Countryside
Both genteel and wild, there’s nothing quite like the English countryside for rural escapes with its patchwork hills, dramatic dales, ancient woodlands and winding country roads. All well and good, but what is there to do in England’s countryside exactly? Quite a lot, actually. Admire the grand interiors of a stately home before catching a play in the surrounding gardens, travel back in time with visits to ancient stone circles and crumbling castles, or step into a chocolate box of quaint villages and market towns and live like a local, trying farmhouse cheeses, cream teas and real ales along the way.
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Picture Mr Darcy coming out of the lake
The magnificent house, gardens and deer park at Lyme Park was the filming location for the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice.
Location: Lyme Handley, Cheshire
Walk the Wall at Steel Rigg
Take a walk around Steel Rigg and Crag Lough to see how the Romans used the natural landscape to maximise the strength of the Empire's frontier.
Location: Steel Rigg, Northumberland
Discover hidden Ice Age art at Creswell Crags
Hidden in a beautiful limestone gorge you'll find some of Britain's only known Ice Age art.
Location: Creswell, Nottinghamshire
Immerse yourself in Byron's Nottinghamshire
Discover why notorious romantic poet Lord Byron was 'mad, bad and dangerous to know', with a sumptuous stay at his former home.
Location: Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Spot Poldark at Chavenage House
Come and see 'Trenwith', the Poldark family home, actually 'played' by Chavenage House in Tetbury and you may spot Aiden Turner as Ross Poldark!
Location: Tetbury, Gloucestershire
Explore the Forge Valley
A walk through 165 million years of history.
Location: Forge Valley, North Yorkshire
Sleep in a royal bed at Thornbury Castle
Get treated like royalty at Thornbury Castle, where its opulent bedchambers, award-winning food and picturesque gardens will bring out your regal side.
Location: Thornbury, South Gloucestershire
Enjoy a Sunday lunch on the Severn Valley Railway
Setting off from Kidderminster, dine in style on a steam-hauled restaurant car train, along 16 miles of Shropshire’s beautiful Severn Valley.
Location: Kidderminster, Worcestershire
Delve deep inside the Hellfire Caves
Venture into the Buckinghamshire chalk caves that held the notorious Hellfire Club, founded by Sir Francis Dashwood in the 18th century.
Location: West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
Visit the Wizard Merlin's sleeping place in Alderley Edge
Spend the day exploring the magical area in Cheshire’s Alderley Edge where Merlin and King Arthur are reputedly sleeping in enchanted repose.
Location: Alderley Edge, Cheshire
Ride the Whitby train from moor to sea
Delightful villages, dramatic views and gentle country walks – do it all by train from Whitby on a ride through the delightful Esk Valley.
Location: Whitby, Yorkshire
Visit poet William Wordsworth's most famous home
See where the author of ‘Daffodils’ was inspired to write most of his work and take a guided tour of Dove Cottage, his home.
Location: Grasmere, Cumbria