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In the Worthing borough, Tarring is a suburb a mile or so west of the town centre, and much older than Worthing proper. The church and Archbishop’s Palace here are from the 13th-century, and the houses along the meandering high street go back further than their Victorian and Georgian facades suggest. The high street is now mostly residential, and at the older south end are some very pretty flint and cobble cottages, as well the Parsonage Bar and Restaurant in a fine 16th-century half-timbered building. A couple of historic pubs here, the Vine and George and the Dragon are good for lunch or a pint.

One very rewarding excursion in to the South Downs is this Iron Age hill fort for only three miles from the centre of Worthing. Formed sometime around 250 BC, Cissbury Ring is on an isolated hilltop at Worthing’s highest point, and has awesome views in all directions. Up here you can make out Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower, Beachy Head near Eastbourne and the Isle of Wight. The fort is the second largest in the UK, spreading over 60 hectares and encircled with ditches and banks where the fort’s colossal wall used to stand. Human activity at Cissbury Ring goes back much further as a Neolithic flint mine burrows into the hill, with shafts up to 12 metres deep.

With a National Park in Worthing’s back garden you may be itching to get out into the countryside for walks and bike trips. The South Downs are a range of rolling chalk hills across southern England from Hampshire to East Sussex. In 2011 this became the newest National Park in the UK, conserving a 626 square-mile patch of quiet green countryside. One long -distance walking trail that crosses the downs and passes close to Worthing is Monarch’s Way. This route follows Charles II’s escape from England after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 and concludes just east of Worthing in Shoreham where he set sail for France.

Worthing has a long pebble beach on both sides of the pier, backed by a promenade with cosy copper-topped shelters. Maybe the prettiest part is to the east of the pier, for its imposing Georgian and Victorian townhouses around Steyne Gardens and monuments like the Dome Cinema. A bit further along are the East Beach studios, where pavilions on the promenade house studios for Worthing’s growing community of artists and crafts-people, making and selling paintings, sculpture, clothing, ceramics, carvings and jewellery. For family fun there’s crazy golf, as well as an array of amusements at the Worthing Lido. K66 board sports organises stand-up Paddleboarding lessons and trips, and provides all the equipment you’ll need.

The botanist and horticulturalist Sir Frederick Stern established this spellbinding garden at a former chalk quarry in 1909. Embedded in downland with vistas of the Channel, the quarry had almost no soil and unfavourable planting conditions. But Steyn toiled for 50 years to show that plants could flourish on chalk. The species he introduced to Highdown are now a National Plant Collection of unusual trees and plants. The gardens are at their best in spring and summer when snowdrops, anemones, daffodils, crocuses and then peonies and bearded irises all take turns to bloom.

Worthing’s fine Victorian pier is almost 300 metres long and dates to 1862. Like all English piers, this one has suffered calamities over the years like storm damage, but, unlike most, it has retained its historic pavilions. The 650-seater Pavilion Theatre is Worthing’s main venue for musicals, plays, stand-up comedians and touring bands. From there you can saunter along the pier, which has iron gaslights, painted railings and sweet stained glass panels for shelter from the wind. In the middle is an amusement arcade from the 1930s, while at the far end is the Southern Pavilion, with a function hall and tearoom.

This excellent town museum is in an Edwardian hall from 1908, at what used to be Worthing’s library. The museum’s acclaimed textile and costume collection is one of the largest in the UK, rich with pieces from the Regency and Victorian periods, but also chronicling the dramatic changes to women’s fashion in the 20th century. There are engrossing displays of local archaeology, including axes from Neolithic flint mines in the downs, the Patching hoard of Roman gold coins and the remnants of an Anglo-Saxon longboat. One enthralling exhibit is an Ancient Egyptian vase with a Greek inscription unearthed at an Anglo-Saxon cemetery. The art gallery has painting by Ivon Hitchens, William Holman Hunt and Lucien Pissarro, and sculpture by the Estonian Modernist Dora Gordine.

