Stonehenge (near Salisbury, Wiltshire): The most celebrated prehistoric monument in Europe, Stonehenge is some 5,000 years old. Despite "definitive" books on the subject, its original purpose remains a mystery. The romantic theory that Stonehenge was "constructed by the Druids" is nonsense; it was completed before the Druids reached Britain in the 3rd century B.C., but the legend persists.

Glastonbury Abbey (Somerset): One of the great abbeys of England and once a center of culture and learning, Glastonbury quickly fell into ruins following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. One story about the abbey says that Jesus came here as a child with Joseph of Arimathea. According to another legend, King Arthur was buried at Glastonbury, the site of the fabled Avalon. Today, the abbey's large ruins are open to the public.

Tintagel (Cornwall): On the windswept Cornish coast, the castle of Tintagel is said to be the birthplace of King Arthur. The castle was actually built much later than the Arthurian legend, around 1150. But who wants to stand in the way of a good story? No one in Cornwall, that's for sure. Tintagel merrily touts the King Arthur legend -- in town, you can order an Excaliburger!