England Off The Beaten Path

  Rushbearing Festival
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  • Rushbearing Festival
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      Tramway, North Light
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  • Tynemouth Priory from the south
      Tynemouth Priory from the south
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Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in England

1.

Salford Quays/Lowry/War Museum   Manchester

Salford Quays/Lowry/War Museum, Manchester

 6 Reviews  The Lowry is a brand new arts complex with galleries, a huge theatre and eateries. the visual look of the building is stunning as well. Unfortunately the day i saw it, the sky was gun metal gray and... 

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2.

Whip ma whop ma gate   York

Whip ma whop ma gate, York

 2 Reviews  What a great name for a street. I wish more streets had great names like Whipmawhopmagate - it's rather more interesting than Castle St. or High St. Only 32 metres long, It's very easy to miss this... 

 See All 145 Off The Beaten Path in York

3.

Canals   Birmingham

Canals, Birmingham

 5 Reviews  Many locals and tourists don't have the Birmingham Canal Network in mind when having a holiday - obviously I wouldn't suggest in Winter, but it is good to take a sideways trip from the city sights and... 

 See All 54 Off The Beaten Path in Birmingham

4.

Iffley   Oxford

Iffley, Oxford

 3 Reviews  When you have seen the university buildings and are a bit tired of the touristy and noisy city, come to Iffley to enjoy its peace and quiet. Situated on the Thames, it can be reached by boat from the... 

 See All 81 Off The Beaten Path in Oxford

5.

Cathedral City of Ely   Cambridge

Cathedral City of Ely, Cambridge

 5 Reviews  Ely Cathedral is a wonderful church inside and it has lovely stained glass. Within the Cathedral, there is a Stained Glass Museum which is woth visiting. You need to pay separately to enter the... 

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6.

Libraries   Manchester

Libraries, Manchester

 7 Reviews  Chetham's Library is off the beaten path. I'd never heard of it and neither had my boyfriend who has lived in Manchester all his life. Most visitors to Manchester may see the John Ryland's Library on... 

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7.

Castle Howard   York

Castle Howard, York

 8 Reviews  14 miles. By bus including entry £15. Pay the driver board at Bootham Bar, across from the tourist info. This is where the TV series 'Brides-head Revisited' was filmed. The castle grounds are worth... 

 See All 145 Off The Beaten Path in York

8.

Nearby Attractions   Birmingham

Nearby Attractions, Birmingham

 11 Reviews  Birmingham is slap bang in the middle of England. With an excellent public transport system, there are literally hundreds of locations within a hour or so of the CBD by train or bus. Hiring a car... 

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9.

Cowley Road   Oxford

Cowley Road, Oxford

 3 Reviews  If Oxford is a genteel, civilised place, Cowley Road is its uncouthed, yet strangely alluring neighbour. Just 5 minutes walk from the town centre, but a million miles away in terms of atmosphere,... 

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10.

Mill Road area pubs   Cambridge

Mill Road area pubs, Cambridge

 4 Reviews  Mill Road.Seen here in the early morning,but usually busy with people and traffic.The shops,cafes,restaurants and pubs on and around Mill Road are among the best on offer and well worth a wander over... 

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11.

Helmsley   York

Helmsley, York

 5 Reviews  Helmsley lies about 20 miles west of York and is one of England's loveliest market towns. This is really the perfect English town - a large market square with a beautiful church and castle commanding... 

 See All 145 Off The Beaten Path in York

12.

Parks   Birmingham

Parks, Birmingham

 6 Reviews  Cannon Hill is a reasonably sized park just on the out skirts of the city centre its about 5 to 10 minutes away on the bus ( no 45 or 47 from ouside the palisades shopping centre). it has a large... 

 See All 54 Off The Beaten Path in Birmingham

13.

Port Meadow   Oxford

Port Meadow, Oxford

 4 Reviews  Port Meadow is a large open country public field that stretches as far as the eye can see,there are plenty of footpaths to walk on and you can cross bridges over the River Thames that flows through... 

 See All 81 Off The Beaten Path in Oxford

14.

