The Tree Cathedral is another hidden gem of Milton Keynes. I walked in the area back in March when…read morethe trees were all bare but even then it looked insanely cool. I've looked up photos of the tree cathedral in full bloom and it's just beautiful. Constructed in 1986 to look like Norwich Cathedral, I'm sure it's a great spot for small ceremonies. It's divided into various sections all meticulously planned which you can read about on the plaque right in front of the cathedral. It has a nice stone path down the center for easy navigation. Upon reading a bit more on the Tree Cathedral when I got home - you can now scatter ashes there. Peaceful and creepy at the same time. The Tree Cathedral can be found opposite of Willen Lake.

Wenn Ihr in der Gegend seid: das Schloss ist sehenswert,…read morewenn Ihr die Jagd liebt, aber auch, wenn die Schätze der Herrschaften Euer Interesse wecken könnten. Aber der Garten und insbesondere, der angefügte Landschaftspark mit seinem riesigen, alten Baumbestand, wird Euer Staunen erwecken. Solche Bäume sind selten geworden in Europa. Aus dem Touristen-Flyer: Woburn Abbey has been home to the Dukes of Bedford for over 300 years and is still home to the 15th Duke and his family today. When the 6th Duke inherited Woburn, Humphry Repton, the famous landscape gardener, was commissioned to produce designs to improve the gardens and park. Follow the Garden Trail information boards to find out more about the Abbey Gardens and the redevelopment over the past five years to recreated and replant Reptons original features and themed garden areas.

Entry to this space in the middle of Verulamium park is free, yet protected on all sides by walls…read moreand a ceiling. The hypocaust is actually just a part of a suite of rooms from a large town house in 200AD. But this is the only part of that house that has been excavated so far. The mosaic floor is well preserved and certain small sections have been left open to see the heating system below the tiles. This system could be considered a pre cursor to modern central heating. There are remains of Roman walls scattered across the park, so do enjoy the day stretching your legs. If you want to see something more substantial then a trip to the Roman theatre and the museum will be worth it. But do remember that it will be a long walk on park grounds and the shortest routes are across the grass. If you have wheelchairs or buggies, it will take you much longer.

I took my husband here for a secret birthday adventure day out to the not so secret nuclear bunker…read more This place is like a quintessential English day out. It's fabulous. The bunker itself is hidden away on a huge stretch of land that also serves as an airsoft site, so we were able to take the dog and give her a good run before leaving her in the car. (The tour around takes about an hour and it wasn't even a vaguely warm day.. Before anyone worries...) You enter the bunker through the front; it was designed as a bungalow so not to arouse suspicions. It's a pretty ugly bungalow though.. ;) It's declared that you *have* to take one of the audio wands through and that you can't commit to the tour without one. I'm not entirely sure the reasoning behind that and the audio tour is.. Well, it's in depth. Perhaps a little too in depth and I found I was just standing in corners trying desperately to hear what was being said over the other people in the room. I gave up after 9/24.. You pay at the end of the tour aswell. £7.50 cash in the honesty box by the till at the canteen. The place is filled with what would have been high tech gear for the era and some fascinating communication devices as well as air filtration pump rooms, dorms, sick bay and some terrifying models of Margaret Thatcher. There is some defiantly British signage going on, honesty boxes and the canteen at the end selling rainbow rubbers and marbles, Mars bars, soup and tea and cakes. It's like it all the old trips I used to do as a kid over the holidays. Apparently guide/scout troops can even do sleep overs there. Pretty jealous of that to be honest. You are only allowed to take pictures on the inside if you buy a permit from the canteen first, before entering the bunker. They're £5. Bleurgh. Obviously the people who run this place as super passionate about it and it's very well kept and informative and totally worth while. It's only £7.50 (cash only) to enter and I will definitely be going back again!