You can plan a spot of upmarket shopping in Beverley’s sweet town centre. In these rows of old period properties are antiques shops, high-end brands like Jo Malone, Joules and Jack Wills, together with a smattering of British high street favourites. On the Market Place there’s a branch of the posh Browns department store in the refined surrounds of the former Corn Exchange, dating to 1886. And to keep you going, Beverley has more historic pubs than you could possibly visit (40 at the last count). The Sun Inn dates back to 1501, and the White Horse Inn is one of the last in the world still using gas lighting. Try to come on a Saturday, when the Market Place is filled with 120 stalls for anything from fresh produce to arts and crafts, cut flowers and streetfood from around the world.

For a longer walk you could strike out on the Hudson Way Rail Trail, along the trackbed of the old York to Beverley Line, which opened in 1865 and operated for 100 years. Ten miles long, the trail is named after George Hudson, the entrepreneur known as the “Railway King” in the mid-19th century. Hudson’s empire was built on sketchy business practices, and he was forced to flee to France for a decade in 1859 to avoid imprisonment. The route guides you through quiet countryside, under old railway bridges and past former stops. One, Kiplingcotes railway station has preserved its old station building, platforms, signal box and station master’s house.

For another dose of chlorophyll, this 49-acre reserve is on the town’s southern fringe. The history of the site can be traced back to the Domesday Book in 1086 when the land was owned by the Archbishops of York. The two large fields here have evidence of Medieval ridge and furrow farming, and these are currently being turned into traditional parkland. The reserve also has a small wood and a bucolic orchard that was planted for the new millennium. In the orchard is a set of hives maintained by the Beverley Beekeepers Association.

The last operating windmill in East Yorkshire is a recommended outing four miles south of Beverley’s town centre. The Skidby Windmill dates to 1821 and was raised to its current five storeys in 1870. The four sails powering the mill are 11 metres long and are joined to a white ogee cap that weighs 15 tons. Something quite rare is that all the outbuildings intact, and some of these are occupied by the East Riding Museum of Rural Life. You can peruse two absorbing collections of historic farming implements, along with photographs and audio accounts of day-to-day village life in the East Riding. The mill and its accompanying museum are open every day of the week, and flour is normally milled on Wednesdays and Sundays, although the mechanism was out of order when this post was written.

In December 2014 this former Victorian Baptist church became a forward-thinking performing arts venue after a project that involved a lot of volunteer effort. The East Riding Theatre (ERT) is dedicated to high-quality theatre, music, comedy and other edifying entertainment. For a sense of how eclectic the programme can be, autumn 2018 brought a production of the Yasmina Reza play “Art”, comedy by Phill Jupitus, award-winning sketch act Croft & Pearce and music workshops for young children and parents.

Beverley’s Grade I Georgian Guildhall opens up for visits on Wednesdays and Fridays. The building was given a Palladian redesign in the 18th century but has a history that goes right back to 1501. If you’re passing by when the building is open take a detour to see the Courtroom’s magnificent Neoclassical ceiling plasterwork by the Italian Giuseppe Cortese. There’s a collection of civic regalia, civic gifts, photographs and furniture to peruse, while each room has a toy basket to keep children occupied while you look around.

A bit of early industrial infrastructure, the Beverley Beck is a 3/4-mile canal completed in 1731 to allow larger vessels into the town from the River Hull. The canal is still navigable, and at Tickton you can visit Beverley Boat Hire to take a rowboat, canoe or motorboat for on a trip along this peaceful waterway. You can also walk the towpath, spotting pike, eels and bream in the water, and slowly leaving the town behind until you reach the lock at Grovehill on the River Hull. On your journey you’ll go by the MV Syntan (1949), the last of a fleet of industrial barges that shipped coal, hides, flour, grain, paper and nuts along the Beck.

Horse-racing took place on this part of the Westwood in the 17th century, but annual meetings weren’t held here until 1767. At that time a grandstand was built, although the course would only be used intermittently until the end of the 19th century. Today Beverley Racecourse is known for its down to earth atmosphere and holds roughly 19 days of flat racing a year, two of which are prestigious Listed events. These are the Hilary Needler Trophy for two-year-olds in May, and the Beverley Bullet Spring Stakes in June for horses aged three and up. In August 2018 the course announced a multimillion-pound redevelopment of the grandstand, slated for completion in 2021.