Grantchester   Cambridge

Grantchester, Cambridge

 4 Reviews  This church is just a few steps away from the tea garden " Orchard ". A graveyard is all around it, many of the tombstones are too withered to read who has been buried there. In front of the altar... 

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15.

Fountains Abbey   York

Fountains Abbey, York

 7 Reviews  The monks elected Prior Richard abbot, but by 1133 they were forced to look for outside help in order to survive. They turned, naturally enough, to the source of their inspiration, the Cistercian... 

 See All 145 Off The Beaten Path in York

16.

Brindley Place   Birmingham

Brindley Place, Birmingham

 2 Reviews   I always remember coming down to Brindley place when I was younger to go to The National SeaLife Centre which is just next to Brindley Place. Especially in the Summer next to the canal this area of... 

 See All 54 Off The Beaten Path in Birmingham

17.

Jericho   Oxford

Jericho, Oxford

 2 Reviews  Jericho is one of Oxford's most interesting neighbourhoods. Most of the action takes place on Walton Street, where there ar enumerous bars and restaurants, but it's also worthwhile exploring the side... 

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18.

Castle Hill   Cambridge

Castle Hill, Cambridge

 3 Reviews  .....is closed off at the moment. I suspect local skateboarders have been using and eroding it. A typical Norman motte, its bailey now hidden by the council buildings, it's still worth a visit.... 

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19.

City - Miscellaneous   York

City - Miscellaneous, York

 18 Reviews  England's most famous highwayman might have been from Essex and have had relations to Derby but he spent so much time in York he actually died here. His grave can be found if you continue down to the... 

 See All 145 Off The Beaten Path in York

20.

Jewellery Quarter   Birmingham

Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

 2 Reviews  The advent of such contraptions as the thing I am using now to scrawl this tip led to the death knell of a once proud Brimingham industry. That and the Bic Biro. There was at one time over 100 firms... 

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21.

Headington Shark   Oxford

Headington Shark, Oxford

 3 Reviews  Somewhat annoyingly, I was looking for this piece of art, but got a bit lost, so I have yet to describe it from the flesh, as it were. The story of the shark and the battle for it's retention against... 

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22.

Wittgenstein's Grave   Cambridge

Wittgenstein's Grave, Cambridge

 1 Review  The greatest philosopher of the the 20th century is buried in a small graveyard in Cambridge. In the same cemetry also stands the grave of GE Moore a leading exponent of Logical positivism. In the... 

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23.

Beverley   York

Beverley, York

 3 Reviews  Beverley. It is a small market town approx 35 mile between York and Hull. It has a large Minster which could rival York but is sadly overlooked by most tourists. The town is nice for an hour or two,... 

 See All 145 Off The Beaten Path in York

24.

Museums & Galleries   Birmingham

Museums & Galleries, Birmingham

 3 Reviews  By Car: Take the A38 (Bristol Road), turning onto Edgbaston Park Road. Parking is available in the University's South Car Park, with the Institute situated at the top of the hill opposite King... 

 See All 54 Off The Beaten Path in Birmingham

25.

Botanic Garden   Oxford

Botanic Garden, Oxford

 7 Reviews  Britain's oldest botanic garden with thousands of species of plants from all over the world. A lovely place to sit, or wander down the river. Situated on the site of the old Jewish cemetary. Open:... 

 See All 81 Off The Beaten Path in Oxford

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Deal

by Maria81

My travels to Deal:Unusually, perhaps, I visited the town by walking to it - it was one of the stages of the Saxon Shore Way which I have started walking in 2009.What to do in Deal:Today, Deal is mostly a seaside resort, but of the quieter variety - which makes it a very pleasant place for a stroll along the beach. And a visit to the pier (of which one is an active leisure pier). On clear days, look out for a glimpse of the French coast - you could just about make it out (which is still quite rare - as rare as a clear day is in England!). Definitely a visit to the Deal Castle, built in Tudor times as one of the chain of fortifications along the Cinque Ports coast. Maritime history museums if you are into it.

