"Time Out" Weekend Breaks in Great Britain and Ireland (Time Out Guides) by Time Out Guides Ltd £10.49

1000 Things to Do in London (Time Out 1000 Things to Do in London) by Tom Lamont  (5)  £9.09

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Amazon.co.uk Review
The Time Out series of travel guides has established itself as one of the most valuable series on the market today: unpretentious, sharp-eyed, authoritative and always totally accessible. In fact one runs out of adjectives for a book such as Weekend Breaks from London: anybody who cares to sample a couple of the breaks from this second edition will quickly regard this as the perfect companion to dwellers in the Smoke. The destinations here range from cities to swathes of the countryside or the astonishing beauty of the seaside. But wherever we are pointed, we are guided to the best places to stay, from quality B&Bs to more luxurious country house hotels. Needless to say, the essential sites and attractions of each area are detailed along with pithy, opinionated guides to local eateries and bars. In fact, it's the upfront opinions that distinguish this series: again and again the entries are expertly judged essays on everything from Canterbury Cathedral to "small and perfectly formed" Rutland with its calming reservoir, Rutland Water. And the opinions are very far from the usual fluff that fills such guides--take this description of Stonehenge, for instance:

You now have to pay £4.20 to see these big stones--and you still can't get close. There's also a money-spinning souvenir shop where you can even buy such neolithic memorabilia as Heritage Mustard. Impressive as the stones are, going to see them is a bit like renting your DVD player from the burglar who nicked it.

But while these warnings are valuable, it's the enthusiastic recommendations that make this a joy to use. It goes without saying that the detailed maps are invaluable, and colour photographs evoke some of the most beautiful and characterful sites in Britain. --Barry Forshaw

Synopsis
Whether your idea of fun is building sand castles or clambering over real castles, yomping through the countryside or slumping by the poolside, this guide picks out the best places to unwind within two hours travel by road or rail from London. Some destinations are cities, others are swathes of country or stretches of seaside and, in addition to a lively introduction to each place, you'll find: the choicest places to stay, from classy b&bs to classic country house hotels; the cream of local eating and drinking options; and the best and most intriguing sights and attractions in the area - all with detailed maps and full listing details.

"Time Out" Weekend Breaks in Great Britain and Ireland (Time Out Guides) by Time Out Guides Ltd £10.49

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4 Reviews 5 star:  (1) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review (4 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   10 of 10 people found the following review helpful: Great weekends!, 15 Jul 2002 By A Customer I have to completely disagree with the other review on this page. Please don't let it put you off this book. Although I currently live in London, I'm a born-and-bred northerner so know relatively little about the countryside around London. However, this book has opened my eyes to exactly what there is to see and do when London gets too much for me. Having just returned from a wonderful weekend in Sussex, I can safely say that the recommendations in this guide are detailed, interesting, weell thought-out and above all entirely accurate. A pub recommendation led us to the best pub meal (and one of the best meal in any restaurant) that we have ever had in quite possibly the nicest pub we've ever been in. I have also used this book for daytrips, and reading it has opened my eyes to places that I would never have otherwise heard of or thought to visit. Well worth the money. My only criticism is that it would be helpful to have slightly more detailed maps for each section, but that is a minor quibble.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   16 of 25 people found the following review helpful: VERY DISAPPOINTING!-A waste of hard earned £££££, 22 Jan 2002 By  natashadambrosio@aol.com (london) - See all my reviews As an avid reader of Timeout magazine and other guide books, I was eagerly awaiting my delivery of this highly publicised book. On delivery I scanned the book and was a bit disappionted by the lack of relevant and approriate info for my needs and wants. I set aside some time to give timeout the benefit of the doubt and read through it from cover to cover. On a closer examination I was even more disappointed than initially. The guide covers only weekend breaks which are definately more on the expensive side rather than the budget breaks which they claimed to be and which timeout are renowned for. The book is in sections which are quite easy to follow the only good point. Not all locations are in the correct named section, so a specific place may be hard to find. I must honestly say I have read through the book and have put it away in the cupboard to gather dust as I feel that it is no use whatsoever to me at all and quite frankly i would like my money refunded from Timeout. I was looking for a budget break guide to help me out of London on the weekend, but was very disappointed. So a warning to any prospective buyers..... "A waste of hard earned cash"  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: Concise, accurate, unbiased - superb!, 6 Aug 2001 By A Customer This review is from: "Time Out" Book of Weekend Breaks ("Time Out" Guides) (Paperback) If you want to know where to go within 2 hours of London - this is for you. Loads of info on where to go, where to stay, what to do. Went to Aylesbury, stayed in lovly guest house advertised on page 298.Had a great time. Been to other areas (Stratford, Brighton, Bath) as well.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all 4 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews Want to get out the city? This is a useful book While I live in the city these days, like so many other Londoners I'm not from here originally. I still have an occasional need to get out and spend time in different places, but... Read more Published on 7 Feb 2000 by af@contract.co.uk Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 4 customer reviews...