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// Contents

INTRODUCTION

// january

// February

// march

// april

// may

// june

// july

// august

// September

// october

// november

// december

Acknowledgments

Copyright

g Contents

// introduction

Why do we travel? Perhaps it’s to see spectacular sights or experience different traditions. Maybe we want to get out in the wild and feel closer to nature. Our travel bucket-lists are filled with things to see and do around the world, but we say you needn’t travel so far to make great travel memories. In fact, sticking to one location – and seeing more of it – is one of travel’s underrated delights.

Small but mighty, the islands of Great Britain and Ireland (plus the thousands more scattered around their coasts) have a lot to sing about. There’s London and the Lake District, of course, the Giant’s Causeway, Snowdonia and the Scottish Highlands. And who hasn’t enjoyed a summer spent beside the seaside? But travel beyond the greats – and, crucially, at different times of year – and you’ll discover the people and places that make these wild isles so very special. These are islands shaped by the seasons, where each month heralds something new and exciting – and very much bucket-list worthy.

And that’s where this book comes in. Taking you on a tour of Great Britain and Ireland, Where to Go When celebrates a year’s worth of unforgettable travel experiences. Follow Robert Burns’ footsteps through some of Scotland’s most beautiful scenery during the lead up to Burns Night in January; visit Hastings in February for the fun-packed Fat Tuesday, the town’s take on New Orleans’ Mardis Gras; experience the electric atmosphere of a championship rugby match in Cardiff in March; and admire ancient rhododendron trees as they burst into bloom in Kilmacurragh in April, a welcome sign of spring. And that’s just the first four months of the year.

Travel experiences for each month, in every corner of Great Britain and Ireland, await you on these pages. So for truly memorable moments, the kind you’ll be recounting for years to come, let us show you where to go when.

t Clockwise from top left An otter on a Scottish sea loch; summer skies over the the Devon resort of Salcombe; a hiker admiring the basalt columns of Giant’s Causeway; St Patrick’s Day in Dublin

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// JANUARY

t Sunrise at Bellever Tor on Dartmoor, following a sprinkling of snow

g January g Contents

England

WHY GO Blow away the Christmas cobwebs with a winter walk along the chalky ridgeway of the South Downs National Park, taking in the dramatic white cliffs of the Seven Sisters.

There can be few finer ways to kick off the new year than with a countryside ramble. And the South Downs Way, cresting and dipping along a range of undulating chalk hills that roll from Hampshire through to East Sussex, is rambling at its best. The route cuts a scenic trail for 160 km (100 miles) through England’s newest national park, from Winchester’s historic City Mill to the beachfront promenade in Eastbourne. Much of it is slowly up and carefully down ancient droving paths, and along the way you’ll pass Bronze Age barrows, Iron Age hillforts and even a Roman villa. The landscape is wonderfully pastoral in a very English kind of way, and you’ll be gently immersed in open escarpments and shady woodlands, tinkling river valleys and windswept clifftops.

Choose a crisp, sunny day for the exhilarating final stage, which is easily achievable in the shorter daylight hours of winter. From the picture-postcard pretty village of Alfriston, the footpath hugs the River Cuckmere as it meanders southwards towards the coast. With the briny air filling your lungs, it’s then a rollercoaster ride up and over the Seven Sisters, an iconic wedge of sheer white cliffs with sweeping views, and exposed Beachy Head. It’s a bracing yomp if the winter winds are blowing, but the end point of Eastbourne – and a hot pot of tea – is just a downhill stroll away.

When Else to Go

April–May The clifftops are dotted with wildflowers, and there’s a chance of spotting the beautiful Adonis blue, one of Britain’s rarest butterflies.

PLANNING YOUR TRIP

Getting there and around Trains run from London to Lewes, from where you can take a bus to Alfriston or to Eastbourne. Local buses give access to the gateway points of stages on the trail.

Weather The Downs enjoy some of the driest weather in Britain but dress appropriately in case it turns.

Average temperature 8°C / 46°F.

HISTORIC SITES

The pathways that make up the South Downs Way are thousands of years old, so there are a number of historic draws either directly on or near the trail.

Devil’s Dyke The UK’s longest, deepest and widest dry valley offers a view the English landscape painter John Constable believed to be the grandest in the world.

Ditchling Beacon The highest point in East Sussex, Ditchling Beacon derives its name from the huge bonfire that was lit here (together with others along the south coast) to warn of the approaching Spanish Armada.

Chanctonbury Ring This Iron Age hillfort was later the site of two Roman temples. Capped by a ring of beech trees, originally planted in the 18th century, it gives spectacular views over the chalky downland.

Long Man of Wilmington Thought to be the work of an artistic medieval monk, though believed by others to be prehistoric, this human figure – carved in chalk onto the slopes of Windover Hill – is the largest of its kind in Europe.

t Dawn rising over the steep white cliffs of the Seven Sisters on a winter’s morning – a spectacular conclusion to a hike along the South Downs Way

g January g Contents

Ireland Co Wicklow

WHY GO This monastic site and its surrounds are beautiful at any time of year, but January adds a dash of wintry magic to the landscape.