Chasing the Cheshire Cat

by Maria81

Another book/film character we have followed - apart from Harry Potter movie locations - was Lewis Carroll's Cheshire Cat. The locations are not as obvious and as well-known (try visiting a village called Pott Shrigley) as with JK Rowling's book, which made searching for them more fun. Most of the locations, quite fittingly, are situated in the county of Cheshire: - Grappenhall: the village church of St. Wilfried's Church, in Church Lane, has a full length carving of a cat under the west window of the tower, thought to be one of the inspirations to Carroll - Daresbury: where Lewis Carroll was born. The parish church of All Saints has a stained glass window depicting the Nativity scene, which Carroll and Alice attend. The Cheshire Cat is one of the characters depicted there. There is also a Lewis Carroll centre - Christleton: the Cheshire Cat inn/pub, an excellent lunch stop - Pott...

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Dunstanburgh Castle

by Maria81

Where?On the cloast in Northumberland, close to Craster. Your most realistic option is a walk from Craster (about a mile). We did it at the end of the Bamburgh to Craster coastal walk.What?A ruined castle on the shoreline, built at the time of the feud between King Edward II and Earl of Lancaster, in the early 14th century. The castle was one of the focal points of the War of the Roses, when it changed hands several times. While the castle itself is dramatic, best for me were the views from the coastline, as ours was a photowalk. If you are a photographer, the views from the Craster side are much better than those you get when approaching from the direction of Bamburgh.

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Wiltshire - Quintessentially English

by TheWanderingCamel

The historic small market town of Marlborough (pronounced Maul-bruh) in north Wiltshire is about as perfect an example of an English market town as you could wish to find. And the markets aren't just the stuff of old photos and nostalgia - the wide High Street (the widest in Europe) sees twice weekly markets (Wednesday and Saturday) setting up stalls that sell everything you can think of from fresh local produce to exotic imports. The second Saturday of the months brings an excellent Farmer's Market - and don't forget the annual Mop Fairs that have been held here every October for over 250 years. They're funfairs nowadays but originally they were hiring fairs where people looking for work and employers looking for staff which brought people to the town from all over the county. The Georgian buildings that line the High Street belie a much more ancient history for the town. One legend...

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One very strange and specialised museum

by sourbugger

I must admit I have not been to this museum myself because my wife would call me a sad git in search of an anorak.On the other hand there is no denying that a museum dedicated to 'bubble' cars and other micro cars in somewhat unusual.They have about 50 of them parked up in the village of Cranwell only a few miles from Sleaford, Lincolnshire. If that is your bag, then go.I always remember the great tale Jasper Carrot used to tell about all those owners of bubble cars (the ones with the front opening door) who drove them into their garages and then starved to death inside because the couldn't open the door ! The Beeches, Byard's Leap Cranwell Lincolnshire. NG34 8EY

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The world's most eccentric garden centre..

by sourbugger

From Sourbugger's Spalding (Lincolnshire) page :I've never written a tip about a Garden Centre before, and I never will again.Baytree Nurseries however, deserves a mention as the owner of the place has been sniffing too much of his own organic fertilizer - methinks.Any place that greets you in the carpark with an ex-army amphibious landing vehicle, a beached lifeboat and an eight foot fiberglass Donald Duck can't be all bad.Amongst the nurseries you will find plants galore (of course), an Aquatic centre (useful for keeping kids quiet) a pet centre, craft workshops, bookstores and just about anything else vaguely connected to the world of gardening, oh , and a collection of red telephone boxes standing around like a surreal Stonehenge.At Christmas you will also find a very well done 'Winter wonderland' with real reindeer.Baytree is also the setting for the Owl Sanctuary. It is one of the...

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Reculver

by Maria81

A small village close to Herne Bay, Reculver first made an appearance in Roman times, when a fort was built in 43 AD during the conquest. A couple of centuries later it was upgraded to a full scale fortress, and continued to be a military landmark for centuties to come as part of the chain of Saxon Shore forts.Reculver also, quite surprisingly for me, had royal connections, having been an early seat of the Anglo-Saxon kings of Kent, when the royal court was moved there from Canterbury at the turn of the 7th century, with a palace built on the site of the ancient roman castrum, or fort.Today, the main landmark is the remains of St Mary's Church and its 'Twin Sisters' towers.

