Cambridge is a popular city for international tourists, keen to take a behind-the-scenes look at this old English university city's people and places. Benedict le Vay reveals hidden secrets and amazing stories of the city's architecture, scandalous stories of the most outrageous dons and, most importantly, how to punt on the River Cam without looking like a complete prat.
FOURTH EDITION - WITH FAR MORE EXTRAORDINARY STORIES TO TELL > The war of Elephants and Chandeliers, the Pig War, the Football War, the War of the Stray Dog, the 38-minute War, The Pastry War. > The atom bomb cake, the bazooka Vespa scooter, the flying tank, the armoured quadricycle, the bat bombs. > The battleships that took on a hut, the house where history changed, the civilian aircraft that downed a warplane, the WWII planes that fought for the wrong side. > The day the Yanks bombed and sunk British ships (and got away with it - twice), the day the U.S. dropped four H-bombs on an ally. > The world's worst warship, the admirals who sunk their own ships, the ghost ships of the Arctic. The Russian battlefleet that shelled our trawlers, and our trawler that outwitted a German war battlefleet. > The heroic dogs, cats, bear, pigeons, crocodiles, penguins, reindeer and goats that joined our forces. > Submarines that attacked camels, cavalry and railways, and a railwayman who defeated a German sub. > The greatest hoax of all time, the biggest British war you've never heard of. > Crackpot colonels, insane inventors, the woman who built her own tank and drove it into battle, the mad Brit who fought the Nazis with a sword and longbow ... it's almost unbelievable. But it's all true.
Expert railway enthusiast Ben le Vay returns with a new edition of his much-acclaimed guide to discovering Britain from the rails. This latest edition adds new lines and destinations in Britain's fast-changing railway, while updating the guide to the classic greats. Thoroughly updated, it includes a full, fascinating guide to the new Borders Railway in Scotland, plus details of the new route from London to Oxford and expanded coverage of the eccentric Jolly Fisherman line in Lincolnshire and the charming Cotswold line from Oxford to Hereford. Also included are more details of the Far North line from Inverness to Wick and Thurso. 'Now, finally, the network has a book to be proud of!' So said one reviewer of the first edition. Branch lines and 'secret railways' are covered, and so too are the popular routes such as the glorious East Coast main line to Scotland and the Great Western to Penzance. Regional treats include the famed West Highland Line in Scotland, the Settle and Carlisle railway in the north of England, and entire chapters dedicated to 'Wales Rails' and 'East Anglia: A Circular Tour'. Additional information ranges from the practical - such as a guide to the layout of some of the country's main termini - to the 'Inside Track: a window-gazer's guide to stuff to look out for on your journey' and intriguing train trivia. The best historic and preserved railways are also included, as are Ben's Top Ten Rail Journeys. Ben le Vay says: 'There are endless books about trains, about the history of the railways, about stations, signal boxes, carriages, wagons. as specialist as you like. There are also myriad books about British cities and countryside, about what is wonderful and fascinating about different patches of our unique island. But there were none that successfully combined the one type of book with the other (after all, you look at the country while sitting on trains) until now. And this is I do with deep knowledge, love and enthusiasm for both parts.'
