Americans might actually enjoy getting lost in Britain this year. VisitBritain is challenging visitors to find their way through the many labyrinthine garden mazes to be found in England, Scotland and Wales.
This is officially 'Year of Gardening' in Britain and some of these horticultural riddles are identified in a free guide called 'Britain's Gardens', published by VisitBritain, which points out that this diverse collection ranges from traditional hedge mazes to those created from turf, brick, glass and even water. Many of Britain's nearly 100 mazes are featured in renowned gardens at historic palaces, castles and country houses.
One of Britain's most acclaimed mazes is at Hampton Court Palace, on the banks of the River Thames in south-west London. Once the home of monarchs from King Henry VIII to King George II, the palace's maze covers one-third of an acre and its paths are nearly half-a-mile long.
It was planted in 1702 and is the last remaining part of The Wilderness, an area built during the time of King William III. The maze achieved literary fame in Jerome K. Jerome's classic 'Three Men in a Boat', in which one of the title characters discovered that the maze was not as easy to get through as he thought at first. For more information: www.hrp.org.uk.
The Marlborough Maze at Blenheim Palace, near Oxford, is one of the world's largest symbolic hedge mazes and the designers thoughtfully provided two wooden bridges as vantage points on which visitors can view their progress, or lack thereof. Blenheim Palace celebrates the 300th anniversary in 2004 of the Battle of Blenheim for which it is named. It is the ancestral home of the Dukes of Marlborough and was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. For more information: www.blenheimpalace.com.
The world's longest hedge maze (more than 1.6 miles) is at Longleat House, near Bath, in England's West Country, home of the Marquess of Bath. Designed as a three-dimensional puzzle, it has no fewer than six wooden bridges to help visitors identify their location and the maze's center. Originally constructed in 1975 from more than 16,000 yew trees, it has since been extended and now takes an average of 90 minutes to complete. Longleat also has two children's mazes. For more information: www.longleat.co.uk.
There's a touch of royalty about the maze at Leeds Castle, in the county of Kent in south-east England. It has the appearance of a topiary castle as part of the maze mirrors the design of a queen's crown. Those who find their way through are rewarded with stunning panoramic views of the surrounding parkland. For more information: www.leeds-castle.com.
Among other noteworthy mazes are a water maze and hedge maze at Hever Castle, also in Kent, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, mother of Queen Elizabeth I; a three-D maze in the children's garden at Ragley Hall, near Stratford-upon-Avon; and a hedge maze at Chatsworth House in central England, ancestral home of the Dukes of Devonshire.
According to VisitBritain, one of the best ways to explore Britain's gardens is with the Great British Heritage Pass, which allows unlimited entry into more than 600 castles, stately homes, gardens and historic sites and properties in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In fact, holders need visit only a few of them to recoup the cost of the pass, which is priced $35 for four days; $54 for seven days; $75 for 15 days; and $102 for one month.
The Great British Heritage Pass, marking its 30th anniversary this year, is available from travel agents or: BritRail, tel. (877) 677 1066, web: www.britrail.net; Rail Europe, tel. (888) 274 8724, web: www.raileurope.com/us; and Tickets ToÖ Inc., tel. (800) 869 8184, web: www.ticketsto.com.
'Britain's Gardens' is available free from VisitBritain's Travel Center, 551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 701, (at 45th street), in New York City, Mondays through Fridays between 9.00am and 6.00pm. VisitBritain's Travel Center can also be reached via email at: travelinfo@visitbritain.org;