Great British legends

Robin Hood

Robin Hood is the classic English folk hero - a wrong-righting, do-derring thoroughly admirable chap. Did we mention the handsome green outfits and Merry Men? Unsurprisingly, Nottingham lays greatest claim to his legacy. At the city's annual Robin Hood Pageant you can learn archery and re-enact a medieval scrap. But Robin also lives on in nearby Sherwood Forest - and the outlaw's name is attached to a bay in North Yorkshire and an airport in the south of the county. Just don't do what Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman did in the 1991 film Prince of Thieves, and set off to walk from Dover to Nottingham in a day - the actual distance is 214 miles.

The Loch Ness Monster

Few things are as emblematically Scottish as the mythical monster that skulks in Loch Ness, Britain's longest body of fresh water. Sightings of Nessie have declined over recent years and despite high-profile submarine searches and much-disputed photographs the beast is no more real than when St Columba apparently saved a local Pict from Nessie's fury in the 6th century. When you've given up searching for Nessie, take the chance to explore the smaller towns along Loch Ness' 23 miles.

Sherlock Holmes

London's Baker Street was the home of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective, and it's here that Holmes buffs will find a statue and museum dedicated to the Victorian crime fighter. Even more fun is exploring the landscapes that inspired him. Try donning a deerstalker hat on a wild winter's day on Dartmoor in Devon, the setting for The Hound of the Baskervilles. The South Downs, where Holmes' rural retreat was located, are an easy day trip from London, or a stop here en route to Brighton.

James Bond

Dashing and debonair, it's no surprise that to find Bond you should start at his tailors, Turnbull & Asser of Bond Street, London. It's a short stroll from here to Duke's Bar in St James', where Ian Fleming first heard the words 'shaken, not stirred' and today the bar claims to mix the world's best martini. Relive the boat chase at the start of The World Is Not Enough on a speedboat trip down the Thames. Tours often pass the MI6 building where 007 gets his gadgets from Q. Take a 90-minute journey from London to the National Motor Museum (www.beaulieu.co.uk) at Beaulieu, where you'll find fantastic cars from throughout Bond's career.

Knights in Shining Armour - King Arthur & the Templars

The true identity of King Arthur is lost in time, but various locations in Britain lay claim to being the true location of Camelot. You'll hear the clang of Lancelot's sword and smell the oak from the Round Table at Caerleon in Wales. The cliff-top castle of Tintagel in Cornwall is worth a visit anyway, but its claim as Arthur's birthplace makes it a must visit. Glastonbury in Somerset also makes the strong claim to be the location of the Isle of Avalon, where Arthur's body was laid to rest. Today, it's a great place for some crystal therapy and stocking up on joss sticks. Arthur, his Knights and Merlin are according to legend, not dead. They sleep in a cave somewhere in Britain - possibly near Alderly Edge in Cheshire - ready to awake in the country's moment of greatest need.

Whereas Arthur is steeped in legend, the Knights Templars - made famous by the Da Vinci Code - were most certainly real. Temple Church in London is, as seen in the film, home to the effigies of crusading Templars. More mysteriously, Royston Cave, near Baldock in Hertfordshire, is home to medieval carvings said to depict Templar symbols. The Round Church in Cambridge is another must-see Templar location.

Jack the Ripper

Forever synonymous with the Victorian streets of Whitechapel in east London, Jack the Ripper's territory is Britain's premier dark tourist attraction. The serial killer, who murdered five prostitutes in 1888 but was never caught, was voted the worst-ever Briton in a 2006 poll. That doesn't mean you won't have a cracking night out on a walking tour exploring Ripper sites. While Whitechapel retains something of the night, by day it has a great mix of hip boutiques, designer bars and, on Brick Lane, curry houses as far as the eye can see.

Harry Potter

Potterphiles should make Kings Cross Station - complete with Platform 9&¾ - their first stop, and from here head north to Alnwick Castle in Northumberland for a game of Quidditch. In north Yorkshire, Goathland doubles as Hogwarts Station, and getting here involves crossing the mighty Ribblehead Viaduct which also appears in the films. For the school itself you'll need to travel south to Gloucester Cathedral. Back in the capital, Harry liberates a snake from the Reptile House in The Philosophers Stone - the snake presumably slithers off for a life of leisure in Regents Park.