Tunbridge Wells

Royal Tunbridge Wells is a spa town in the Kent Weald that owes its existence to the discovery of the chalybeate spring in 1606, when Dudley, Lord North, credited the iron-rich water with improving his health. The town that grew around the spring became one of the principal resorts of the English aristocracy through the 17th and 18th centuries, and the Pantiles -- the pedestrianised colonnade at its heart -- dates from this period. The 17th-century buildings along the Pantiles are largely intact and the layout has changed relatively little in 300 years.

The chalybeate spring sits in the lower Pantiles and is open free of charge at any time. In summer, costumed Dippers serve the water formally in the traditional manner. The water is strongly iron-rich -- it dyes surfaces orange on contact and the taste is pronounced -- and trying it is a more memorable experience than the heritage context alone would suggest. The Pantiles market on Fridays and Saturdays brings local food producers onto the colonnade, making late morning the best combination of market browse and spring visit.

Calverley Grounds, a few minutes' walk from the Pantiles, is a well-maintained historic park and free to enter. The town has a strong independent restaurant and café offer centred on the area between the Pantiles and the station. Tunbridge Wells station has frequent direct trains from London Charing Cross; the journey takes around 50 minutes and the Pantiles is a 10-minute walk downhill from the station.