Discover Britain June/July 2015 preview

discoverbritainmag.co.uk

JUNE/JULY 2015 ISSUE 186

Scottish Highlands Into the countryside of Macbeth and Nessie

Stonehenge to the Globe Our obsession with round buildings

Richmond The town shaped by Norman Conquest

Maritime heritage

Cavalier spirit

Liverpool’s legacy

English Civil War in Newark

Somerset Levels

Wonderful wildlife, myths and a famous music festival

ÂŁ4.50

PLUS Top five British beaches; Amy Johnson, heroine of the skies; tennis at Eastbourne

J U N E / J U LY 2 015

72

91

DAYS OUT

Windsor Castle’s Waterloo exhibition, top beaches to laze upon and Sir Edward Heath’s former home, Arundells

REGULARS

INVERNESS-SHIRE Try and spot Nessie from Urquhart Castle on the edge of Loch Ness

82

16

REVIEWS

The latest books and DVDs on Britain

23

WHY INVERNESS-SHIRE?

Home to countless castles, the Cairngorms National Park and a malt whisky trail, why not?

THE INTERN

Helen Ochyra joins viticulturist Jac Evans at Llaethliw vineyard in West Wales, where award-winning wines are produced and enjoyed

84

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCES

98

Our selection of things to see and do, from Loch Ness to Culloden Battlefield

GREAT BRITISH ADVENTURERS

87

93

COMPETITION

Win a luxury two-night break for two at The Grant Arms Hotel in the Highlands

17

WIN

A LU X U R Y S T MANCHESTAEY IN SEE PAGE 15R

Remembering the bravery of pioneering aviator Amy Jo Johnson CBE, the first woman t complete a solo flight from to Britain to Australia

98

72

DEPARTMENTS

07

EDITOR’S NOTE

08 11 NEWS 17

LETTERS

WHAT’S ON

97

CROSSWORD

ALAMY; GETTY IMAGES; ROBERT HARDING

ESCAPE

Contentss

Editor’s Note

Discover Britain, Archant House, Oriel Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 1BB Tel: 01242 264 754 editorial@discoverbritainmag.com www.discoverbritainmag.com EDITORIAL Editor Sheena Harvey Deputy Editor Vicky Sartain Staff Writer Angharad Moran Art Editor Jeremy Bird ADVERTISING Account Manager Daniel Martin Tel: 01242 264 781; daniel.martin@chelseamagazines.com Account Manager Amy Stokes Tel: 01242 264 785; amy.stokes@chelseamagazines.com MANAGEMENT Managing Director Paul Dobson Deputy Managing Director Steve Ross Commercial Director Vicki Gavin Publisher Simon Temlett Digital Marketing Manager James Dobson Circulation Manager William Delmont ONLINE Digital Product Manager Oliver Morley-Norris Digital Marketing Co-ordinator Andreea Dragoi Digital Executive Scarlett Lill Digital Marketing Executive Jennifer Cruickshank PRINTING William Gibbons Ltd SUBSCRIPTIONS UK Discover Britain, CDS Global, Sovereign Park, Market Harborough LE16 9EF Tel: 0844 848 8053, Fax: 01858 434 958 Subscription rates: Subscribe for one year for £33 (6 issues) or for two years (12 issues) for £66 BACK ISSUES £4.50. Tel: 020 7349 3700 PUBLISHING OFFICE The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ Tel: 020 7349 3700, Fax: 020 7349 3701 Email: info@chelseamagazines.com Printed in England ISSN 0950-5245 News distribution: Seymour, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT. Tel: 020 7429 4000

ALAN HARVEY

© The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd 2015. All rights reserved. Text and pictures are copyright restricted and must not be reproduced without permission of the publishers. The information in Discover Britain has been published in good faith and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy.

However, where appropriate, you are advised to check prices, opening times and dates, etc, before making final arrangements.

All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or damage caused by reliance on the information within this publication is hereby excluded. The opinions expressed by the contributors of Discover Britain are not necessarily those of the publisher. www.chelseamagazines.com

On the cover: Dundon Hill, Compton Dundon on the Somerset Levels, seen from Gilling Down.

Photo by Stephen Spraggon/Alamy

Welcome

MUCH OF THE HISTORY OF THE THREE COUNTRIES

that make up Great Britain has been defined by struggles for supremacy between internal political factions, from the clans of Scotland to the gentry of the English counties. These wars have left their legacy across the land in the form of evocative battlefields and castles that have nothing to do with defending our people from invading outsiders.

In this issue we visit the sites of some of these major conflicts. Representing the 11th-century disputes between the supporters of the new Norman regime and those of the old Anglo-Saxon nobility, there is Richmond Castle (see page 66).

The struggle between the Royalists and the Cavaliers in the English Civil War is epitomised by Charles I’s stronghold of Newark, Nottinghamshire, with its mighty castle. This was ordered to be destroyed by Oliver Cromwell but still has walls standing today. A new museum has now opened to commemorate those times (turn to page 34).

The Somerset Levels, that famous haven of wildlife and location of the mystical Glastonbury Tor, also hosted the last pitched battle on English soil, between the armies of the Catholic King James II and his Protestant illegitimate nephew, the Duke of Monmouth (see page 24).

Further forward in time and much further north we visit the Highlands around Inverness for the site of the very last battle to be fought on British soil – between the exhausted Jacobite forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the much fresher troops of the English Duke of Cumberland in 1746 (see page 85).

SHEENA HARVEY Editor

discoverbritainmag.com JUNE/JULY 2015 | 7

Land of the summer people The Somerset Levels are a unique area of vast plains ringed by hills and dotted with ancient settlements, rich in human history and a haven for native wildlife WORDS STEPHEN MOSS

24 | JUNE/JULY 2015 discoverbritainmag.com

Wonderful views can be enjoyed from Glastonbury Tor

discoverbritainmag.com JUNE/JULY 2015 | 25

Cavalier spirit Newark’s charming façade hides a bloody past, which is vividly recounted at the new National Civil War Centre.

Discover the divisive events of the conflict and the pivotal role played by this ancient market town WORDS JULIE NIGHTINGALE

34 | JUNE/JULY 2015 discoverbritainmag.com

Overlooking the River Trent, Newark Castle was partly destroyed in 1646 during the English Civil War discoverbritainmag.com JUNE/JULY 2015 | 35

5O

Subscription offer

SAVE

UP TO

%

Subscribe to Discover Britain today from just £16 ANNUAL OFFER

Only £16 (saving 41%)by Direct Debit*.

Or, £20 by credit/ debit card TWO YEAR OFFER

6

Only £27 (saving 50%) by Direct Debit*.

Or, £32 by credit/ debit card

issues a year

EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE: www.subscriptionsave.co.uk/DB 0844 848 804 2 and quote code CDB15X4A T&Cs: Savings are based on the cover price of £4.50. Direct Debit is a UK only offer. Full details of the Direct Debit Guarantee are available on request. After your first claim, your subscription will continue at a 35% saving. Discover Britain is published 6 times a year. Your subscription will start with the next available issue. Offer ends 30/06/15.