The Observer - 11.08.2019

The Observer

Travel 11.08.19 61

Five of the best

Open-air theatres in the UK accessible by public transport

1 Minack, Cornwall

The nation’s most dramatic open-air

theatre is quite the experience even

before the show starts. The steeply

shelving auditorium in Porthcurno

tumbles down cliffs to a stage whose

backdrop is the Atlantic.

 minack.com, adult £14, child £ 7.

For matinees, bus A1 from Penzance;

evenings there’s a bookable bus (01736

810181) from St Ives via Penzance

2 Greenbank Garden, Glasgow

With woods to roam, 3,600 plant

species and an 18th-century

walled garden, Greenbank Garden

on Clarkston is a pastoral slice of

Glaswegian suburbia – perfect for

a romp through Jane Austen’s Sense

and Sensibility.

 nts.org.uk, adult £13.50-£16, child

£8, family from £37. Greenbank is

an easy walk from Whitecraigs or

Williamwood train stations

3 Brighton Open Air Theatre

O n the former bowling green at

Dyke Road Park, this was the brain-

child of the late playwright Adrian

Bunting. It has a classical layout,

modelled on ancient amphitheatres,

and has now become a fi xture on

many touring companies’ itineraries.

 brightonopenairtheatre.co.uk,

adult £12, family from £35. Walkable

from Br ighton, Hove and Preston Park

stations, and on four bus routes

4 Grosvenor Park, Chester

This 20-acre greensward on the

bank of the Dee is considered one

of Britain’s fi nest Victorian parks.

Bring a picnic or order a wood-fi red

pizza from the theatre’s Twelfth

Slice joint. Shows include Henry V,

The Borrowers and Twelfth Night.

 grosvenorparkopenairtheatre.co.uk,

adult from £26.50 (one child free),

under-26s from £19.50. Walkable

from Chester bus and train stations

5 Sutton Hoo, Suffolk

This important archaeological site

on the River Deben is also a beauti-

ful, recently revamped 103-hectare

estate. There can be few better set-

tings for a new play by Karen Forbes

about the life of Edith Pretty , with-

out whom Sutton Hoo’s treasures

might never have been discovered.

 nationaltrust.org.uk/sutton-hoo ,

adult £15, child £13, 24-26 August.

Walkable from Melton train station

Dixe Wills

1

4 5

2

3

Our pick of venues

outside London have

outdoor summer

shows in locations

from coastal Cornwall

to the Glasgow suburbs

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