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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Savour your scoops at The Ice Cream Farm
Keep the kids happy with more than 40 delicious flavours of ice cream, an outdoor play area, farm, quad bikes, mini golf and more...
Location: Tattenhall, Cheshire
Step into the Industrial Revolution at Quarry Bank
This fascinating industrial heritage site transports visitors back to 18th century Northern England and the life of a thriving cotton mill community.
Location: Styal, Cheshire
Discover The Lakes by Canoe
Canoe along the Derwentwater and discover something special about being close to the water.
Location: Keswick, Cumbria
Reach new heights on a Lake District mountain
Climb where only birds fly and explore a hidden underground world in Cumbria’s Lake District mountains, the ultimate place to broaden your horizons.
Location: Honister Pass, Cumbria
Take a wander around Brotherswater
The Lake District in Cumbria is famous for its stunning landscapes of lakes and fells and is the perfect place for family walks of all ages.
Location: Ambleside, Cumbria
Tuck into a home cooked meal at The Kirkstile Inn
Enjoy a delicious menu made from the best Cumbrian produce, washed down with a pint of freshly brewed ale at the Kirkstile Inn in the heart of the North Lake District.
Location: Loweswater, Cumbria
Create your own goodies at The Chocolate Factory Hawkshead
Take the family on a sweet adventure with a hands-on experience at the Lake District's own Chocolate Factory.
Location: Hawkshead, Cumbria
May events: Celebrate nature at Keswick Mountain Festival
Enjoy outdoor activities, world class speakers, sporting events, camping, and live music at this unique festival in the heart of the Lake District.
Location: Keswick, Cumbria
Rainy Day Activities: Look into outer space at Jodrell Bank
Cutting-edge astronomy and interactive displays wow visitors to the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, home of the magnificent Lovell Telescope.
Location: Macclesfield, Cheshire
Stirring parkland and rural heritage at Tatton Park
Spot deer as you wander around ancient parkland, explore richly furnished rooms and see a real working farm at this stately home in the Cheshire countryside.
Location: Knutsford, Cheshire
Cycle across two national parks
The new Lakes and Dales Loop takes in two National Parks and some of the most scenic landscapes across Cumbria and the Yorkshire Dales.
Location: Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria
Let the little ones run wild at Lowther's Lost Castle
The Lost Castle at Lowther Castle and Gardens is an enchanted world of twists and turrets will give visitors little and large a place of adventure and play like no other.
Location: Penrith, Cumbria
Steam into spring on board the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
Jump on board the Lake District’s oldest, longest and most scenic railway.
Location: Ravenglass, Cumbria
Head to a Lancashire family farmyard hideaway
Explore Lancashire's natural and historic treasures from an award winning self-catering farm cottage.
Location: Ormskirk, Lancashire
Rainy Day Activities: Visit much-loved author Beatrix Potter’s home
Uncover the life of the children’s author and illustrator as you explore the enchanting landscapes that inspired her.
Location: Near Sawrey, Hawkshead, Cumbria
Stay in your very own hobbit hole in the Lake District
Escape on a budget break to the Quiet Site in Cumbria, a family-run site overlooking Ullswater in the north of the Lake District.
Location: Ullswater, Cumbria