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How old is this lane?

by leics

Often, when you drive or walk along English lanes, you will notice that they are well below the level of the surrounding fields.They can easily be a couple of metres (6 feet or so) lower.Why?Well, those who first created the road did not purposely dig it deep. And it has not been deliberately dug-down since. Only major roads which are carving new routes are dug down to avoid steep slopes.Amazingly, the road on which you are walking started off as a footpath or track centuries ago, quite possibly millennia ago (the country is criss-crossed with prehistoric trackways). Over that huge expanse of time traffic from feet and carts and animal hooves has simply eroded the roadway down to the level on which we now walk or drive.Which, when walking on such a roadway, always makes me (and should also make you) really think about what a tiny speck in time our lives actually are.

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Deer, deer: Muntjac

by leics

If you are lucky, you may see one of these tiny deer.They are about the same size as a large dog, and have gradually spread all over England and nearly into Scotland. Any you see are descended from those which escaped from Woburn Abbey (home of the Duke of Bedford) around 1900. They originally came from south-east Asia. Chinese Water deer also escaped from Woburn. They are very similar to muntjac, but fewer in number and less extensively found.Muntjac are the oldest of all deer species, their origins dating back 15-35 million years....no wonder they are so good at adaptation and survival!They are generally shy and secretive but in some areas it seems they are becoming more confident with each generation. I have seen muntjac crossing the road in broad daylight in Oxfordshire, in the middle of a field in Leicestershire, and on common land very near the centre of Letchworth in...

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Horse chestnut trees

by leics

'Conker' trees, as we call them when we are children.Beautiful brown, shiny conkers fall in autumn. Put a hole through one with a sharp pointed object (my dad used a skewer), thread them onto a string and you can play conkers. Each child takes turns to hit the other conker with his own: first conker to crack or fall to bits is the loser.They say soaking them in vinegar or baking them in a low oven makes them harder. But me, I just loved their brown shininess and collected loads to hoard in a shoe-box under my bed. Sadly, they soon became mildewed or mouldy, and then had to be thrown away.In the Spring, these beautiful trees have 'candles' of either white or pink flowers (occasionally almost red). In the summer months their distinctive five-fingered leaves provide ample shade i(if it ever gets hot enough to require shade!).But they are not native to the UK, although you will see them all...

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 4 Reviews and 891 Opinions  I had a great time there. Stayed due to business 4 nights in the hotel. Staff was great, friendly... 

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 4 Reviews and 220 Opinions  We went to the pub new years gay. I ordered the fish and chips and found a lump of metal in the... 

