Page 240 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

queens, most famously thousands of pilgrims and tales of smugglers
Henry VIII’s first wife, for more than 800 years. abound. The best place
Catherine of Aragon. The Canterbury Tales to start stretching your
(www.canterburytales.org.uk; legs is Mermaid Street. It
The Drive » Next up is a 25-
mile cruise, high up over the St Margaret’s St; adult/child bristles with 15th-century
vast chalk ridge of the North £9.75/7.50; h10am-5pm Mar- timber-framed houses
Downs. You’re headed northeast, Oct, to 4.30pm Nov-Feb) exhi- with quirky names such
largely along the A252/A28 – bition uses animatronics as ‘The House with Two
the Canterbury Rd which echoes and audio guides to Front Doors’ and ‘The
the old pilgrim footpath to the explore Chaucer’s stories House Opposite’. A short
cathedral city. of these 14th-century walk away the 13th-
travellers. For a taste of century Ypres Tower
even older Canterbury, (www.ryemuseum.co.uk;
3 Canterbury head to the mosaics of Church Sq; adult/child £4/
Canterbury tops the the Roman Museum (www. free; h10.30am-5pm Apr-Oct,
charts for English canterburymuseums.co.uk; to 3.30pm Nov-Mar) affords
cathedral cities – and no Butchery Lane; adult/child £8/ views of Rye Bay, the
wonder. Here medieval free; h10am-5pm). marshes and sometimes
alleyways frame exquisite France. The Rye Heritage
architecture, with Can- 4 p245 Centre (%01797-226696;
terbury Cathedral (www. The Drive » Now for a 35-mile www.ryeheritage.co.uk; Strand
canterbury-cathedral.org; adult/ drive. Head back up and over Quay; h10am-5pm Apr-Oct,
concession £12/10.50, tours the North Downs on the A28 shorter hours Nov-Mar) offers
GREAT BRITAIN 17 THE HISTORIC SOUTH
£5/4, audioguide £4/3; h9am- towards Ashford. Then plunge themed walking tours.
5.30pm Mon-Sat, 12.30-2.30pm down to roll, along the A2070, The Drive » The next 50-mile
Sun) the centrepiece. This through the verdant valley of leg sees you taking a string of A
towering Gothic cathedral the Weald of Kent. Soon you’re roads west. They lead past the
edging the flat-lands of Romney
features fine stonework, a Marsh and arriving at Rye. woods and farms of the High
cavernous crypt and the Weald AONB up to another chalk
site of English history’s ridge, this time the amphitheatre
most famous murder: 4 Rye of hills that is the South Downs.
Archbishop Thomas Welcome to one of Eng- Eventually, it’s time to descend
Becket was killed here land’s prettiest towns. to Brighton on the shore.
in 1170 after ‘hints’ from Here cobbled lanes,
King Henry II, drawing
wonky Tudor buildings 5 Brighton
Famously hedonistic,
exuberant and home
THE CANTERBURY TALES to the UK’s biggest gay
scene, Brighton rocks.
The Canterbury Tales is the best-known work of
English literature’s father figure: Geoffrey Chaucer The bright n’ breezy sea-
(1342–1400). Chaucer was the first English writer front boasts the grand,
to introduce characters – rather than ‘types’ – into century-old Brighton
fiction. They feature strongly in The Canterbury Pier (www.brightonpier.co.uk;
Tales, an unfinished series of 24 vivid stories told by Madeira Dr), complete with
a party of pilgrims travelling between London and fairground rides, amuse-
Canterbury. The text remains one of the pillars of the ment arcades and candy
literary canon. But more than that, it’s a collection of floss stalls. Stroll inland
rollicking good yarns of adultery, debauchery, crime to the magnificent Royal
and edgy romance, and is filled with Chaucer’s witty Pavilion (%03000-290901;
observations about human nature. http://brightonmuseums.
org.uk/royalpavilion; Royal
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