A vestige of Beverley’s town walls, the North Bar is a 15th-century brick-built gate, still used by road traffic on the A164. The portal is only wide enough for a single lane, so traffic is controlled by lights, while pedestrians can pass through the arches to the side. This was used as a toll gate in Medieval times, and would be locked at night in times of conflict like the English Civil War in the 17th century. The north side has buttresses flanking the portal, which is crested by a cartouche and coat of arms. At the top, the parapet is crenellated and was used by the town governors as a private gallery to watch Beverley’s Corpus Christi festivals in the 15th and 16th centuries.

True to its name, the Westwood is on Beverley’s west side and has nothing but open countryside beyond it. This is one of the largest areas of common land in the UK, granted to the townsfolk by the lord of the manor in 1380. If they want, Beverley’s residents can still exercise their right to graze their cattle on Westwood today. At the highest point and with dreamy vistas back to Beverley Minster is the embattled and sail-less Blackmill, the one of five windmills that once stood on the common. This is a landmark for Beverley and East Riding Golf Club, which was founded in 1889. Making up a big sweep of the north of the Westwood is Beverley Racecourse, which we’ll cover below.

Now an annexe of the Treasure House, the Beverley Art Gallery (1910) is a cultured Edwardian hall with alternating bands of brick and stone in its walls. There are two main galleries here, the first of which is for Beverley’s art collection. One imposing work is A Panic, by the Victorian landscape painter Henry William Banks Davis. This is thought to be the world’s largest cattle painting. There’s also a large assortment of works by the Realist painter Frederic William Elwell, who was born in Beverley in 1870. The second gallery is for temporary exhibitions, showcasing regional talent in photography, painting, sculpture and printing.

Beverley’s museum, library and the East Riding archive were brought under one roof in 2007 when the Treasure House opened. One prominent feature is the tower, which has an observation platform at the top with 360° views of Beverley. The building also offers access to the Edwardian Beverley Art Gallery, which we’ll talk about next. At the exhibition on the first floor you can get to know East Riding’s natural history, geology, landscape and archaeology. Not to be missed is the South Cave Weapons Cache, a display of Iron Age swords. Kids can dress up in old-time costume, busy themselves with interactive puzzles and get creative at the drawing table. The Treasure House puts on a dizzying array of temporary exhibitions, and in Autumn 2018 there was a fantastic show for the Georgian wildlife draughtswoman Elizabeth Lambert.

With a north and south loop, the Beverley Town Trail winds through Beverley’s historic centre from the North Bar to the Beverley Beck, uncovering old tales and points of interest. There are 39 sculptures on the route (some need a little patience to spot), each for the guilds and trades that controlled a given area. These sculptures were produced with the help of 700 school children from Beverley, and represent armourers, carpenters, jerkin-makers, glovers, musicians, to name just a few. Head online and you can download the trail’s leaflet, which points out some historical details you might miss, and has lots of little activities to keep youngsters engaged.

Founded in the 1100s as a daughter church to Beverley Minster, St Mary’s Church was completed in 1520 after a total overhaul that was started in the 13th century. Maybe the most treasured corner of the building is the 14th-century north aisle, where at the east end the mouldings of the windows, tracery, piers and star vault all merge organically. The late-14th century west front is sublime and may have even influenced King’s College Chapel at Cambridge, which was built soon after. St Mary’s Church is also cherished for its 15th and 16th-century ceilings. Don’t leave without seeing the Ceiling of Kings in the chancel, painted in 1446 and depicting the Kings of England up to that point, or the Ceiling of Stars and Constellations.

A parish church of real size, Beverley Minster is larger than a third of all English cathedrals. This monument has a beauty to march its proportions: Following a fire in the12th century the church was rebuilt in stages between the early 13th and early 15th centuries, leaving it with a blend of Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular Gothic design. On arriving your eye will be caught by the marvellous Perpendicular west front and its twin towers and Highgate Door. In the nave you can find carvings of musicians from the 14th century. The older east end, completed up to the transept in the 13th century is in the Early English style and has pointed lancet windows, dog-tooth mouldings and masterful stiff-leaf decorations. Seek out the Purbeck “marble” stonework in the east end, as well as the 68 16th-century misericords in the choir and the stone frith stool that was carved Anglo-Saxon times.

