Copenhagen to Southampton (London)

Effortlessly cool and down to earth, Copenhagen is a contemporary, clean and classy highlight of Scandinavia. A city built to be liveable, Copenhagen has refused to compromise, resulting in a forward-thinking metropolis that’s green and clean. Swim in the waters of Havnebadet Islands during summer, or shelter from winter’s bite by snuggling in beside a roaring open fire during winter. You can even hop on a train to Sweden, traversing the famous span of a Nordic Noir star - the Öresund Bridge. It takes just a touch over half an hour to step off the train in Malmö. There’s only one way to truly explore Copenhagen and that’s on two wheels. Easy bike hire schemes will get you moving across this flat city, designed with bikes at the forefront of the mind. Choose a model with electronic assistance to take the strain out of any journey, giving you the freedom to whizz around and explore the modern angular architecture of the centre, and the pastoral colours of Nyhavn waterfront. Head out to…

Skagen is the northernmost town in Denmark, at the tip of Jutland on the Kattegat strait. It became a holiday resort at the end of the 19th century and a colony for artists and writers. Painters and poets were the first to see the light - literally. Particularly the Skagen Group of painters made the place famous.

Invergordon is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland. It lies in the parish of Rosskeen.

Scattered just off the northern tip of Scotland, Kirkwall is the capital of the Orkney Islands - a scenic archipelago of fascinating, dual heritage. The Viking influence is deep, while a prehistoric past and World War history adds to the endless stories that these dramatic islands have to tell. Sparse and beautiful, let the sweeping seascapes of frothing waves, and dance of the northern lights, enchant you as you explore. Windswept beaches are inhabited by whooping swans, while grassy cliffs hide puffins amid their wavy embrace. View less Sea caves and crumbling castles - and the dramatic meeting of the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean add to the romantic beauty of these lands, which may be physically close to the UK, but feel an entire world away. The sandstone St. Magnus Cathedral is the centrepiece of Orkney's main town - a place of winding lanes and atmospheric walks - and Britain's northernmost cathedral is a masterpiece that took 300 years to complete. Started in 1137, the beaut…

The Hebrides, or Western Isles, are a group of more than 500 islands off Scotland's west coast in the Atlantic Ocean of which about one hundred are inhabited. They are divided into the Inner and Outer Hebrides. The Inner Hebrides are comprised of Skye, Mull, Islay, and Jura. The Outer Hebrides include Lewis and Harris, North and South Uist, Benbecula, Barra, Saint Kilda, and the Flannan Islands. The archipelago covers an area of 4,500 square miles (7,200 sq km). Most of its islands are covered by sparse vegetation and boast a fairly mild climate. Tourism, sheep and cattle raising, and the manufacture of textiles are the principal sources of income. The most famous export item is no doubt the excellent Harris tweed.

Derry, also known as Londonderry, is a city on the River Foyle in Northern Ireland. It’s known for the intact 17th-century Derry’s Walls with 7 gates. Within the walls, spired St. Columb’s Cathedral displays artefacts from the 1688–9 Siege of Derry. Near the Peace Bridge, the Tower Museum has city views and historical exhibits. Huge stained-glass windows adorn the neo-Gothic red sandstone Guildhall.

Who can say Liverpool without thinking of The Beatles? Home to the fab four, Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields and the Cavern Club, this northern English city is undoubtedly one of the most important places on the 20th-century music scene. Even UNESCO agrees - Liverpool became a City of Music (one of only 19 in the world) in 2015. So understandably, it’s bursting with pride. View less Not only for its most famous former residents but also its football team, its maritime heritage and its thriving cultural scene (it was Capital of Culture in 2008). A huge regeneration project over the past two decades has seen Liverpool blossom from being a below-par northern English city to a somewhere buzzing with charm. The arrival of the Tate Liverpool paved the way – quickly followed by the restoration of some 2,500 plus listed buildings (that’s more than any English city outside London). The waterfront revitalisation came next with bars, clubs, galleries and independent boutiques, giving Liverpool som…

Perched on a clifftop and stunningly picturesque, Fishguard is considered the very heart of North Pembrokeshire. A small market town that almost seems untouched by time, you’ll find clusters of quayside cottages, family businesses selling local produce and plenty of Gaelic charm! Market day falls on a Saturday and although principally food, there are some stalls selling local arts and crafts too. If you are not lucky enough to be visiting on market day, the pretty high street has some lovely shops where you can easily while away a couple of hours. Known internationally as the place of the last invasion of Britain when the French landed in 1797, the village heaves with history. Historians will of course already know that the two-day invasion soon failed and the peace treaty was signed in the Royal Oak pub in the market square. Over 200 years later the pub still stands and is perhaps one of the best places to soak up the local charm! The real stars of the show here however are the lovel…

England’s Cornish coast is often touted as being one of the loveliest on earth, and Falmouth is testament to that. A lovely jumble of traditional seaside charm, long stretches of sandy beach and quintessential Britishness, Falmouth offers much in the way of entertainment. Think bags of style, a community spirit and a modern, arty, edge, and you have just about summed Falmouth up. It was recently voted as the UK’s best town to live, so it must be doing something right! With Falmouth, appearances can be deceptive – while one might think it is a twee seaside village that owes its livelihood to tourism, it is actually a university town, full of art galleries, independent book shops and of course buzzing bars and restaurants. Get a taste of the student life by wandering the seafront and the Prince of Wales Pier, ice-cream in hand. While the town might have embraced its future, its past is still very relevant. A major port in the 18-century the National Maritime Museum has a great deal of h…

Twenty-five square mile (40 sq km) Guernsey is the second largest of the Channel Islands, which lie in the English Channel west of the Cherbourg peninsula. Along with its sister island of Jersey, Guernsey has been a part of Britain since 1066, though retaining a culture entirely of its own.

Standing on a triangular peninsula formed at the place where the rivers Itchen and Test flow into an eight-mile inlet from the Solent, Southampton has figured in numerous stirring events and for centuries has been of strategic maritime importance. It was from here that the Pilgrim Fathers departed for America in the tiny Mayflower in 1620 and many great ocean liners, such as the Queen Mary and the Titanic have followed since. The image of the thousand-year-old city was greatly blemished by the bombing during World War II and postwar planning caused changes almost beyond recognition.