In a land sprinkled with mysterious round towers and elaborate Celtic high crosses, Glendalough stands out as Ireland’s finest early Christian monastic site. This ancient place has a timeless beauty, its sturdy stone ruins nestled at the base of two loughs that wind below forested folds in the Wicklow Mountains. In winter, when the crowds are gone and snow dusts the surrounding peaks, the dark towers of slate and granite rise starkly out of the valley into the crisp air and you can feel the mystical, magical pull that attracted St Kevin to establish the monastery here 1,500 years ago.

Once you’ve had your fill of the main complex, lace up your hiking boots and take to one of the nine way-marked trails that weave around the valley. Chances are you’ll have the woodlands to yourself, inviting you to contemplate – like Kevin himself – this hauntingly beautiful place in peaceful silence.

When Else to Go

October Catch the autumnal colour change, when the woodlands morph into shades of burgundy and amber.

PLANNING YOUR TRIP

Getting there and around Glendalough is 80 km (50 miles) south of Dublin, and about 5 km (3 miles) west of the village of Laragh. St Kevin’s Bus Service runs daily from the capital via Bray.

Weather Be prepared for rain and light snow, with sub-freezing temperatures early in the morning.

Average temperature 7°C / 44°F.

t The slender round stone tower of the monastery, a highlight of the ruins at Glendalough

g January g Contents

England

WHY GO Enriched by winter floods, the marshlands of the Fens attract thousands of birds, offering the chance to spot rare species and a dazzling natural spectacle.

Of all Britain’s varied landscapes, one of the strangest is the Fens. In this low-lying region of eastern England, the sky seems to go on forever over the vast, flat, endless expanse. In winter it has a desolate beauty, when the wind whistles in from the east and the marshes and flooded plains and become home to thousands of birds.

In their natural state, the Fens were broad marshlands. To outsiders, they were a dangerous landscape of shifting channels, sand bars, sedge banks and mires. But to the people who lived there – cutting peat for fuel and harvesting reeds for thatch – the rich habitat provided all they needed. Attempts to tame this wild landscape stretch back to the Romans but it wasn’t until the 19th century that the marshes were transformed into fertile agricultural land. Today, the Fens produce a third of all of Britain’s vegetables and flowers.

The old ways haven’t entirely been forgotten, though. At Wicken Fen, you can see one of the last remaining pockets of undrained fenland. It was designated as a nature reserve in 1899 – making it Britain’s oldest – in order to protect the wildlife that call this unique landscape home. During the winter floods, thousands of birds arrive to wait out the cold months. January residents include one of England’s rarest birds of prey, the hen harrier; short-eared owls, which hunt during the day; stately whooper and Bewick’s swans; and huge flocks of wigeon. Visit at dusk, and you may catch one of the Fens’ most dramatic shows: a starling murmuration. The spectacle of thousands of birds creating undulating patterns against the sunset will impress even the most casual of twitchers.

When Else to Go

June Combine the Fens’ flat landscape with warm early summer weather, and you have a recipe for leisurely days of easy cycling from one historic market town to the next.

PLANNING YOUR TRIP

Getting there and around Driving is the best way to get around, but you can also explore the Fens on foot or by bike.

Weather Damp and chilly in winter but heavy snow is uncommon.

Average temperature 7°C / 45°F.

t A typically frosty early January morning scene in the Fens

g January g Contents

England Devon

WHY GO Dartmoor’s austere beauty is on full display in January. Spend a bracing winter’s day hiking the park’s trails, before finding a secluded spot to watch the Milky Way light up its clear skies.

The bleak appeal of Dartmoor’s barren moorland and tors (granite hilltops) is compelling at any time of the year, but it reaches its peak in winter. The waterfalls are in full spate in January, and the air is crisp and clear, ideal for raw and refreshing hikes. High points such as rocky Bellever Tor (443 m/1,453 ft) give long, penetrating views, while winter dawns and sunsets create some fantastic panoramas. Rambling across the winter moorland – for example, from Widgery Cross, a granite cross that sits high on Brat Tor, to the cascading waters of Doe Tor Brook and Falls – can be spectacular. Hardy souls can even try wild camping (with the landowner’s consent). This is one of the best ways to experience the park’s dark skies, with nights so clear that even in winter the Milky Way can often be seen blazing a starry trail across the heavens.

When Else to Go

August The weather is just right for tackling one of the cycling routes that criss-cross the national park, while the Dartmoor Walking Festival brings a festive feel to the end of the month.

PLANNING YOUR TRIP

Getting there and around The nearest train station is Okehampton. Buses operate in the park, but there’s a reduced service in winter. Come by car if you want to venture beyond the main towns and explore Dartmoor’s northern reaches.

Weather The weather on Dartmoor is notoriously fickle, so be prepared for extreme weather, including sudden storms, rain and snow.

Average temperature 8ºC / 46ºF.

t Great Staple Tor, one of the most striking of the granite stacks that cap the summits of Dartmoor

g January g Contents

Scotland

WHY GO The lead-up to Burns Night – 25 January – presents the perfect excuse to visit the old haunts of Scotland’s national poet and explore the nearby forests of Galloway.

Scotland’s best-known day of national celebration