In the Middle Ages Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire was one of England’s ten largest towns, swelled by a burgeoning wool trade. Beverley Minster attests to the wealth of that time, and at 102 metres is longer than many English cathedrals. The shops and townhouses in the upmarket centre of Beverley are mostly Georgian, the same period that gave the town its stately Guildhall when the Beck Canal allowed seagoing ships to reach Beverley for the first time. West of the town at the tip of the sprawling Westwood Common is Beverley Racecourse, which has hosted races on the flat since the 17th century. Let’s explore the best things to do in Beverley:

Vancouver may be a temperate climate, but in the winter months, the North Shore mountains transform into a snow-capped wonderland. With three excellent mountains all within a 15 minutes drive from the downtown core, and a free shuttle to one of them, Vancouver is your perfect place for a winter holiday. Seymour and Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver offer up challenging runs and family fun, and Cypress in West Vancouver has the city’s best tubing park! And for the world class skiier, hob aboard a shuttle and head to Whistler/Blackcomb for one of the best alpine experiences in the world. It’s no wonder Vancouver played host to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Like any neighborhood around the world, Vancouver’s urban spaces tell a story. Commercial Drive is one of Vancouver’s oldest and most ethnically eclectic streets, and one that you definitely need to visit. This century old street, now affectionately termed “The Drive” is home to a mix of contemporary and Edwardian houses, Portguese bakeries, Brazilian coffee houses, Italian pasta places and any number of hippy-chic boutiques. In the spring and summer months, the Drive is a hive of activity, and a meeting place for those looking for good eats and great conversation.

If you’ve ever wanted to get up close and personal with what lies beneath the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean, or what’s living above in canopies of the Brazilian Amazon, the Vancouver Aquarium gives you that opportunity. One of North Americas largest aquariums, and conveniently located in the heart of Stanley Park, this attraction is one of the most popular things to do in Vancouver. There is lot’s to see, and as the Aquarium sees a regular rotation of unique exhibits, you may want to give yourself at least a day to come nose-to-nose with Belugas and learn about how essential the salmon is here in the Coastal ecosystem.

If a Vancouverite wants to know “what’s on” in the city, they flip through the pages of the Georgia Strait. From hyper local community center talent shows, to blockbuster movies, ballets and headlining super-bands, any event at any time will be listed in here. Check out some jazz at a local club, check out a comedy show on Granville Island, or get dolled up for a charity event at the Vancouver Convention Center, whatever your flavour, you’ll find it listed in this free publication.

Every summer, the Pacific National Exhibition returns to the city for a 17 day stint on its very own designated fair grounds. The century old tradition is local favorite and brings along with it an array of rides, farm animal auctions, a popular concert series, beer gardens, food vendors and all the makings of an exciting city-meets-urban fair.

Vancouver is amazing, but if you are lucky enough to have some extra time on your hands, there is a plethora of day trips that are bucketlist worthy. A forty-minute ferry ride will take you to the Sunshine Coast, Canada’s best kept secret, and one that we’re telling you so you can experience a coastal oasis. The roads are as lackadaisical as the wonderfully quirky people who live in this coastal community. Visitors can base themselves in Sechelt, Roberts Creek or Gibsons, or if you’re feeling more adventurous, rent a cabin up the coast and spend your days shopping at authentic farmer’s markets, laze around peaceful lakes, and or grab a book and head down to the beach for some you time.

Vancouver has many churches, but few as beautiful as the Christ Church Cathedral. You don’t have to be religious to admire this Gothic Revival structure built with West Coast Douglas fir beams. From its exquisite stained glass windows, to stunning archways, this is a great place to find some peace and quiet.

