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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Uncover Cliveden's unique past
Discover a country house in Berkshire with a chequered past.
Location: Maidenhead, Berkshire
Escape to Surrey’s hills and English gardens
With wonderful English gardens like RHS Wisley, the hills of Box Hill and Leith Hill and access to the North Downs Way, Surrey is a real rural treat.
Location: Dorking, Surrey
Uncover a political scandal at Cliveden House
Pay a visit to the stately home in Buckinghamshire where John Profumo met Christine Keeler.
Location: Taplow, Buckinghamshire
Follow in the footsteps of 18th Century tourists at Stowe
Explore Capability Brown’s first major commission incorporating over 40 historic monuments.
Location: Stowe, Buckinghamshire
An Italianate country house in the Chilterns
West Wycombe Park is 45 acres of landscaped park in the Chilterns countryside and home to the Dashwood family for over 300 years.
Location: West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
See breathtaking vistas at Beth Chatto's Plants & Gardens
Explore these breathtaking and inspirational gardens created by 10-time Chelsea Gold Medal Winner and Gardening Author, Beth Chatto OBE.
Location: Colchester, Essex
Lose yourself in England’s hottest garden
Experience the Isle of Wight’s incredible microclimate firsthand at the exotic Ventnor Botanic Gardens.
Location: Ventnor, Isle of Wight
Family fun at Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens
The appeal of Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens goes way beyond its remarkable wildlife collection to breeding programmes and exuberant gardens.
Location: Burford, Oxfordshire
Explore the quintessential English garden of Pashley Manor
Pashley Manor is the very essence of an English garden, and is set in a well-wooded park with superb views over the surrounding countryside.
Location: Wadhurst, East Sussex
Explore the picturesque Mottisfont House and Garden
What’s better than a summer’s stroll amid ancient trees and rolling lawns? Enjoy the splendour of one of Hampshire’s greatest country houses –Mottisfont.
Location: Test Valley, Hampshire
Explore Nymans estate
Commanding great views from atop the rolling hills of Sussex, Nymans stands proud as one of Britain’s top gardens.
Location: Haywards Heath, Sussex
Sheffield Park Garden
The perfect place for relaxation and nature photography.
Location: Brighton, East Sussex
See flowers in bloom at The Savill Garden
Enliven your senses with a walk around one of Britain's finest ornamental gardens.
Location: Windsor, Berkshire
Visit the tranquil Sissinghurst Castle Gardens
Sissinghurst is known to green-fingered enthusiasts the world-over as the epitome of an English country garden.
Location: Sissinghurst, Kent
Spot deer in the city
It might come as a surprise to discover a deer-filled oasis just a tube ride away from the hustle and bustle of London.
Location: Richmond, Surrey
Enjoy a family day out at Batsford Arboretum
Experience the wild beauty of Batsford Arboretum in autumn and the splendid sight of rare birds of prey soaring above the surrounding Cotswolds Hills.
Location: Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire
Discover ‘The Good Life’ amongst Kent’s farmyards and gardens
There’s no better time to visit Kent than in the spring so why not follow your nose and discover the county’s fragrant countryside and gardens?
Location: Maidstone, Kent
Enjoy a romantic escape to Broughton Castle
Stroll hand in hand through the beautiful gardens and grand Elizabethan manor of Broughton Castle on a romantic break in Oxford.
Location: Banbury, Oxfordshire
Find a little piece of heaven on earth in Colchester
Green Island Gardens features stunning gardens professionally designed by Fiona Edmond and set within woodland destroyed by the 1987 hurricane.
Location: Colchester, Essex
Visit the enchanted forest of Ashridge Estate
Walk the magical woods of Ashridge, like fairies and witches before you.
Location: Little Gaddesden, Berkhamsted
Explore the Historic Restored Gardens at West Dean
Escape to West Dean Gardens and explore the autumnal colours of the Arboretum, Pergola, Kitchen Gardens and orchard and award-winning Sunken Garden.
Location: Chichester, West Sussex