UK

The National Galleries of Scotland is widely regarded as one of the finest small galleries in the world. It's collection includes (read more)

The National Galleries of Scotland is widely regarded as one of the finest small galleries in the world. It's collection includes many of the greatest names in Western art, encompassing artists as diverse as Titian and Francis Bacon, and Canova and Pablo Picasso. This lavishly illustrated book contains more than two hundred of the National Galleries of Scotland's greatest and best-loved treasures, each accompanied by an informative text written by the Galleries' curators.

Not only does this book provide a fascinating introduction to the national collection but it is also an accessible and informative introduction to the history of art. (hide)

Welcome to Leeds; a great northern powerhouse of a city that has reinvented itself from an industrial centre of wool, textiles and (read more)

Welcome to Leeds; a great northern powerhouse of a city that has reinvented itself from an industrial centre of wool, textiles and coal to one of the country's biggest financial and commercial cities outside of London. Leeds is famous for its beautiful Victorian arcades, its magnificent architectural landmarks, its eclectic mix of shops and bars and its sporting venues. But scrape its bare bones and you will find it is a city rich in history, heritage and culture with a plethora of hidden places and talents.
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Liverpool's unique history as an international port and a cultural melting pot has given it a character all its own. The city has (read more)

Liverpool's unique history as an international port and a cultural melting pot has given it a character all its own. The city has produced music that conquered the world and is home to more historic buildings than any other British metropolis outside London. It features two magnificent cathedrals and many world famous museums.

But beyond its renowned exterior is a labyrinth of places hidden and unknown. This deliciously offbeat guidebook will lead you to a different Liverpool: down tunnels, up skyscrapers, and into secret bars, speciality shops, and disused factories. You will see Balenciaga trainers and football trophies, rolling bridges and disappearing statues, Liver Birds and suitcases, extravagant cakes and cast-iron churches.

Explore Britain's first mosque. Wander a roof garden of wild flowers, where different species bloom each month of the year. Marvel at the world's most expensive book or largest brick building (27 million bricks!). (hide)

This guidebook explores 20 sportive cycling routes in the best cycling areas of south west England. Ideal for training, the rides (read more)

This guidebook explores 20 sportive cycling routes in the best cycling areas of south west England. Ideal for training, the rides range between 59 and 119km (36 to 74 miles) in length, and offer a full range of challenges; from long, fast flat routes, perfect for pacing, to tough hill climbs on the Downs and Moors of the south west. The 20 sportive routes are found in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, as for north and east as the Wye Valley and Swindon.

The range ensures that there is plenty of riding to be found, throughout the region, not to mention the companion Sportives guidebook to routes in England's south east. From the Cotswolds, to Dartmoor, Exmoor, Bodmin Moor, into Wales and the south coast, there are miles of of cycle-friendly roads suitable for sportive training. All 20 routes are graded for difficulty and include timings, ascent, food-stops and access information, as well as annotated route maps and clear route descriptions. Sportive cycling is a growing sport, and this guide provides routes for experienced riders and those new to this sport.

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For centuries visitors to Monmouthshire have been seduced by its picturesque landscape and breathtaking beauty. Poets, princes, priests, (read more)

For centuries visitors to Monmouthshire have been seduced by its picturesque landscape and breathtaking beauty. Poets, princes, priests, peasants, painters, politicians, and even pirates have all sung the praises of this unique little corner of Wales. It is a county with an elusive nature and a turbulent past, but one whose sublime splendour is evident in its surrounding hills, scattered castles, sleepy churches, rolling rivers, rising mists and ancient woodlands.

William Wordsworth once famously described Monmouthshire as the place where 'the heavy and the weary weight of all this unintelligible world is lightened'. In 50 Gems of Monmouthshire local author Tim Butters takes an illuminating journey along the high and low roads of one of the UK's most popular counties in search of the landmarks, the historic curiosities and the natural wonders that make this little patch of the UK so magical to both visitors and residents alike.

