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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Keeping it in the family at Castle Howard
The Howard family has called Castle Howard home for 300 years but their house is your house as you explore one of Yorkshire’s finest historic estates.
Location: York, North Yorkshire
Celebrate Ryedale's heritage at the Folk Museum
Discover this hidden gem deep in the North York Moors National Park and uncover English antiques and curiosities.
Location: Hutton-le-Hole, North Yorkshire
Enjoy a magical ride across the English countryside
With your day ticket in hand, hop on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and discover some of the best villages in UK between Pickering and Whitby.
Location: Whitby, North Yorkshire
Explore the Forge Valley
A walk through 165 million years of history.
Location: Forge Valley, North Yorkshire
Relive the past at Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal
Peel back 900 years of history at this UNESCO World Heritage Site of majestic monastic ruins, water gardens and medieval deer park.
Location: Near Ripon, North Yorkshire
Go camping in the grounds of one of England’s finest stately homes
Take the kids camping on a child friendly holiday at Castle Howard near York, where a thousand breath-taking acres await for you to explore.
Location: Malton, North Yorkshire
Ride the Whitby train from moor to sea
Delightful villages, dramatic views and gentle country walks – do it all by train from Whitby on a ride through the delightful Esk Valley.
Location: Whitby, Yorkshire
Feed your soul at the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey
Medieval monks chose a serene valley in the North York Moors National Park to establish an abbey that became the richest and most powerful in England.
Location: Helmsley, North Yorkshire
On location with the world’s most popular heritage railway
Ride along with the North Yorkshire Moors Railway as it takes a starring role, from Dad’s Army to Harry Potter.
Location: Goathland, North Yorkshire
All aboard for the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Revel in the romance of steam with a trip on the world’s most popular heritage railway line, spotting film locations and amazing scenery on the way.
Location: Pickering to Whitby via North York Moors National Park
Tales of intrigue, love and war at Ripley Castle
Discover over 700 years of English history through one of the country’s oldest families, and the fascinating castle that they call home.
Location: Ripley Village, North Yorkshire