Stonehenge

Estimated at being over 5,000 years old, Stonehenge continues fascinating scientists today who continue speculating the reasons for the site’s construction. Some suggest the structure served as a means of worshipping the sun, while others believe the location provided a place for receiving healing. The monuments perfect alignment with the summer and winter solstices remains a feature that holds spiritual significance for thousands of Pagans who travel to the location every year. Guests regularly take audio tours and visit the site’s gift shop and cafè. The area also boasts many ancient burial mounds, earthworks and other circular monuments created by early civilizations.

Stonehenge by mari

Avebury

The countryside of this community has what many believe to be the largest stone circle on the planet. The location also has a mysterious stone avenue that may have been used for navigation. Archaeologists date the circle at around 4,500 years old. A 17th century barn houses a portion of the Alexander Keiller Museum, which houses artifacts found around the circle. The Old Farmyard also has a cafè, dovecote and shop. Many also make a stop at the Avebury Manor. Keiller lived in and restored the 16th century estate while investigating the Avebury monument. The occupants welcome guests to tour the home and gardens. Avebury additionally remains famous for the many crop circles that regularly develop in the area.

Avebury by Adam Piontek

Salisbury

The medieval city lies along the banks of the River Avon and features many different destinations of interest. The most celebrated being the stunning English Gothic cathedral that lies in the heart of the community. Surrounded by eight acres of lawns and gardens, the architectural wonder boasts the original Magna Carta, the oldest functional clock and a living water font. Another destination includes the St. Thomas Church, which has a beautiful 1475 painting over the chancel arch that depicts Christ on judgement day. The community also has a famous playhouse that continues offering live entertainment in the present day.

Salisbury Cathedral by Ashley Pomeroy

Lacock

The quaint English community has a number of half-timbered stone houses, a 14th century barn, a medieval church and a 15th century inn. However, the Lacock Abbey remains the most famous landmark in the village. Established in 1232, the estate became a country manor in 1540. The chapter house, medieval cloisters, monastic rooms and sacristy remain intact. More recent renovations include a bake house, brewery, clock house and the 16th century stable courtyard. The community also boasts the Museum of Photography, which commemorates William Henry Fox Talbot. The former Abbey resident invented the negative/positive photography process.

Lacock abbey by Frerix

Castle Combe

Touted as being the prettiest village in England, Castle Combe served as the location for filming the 1966 movie Doctor Doolittle. In recent years, Stephen Spielberg used the community for filming the War Horse. The movie The Wolf Man also filmed here. The village’s main feature is the street that travels from the Market Cross to the By Brook. Here lies a series of old stone houses bearing flower boxes. A stand of mature trees surrounded the homes. There are a number of great hotels in Wiltshire such as the Old Manor Hotel near Bradford on Avon or a range of self-catering options if you prefer to travel with full independence.

Castle Combe, England, UK by Karen Roe

Whether a fan of history, archaeology, or looking to escape the noise and hectic environment of the city, Wiltshire offers much to visitors. Explore centuries old locations and enjoy a walk along one of the many country paths. Relax and have a memorable holiday.

Darren Kyle is a freelance journalist working for the travel sector. He has been interested in the history of sites such as Stonehenge since childhood; when not exploring ancient sites, he can be found reading and of course writing.

The post From Stonehenge To Salisbury, The Crown Jewels Of England appeared first on Europe Explored.

For the cheap price of an advanced train ticket, you could be visiting interesting places in the UK that you may not have known were even within reach.

To make sure you get the most out of your trip, make sure you’re packed with the bare necessities that will help you enjoy your day to the maximum.

Three O’Clock in London, England, UK by Garry Knight / License: Creative Commons

• Phone Battery - At the risk of sounding like your dad, you don’t want to get stuck somewhere with a flat battery. Since there isn’t always a place you can go to charge your phone, it’s worth purchasing an external battery pack for your phone.
• Backpack - In order to carry all your important belongings, you’ll want to keep them in a quality bag to ensure that you can always find your items
• Food – Unless you want to explore cafes and eat out, packing some snacks for the trip will be a money saver and also allow you to eat faster for when you have a long day planned.
• Weather – Check the weather beforehand so you’ll know whether to pile on the layers or pack a poncho just in case things get stereotypically cold. Hay fever sufferers will want to have a supply of antihistamines will them.
• Toiletries – Whilst you shouldn’t try and pack your whole bathroom, taking suntan lotions and wet wipes for makeup would be a great idea.

Museums Can Be Packed With Entertainment

There are plenty of museums around, but you won’t get a more comprehensive sizeable one than the London Science Museum. The UK is filled with weird and individual museums, from Cornwall’s Witch or Lawnmower museums, to the Baked Bean Museum of Excellence in Wales, there are plenty of odd and interesting places to visit if ordinary museums seem a little dull to you.

