Statue of King Alfred, Winchester. © Andy Hill
From the pretty countryside of the South Downs to the rolling Chiltern Hills, and majestic Windsor Castle to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, Queen Victoria's favorite family home, the Southern counties are packed with historic places to visit.
As well as its renowned catheral, Winchester, the seat of King Alfred the Great, has also housed King Arthur's fabled Round Table for six hundred years. Home to our oldest public school, it is also the last resting-place of one of our best-loved authors – Jane Austen. In Hampshire you can also walk in the New Forest, where a local breed of pony still roams free and explore Lord Nelson's HMS Victory at the home of the navy that once claimed to 'rule the waves'. At Portsmouth Historic Dockyard you'll find Henry VIII's Mary Rose, too, and a fleet of navy-related exhibits.
Head for Buckinghamshire to marvel at the Rothschild treasure house of Waddesdon Manor, and to have a spectacular afternoon tea after a wander through Cliveden's stunning gardens. Once the home of Lord Astor, the Italianate mansion was the centre of a 1960s sex scandal and is now one of Britain's top hotels. It was also one of the inspirations for Toad Hall in The Wind in the Willows. Speaking of children's classics, don't miss a visit to the Roald Dahl Musem and Story Centre at Great Missenden, if you're travelling with youngsters. It's a magical world and will delight any young fan.
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Windsor Castle. © René Mansi
Started by William the Conqueror, Windsor is the biggest inhabited castle in the world. The Queen lived here during World War II and it is her favourite home. Rumour has it that she's planning to move here from Buckingham Palace in the not-too-distant future...