For many the vibrant seaside village of Mumbles is the gateway to the beautiful Gower Peninsula, and both have fascinating history and fine scenery to offer.
The Gloucestershire town of Cirencester has a rich and diverse history dating back to Roman times when, known as Corinium, it was the second largest settlement outside London.
The seaside town of Bournemouth was founded as a watering place in the early nineteenth century in an area of barren land on the south coast known for smuggling.
Whitehaven was just a fishing village on the Cumbrian coast until the port was developed by the Lowther family in the seventeenth century to export coal from the Cumberland coalfield.
The town of Arundel in West Sussex is overlooked by Arundel Castle and the Roman Catholic cathedral, which was built through the support of the Duke of Norfolk, but the history of Arundel is built on much more than the castle and the dukes and earls.
Crowds of visitors flock to Whitby to explore the ancient abbey, walk the narrow streets, pass Captain Cook's home and see the replica of his ship Endeavour, but the history of Whitby is much richer, as revealed in this tour of its significant, interesting and unusual buildings.
Truro has been an important port since the Middle Ages, and its status as a stannary town, allowing it to assay and stamp copper and tin from Cornish mines, also brought prosperity to the town.
Although Blackpool is not an old town, it has a wealth of fascinating buildings that represent its growth from a small village on the Lancashire coast to a centre for tourism.
The ancient walled city of Chester has an illustrious military history dating back to Roman times when a fort, four times the size of anything else in Britannia, was built here.
A red and white dragon fighting tooth and claw in the moonlit sky; mischievous fairy folk luring unwary travellers deep into their underground lairs; a kind-hearted mermaid saving the lives of those in peril on the high seas; and a charmed boy who transforms into an otter and a bird to outrun a wicked witch.
The county of Worcestershire in the West Midlands is characterised by its beautiful cathedral city of Worcester, attractive market towns and villages and its industrial heritage, particularly in the north-east of the county.
Keswick is one of the most popular towns in Cumbria, beloved by local residents and the thousands of holidaymakers who visit the Lake District every year.
The town of Watford, in Hertfordshire, began as a settlement in the twelfth century when the Abbot of St Albans, who owned the land here, was given permission to hold a weekly market.
The north Norfolk coastal towns of Cromer and Sheringham, roughly 4 miles apart, were both small fishing villages until their development in the nineteenth century.
In Illustrated Tales of Shropshire author and historian David Paul brings us a selection of the county's strange and mythical tales, from its hills and lakes and rural landscapes to its ancient and more modern towns, villages and cities.
Hove, west of its immediate neighbour Brighton, was a small fishing village on the Sussex coast until its development in the early nineteenth century as a fashionable seaside resort for wealthy Londoners following the patronage of the prince regent, later George IV.
Author and historian David Paul brings us a selection of strange and mythical tales from across Yorkshire, from the Wolds, Dales and Moors to its lesser-known rural landscape, from the coast to its towns, villages and cities, including a whole range of places, events and people that are seldom mentioned in standard histories or guides.
The Surrey town of Cobham grew up around two centres - Church Cobham, around the medieval church of St Andrew, which also developed as the main commercial centre of the town in Victorian times, and Street Cobham along the old London-Portsmouth road, characterised by several large eighteenth-century coaching inns.
Located immediately to the south of London, between the capital and the English Channel, Surrey has long played a significant part in the defence of the nation.
Brighton has grown from a fashionable resort in Georgian times, and a popular place to visit for Londoners once the railways arrived in Sussex in the nineteenth century, to today's lively conurbation on the south coast.
The modern town of Gillingham grew up on the banks of the River Medway around the Royal Naval Dockyard of Chatham, most of which actually lay within Gillingham.
Located on the north bank of the River Thames opposite Gravesend, with which there has been a ferry link for centuries, Tilbury Landing Stage is a fine vantage point for viewing shipping passing to and from upriver berths.
The historic Royal Borough of Greenwich is well known for its magnificent maritime, military and civil architecture, ancient royal park, ship and boat building, and pioneering developments in scientific discovery, light industry and manufacturing.
Stirling is associated with two of the most notable names and battles in Scottish history: William Wallace and the Battle of Stirling Bridge, and Robert the Bruce and the Battle of Bannockburn.
The history of the south Wales city of Swansea stretches back to the establishment of a Viking trading post at the mouth of the River Tawe, and the settlement was granted a charter following the Norman Conquest.
Maidstone, the county town of Kent, has a colourful history shaped by battles, royalty, revolts, witches, mad priests, industrialists, brewers and Victorian benefactors.
