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Travel Maritime Britain
Ships, galleons & floating museums ...
By Simon Heptinstall

Greenwich is a wonderful place to launch any nautical tour of Britain. At this World Heritage Site on the banks of the Thames in London, the sense of maritime history is so strong you almost expect to see Captain Aubrey sailing past at the helm of HMS Surprise.

The sea breeze flapping across heavy canvas sails, wind whistling through salty rigging, and the gentle creak of tarred wood as a proud sailing ship cuts through a swell… maritime heritage isn’t just something to visit. It’s something to hear, feel and smell too.

As the home base of the Royal Navy for more than 1,000 years, Britain is the finest place to experience that complete taste of swashbuckling history, romantic gallantry and seafaring prowess.

The new Russell Crowe film Master and Commander – The Far Side of the World, is set on the high seas during the Napoleonic Wars. Based on the Patrick O’Brian novels, the film follows the adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey whose vessel is attacked by an enemy warship. A man on a mission, he sets sail on a high stakes chase across two oceans to intercept and capture his foe.

If the dashing naval heroes of Master and Commander whet your appetite, Britain’s nautical attractions are a must. Crowe’s Captain Jack Aubrey is the latest in a long line of British heroes of the sea, both fictional and real; for this is the homeland of Admiral Nelson, Sir Francis Drake, Captain Cook and Sir Walter Raleigh. So it’s hardly surprising that Britain is one big treasure island where the nautical gold isn’t buried or hidden, it’s simply scattered all around the beautiful coastline.

Nowhere else in the world can visitors get so close to real sea-going adventurers. You can stand on the green at Plymouth Hoe where Sir Francis Drake played bowls as the Armada approached and retrace the steps of the Pilgrim Fathers as they boarded the Mayflower; stroll round the atmospheric Belfast docks where the Titanic was built; and even stand astride the Greenwich Meridian Line – centre of all timekeeping and map-reckoning.

In fact Greenwich is a wonderful place to launch any nautical tour of Britain. At this World Heritage Site on the banks of the Thames in London, the sense of maritime history is so strong you almost expect to see Captain Aubrey sailing past at the helm of HMS Surprise.

There’s nothing fictional about the world’s only surviving three-masted tea clipper, the Cutty Sark. At Greenwich you can step aboard and imagine the bustle of a Victorian trading ship. Explore the magnificent Old Royal Naval College and National Maritime Museum. This is where boatbuilders found original 1757 drawings to create the stunning replica of HMS Rose which doubles as HMS Surprise in Master and Commander.

And as the Thames winds through London, its banks are a sequence of landmarks of maritime legacy. The new Museum in Docklands charts the fascinating history of London’s river port. Head west to the second world war cruiser HMS Belfast. Discover about life on board by touring gun turrets, cabins and even the engine room.

Further upstream, between London Bridge and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is The Golden Hinde, a full-scale reconstruction of Francis Drake’s famous galleon.

Down on the south coast in Hampshire, a couple of hours from London, is one of the Royal Navy’s biggest and busiest ports. The Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is home to three most important warships - Henry VIII's lavish galleon Mary Rose, Lord Nelson's HMS Victory and the world's first iron battleship, the mighty HMS Warrior of 1860.

Further south, maritime treasure hunters will discover a hoard of seafaring gold in the Channel Islands. The more energetic can head for the sea, step back in time and dive amongst the numerous wrecks surrounding the islands. Explore the Maritime Museum in St. Helier, Jersey and learn about the islanders’ relationship with the sea over the past 8,000 years.

120 miles west of London is a city with a merchant naval heritage – Bristol. Here you can board the SS Great Britain, which 160 years ago was the world’s first ocean liner and carried 15,000 emigrants to Australia. Alongside her is The Matthew, a replica of the 15th-century vessel in which John Cabot crossed the Atlantic to claim Newfoundland.

Head north into Wales to find a coastline dotted with old smugglers’ caves and fishermen’s pubs. Seafaring highlights include Swansea’s maritime quarter, Cardiff’s stylishly renovated docklands and a string of dramatic medieval castles commanding strategic waterways, like those at Pembroke, Harlech, Beaumaris and Conway.

On the other side of Britain, England’s eastern counties boast another long and varied coastline.

A few miles inland is the picturesque town of Boston, from where the Pilgrim Fathers attempted to flee in 1607. Make an appointment to visit the Guildhall courtroom and cells where the ringleaders were tried and imprisoned before they fled to the New World via Holland.

In Norfolk visit Great Yarmouth, to see where Nelson grew up and got his first taste for the sea. The town is now home to the Norfolk Nelson Museum.

Further north, the city of Hull has a long seafaring tradition. The original HMS Rose was built here in 1757. But Hull is a modern vibrant centre too with attractions including a Maritime Museum, a North Sea trawler converted to a floating museum and a renovated lightship.

Further up the coast discover Captain Cook Country. The town of Whitby has been associated with the famous seafarer for over two hundred years. Here you can visit the harbourside Captain Cook Memorial Museum.

Conclude your tour north of the border. Scotland has a strong naval history of its own, such as Clydeside’s proud shipbuilding tradition. The Coastal cities of Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee have fascinating maritime museums, and Scotland’s capital Edinburgh is now home to the Royal Yacht Britannia. Visitors can step on board the ship that was once home to the world's most famous family.

More about UK ships & historical attractions:

www.seabritain.com