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.
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
Go wildlife spotting at Hastings Country Park
Explore over 660 acres of countryside, and uncover the rare wildlife that inhabit the area all year round.
Location: Hastings, East Sussex
Explore Romney Marsh
This patch of pristine wetland near the south east coast covers a whopping 100 square miles and is packed with wildlife – including the curious ‘laughing frogs’.
Location: Romney Marsh, Kent
Seal watching in Arthur Ransome’s ‘Secret Water’
Explore Walton’s ‘Secret Water’, the setting for Arthur Ransome’s ‘Swallows and Amazons’ book.
Location: Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex
Try your hand at falconry at Millets Farm
Ever marvelled at a soaring bird of prey and wondered how they are trained? Find out on a special Advanced Entry visit to Millets Farm Falconry Centre.
Location: Frilford, Oxfordshire
Escape to a country cottage in picturesque Oxfordshire
Oxford Country Cottages are situated on Lower Farm in Noke in a stunning courtyard garden.
Location: Oxford, Oxfordshire
Go glamping in shepherds’ huts at Elmley Nature Reserve
With spectacular landscapes and breath-taking wildlife, Elmley National Nature Reserve is an inspirational place to visit - and to sleep in.
Location: Isle of Sheppey, Kent