If you or your friends share the love of a similar television show or film that was set in the UK, it’s a fun idea to try and visit the place where it was shot. Doctor Who fans can not only visit the museum located in East London, giving you a first-hand look at the costumes and models of the many supernatural beings on the show, but also located in Wales is the Torchwood HQ that all ‘Whovians’ will want to see at least once. Fans of Harry Potter fans are lucky enough to be able to visit the Warner Bros studios and have a tour of the worldwide loved film in central London.

London attractions, England, UK by Garry Knight / License: Creative Commons

Don’t Forget To See The Big Landmarks

There are plenty of places in the UK that people all over the globe come to visit, yet some that we haven’t even seen ourselves. The list of landmarks people come from all over to visit include:

• Stonehenge
• Windsor Castle
• Big Ben
• Hadrian’s Wall
• Buckingham Palace
• Tower of London
• The London Eye
• St Pauls Cathedral

With even more tourists wanting to see places like Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden, you’ll want to plan a thorough trip to London so you can see this most popular places for yourself.

Matt Chiles is a London tourist guide and passionate traveller, always looking to help those who are less experienced at day tripping.

The post Planning A Visit To The Biggest UK Attractions appeared first on Europe Explored.

Windsor castle, England, UK by gailf548

The Tower of London

Just half an hour from Gatwick airport, the Tower of London is one of the oldest historical monuments in London. Dating back to the Roman empire, this fortress has been the home of royalty, a stronghold against invasion and a prison. It’s open year round, but the crowds are thinnest in the late spring and early summer.

Windsor castle

This is the oldest inhabited castle in the world, and is currently the weekend home of the Queen. Located in Berkshire, the castle is just a 30 minute drive from Gatwick airport, and it’s also near historic Stonehenge for an easy day trip. Because the castle is occupied during the summer, it’s best to avoid the area from June through August, but it’s open to visitors throughout the rest of the year.

Lewes castle

Located in Sussex, Lewes castle is one of the closest monuments to the airport. It’s next to the Babican House Museum, which provides a comprehensive view of Sussex history, and the castle walls provide the best views of the surrounding countryside. Both the castle and museum are open year round, but it may be best to avoid hotter months due to walking and climbing needed to explore the castle keep.

Lewes castle, Sussex, UK by Charlesdrakew

The Royal Pavilion

A palace, not a castle, the Royal Pavilion is home to a museum and beautifully-cultivated garden. The palace sits on a pier filled with carnival-like festivities year round. The best views of the garden are during the spring and summer months when everything is in bloom, but the palace and grounds are open throughout the year.

Arundel castle

Built in the 11th Century, this castle is located an hour away from Brighton in the quaint town of Arundel. The castle towers over the city and provides a stunning view of Arundel and nearby Sussex. Arundel castle is open to visitors only from March through October.

There’s so much to see and do near Gatwick airport that you’re sure to find something to appeal to your tastes. If you’re looking to tour castles, it might be best to book a trip in the spring as there are fewer crowds and most attractions are open at this time. If you can’t make it out during the spring months, however, you can still see many of the year-round attractions that the countryside has to offer. While you explore, be sure to choose a centrally-located hotel that will give you access to all of the attractions near Gatwick airport.

Georgie Little is a guest writer for www.gatwickairporthotels.com where you can find out more about Gatwick hotels.

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Or of course if you are not from the UK, why not pay us a visit? We have a lot more to offer than just the Olympics you know!

I love a sunny beach of course, but I also like a little culture and I love to explore, so this blog post is going to be about just that; exploring England and seeing what there is to be seen if you take the time.

Canterbury

Home to the oldest Cathedral in the UK in which Thomas Becket (the archbishop of Canterbury at the time and one of the most powerful men in the country) was murdered. Canterbury is also the setting of the Canterbury Tales by George Orwell and a world heritage site too.

Canterbury Cathedral, UK by David Spender

The Salisbury Plain

This is perhaps the most inspiring site in Britain and one of the most iconic in the world – I do of course refer to none other than Stonehenge. It dates back to prehistory and no one is quite sure how it was built, but what is certain is that it took many many hours and is a testament to what our ancestors were capable of.

Hastings

There was quite a well-known battle here in 1066 where rival armies fought for power over England. This city has been hugely significant in the UK’s history and there are even some nice beaches if the weather serves you well.

Blenheim Palace

Not heard of this one? It’s where Winston Churchill was born, but it has more history to it, dating back as far as the battle of Blenheim 1704. For the keen traveler though, the palace in itself is worth exploring and as it sits in 2000 acres of land there are plenty of opportunities for a walk.

