, Hampshire Downs, England, UK by Edward Dalmulder

Going east from Southampton, you’ll find its long-time rival Portsmouth, whose dockyards are as historically significant as Southampton’s own. There you can find Nelson’s flagship, the HMS Victory as well as HMS Warrior and Henry VIII’s ship the Mary Rose, which sank and was only raised thirty years ago. The Mary Rose has recently been moved to a new museum, and it’s a fascinating insight into life aboard the Tudor vessel and the story of her loss and restoration. Portsmouth also has a fantastic outlet village at Gunwharf Quays, where you can find designer brands at bargain prices, an aquarium and several museums, including the birthplace of Charles Dickens. And if you’re just looking to relax by the sea, there is a beautiful beach nearby at Southsea, where bands play in the bandstand during the summer months.

So, whether it’s culture, history, nature or beaches  you’re looking for, Hampshire has it all. It has its own airport, just outside Southampton, but is also within easy reach of Heathrow and Gatwick and a short train ride from London Waterloo. Add a trip to Hampshire to your summer itinerary this year!

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• Lake District
• Loch Lomond
• Dartmoor
• New Forest

There are plenty of different destinations for you to choose from and some of the national parks maybe very close to where you love. For more information, you can check out the website of the national park you are interested in visiting.

The Lake District

The Lake District is a massive national park which has lots of things for you and the family to do and enjoy when you visit. Throughout the year, there are lots of different events and shows on throughout the area where you can visit and also join in. From the Black Combe Walking Festival n May to the various agricultural shows throughout the summer, there is something to keep everyone interested. You can even take your bicycles with you and go out for a ride with the whole family. There are also various hiking trails that you can follows as well. There is a wide range of accommodation available from Self Catering Chalets, B&B’s to static Caravan parks as well.

Lake District National Park, UK by Chris Perriman

Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond is a beautiful location in Scotland, boasting the largest inland stretch of water in the UK. There are plenty of activities to keep you busy such as hiking, cycling and kayaking as well. Windsurfing, water skiing and also fishing are in offer as well as the more traditional swimming. Also in 2013 Europe’s biggest open water swim series is coming to Loch Lomond so you may wish to time your visit with this. Although it is bound to be very busy as over 2000 people are expected to take part. There is a lot of different type of accommodation available within the area, and you will be amazed at some of the jaw dropping natural beauty available in Loch Lomond.

Loch Lomond, Scotland, UK by baaker2009

Dartmoor

If you are looking to try and get the best weather when you go away, you may wish to think about Dartmoor. Being located in Devon, so being quite far south, you are more likely to get better weather than some of the other national parks around. There are plenty of things to do just the same as other national parks, so plenty of walking, cycling, and animal watching as well as local events and festivals. A famous landmark is White Horse Hill in Uffington which is a prehistoric white figure in the hillside and is about 110 meters long. Being so far south you do tend to see a lot more people visiting in the summer months so you may need to book accommodation in advance, even if you are just pitching your tent or pulling your caravan up.

Dartmoor National Park, Devon, UK by Miles Wolstenholme

The New Forest

The New Forest is a little further north than Dartmoor and is very popular with an estimated 10 million people a year visiting the forest for just the day. There are plenty of activities to do as well as some awesome scenery to take in as well. The forest was first set up about 1000 years ago by William the Conqueror in 1079. It was set up for the sole purpose of hunting, and lots of different species of deer and also wild pigs were kept in the area, so there were plenty of animals to hunt. There is an awful lot of history on show in the New Forest ad you will be able to explore this by visiting the many sites throughout the forest and getting the information available from the various information points dotted about the park. You can also visit the information centre where there is a lot of information for visitors. One thing is for sure that when you visit out national parks in Britain, you will be able to appreciate the natural beauty of the area and also explore some of our history as well. You may just have your best holiday yet and want to come back again!

New Forest National Park, England, UK by Hardo Müller

Ted Hunter wrote this article for Travel Republic. Ted is a keen history buff and enjoys exploring local history and sharing his finds in the articles that he writes. He loves reading reviews too about cheap holidays from Travel Republic.

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