A safe route from London to Bristol was long a dream of traders and ship owners. With a hazardous route via the English Channel an inland alternative was first proposed in 1788. After a couple of false starts construction began in 1794. Fourteen years later the Kennet & Avon Canal was opened, with the last section to open being the spectacular series of locks at Devizes. Attempts to close the canal in the 1940s were unsuccessful and the 1950s saw the formation of what was to become the Ken...

The book is an account of a journey using local service buses from Lands End in the deepest south west of England up to John OGroats in the far north east of Scotland. With the issue of free bus passes to all British citizens over the age of sixty, the author decided to maximise the use of his in undertaking this 1,230 mile trip. By way of being different, the author decided to take with him, his dog Archie, a Jack Russell / cairn terrier cross, as he too enjoys travelling. The book is not...

The Sunday Times BestsellerA glorious insight into Britain over the last 150 years – its history, landscape and people – from the window of Britain’s many and magnificent railway journeys.Inspired by George Bradshaw, a 19th-century cartographer who mapped Britain’s railways as they sprung up around him, Charlie Bunce and Michael Portillo take a journey along nine classic British railway routes and surround themselves with the history, the charm and the people at the heart o...

Charting the quirky past of one of the most important cities in the world, 'London, A Very Peculiar History' will challenge what you thought you knew about this great capital and blow your mind with things you most certainly didn't. From Roman roads to the congestion charge, this title takes a whistlestop tour of iconic London landmarks and eras, whilst poking its head round the corner of the back alleys to see what's really been going on behind the scenes. Alongside the Top Ten Tourist At...

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.George Stephenson’s Liverpool & Manchester Railway was the first in the world where steam locomotives pulled paying passengers, and his locomotive the Rocket changed the face of travelling in Britain. On his journey from Liverpool to Scarborough Michael Portillo examines the history of the Manchester cotton mills, encounters industries as diverse as hat-making, fishing, the baking...

113 Things To See And Do In WalesAbergwyngregyn, Abertillery, Beaumaris, Beaumaris Castle, Beddgelert, Big Pit: National Coal Museum, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Blaenavon Industrial Landscape, Bodelwyddan Castle And Park, Bodnant Garden, Brecknock, Brecon Beacons National Park, Brecon Jazz Festival, Bridgend, Bwch-Yn-Uchaf, Cadair Idris, Caernarfon, Caernarfon Castle, Caerphilly, Capel Curig, Cardiff, Cardiff Castle, Cardiff Festival, Carew Castle, Castell Coch and of course there is even...

*The Little Book of London *is a funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium full of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no-one will want to be without. London's looniest laws, its most eccentric inhabitants, the realities of being royal and literally hundreds of wacky facts about the world's greatest city combine to make it required reading for visitors and locals alike.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.The late nineteenth century brought railway fever to Ireland, and Victorian travellers were keen to explore a country rich in myth and mystery. Starting in the beautiful city of Dublin, Michael Portillo travels to the fishing port of Balbriggan, crosses the spectacular Boyne viaduct, and learns about the tragic Armagh rail disaster en route to Belfast, home of the Irish shipbuildi...

A travel guide book with a difference which gives a well planned 4 day, 2 location tour (by car) through the spectacular scenery of the English Lake District. This illustrated ebook gives directions, maps, location information & travel tips.This tour takes the reader through the Lake District National Park and visits: Kendal, Lake Windermere, Hawkshead, Coniston Water, Coniston, Duddon Valley, Broughton-In–Furness, Ulverston, Dalton-In-Furness, Furness Abbey, Barrow –In-Furness, Swi...

113 Things To See And Do In Southern BritainBournemouth, Brighton, Brighton Beaches, Brighton Festival, Brixham, Buckfastleigh, Buckland In The Moor, Chagford, Clovelly, Compton Castle, Cornish Food, Cycling In Dartmoor, Dartington, Dartmouth Castle, Dartmoor National Park, Dartmoor Ponies, Exeter, Fishing In Newquay, Glendurgan Garden, Gosport, Great Steam Train Rides, Hayling Island, Isles Of Scilly In Cornwall, Isle Of Wight, Kents Cavern, Kingswear Castle, Lands End, Launceston...

When a young English nobleman was thwarted in love he abandoned the court, retired to his estate near Manchester and built a canal to serve his coalmines. The Bridgewater Canal was the sensation of the age and led others to follow the example of the enterprising Duke of Bridgewater. From his starting point in 1760, over the next half-century Britain was covered by a network of waterways that became the lifeblood of the Industrial Revolution. This is the story of 250 years ...

This book describes the various ways in which Southampton’s River Itchen has been crossed over the centuries, ranging from a suspected 2nd century Roman ferry at Clausentum (Bitterne Manor) to the new and massive Itchen Bridge opened in 1977.