Published:15 Jul 2020 (hide)

The city of Liverpool is famous throughout the world. This once-small fishing village was transformed into a mighty commercial powerhouse, (read more)

The city of Liverpool is famous throughout the world. This once-small fishing village was transformed into a mighty commercial powerhouse, seen by many as the second city of the British Empire. In 1715 Liverpool created the world's first enclosed, commercial wet dock; eventually there would be docks along 7.5 miles of the River Mersey.

It rapidly grew into the greatest port and city in the entire British Empire outside London. Nevertheless, by 1980 Liverpool's population had reduced by over half; its infrastructure and economy were decaying, and its political leaders were leading the city towards complete collapse. Today, Liverpool has the fastest-growing economy in Britain and has been a European Capital of Culture and is a UNESCO World Heritage City. (hide)

Pub Date:03/08/2016 - In the summer of 1793 the Witts family arrived in Edinburgh for a stay of five years. A previously well-to-do (read more)

Pub Date:03/08/2016 - In the summer of 1793 the Witts family arrived in Edinburgh for a stay of five years. A previously well-to-do Oxfordshire/Gloucestershire family they were brought to near penury brought the failure of Edward Witts' woollen cloth trading business. Apart from the stigma of bankruptcy, their easy style of living was brought crashing down to a mere few hundred annually-the income from their marriage settlement which Edward's creditors could not get their hands on.

Within a few months Edward and Agnes had built a wide circle of friends and acquaintance in the upper echelons of Edinburgh society where Agnes's magnetic personality worked its usual magic. Agnes Witts was a remarkable woman with great zest for life. She required constant amusement and bored easily. (hide)

Be transported back to the heyday of modern style when architecture, design and style were de rigueur. This is an invaluable location (read more)

Be transported back to the heyday of modern style when architecture, design and style were de rigueur. This is an invaluable location guide for any art deco traveller in the United Kingdom and for all lovers of 1920s and 30s nostalgia and all that that entails: the opulence and decadence of the legendary Jazz Age era. Whether you are visiting the UK for business or pleasure or just wish to have a further insight into the art deco legacy left behind for us all to enjoy, this county-by-county guide highlights buildings and facades to see, local accommodation, theatres, monuments and associated places of interest.

Published: 28 May 2019 (hide)

In the heroic days of rail travel, you could dine on kippers and champagne aboard the Brighton Belle; smoke a post-prandial cigar (read more)

In the heroic days of rail travel, you could dine on kippers and champagne aboard the Brighton Belle; smoke a post-prandial cigar as the Golden Arrow closed in on Paris, or be shaved by the Flying Scotsman's on-board barber. Everyone from schoolboys to socialites knew of these glamorous 'named trains' and aspired to ride aboard them. In Belles and Whistles, Andrew Martin recreates five of these famous train journeys by travelling aboard their nearest modern day equivalents.

Sometimes their names have survived, even if only as a footnote on a timetable leaflet, but what has usually - if not always - disappeared is the extravagance and luxury. As Martin explains how we got from there to here, evocations of the golden age contrast with the starker modern reality: from monogrammed cutlery to stirring sticks, from silence on trains to tannoy announcements, from compartments to airline seating. For those who wonder whatever happened to porters, dining cars, mellow lighting, timetables, luggage in advance, trunk murders, the answers are all here.

Martin's five journeys add up to an idiosyncratic history of Britain's railways, combining humour, historical anecdote, reportage from the present and romantic evocations of the past. (hide)

Drawing on extensive knowledge and celebrating London's diverse riches, this quiz book invites you to come on a wide-ranging exploration (read more)

Drawing on extensive knowledge and celebrating London's diverse riches, this quiz book invites you to come on a wide-ranging exploration of the megacity the author calls 'The Big Onion'. Peel away its many layers in the company of one of London's top Blue Badge tourist guides. These 22 tours will inspire you, your family, colleagues and friends to leap from page to pavement in the entertaining company of a local expert.

Have fun! This is the first in a series of regional quiz books written exclusively by Blue Badge guides - 'Britain's best guides' - local, professional guides rigorously examined by the Institute of Tourist Guiding, the industry's standard-setting body. World-renowned for their knowledge, interpretation skills and enthusiasm for their area! (hide)