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.
Filter By:
- Regions
- Type
- Seasons
Explore Hawkstone Park Follies fantasy land
Spend the day exploring an historic woodland fantasy with cliffs, crags, caves, deep woods and towers built hundreds of years ago.
Location: Weston under Redcastle, Shropshire
Immerse yourself in Byron's Nottinghamshire
Discover why notorious romantic poet Lord Byron was 'mad, bad and dangerous to know', with a sumptuous stay at his former home.
Location: Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Discover a medieval house at a Cumbrian gateway
An imposing Cumbrian castle boasting an award-winning rock garden.
Location: Kendal, Cumbria
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
Make yourself at home at Harewood House
This 18th century home is filled with fine art and surrounded by gardens and parkland that is home to many animals including flamingos and penguins.
Location: Harewood, West Yorkshire
Head to Lanhydrock for a splendid woodland picnic
Head to finest house in Cornwall for a relaxing picnic with magnificent panoramic views and 900 acres of parkland and woodland.
Location: Bodmin, Cornwall
Visit a movie star house
Discover Bathsheba's 'Everdene Farm' from Far From the Madding Crowd in Dorset.
Location: Beaminster, Dorset
A botanical treasure trove on the Jurassic Coast
Sniff your way around the award-winning Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, a coastal haven filled with rare and exotic plants from all over the world.
Location: Abbotsbury, Dorset
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
Be captivated by the grandeur of Chatsworth
With its palatial surrounds and starring role in Pride & Prejudice, Chatsworth House is one of the Peak District’s most celebrated destinations.
Location: Bakewell, Derbyshire
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
Tour the decadent rooms and gardens of Renishaw Hall
Wander round immaculate gardens and artistic rooms at this historic family home.
Location: Renishaw, North Derbyshire
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
Explore the rooms and grounds of Snowshill Manor
From suits of Samurai armour to antique bicycles of all shapes and sizes, there are about 22,000 reasons to take a nose round Snowshill Manor.
Location: Snowshill, Gloucestershire
Enjoy a family day out at Wentworth Castle & Gardens
Wentworth Castle and Stainborough Park houses some of the earliest gothic follies in the country.
Location: Barnsley, South Yorkshire
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
Tour the 18th century Walled Gardens at the Apley Estate
Take a guided tour of the Walled Gardens on the Apley Estate, sample its produce at The Creamery Café or buy your own from Apley Farm Shop.
Location: Apley, Shropshire
Discover all the treasures of Bowood
Explore the historic parklands at Bowood, and uncover a laboratory, a spa, and even a round of golf.
Location: Calne, Wiltshire
Visit one of Capability Brown’s finest landscapes
Celebrate Capability Brown’s tercentenary as you explore 42 acres of Sherborne Castle's beautiful gardens and soak up the beauty, peace and tranquility of this natural setting.
Location: Sherborne, Dorset
Experience Somerleyton Hall’s romance, history and grandeur
Step back in time with a visit to one of Suffolk’s best-preserved stately homes and gardens, near the town of Lowestoft.
Location: Somerleyton, Suffolk
Combine culture with Warwickshire’s great outdoors
Celebrate the Arts and Crafts movement at Compton Verney in Warwickshire.
Location: Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
