Marvelous Scenic Walks Near London

There are plenty of walking routes in London. If you fancy something a bit more rural, then the green and pleasant land has plenty to offer.

If you’re in the mood for a gentle rural walk, the Thames Path is far from boring. The 5-mile footpath follows the curve of the river, winding past wildflower meadows (草地).

Post-walk pub: Pangbourne’s seventeenth-century pub The Swan serves high-end dishes. Bag a table on the riverside or keep toasty by one of its open fires.

To admire this spots rural views, first you’ve got to jump across 17 stepping stones and climb 272 steps to the top of Box Hill, where the path begins. The total distance is 6.8 miles.

Post-walk pub: The cavernous Tree on Box Hill has an attractive menu and huge beer garden, or sample a glass of Juniper Hill at Denbies Winerie.

If you’ve already done the classic Seven Sisters clifftop walk or can’t face all those hills, this is a long but lovely alternative. The route covering 14.3 miles snakes along a ridge and a river valley.

Post-walk pub: There are always 10 real beers at the old-school pub The Wellington.

Chess Valley in the Chiltern Hills isn’t home to any chess masters, but it used to produce a kind of water plant. This walk of 4.9 miles follows the river, winding through rolling meadows and woods.

Post-walk pub: The George & Dragon is a simple old coaching pub on the High Street with a log fire, real beers and giant burgers.

Online dictionaries have become part of the writing and reading culture. Considering that there are several of them, you need to know what dictionary to use in different situations. The following gives you a detailed outlook of the best dictionaries on the web, their unique features, and their advantages and disadvantages.

Collins Dictionary

Featuring over 4.5 billion words, it is one of the best platforms for learners and teachers. Its search engine enables you to select the word by just typing a few letters. However, it doesn’t feature urban words and that the translator mode doesn’t always give correct translations.

Urban Dictionary

Urban dictionary is an online platform where you can find urban words or slang expressions. Although it doesn’t come handy for scholars, it can help you understand slang or urban words you come across around the web. You sometimes have to do many searches to get desired results.

Oxford Dictionary

Known as the best tool for students and learners, it helps define words both in British and American English. For clearer understanding, Oxford dictionary offers pictures, example sentences, and audio pronunciation, among others. It is the ideal (最合适的) dictionary to use when writing a research paper, but is sometimes criticized for complex word definitions.

Cambridge Dictionary

This dictionary is another highly respected online dictionary for official and academic purposes. It has three outstanding features which are dictionary, grammar, and translator. The dictionary supports translation for over 20 languages. Sometimes you may meet lots of information that might make it hard to get desired results.

Below are some best special interesting holidays─all are new for 2017 and have high quality guides or tutors and strong programmes.

Holland in bloom river cruise (巡游) with Alan Titchmarsh

Alan Titchmarsh is the star attraction on this river cruise. Alan joins you for a visit to the magnificent Keukenhof Gardens─home to 800 varieties of tulips (郁金香).The Telegraph’s gardening expert will talk about the best new varieties and the garden’s history.

April 19, £1,495 including flights from the UK and some meals. Telegraph Tours (0161 236 2444; telegraph.co.uk/titchmarshtour).

Morocco Sketchbook

Led by artist Maxine Relton, this tour takes in Marrakesh helping you develop your drawing skills. Rapid line and figure drawing and colour mixing are all covered and the eight-day holiday is based in Kasbah du Toubkal.

May 8, £2,495 including some meals. Steppes Travel (01285 601 495; steppestravel.co.uk).

Ballroom and Latin American dancing in Tenerife

This travel provides daily dance tuition with David Bowie who’ll be on hand to teach dancing techniques. It is aimed both at the beginners and more experienced dancers looking to improve their skills. There’ll also be time to explore the island on foot or play a round of golf.

April 26, £769 full-board. Saga (0800 096 0084; travel.saga.co.uk).

Fishing in Northern Argentina

This nine-day fly fishing and conservation tour takes in the Iberá Marshlands, the world’s second largest wetlands. Here expert fisherman, Charles Jardine, is the guide as you fish. Based in Estancia Rincon del Socorro, the holiday also includes opportunities for horse riding and bird-watching.

October 15, £5,095 full-board. Cazenove + Loyd (02038135082; cazloyd.com).