Cornwall has a long and fascinating history of ghost stories, from ghostly ships seen traversing the coastline, phantom smugglers and pirates to grisly murders and lonely suicides.
Recognised as a royal county in 1957, Berkshire is renowned for its monarchical splendour, with Windsor Castle forming the backdrop to many historic ceremonial events and occasions, but what about the other highlights of this southern shire?
In medieval Edinburgh the dead were buried in the city's churchyards, with internment in the church reserved for the wealthy, but in the post-Reformation years both rich and poor were buried in the grounds of the churches.
Although it occupies just 45 square miles, Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands, and has a fascinating history that has links to both Britain and France.
The Cotswold Hills run in a large swathe through south central England, chiefly in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, but also parts of Somerset, Wiltshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
Although within close proximity to London, the county of Surrey is blessed with green open spaces, including the North Downs, the Weald and the Surrey Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The Shropshire market town of Shrewsbury, lying on the River Severn, was an important centre of the wool trade in medieval England and its prosperity continued up until the Industrial Revolution, with a wealth of ancient and historical buildings still standing in the town centre.
In this comprehensively illustrated guide, Harpenden History Tour takes the reader on a nostalgic journey around this quintessential country village in days gone by, coupled with a useful location map showing the various places of historical interest, highlighting the many changes that have taken place over the last 100 years.
Shrewsbury, Shropshire's county town, has been an important trading and administrative centre since medieval times because of its position on the River Severn close to the Welsh border.
Set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and at the mouth of the River Exe, Exmouth is one of the largest seaside towns in Devon and is regarded as the county's oldest holiday resort.
Sussex is a mostly rural county, with rolling hills in the South Downs National Park, comprising ancient farmland of patchwork fields with sheep grazing the hillside.
Lying 7 miles south-east of Manchester, the town of Stockport can trace its history back to the foundation of a castle in the area in the late twelfth century and the granting of a borough charter around 1220.
The towns and villages west of Birmingham, around Dudley, Wolverhampton, Sandwell and Wallsall, became known as the Black Country during the Industrial Revolution due to the intense industrialisation of the area, particularly coal mining and ironworking.
The Somerset town of Bridgwater was an important port on the River Parrett in the Middle Ages, linked inland during the Industrial Revolution with the construction of the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal.
From its heyday in the nineteenth century as a major centre of wire making, textiles, chemical production and brewing through to its Second World War role as the largest US Army Air Force base in Europe and subsequent reinvention as a new town in the late 1960s, Warrington is now the largest town in Cheshire, with a proud heritage and distinctive identity.
Over the last few years Bristol has received many accolades such as the UK's 'happiest city', 'most desirable location to live', 'kindest and most selfless people', and 'most artistic city'.
The medieval Suffolk market town of Bungay on the River Waveney was dominated by its castle, owned by the Bigod family, the Earls of Norfolk, and its Benedictine priory.
Warwickshire is a county steeped in the supernatural, as befits the county of Shakespeare and the many ghosts and spirits that he conjured up in his works.
Unlike many other small villages in the UK, Lesmahagow has many claims to fame because of its location and geological heritage and due to many of its sometime residents having taken up influential roles in the history of the nation.