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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Get lost in the twists and turns of Wistow Maze
Over the summer, pay a visit to the famous Wistow Maze, a versatile puzzle in the English countryside that changes shape each year.
Location: Wistow, Leicestershire
Spy on endangered wildfowl at Rutland Water Nature Reserve
Visit Rutland Water's famous wildfowl sanctuary, covering a 1,000 acres of bird hides, mucky nature trails and interactive visitor centres.
Location: Rutland Water, Rutland
Go bananas for Trentham Monkey Forest
Pay a visit to the only place in Britain where you can walk among 140 Barbary macaques roaming free in 60 acres of forest.
Location: Trentham , Staffordshire
Have a medieval sleepover at Warwick Castle
For a family holiday with a difference, grab your sleeping bag and head to Warwick Castle to spend the night within the castle's historic grounds.
Location: Warwick, Warwickshire
Make friends at Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre
Home to over 250 rescued and endangered primates, this sanctuary lets you get up close and personal with all kinds of monkeys, gorillas and apes.
Location: Wareham, Dorset
Walk barefoot through the woods at CONKERS
From teddy-bear picnics to jumping on crunchy leaves, England’s woodland is brimming with things to do with toddlers - and award-winning CONKERS, in the heart of The National Forest, is no different.
Location: Swadlincote, Derbyshire
Feel calmer whilst walking a llama
Go walkies South American-style with National Forest Llama Treks, an unusual “let’s-do-something-different” trekking experience.
Location: Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire
Explore the UK's first safari park at Longleat
Feed giraffes by hand and walk on the wildside with lemurs at this popular safari park, found in the picturesque grounds of historic Longleat House.
Location: Longleat, Wiltshire
Run wild at BeWILDerwood Norfolk
Delve into an adventurous world of make-believe, inspired by local children’s author, Tom Blofeld.
Location: Hoveton, Norfolk
Let loose at WildRootz
Let the kids get up close and personal with nature, in all its muddy glory, at WildRootz, in Pensthorpe Wildlife and Gardens.
Location: Fakenham, Norfolk
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
Ditch the tent in favour of glamping at Teversal Campsite
Spend an action-packed day in rural Nottinghamshire before retreating to a luxury tent or log cabin for an evening of al fresco drinking and dining.
Location: Teversal, Nottinghamshire
Play Pooh sticks in Ashdown Forest
Take a walk through the magical wood where Christopher Robin, Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, Tigger and Eeyore roam.
Location: Hartfield, East Sussex