The British Club Worldwide

 British Travel and Accommodation

BBC - Weather Centre - World Weather

Telephone Dial Codes         

Quick Tourist Information

For a general overview of Britain the best starting point is the British Tourist Authority website at www.visitbritain.com, covering accommodation, national attractions and events, activities and "Britain for Less" - a resume of transport passes, student discounts and city passes.

There is also a useful "special offers" section including a list of hotels with two nights for the price of one and a database of free attractions.

For more specific information go to www.travelengland. org.uk www.visitscotland.com or www.visitwales.com.

These sites can connect you to regional tourist offices, have a greater choice of special offers than the BTA site and give comprehensive listings of what is new in each area.

They also useful list locations, opening times and admission prices of top attractions. Other good sources of information are www.tourist-boards.com, www.ukwebstart.com and www.touristnetuk.com.

Historic Houses, Palaces and Castles
Country listings are available from Historic Scotland at www.historic-scotland.gov.uk, English Heritage at www. english-heritage.org.uk and Cadw at www.cadw.wales. gov.uk. You can find information on historic royal palaces in or near London - the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, the Banqueting House and Kew Palace - on www.hrp.org.uk.

The National Trust, with more than 300 historic buildings and 612,000 acres of countryside, is at www.nationaltrust.org.uk while the Historic Houses Association website, www.hha.org.uk covers more than 1,500 privately owned properties that welcome visitors.

If you are planning a trip to Yorkshire it is worth looking at www.castlesandgardens.co. uk, which lists more than 40 of the region's best historic sites. And for castle enthusiasts www.castles-of-britain.com is a useful source of ideas, not only for castles to visit but to stay in.

The Countryside
Perhaps the best source of information, with a good section on walking footpaths and trails, is the Countryside Agency website at www.countryside.gov.uk. Click on "Visit the Great British Countryside". This has regional maps linked to home pages or local tourist offices.

For more specific information on countryside news, access and events try www.yourcountryside.info And for national walking and cycling routes, including outline information on the 6,000 miles of the cycle network, look at www.sustrans.org.uk, which also provides an online shop for buying maps and guides.

If you plan to spend time in one of the national parks visit the Association of National Parks Authorities website at www.anpa.gov.uk.

Events
The events listing at www.whats-on-guide.co.uk enables you to key in an area, month and type of attraction.

Although worldwide, www. whatsonwhen.com is also useful for mainstream events including performing arts, sport and literature. For regional information try www.eventlocator.co.uk

The jubilee year is almost over but it is worth trying www.royal.gov.uk, the British Monarchy website, or www. stringofpearls.org.uk stringofpearls.org.uk for Royal events in and around London.

For regional theatre, as well as the West End, look at www.whatsonstage.com with a month-by-month programme of shows around the country.

Accommodation
Best websites for finding last-minute deals and late bargains include www.laterooms.com for hotels or www.latelet.com for self-catering apartments and cottages. Also useful is the British Hotel Reservation Centre at www.bhrc.co.uk bhrc.co.uk, which lists special offers at a selection of hotels and themed breaks as well as discounts of up to 65 per cent for late availability.

Try www.lastminute.com and www.londonreservations. net for deals in the capital.

Weather
Reliable sources of information on the weather include the BBC's www.bbc.co.uk/ weather, which gives five-day forecasts, a city search facility and the solar UV index. The Meteorological Office website at www.metoffice.com has three-day forecasts for all areas.

Public Transport
One of the most useful sites, covering timetables, fares, ticket types and passenger facilities on rail, air, coach, bus, ferry, metro and tram, is www.pti.org.uk. If you are travelling in the North of England look at www.jplanner.org.uk.

For route planning, as well as links to the main transport operators, go to www.traveline.org.uk org.uk, which offers specific journey times and routes from town to town with stopping points if you want to incorporate other places on the way.

For specific advice and information on public transport in London, including routes, fares and passes, look at www.londontransport.co.uk

London
First port of call if you are planning a trip to the capital is the London Tourist Board's site at www.londontouristboard.com. Also good is www. londontown.com ,which covers all aspects of a trip to the city, including hotels, guest houses, events, theatre, shopping, restaurants, river trips and museums as well as specific information about access for people with disabilities, special offers and free sights.

If you plan to go to a show visit www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk, which gives a run-down of what's on, an online ticket purchase service and information on the half-price and discount ticket booth in Leicester Square.

For restaurant reservations and a good selection of cut-price deals at West End restaurants try www.toptable.co.uk.

Children
Visit www.ukchildrensdirectory.com for a straightforward, easy-to-read site that is a useful starting point for finding out about child-friendly activities with plenty of ideas and suggestions including camps, the arts and days out.

Although not primarily geared to days out and holidays, www.educate.org.uk has an "Out and About" database of child-friendly places and activities throughout the country which suggests new places to visit and enables you to share recommendations for successful trips and activities with other parents.