I was in my friends car one night driving around quite randomly as we often do, and we were hoping…read moreto find something exciting, something unusual, something almost conspiratorial. Because that's what guys do - we drive around like we're in our own spy movie, or like we're police officers. We find life pretty boring and we want to find that something a bit...... special. A bit rare. So imagine our surprise when driving through middle of nowhereville when we saw.... you guessed it....... a sign for a SECRET NUCLEAR BUNKER!. This is what all guys dream of!. What could be better than finding a nuclear bunker!. We rushed over there, desperate to see it. It didn't occur to us that at 3am it might be closed. So we went back another time. This place is amazing. Right there, in the middle of a load of fields in Essex lies a disused nuclear bunker. This was built just after the war; in case of a Nuclear Attack. It was a place the government could go and continue their work, I imagine, while the rest of us got radioactive poisoning. Anyways, the place was decommissioned a few years ago and now it is open to the public. You have to go!. It's great. There are a load of levels, going deeper and deeper underground... and they used to do all sorts of stuff down here; and they have these little beds, and these hundreds of computers. It's just an endlessly fascinating place which is now privately owned. It is almost too strange to be true. Whoever you are, whatever your interests... check this place out, absolutely crazy. And the guy who now privately owns it is usually in the snack bar (which you reach at the end) and is happy to discuss the place whilst selling you a Pot Noodle and a Kit Kat.

My ex-wife brought me here as a "special birthday treat" some years ago; this may illustrate why we…read moreare no longer together. A pleasant enough set of ruins and mounded earth; not an awful lot to see, but good to wander round on a bright morning. Definitely not worth a special visit, but nice enough to potter round if you happen to be in Berko with a spare hour on your hands, or need to amuse a youngster for a bit.

Jumped off the train with a little time to kill travelling back up north. I will stress, that it is…read morecastle ruins, not a big fat juicy castle, but, there's good enough history, and the ruins themselves are interesting to kill an hour. The sort of place my parents would take us for a walk and a picnic and a little bit of education. It's a good example, but not extensive enough to occupy an antsy child for a full day!

Let's get things clear. There isn't much to see at the Roman theatre. A leisurely walk around the…read moreentire area will take less than 15 minutes. The reason I have rated it a 4, is for its historical significance. This is the only Roman theatre of its kind in the UK. - a raised theatre rather than an amphitheatre. Entry is around 2.5£ or free for locals. You can get a combined ticket with the museum in Verulamium Park for a bit of a discount. While the museum, hypocaust and bits of Roman wall are in the park, the theatre remains are on private land. This property also boasts a historic house that is open to visitors on some weekends. Would I travel all the way to St Albans just for these remains? Probably not. But if I was headed to St Albans to visit the cathedral, this is a nice pit stop on a day out. Kids may be more interested in the sheep grazing in the fields opposite though.

You coudn't spend ages here, but its still worth a visit. This is an open air site, which was once…read morethe home of a roman theatre. It is great for imagining with children what it might have been like. There are signs to tell you what is what. After you have been here, walk across to the museum.

Beautiful property that even the Queen visits some times during her travels in the UK. I did not…read morehave time to see the inside of the property unfortunately, however the outside is beautiful and it has amazing gardens. They even have a train going around one of the gardens for children. It is open longer hours in the summer and you can spend 2-3 hours here.

This is a fantastic day out for young kids, my 1 year old and 3 year old loved it. Audley House…read moreitself and the grounds are spectacular, and there is a car park right next to the train station. Tickets for the trains are very reasonably priced, and the trains go roughly every 20 mins. The 1.5 mile trip is great, the engines are wonderfully maintained and there are lots of teddy bears dotted around the wood that the kids love pointing out. Crucially you need to check the opening times before planning a trip here. For the 2012 season the railway was only open at the weekends and school holidays, and even then only from 12 noon to 4.45pm (with the last steam train departure at 4pm). It's also the sort of venue that suits decent weather. The train carriages are covered, however there is also a large open 'Picnic and Play' area beside the terminal that has great play equipment, but would be much less pleasant in rainy weather. Other nice touches are the cafe and the guided Fairy Walk that kids can take through the woods. Overall a fantastic afternoon, just make sure to check the timetable and weather forecast.