Vancouver’s West End neighborhood is one of the most unique in Canada. It’s the most densely populated urban neighborhood in the country, and because of its adjacent location to Stanley Park and with the popularity of the seawall, it’s a highly transitional neighborhood. In the summer, it’s hard to know where the tourists end and the locals begin! When dinner time hits, wander down Denman Street and find a spot for good eats and cocktails. Then head on down to English Bay, find a bench, and watch as mother nature puts on her finest show in the sky above.

We’ve already suggested you head up the sea-to-sky corridor, what we haven’t delved into are all the amazing things you’ll find along the way like the Sea-to-Sky Gondola, one of Vancouver’s newest and most exciting attractions. Vancouver is all about spectacular views, and the 100 meter long Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge provides 360 degree views of all the Squamish region has to offer. From rugged mountains above to the vibrant turquoise fjord below, you may not want to come down.

You’ll soon learn that Vancouverites love to spend all of their extra time in the outdoors, and one place they love to do that is in beautiful Pacific Spirit Regional Park. This park is complete With 874 hectares of pristine forest and plenty of manicured trails to run on. Visitors can enjoy a nice long 10km hike around the perimeter, or meander through it. And if you have the pooch along, this park is not only dog-friendly, but in many parts, off-leash friendly.

Canada is hockey country, there is no question. Hockey is to Canada what football (soccer) is to Europe, and if you happen to be in Vancouver between October and April, seeing the Vancouver Canucks go head-to-head with any number of NHL teams is one of the most exciting things to do in Vancouver.

Vancouver offers up a plethora of live music venues, and there’s always someone famous in town, dazzling the crowds. One of the oldest and most beloved venues is the Commodore Ballroom. Originating in the 1920’s during the vibrant Art Deco era, the Commodore has hosted the likes of Sammy Davis Jr., U2, Tina Turner and Lady Gaga. Unlike the larger venues in town, admission prices are reasonable and the atmosphere casual.

Garden enthusiasts from around the world love wandering the tranquil 22 acres of Vancouver’s Van Dusen Botanical Gardens. The great thing about this paradise in the city is you can visit it all year round. In the warmer months, pack a picnic, take a stroll down Laburnum Walk, and find a find a shady spot to enjoy the fragrant garden. The garden takes you on a tour of the world’s eco system, all in one place.

Vancouver has two suspension bridges, both equally spectacular, but one is always crowded with tourists and costly, and the other is frequented more by locals and free! Located in the heart of Lynn Valley, Lynn Canyon Park has been delighting hiking enthusiasts for over 100 years! Complete with trails, popular swimming holes, breathtaking waterfalls of course, a hair-raising suspension bridge, 50 meters up in the canopy makes this a must do, no matter how short your visit.

Vancouver is the most ethnically diverse city in the world, which means, if you can dream up a style cuisine, it’s probably here. Its culinary influences are infinite, from the freshest sushi, to the most rustic farm-to-table, you could easily take a tour around the globe eating here, so why not let someone do that for you and hop on a foodie tour. Pair the complex food scene with an exploding craft beer and wine industry and you have yourself the makings of a perfectly delicious day!

If you’re here during the summer months, which is best time to visit, the Richmond Market is one of the most interesting markets to wander through. Home to Vancouver’s largest Chinese community, Richmond puts on quite the show, with endless stalls of trinkets, and interesting foods, and art demonstrations.

Why not combine two of Vancouver’s oldest traditions? Taking high tea in a hotel that has roots back in the days of the railroad. Head over to the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver and take the elevator up to the 15th floor. A sumptuous spread awaits with the finest Fairmont teas, impeccable finger sandwiches, scones, and of course, what would any activity be in Vancouver without sweeping city views.

No visit to Vancouver is complete without a visit to the artsy Granville Island. Interestingly, it’s more a little peninsula than an island. What was once an industrial manufacturing hub, is now the meeting place for well-to-do Vancouverites and tourists to shop for the organic produce, sip on premium teas, sample fine chocolates, listen to buskers, and watch sleek yachts sidle on up to the dock.

