The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: June seventeenth, exploring Britain's amazing mazes.

Are you a puzzle person who enjoys mazes, those complicated, confusing labyrinthine constructions that capture all comers? Mazes have been popular throughout history and around the world, but never more so than in 16th and 17th-century Europe. Grand estates began to sprout mazes as formal garden features, and they became a patrician pastime and point of pride.

While many garden labyrinths were built of wood or stone, most were planted in trimmed hedge. The earliest versions, called simple, connected mazes, were comprised of a single, twisting hedge line. In this type of maze, keeping either hand touching the same side of the hedge while walking forward inevitably leads to the goal. On the other hand, multiply connected mazes incorporate numerous refinements designed to make figuring the way through much more difficult.

Britain is well endowed with venerable mazes, including unusual ones made of turf, water, brick, tile even glass. The hedge maze at Hampton Court is the world's oldest and best known. In fact, Britain is the midst of a maze craze, with old ones being re-planted and new ones sprouting around the landscape. The largest hedge maze at Longleat in Wiltshire opened only two decades ago. A huge maize maze grown in an Oxfordshire cornfield has become a major attraction.

The British Tourist Authority has assembled a list of 100 mazes, many situated in attractive, historic places. Checking our a few selections can be an "amazing" way to explore the British Isles. For other maze sites, check our website: travelersjournal.com.

FMI For the fact sheet "Amazing Mazes" contact the British Tourist Authority at 800-462-2748 or www.visitbritain.com. Another excellent site is www.maze-world.com

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