The top 25 destinations

Even for the most ardent lovers of life in the city, there are times when a brief respite from the noise, bustle and pollution is required.

Here's the 25 best "great escapes" from London in alphabetical order:

1. Bath
2. Battle
3. Brighton
4. Cambridge
5. Canterbury
6. Dover Castle
7. Greenwich
8. Hampstead
9. Hampton Court
10. Hever Castle
11. Kew Gardens
12. Knole
13. Leeds Castle
14. Monk's House and Charleston
15. Moreton-in-Marsh and the Cotswolds
16. Oxford
17. Rochester
18. Rye
19. St Albans
20. Salisbury and Stonehenge
21. Sissinghurst Castle Gardens
22. Stratford-upon-Avon
23. Winchester
24. Windsor and Eton
25. York