The island location has brought special features to the look of Great Britain, allowing you to instantly determine that the city where you find yourself is undoubtedly the Old World, but not the mainland for sure. Distinctive features of small towns in Great Britain are many majestic castles and fortresses, the endless emerald surface of the surroundings, sturdy old houses, covered with ivy, and the way of life and order that has been preserved over the centuries. The latter circumstance includes five-o-clock, and oatmeal for breakfast and the indispensable bow of the seller in the village shop as a greeting to everyone who comes in.
In search of the lost
Traveling to small towns in the UK turns into a quest for lost history for curious tourists. Each of these settlements is able to tell many interesting legends and tell a lot of historical facts. Some of the cities were of great economic and political importance in the past, and therefore unique architectural monuments, serious defensive structures and cathedrals of world magnitude have been preserved in them.
Former glory
In Hampshire in the south of the country, a couple of tens of kilometers from the English Channel, there is a city whose history goes back at least two millennia. Its fame reached the farthest corners of England, first in the 9th century, when King Alfred the Great proclaimed Winchester the capital of Wessex, and then in the 17th and 18th centuries, thanks to one of the country's largest local fairs.
The Welsh Kaernarvon also had a capital status in the XIV-XV centuries. His fortress was called upon to protect the Manai Strait from enemy invasion. Today, the former capital of North Wales attracts tourists with its magnificent old castle, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage of Humanity.
Not Stonehenge alone
The famous megalithic complex at Stonehenge is only the most popular among such tourist sites. There are similar cromlechs near many small towns in Great Britain, and one of them - the Circle of the Twelve Apostles - is located in Dumfries in the south of Scotland. In addition to the rich historical and architectural heritage, the city impresses with its luxurious northern landscapes, where there are blue lakes, green meadows, and rocky cliffs.
Into a useful piggy bank
- The best way to get around the country and visit small towns in the UK is by train. The railway service is well developed here, and a night in a comfortable sleeping car will not only allow you to get enough sleep, but also save on overnight stays in hotels.
- The country has a system of discounts for multiple train trips over different periods of time. Cashiers at the stations will be happy to explain the terms of purchase.
