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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Enjoy a boat trip on Canal River Trust's Waterways
Spend your weekend exploring Cheshire’s incredible waterways, at Anderton Boat Lift and the National Waterways Museum.
Location: Anderton, Cheshire
Glide through the waterways of unspoilt Cheshire
Take in quaint villages, welcoming country pubs, majestic industrial heritage sites and even castles on a boat trip through the county’s canals.
Location: Audlem, Cheshire
See the light at the end of the tunnel
Standedge Tunnel, in the heart of the Pennine countryside, is the longest canal tunnel in Britain.
Location: Marsden, Yorkshire
Take a trip on one of England’s last horse-drawn barges
Explore the Grand Western Canal on one of England’s last horse drawn barges, and enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding Devon countryside.
Location: Tiverton, Devon
Take a relaxing boat ride along the River Avon
Enjoy the tranquil waters of the River Avon by boat, as many have been doing for over 100 years.
Location: Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
Explore a living canal village
The Grand Union Canal at Stoke Bruerne is like an outdoor museum with historic canal features to explore.
Location: Stoke Bruerne, Northamptonshire
Go otter spotting in Norfolk
When it comes to big game spotting in the Broads National Park, there is no prey more sleek, more rare and more exciting than the otter.
Location: The Broads, Norfolk
Kayak the River Dart
Have some family water fun in South Devon this summer.
Location: Tuckenhay, Devon
Recreate the real Alice in Wonderland’s river trip
Take an Oxford River Cruise trip along the Thames just like the real Alice in Wonderland many years ago.
Location: Oxford, Oxfordshire
Go barging round Lancashire
Abandon the hustle and bustle of everyday life and head for the peace and stunning scenery of Lancashire, with a canal boat cruise
Location: Burnley, Lancashire
Enjoy tiger walks and water sports in Norfolk
Try out a variety of family-friendly watersports on the broads. Discover rare animals from Asia on a tiger walk, all close to Great Yarmouth.
Location: Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
Take a wildlife safari in The Broads National Park
From the reeds to the trees, get up close to nature and see an incredible 11,000 species, the highest concentration of rare wildlife in England.
Location: Strumpshaw Fen, near Norwich, Norfolk
Enjoy a canal boat adventure on Lancashire's Waterways
Enjoy the stunning Lancashire countryside in all its winter glory on a slow, dreamy holiday cruise along the Leeds to Liverpool Canal as featured on ITV’s Barging Round Britain.
Location: Lancashire
Take a leisurely and scenic cruise on the Lakes
The Lake District is one of the country’s most famous beauty spots, and where better to take it all in that from the lakes themselves?
Location: Lake District, Cumbria
Discover a different Yorkshire on the river
Discover a new world with Shire Cruisers - steering a beautifully fitted narrow boat with everything you need, past ever-changing Pennine scenery.
Location: Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire
Explore the River Wye by canoe
Spring is one of the most picturesque times of year to navigate the Wye Valley by water.
Location: Wye Valley and Forest of Dean