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.
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
Eat delicious seasonal food at the Wild Rabbit Inn
Pop in for a drink by the fire or a locally-sourced meal, and then stay over at this charming inn in the idyllic Cotswold village of Kingham.
Location: Chipping Norton, Cotswolds
A warm welcome awaits weary travellers at the Victoria Inn
Reward yourself after a bracing walk along the coast with a pint in one of Cornwall’s oldest watering holes.
Location: Penzance, Cornwall
Get a True Taste of Derbyshire
Tuck into a delicious experience in Bakewell, home of the world-famous Pudding...
Location: Bakewell, Derbyshire
Enjoy fine dining at The Samling
Top grub and sweeping views of Lake Windermere.
Location: Windermere, Cumbria
Breathtaking views and an incredible menu at Holbeck Ghyll
Plan that perfect foodie break to a gorgeous country house hotel set against a perfect Cumbrian backdrop.
Location: Windermere, Cumbria
Enjoy luxury by the lake at Storrs Hall Hotel
Perched on the edge of the famous Lake Windermere, this Grade-II-listed Georgian mansion is surrounded by 17 acres of neatly trimmed grounds – plus the obligatory folly (in this case a temple).
Location: Windermere, Cumbria
Enjoy a Sunday lunch on the Severn Valley Railway
Setting off from Kidderminster, dine in style on a steam-hauled restaurant car train, along 16 miles of Shropshire’s beautiful Severn Valley.
Location: Kidderminster, Worcestershire
Fill your belly on a gourmet getaway in Leicestershire
Try the famous Melton Mowbray Pork Pie, local Stilton cheese, cream tea, ales, wines and sloe gin as part of a delicious countryside break.
Location: Melton Mowbray and the Vale of Belvoir, Leicestershire
Take in the views and afternoon tea in Wiltshire
Build up an appetite with a walk through the picturesque Vale of Wardour before stopping for tea and a spot of cake in the pretty village of Tisbury.
Location: Tisbury, Wiltshire
Stay in a 300-year-old pub in the heart of Herriot country
Eat, drink and get a good night’s sleep at The Durham Ox; a quintessential English pub in the Yorkshire Dales.
Location: Crayke, Yorkshire
Fill your belly on a gourmet break in Bakewell
Enjoy a delicious culinary experience in Bakewell, home of the world-famous Pudding, and hone your hands-on skills on a specialist cookery course.
Location: Bakewell, Derbyshire
New Michelin stars make Cumbria foodie heaven
Sample delicious menus of quality produce at four different Michelin star restaurants.
Location: Cumbria
Sleep in a Yurt in the middle of the Peak District
Wake up in a yurt in the middle of the beautiful Peak District countryside on a relaxing rural escape.
Location: Cauldon, Staffordshire