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Off The Beaten Path: Cities in England
  1. London Off The Beaten Path
  2. Manchester Off The Beaten Path
  3. York Off The Beaten Path
  4. Birmingham Off The Beaten Path
  5. Oxford Off The Beaten Path
  6. Liverpool Off The Beaten Path
  7. Blackpool Off The Beaten Path
  8. Newcastle upon Tyne Off The Beaten Path
  9. Bath Off The Beaten Path
  10. Brighton Off The Beaten Path
  11. Cambridge Off The Beaten Path
  12. Nottingham Off The Beaten Path
  13. Bristol Off The Beaten Path
  14. Bournemouth Off The Beaten Path
  15. Torquay Off The Beaten Path
  16. Chester Off The Beaten Path
  17. Sheffield Off The Beaten Path
  18. Scarborough Off The Beaten Path
  19. Eastbourne Off The Beaten Path
  20. Leeds Off The Beaten Path
  21. Canterbury Off The Beaten Path
  22. Whitby Off The Beaten Path
  23. Windsor Off The Beaten Path
  24. Stratford-upon-Avon Off The Beaten Path
  25. Newquay Off The Beaten Path
  26. Portsmouth Off The Beaten Path
  27. Plymouth Off The Beaten Path
  28. Coventry Off The Beaten Path
  29. Southampton Off The Beaten Path
  30. Reading Off The Beaten Path
  31. Lake District National Park Off The Beaten Path
  32. Cheltenham Off The Beaten Path
  33. Durham Off The Beaten Path
  34. Weymouth Off The Beaten Path
  35. Richmond Off The Beaten Path
  36. Kingston upon Hull Off The Beaten Path
  37. Exeter Off The Beaten Path
  38. Salisbury Off The Beaten Path
  39. Halifax Off The Beaten Path
  40. Southend-on-Sea Off The Beaten Path
  41. Folkestone Off The Beaten Path
  42. Dover Off The Beaten Path
  43. Lincoln Off The Beaten Path
  44. Gloucester Off The Beaten Path
  45. Windermere Off The Beaten Path
  46. Worcester Off The Beaten Path
  47. Kingston upon Thames Off The Beaten Path
  48. Weston-Super-Mare Off The Beaten Path
  49. Derby Off The Beaten Path
  50. Winchester Off The Beaten Path
  51. Saint Ives Off The Beaten Path
  52. Greenwich Off The Beaten Path
  53. Warwick Off The Beaten Path
  54. St Albans Off The Beaten Path
  55. Norwich Off The Beaten Path
  56. Bracknell Off The Beaten Path
  57. Peterborough Off The Beaten Path
  58. Bolton Off The Beaten Path
  59. Hastings Off The Beaten Path
  60. Keswick Off The Beaten Path
  61. Southport Off The Beaten Path
  62. Middlesbrough Off The Beaten Path
  63. Royal Leamington Spa Off The Beaten Path
  64. Ipswich Off The Beaten Path
  65. Stockport Off The Beaten Path
  66. Stonehenge Off The Beaten Path
  67. Rye Off The Beaten Path
  68. Great Yarmouth Off The Beaten Path
  69. Colchester Off The Beaten Path
  70. Barrow in Furness Off The Beaten Path
  71. Bognor Regis Off The Beaten Path
  72. Bradford Off The Beaten Path
  73. Leicester Off The Beaten Path
  74. Wimbledon Off The Beaten Path
  75. Hereford Off The Beaten Path
  76. Watford Off The Beaten Path
  77. Swindon Off The Beaten Path
  78. Guildford Off The Beaten Path
  79. Glastonbury Off The Beaten Path
  80. Shrewsbury Off The Beaten Path
  81. High Wycombe Off The Beaten Path
  82. Southampton Off The Beaten Path
  83. Stansted Off The Beaten Path
  84. Banbury Off The Beaten Path
  85. Clacton-on-Sea Off The Beaten Path
  86. Hampstead Off The Beaten Path
  87. Northampton Off The Beaten Path
  88. Maidstone Off The Beaten Path
  89. Broadstairs Off The Beaten Path
  90. Berwick-Upon-Tweed Off The Beaten Path
  91. Penzance Off The Beaten Path

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Popular Regions in England

Greater London Off The Beaten Path  North Yorkshire Off The Beaten Path  Greater Manchester Off The Beaten Path  Devon Off The Beaten Path  West Midlands Off The Beaten Path  Cornwall Off The Beaten Path  Merseyside Off The Beaten Path  East Sussex Off The Beaten Path  Kent Off The Beaten Path  Cumbria Off The Beaten Path  Oxfordshire Off The Beaten Path  Somerset Off The Beaten Path  Essex Off The Beaten Path  Hampshire Off The Beaten Path  Dorset Off The Beaten Path  West Yorkshire Off The Beaten Path  Tyne and Wear Off The Beaten Path  Lancashire Off The Beaten Path  Berkshire Off The Beaten Path  Cambridgeshire Off The Beaten Path  Gloucestershire Off The Beaten Path  Cheshire Off The Beaten Path  Warwickshire Off The Beaten Path  Derbyshire Off The Beaten Path  Hertfordshire Off The Beaten Path  Nottinghamshire Off The Beaten Path  Wiltshire Off The Beaten Path  Suffolk Off The Beaten Path  South Yorkshire Off The Beaten Path  West Sussex Off The Beaten Path  Norfolk (County) Off The Beaten Path  Lincolnshire Off The Beaten Path  Avon Off The Beaten Path  Isle of Wight Off The Beaten Path 

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Questions and Answers

IndianPacific profile photo

Q:  How much would a taxi from Hastings or Ebbsfleet to Southampton be, and how long would it take respectively? 

leics profile photo

A: Hastings>Southampton is nearly 100 miles and would take around 2 hours. Ebbsfleet would take much the same. A taxi will be (very) expensive, I fear. You would need to... 

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