Lewes in top 10 '˜coolest places' to visit in UK

Lewes is among the 10 '˜coolest places' to visit in Britain, according to award-winning guidebook publisher DK Travel.
Lewes Bonfire Night, when the streets are filled with flame, spectacle and musicLewes Bonfire Night, when the streets are filled with flame, spectacle and music
Lewes Bonfire Night, when the streets are filled with flame, spectacle and music

The county town joins the likes of Liverpool and Glasgow on the great British bucket list 2018.

DK Travel said: “At first appearance, Lewes appears an affluent country town with its bustling High Street lined by Georgian townhouses, atmospheric castle ruins and proximity to opera powerhouse Glyndebourne. But there’s an anarchic undercurrent to this East Sussex town.

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“Bonfire Night celebrations here are notoriously raucous: locals dressed in an array of colourful costumes parade through the streets with flaming torches and effigies of controversial figures – in 2017, Donald Trump, Theresa May and Kim Jong-un all featured. Alongside commemorating the foiled Gunpowder Plot of 1605, this celebration also pays tribute to 17 Protestant Martyrs burned at the stake between 1555 and 1557.

“After partaking in this riotous ritual, stop for an obligatory pint of Harvey’s, the local brew, at the Lewes Arms. Showing just how seriously this town takes its beer, patrons boycotted this pub for 133 days in 2006, when this cherished tipple was removed.”

Also on the bucket list are the Lake District, Yorkshire, the Pembrokeshire coast, Lincoln, the Isle of Skye, Plymouth and the Cotswolds.

DK is the bestselling publisher of DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, with more than 500 books, eBooks and apps that cover more than 200 destinations worldwide.