Destination: U.K

Itinerary: The Grand Tour

ONE TO TWO MONTHS/London to Cambridge (the long way)

This energetic pack-it-in loop is about 2100 miles. If you don't want to hurry, just leave out a few places. With even more time, you could expand the trip to include Devon and Cornwall, Norfolk and Suffolk, Mid Wales or the East Coast of Scotland.

This is a trip for those with time, or an urge to see everything. So brace yourself, and let's be off.

From London, aim for Winchester, Salisbury and the New Forest. Or sample hip Brighton and marvel at historic Canterbury Cathedral, before tracking across-country via Stonehenge to reach Bath and Bristol.

Then to Wales, via stunning Chepstow Castle and energetic Cardiff, to the coastal paradise of Pembrokeshire. Retrace to the Brecon Beacons and through book-mad Hay-on-Wye, to reach the Cotswolds, charming Oxford, spectacular Warwick Castle, and Shakespeare's birthplace Stratford-upon-Avon.

Continue north to Chester, then divert into North Wales for the grand castles at Conwy and Caernarfon, and the equally stunning mountains of Snowdonia. Then ferry across the Mersey to Liverpool and Manchester for a taste of city life, followed by a complete change of scenery in the Lake District, and a journey back in time along Hadrian's Wall.

Hop across the border to Scotland, via the tranquil Southern Uplands, to good-time Glasgow. Then trek to Ben Nevis, from where it's easy to reach for Skye.

Time to head south again, via Stirling Castle to Edinburgh, through the border abbey towns of Kelso and Jedburgh, to reach World Heritage site Durham and the ancient Viking capital of York, ending with a final flourish in beautiful Cambridge.