London

St James's Park

A cottage with a flower garden, tucked among the trees of the royal park.

Late October and early November in the southeast of England: short days, overcast skies, rust-colored leaves and towns that light up early. The first evening is in London, on the bank of the Thames, with the towers of the City lit up across the water in the blue hour, London Bridge and the old riverside buildings, and, above London Bridge station, The Shard. In St James's Park, a tile-roofed cottage hides in a flower garden.

London

The towers of the City lit up in the blue hour across the Thames, and London Bridge with the old buildings on the bank.

The Shard

The 310 m skyscraper beside London Bridge station and the night view from its top floors: Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral and the Thames bridges.

The White Cliffs of Dover

Chalk cliffs above the port of Dover and the strait, with the clifftop path and a white lighthouse on the edge.

On November 1, Kent. The White Cliffs of Dover are chalk cliffs up to about 110 m high, above the port and the strait that separates England from France, roughly 33 km wide at its narrowest. The clifftop path runs through long grass, with the sea and the harbor walls below, out to a white lighthouse on the edge of the cliff. In the evening, Canterbury: the cathedral, seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the place where Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170, is floodlit at night, with its central tower, its cloister and ruined arches within the precincts. Together with St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the entrance to the old town, the Westgate, a 14th-century medieval gatehouse, raises its round towers above the street.

South Foreland Lighthouse

A white Victorian lighthouse on the cliffs near Dover, above the English Channel.

Westgate

The Westgate, the city's 14th-century medieval gatehouse, its round towers lit at night.

On November 2, Leeds Castle, near Maidstone: a castle dating back to the 12th century, built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len, its walls reflected in the water. The grounds have ponds, a small waterfall and trees in every autumn color under a gray sky.

Canterbury Cathedral

The Gothic cathedral floodlit at night, its cloister and ruined arches within the precincts.

Leeds Castle

The castle on the islands of a lake formed by the River Len, its walls reflected in the water and the grounds in autumn color.

Natural History Museum

The Romanesque terracotta facade of the South Kensington museum, opened in 1881.

The last day returns to London. The Natural History Museum in South Kensington, opened in 1881, has a Romanesque-style facade clad in terracotta. In the evening, the city is seen from above. From The Shard, at 310 m the tallest building in the United Kingdom, you see Tower Bridge lit up, St Paul's Cathedral, the Thames bridges and the railway lines running into London Bridge station. From the Sky Garden, at the top of 20 Fenchurch Street, the view drops straight onto the Tower of London, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with Tower Bridge beside it; from there you also see the towers of the City and, to the west, the London Eye and the Parliament clock tower.

Sky Garden

The garden at the top of 20 Fenchurch Street: the Tower of London and Tower Bridge at night, the towers of the City and, to the west, the London Eye.