Blenheim Palace, UK by Roger Wollstadt

Winchester Cathedral

This is the longest gothic cathedral in Europe and is a breathtaking piece of architecture, particularly when you consider that it is over fifteen hundred years old (built in 642AD). Oh and for book lovers, Jane Austen is buried here too.

Summary

All of these places just give you a sample of what south England has to offer the historic traveler. Hopefully I have wetted your appetite to explore some more.

This post was brought to you by Ricky from BristolAirportParking.

The post The Historical Spots Of South England appeared first on Europe Explored.

Tower Bridge Tour / Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Anders Thirsgaard Rasmussen

1) Original London Tour Company

This is the hop on hop off London Bus Tour that you will see going around London town all day every day (except Christmas). The buses run the same route every day and the tour lasts approximately two hours but you can jump off whenever you want and then hop back on again later in the day. Your ticket lasts for 24 hours so you have no rush. This is an ideal way to see London on a budget and with minimal fuss.

2) Jack the Ripper Tour

Follow the path that Jack The Ripper took across Whitechapel and hear the harrowing stories of how he picked his victims and how he viciously murdered them. This is definitely a tour you will want to take before you have eaten and is not recommended for those under twelve years old.

3) Buckingham Palace Tour

Se this magnificent palace in all its glory, the current residence of the Queen of England it is located right in the heart of London and is a wonderful symbol of Britain. Of course with 2012 being the Jubilee Year we have the Queens diamonds on display – these diamonds have been used by Her Royal Highness the Queen and her ancestors for the last 200 years also. This exhibition also includes a number of The Queen’s personal jewels – and those handed down to Her Majesty or those given to her during her time as Queen of England. It really is a fantastic collection of the most stunning jewels you may ever see.

4) The London Eye

The London Eye is over 135 metres tall and this makes it one of the worlds tallest big wheels! You can see all across London on it and its truly a magnificent place to see London. A full circulation takes approx 25 minutes and we would recommend seeing it at both night and day to get the different perspectives of London. It really is something that should not be missed.

The top 4 tours was compiled by Fiona Spelling a writer for Sightseeing Tours London who offer great value London and UK Tours including full day tours to Stonehenge.

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When you come to Therme Erding for the first time, you really be just staring. The amount of attraction is incredible, there are slides, sauna, salt caves, bars, massages, restaurants, waterfalls and geysers with palm trees… Moreover, everything is perfectly clean, organized, imaginative.

Spa was opened in October 3, 1999 and has already hosted more than 10 million visitors, which regularly takes care of 600 employees. At peak times you can meet there up to ten thousand people a day and they all go here with one goal. Enjoy the hot spring emanating from a depth of 2350 meters below ground, at 63 degrees Celsius. The medicinal effect, which is accepted by the state, is useful for all who have problems with joints, spine, rheumatism, skin diseases or are after trauma.

Gigantic thermal world covers an area of 145,000 m2 and consists of five mutually separated, but still closely connected parts. You can buy ticket to each part separately, but definitely worth to take a ticket for the whole area.

Probably the biggest attraction in Therme Erding is its sauna paradise. On 13.000 m2 you can enjoy 25 saunas, designed like a world tour. Each sauna is dedicated to a particular country. In Britain you can find Celtic waterfalls and sauna with space sky at Stonehenge. In Italy there are Roman baths, etc… It just depends on your taste, and visit Bavaria, Spain, India or North Africa…

In Sauna pavilion you will find lots of naked people, who enjoy swimming at the world’s best dipping.

Admission to all parts of the Therme Erding (in VitalOase and Saunaparadies from 16 years only) per adult per day is 34EUR, on holidays and weekends to pay 4EUR more. Children under 3 are admitted free.

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More than 5.000 years ago, the early inhabitants of the area, used slabs of limestone to build temples and portal tombs, sometimes called dolmens. Poulnabrone Dolmen is probably the most photographed monument throughout Ireland. It lies on the west of the Ireland, in County Clare, in the Burren karst area. A number of these interesting sites are spread throughout the Burren.

The entire structure of Poulnabrone Dolmen consists of 9 m deep burial chamber whose entrance is turned over to the east. Archaeological research in 1985 showed that there were 16 to 22 adults and 6 children buried, including their personal things. Found here such as stone axes, bone pendants, ceramic products and weapons. Poulnabrone Dolmen was therefore an important ceremonial site used in the Bronze Age.

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The site and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1986 in a co-listing with Avebury Henge monument. It is a national legally protected Scheduled Ancient Monument. Stonehenge is owned by the Crown and managed by English Heritage, while the surrounding land is owned by the National Trust.

View Stonehenge — the well-known prehistoric monument stone monument in United Kingdom in a larger map

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