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.
Take on adventures aplenty in Dalby Forest
See some of Yorkshire’s beautiful countryside from a mountain bike, Segway, tree-top trail and by night, at one of the UK’s premier activity centres.
Location: Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire
Pedal along 100 miles of off-road cycling tracks
Pedal the extensive, year-round network of cycling routes criss-crossing the woodland, heathland and quiet country roads of the New Forest.
Location: New Forest, Hampshire
Head off-road on two wheels in Sherwood Forest
From family cycle trails to extreme mountain biking, Sherwood Pines Forest offers the best when it comes to getting active on two wheels.
Location: Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire
Plan a New Forest adventure
Remember family holidays? The rain hammering down on the caravan roof; the endless games of cards, and interminable bickering? All that can be a thing of the past.
Location: Hampshire
Enjoy high-wire and two-wheeled adventure in the Moors Valley
Enjoy adrenaline-fuelled activities for all the family in Moors Valley Country Park in the lovely Dorset countryside.
Location: Ashley Heath, Dorset
Set out on a family cycling break in the Heart of Devon
Enjoy a cycling break with friends or family and discover the windswept scenery of the Exe Estuary, just south of Exeter, and its abundant wildlife.
Location: Exeter and East devon, Devon
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
Cycle country and coast along the Crab and Winkle Way to Whitstable
With 7 miles of almost traffic-free cycling, the Crab and Winkle Way trails between Kent’s historical heart, Canterbury, and Whitstable on the north Kent coast.
Location: Canterbury, Kent
Free-wheeling fun in Leicester & The National Forest
From a city full of fresh cycling ideas, to off-road biking excursions in The National Forest.
Location: Leicester, Leicestershire
Enjoy sculptures and breathtaking views on the Spa Trail
Enjoy a family friendly cycling route following an old section of the Horncastle to Woodhall Spa railway route.
Location: Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire
Cycle along the old coastal railway line to Whitby
Ride 21 view-filled and traffic-free miles along the ‘Cinder Track’, the old coastal railway line between Scarborough and Whitby.
Location: Whitby, Yorkshire
Enjoy Suffolk’s scenery from the saddle or high up in the treetops
Enjoy one of the UK’s most thrilling outdoor activities at the original Go Ape! in Thetford Forest or experience cycling in Suffolk.
Location: Brandon, Suffolk
Embrace the great outdoors in the Peak District
Set your pulse racing with an adventure amid rugged moorland, rolling dales, majestic rock faces and mysterious caves.
Location: Bamford, Derbyshire
Conquer the Bristol to Bath Cycle Path
This former railway line links Bristol and Bath by one off road path allowing you to cycle the 13 miles between the two cities.
Location: Bristol
Discover Devon's Literature Scene
Devon has provided inspiration for a host of literary greats down the centuries. Many of them lived in Devon, or stayed to be inspired for a time.
Location: Exmoor, Lynton & Lynmouth, Taw and Torridge estuaries, Braunton Burrows, Morte Point
Take on the South West Coast Path National Trail
Wander the South West Coast Path and see the trail that allowed officials to catch smugglers in their coves and hideouts.
Location: Somerset
Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB
Experience rural England on a visit to Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Location: Wiltshire