No one is above the law…read more Have you heard that phrase lately? It reminded me of my recent visit to Runnymede, where this principal was first established with the signing here of the Magna Carta. If, like me, you slept through World History class you may be forced to ask "what's the Magna Carta?" even though you know you knew the answer sometime in your past. One visit here and you'll never again need to be reminded. The Magna Carta is one of history's most important documents, executed in Runnymede (in the 1200s), for the purpose of establishing that everyone is subject to the law and no man is above it. It also established one's right to justice and a fair trial. Timely, eh? Though this particular yelp listing is for the Magna Carta Memorial (established on site by the American Bar Association) it's really the whole of the Magna Carta site that you'll experience here and this particular memorial is the least interesting of the four main components. There's also a JFK Memorial, a mid-field art installation, and an Air Forces Memorial (which I didn't see). The JFK Memorial is compelling for a single reason: The acre of land it sits on is US land. What? The Queen granted this land to the US in memory of JFK following his assassination. So, you can stand on this charming piece of US soil in the middle of the UK. Watch the "Dear Mrs. Kennedy" (season 2) episode of Netflix' "The Crown" for background info on the relationship between the Queen and the Kenendys. More compelling for me was an outdoor art installation of 12 sculpted chairs, each depicting some struggle for rights that's gone on since the signing of the Magna Carta. I was moved to see Harvey Milk's fight for LGBTQ+ rights depicted as one of the featured struggles. If you find yourself in Eton or Windsor a visit to Runnymede's Magna Carta Memorial site is worth your time as it gets you thinking about things we often don't, but should. No one is above the law.

Well this wonderful memorial might be part of the American Constitution, but it was ours first!…read more Some people, even the P.M. recently stated that it should be part of our own ethos. Other people think we have lost sight of the original principles, and only parts of the meaning have either been hijacked or watered down to every petty conveniences. Take your pick ?

Actually quite good for a fiver, much bigger than you think. Just glad I wasn't around 300 years…read moreago, or a women, or innocent (quite a fun back story of the caves). Also worth a walk up to the mausoleum above. Ps- lots of places to hide and jump out and scare family/friends :)

My children were very scared by the caves and their heinous contents, though they did enjoy a nice…read moresausage roll afterwards. Despite many attempts, my friend was unable to park her car because of the slope, so please don't bring a car if you're a terrible driver or if you're female. Otherwise, a lovely day out, apart from the lingering nightmares.

This has to be one of North London's best kept secrets! I can't believe I had never heard of this…read moregarden (even my dad had not heard of it and he grew up near here.) I assume the lucky locals would like to keep this as a secret treasure, but it is too good not to share with yelpers!! The Pergola and Hill Gardens are hidden between Hampstead Heath and Golders Hill Park. The Pergola half of the garden is essentially a long raised walkway, under a long pergola made from wood and stone, covered in gorgeous smelling roses and other climbing plants. The other half of the garden has a large square pond full of lilies, sculptured hills and nice soft grass to sit on and have a picnic. I have a feeling it could be very busy on nice days...but when we visited it all seemed far quieter than Golders Hill Park - even though it is so, so much nicer. Practicalities: - If you don't want to walk, just take the 210 bus and get off at Inverforth House, you can see the signs to the garden. - It's free (!)

This place is beyond beautiful. I'm always surprised when I find places like this in London that is…read moreopen for the general public with no fee. Tucked away on the smaller side of Hampstead Heath, in between Hampstead Heath and Golders Hill Park is this little Gem. Because it's hidden away it's less busy than both the known green spaces. The pergola goes on and on with hidden entrances to the gardens. The gardens all have walk ways for you to meander through them. I can imagine that this place will get used for many photoshoots. You have to be careful you're not walking into someone else's shot. None of the photos or reviews will EVER do this place justice. Trust me and go see for yourself.