If getting up close and personal with mother nature is your idea of the perfect day out, ocean kayaking is one of the most popular things to do in Vancouver, and Deep Cove is one of the best and safest places to do it in Canada. A tranquil paddle up Indian Arm, a picturesque fjord where the forests creatures come down to the water’s edge to greet you with curiosity.

While you’re in the neighborhood, Chinatown is home to one of Canada’s most impressive Chinese gardens, Dr. Sun Yat Sen. What makes it so exquisite is its unique construction. Constructed with wholly traditional methods (by hand), the site mimics complex gardens found on the Mainland with courtyards, meandering brooks, impeccably sculpted vegetation, all in keeping with the Confucian and Buddhist tradition.

The great thing about sightseeing in Vancouver is it’s easy to knock off multiple things in one visit to any of its unique neighborhoods. Vancouver’s Chinatown is one of the oldest in Canada and the largest. Perched on the edge of the Downtown Financial District and Gastown, Chinatown offers up an array of funky shops, inexpensive markets, and of course, the best Dim Sum restaurants in town. Sunday is the busiest day for Dim Sum, but also the best with multi-generational families sitting down and chatting about the week’s events.

Vancouver proper began in the heart of what is now a trendy neighborhood called Gastown, named after a historical figure known as “Gassy Jack”. Once Canada’s third largest city, “Gastown” in 1867, was the site of various lumber mills, Gastown is now home to chic loft apartments, European eateries, cocktail lounges and flashy boutiques. There are a few galleries of note along Water Street, and plenty of places to buy Canadiana.

The votes are in and the crowd has spoken; Vancouver’s Stanley Park managed to elbow out the likes of New York’s Central Park, the Luxeumbourg Gardens in Paris and Chicago’s Millennium Park to be named the World’s Best Park by Trip Advisor. So why is it so great? Where else in the world can you cycle all the way around an old growth forest, visit ancient Aboriginal village sites, steal a tan at the beach, lounge around a rose garden or get up and close with sea lions and Pacific dolphins. There are a handful of bicycle rental spots at the base of Denman Street, and its the best way to get around the park.

There is no better way to become an honorary Vancouverite (yep, that’s what they’re called), than to earn your stripes on the Grouse Grind. Nicknamed “Mother Nature’s Staircase”, this is no Sunday stroll. Located on Vancouver’s North Shore, at the foot of its namesake (Grouse Mountain), the Grind as it’s affectionately known, takes hikers some 850m up through the alpine. Once you reach the top, a panoramic chalet awaits with ice cold drinks and sweeping views of the city. And once you’ve recovered, save those wobbly legs from further torture and enjoy a scenic ride down the mountain on the Grouse Gondola.

Rated as one of the most the beautiful drives in the world, the Sea-to-Sky corridor takes visitors on a 1.5 hour long journey, from the heart of downtown Vancouver to the world class ski town of Whistler. With waterfalls, jaw-dropping vistas, a stunning cultural center and a suspension bridge along the way, you’ll want to pack a lunch, your camera and gas up the rental car, because this journey is one you won’t want to miss.

It’s easy to be dazzled by Vancouver’s geographical splendor, but to properly get acquainted with this city, you have to start at the beginning, the very beginning. Vancouver and what is known as the Lower Mainland was peopled some 10,000 years ago. Overlooking the Burrard Inlet, on campus at the University of British Columbia, the Museum of Anthropology offers up a mosaic of Aboriginal works, both ancient and contemporary, all weaving together a story that is rarely told to visitors of this great city. If you really want to learn about the city’s roots, and its relationship with the global community, this is one of the most important things to do in Vancouver.

There are few places on Earth where you can ski, surf, be transported back in time over 5,000 years, watch a pod of Orcas frolic in the midst, or take a stroll through the world’s best urban park, all in one day; Vancouver is that place. Nestled between vast valleys, lush temperate rain forest, and an unforgiving mountain range, Vancouver, British Columbia is unmistakably West Coast. While Vancouver is one of Canada’s newer cities, it holds the title as the most ethnically diverse and the most dense, with more than half a million people crammed into its modest downtown core. And though it may sound crowded, after hosting a very successful 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver is consistently voted one of the most livable cities in the world.