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.
Discover The Lost Gardens of Heligan
Explore hidden paths and bamboo tunnels on this aristocratic Cornwall estate.
Location: Heligan, Cornwall
Elegance and nature at University of Leicester’s Botanic Garden
See how The University of Leicester’s Botanic Garden enhances the beauty of an already breathtaking place.
Location: Oadby, Leicestershire
Discover Jane Austen’s legacy in Hampshire
Celebrate Jane Austen at the Jane Austen Regency Festival in June and visit her much loved home in Hampshire and the countryside that inspired her.
Location: Alton, Hampshire
Discover a vibrant arts scene within the Forest of Dean
Discover a cultural scene that really breathes life in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley.
Location: Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
Discover the secret garden of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage
Pay a visit to Anne Hathaway’s family home - the place William Shakespeare courted his future wife.
Location: Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
Kingston Lacy: an Italian palace in Dorset
Home to a rather fabulous collection that includes pieces by Rubens, Van Duyck, Titian.
Location: Poole, Dorset
Have yourself a Famous Five adventure
Follow in the footsteps of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five with some castle capers and a seaside adventure by steam railway.
Location: Corfe Castle, Dorset
Enjoy a luxurious camping trip at Crafty Camping
Luxury glamping in a beautiful forest setting alongside Guy Mallinson’s Woodland Workshop, featured in the BBC Mastercrafts series.
Location: Holditch, Dorset
Watch Indie A-listers at the End of the Road Festival
The intimate surroundings of the End of the Road Festival give you the chance to get up close and personal with the bands and their music.
Location: Larmer Tree Gardens, North Dorset
July events: Step into a midsummer night’s dream at Port Eliot Festival
Culture galore mixed with the beautiful Cornish countryside makes the annual Port Eliot Festival a truly magical summer event.
Location: Port Eliot, Cornwall
Climb Broadway Tower
Have a pre-Raphaelite holiday retreat in the Cotswolds.
Location: Broadway, Worcestershire
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
Take the River Ferry to Beeses
Enjoy a delicious Sunday roast at this scenic English riverside tea garden in Bristol.
Location: Bristol
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
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
Retrace the Cotswolds’ Arts and Crafts movement
Explore William Morris's Cotswolds as you relive the area's arts and crafts movement in Chipping Campden and Broadway.
Location: Chipping Campden & Broadway, Gloucestershire
Discover Cornwall’s rugged landscape on the Poldark Trail
Saddle up for Hallagenna’s horse riding trail across Bodmin Moor, taking in some of the stunning filming locations behind the BBC’s Poldark remake.
Location: Cornwall
Combine culture with Warwickshire’s great outdoors
Celebrate the Arts and Crafts movement at Compton Verney in Warwickshire.
Location: Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
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
Walk through history at Berkeley Castle
Walk in the footsteps of Wolf Hall’s real historic characters, and also the actors who went on to play them at Berkeley Castle.
Location: Berkeley, Gloucestershire