10 places to visit in the UK, that you may not have considered

Think you've been to everywhere in the UK? Think again! Whilst the UK is relatively small in landmass there is a wealth of quaint market towns, spa towns and secluded places that may just be on your door step – here are 10 of our favourite:

Portmeirion

This picturesque village was designed and constructed by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975. Based in Gwynedd and sitting on the edge of Snowdonia in Wales, this village was originally based on the site of a Foundry and boatyard.

Portmeirion is a top tourist attraction in North Wales, with most of the buildings now serving as hotels, self catering accommodation, shops and cafes.

Portmeirion has been used as a filming location for many films and TV series, thanks to its Mediterranean looks and exotic European architecture.

Lulworth Cove

Lulworth Cove is on the Jurassic Coat World Heritage Site and is a superb example of a rare landform rarely repeated throughout the rest of the world. Based in Dorset on the South Coast of England, the Cove is a huge tourist attraction, with over 1million visitors each year.

The cove was formed because there are bands of rocks with alternating resistance running parallel to the shore. Just up the road is “Stair Hole”, a much less developed example that shows what Lulworth Cove may have looked like a few hundred thousand years ago.

Sandbanks

The Sandbanks peninsula has been dubbed “Britain’s Palm beach” by many, and is voted as one of the Best Beaches in the UK. It has the 4th highest land value in the world and properties on the peninsula frequently go for many millions of pounds even in a state of disrepair.

The peninsula runs across the mouth of Poole harbour and has exquisite views across the Harbour to the North and clear views across the English Channel to the South.

Cheltenham

Cheltenham Spa Town is located just to the West of the Cotswolds and North of Gloucester. The town is popular with horse racing enthusiasts with the Gold Cup festival being held annually, but Cheltenham does play host to a number of other cultural festivals throughout the year.

The town is most famous for its Regency architecture, particularly well preserved is the Montpellier region of the town. It has been described as being the “most complete regency town in England”.

Weymouth

Weymouth is a tourist resort based on the South cost of England in the English county of Dorset. Weymouth relies heavily on its tourist trade after its Fishing trade diminished at the turn of 18th century.

Weymouth is a cross channel port, providing ferry crossings to the nearby Channel Islands as well as to mainland France.

Windsor

Windsor is based in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire and is a huge tourist destination thanks mainly to being the home of Windsor Castle. A wealthy area, Windsor is home to some of the most expensive housing in the UK.

As well as being the home to one of the official residences of the Royal family, the town is also home to Legoland, one of the current top UK family attractions.

Winchester

Winchester is a historic Cathedral City and also the county town of Hampshire. It’s Famous for its distinctive Cathedral; one of the largest in England; and also having the largest length of any gothic Cathedral in Europe.

Whilst the Cathedral is the most famous attraction in Winchester, it is not the only one! Winchester is also home to Wolvesey Castle and Palace (now a ruin), Winchester Castle and The Winchester City Mill. All of which are open to the public and well worth a look around.

Ayr

Ayr is a royal burgh situated on the Firth of Clyde. Ayr is famous for both its Beach & Esplanade, and Ayr Racecourse, the largest capacity facility in Scotland for Horse racing.

Ayr Racecourse plays host to the Scottish Grand National and the Ayr Gold Cup.

The harbour at Ayr is still operational as a commercial port, mainly responsible for the exportation of coal.

Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is a historic market town and the county town of Shropshire. The town is steeped in medieval history with the town centre still having a largely unaltered medieval street plan.

The town features examples of timber framed buildings from the 15th Century, and has no less than 660 listed buildings.

In the centre of the town is a huge recreational riverside park called the Quarry. This alone attracts thousands of people to the town throughout the year.

Shrewsbury is home to a number of events throughout the year, most famously the annual Shrewsbury Flower Show, which has been running for more than 125 years.

Tees Valley

The Tees Valley stretches across a number of boroughs in the North East of England, but joins County Durham and North Yorkshire at the break of the River Tees.

The Tees Valley boasts over 30 miles of coastline and some of the UK’s most beautiful countryside ideal for hiking, bike rides, and lazing in the sun. Thanks to the huge amount of open space, you can enjoy any number of activities in these beautiful settings from white water rafting all the way through to walking on water!

Copyright Bedsearcher 2009