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.
Be at one with birds of prey at Rosliston Forestry Centre
There’s something special about being close to a bird of prey; those round watchful eyes on high alert, fixing you with a dominating stare.
Location: Rosliston, Derbyshire
Underground & over ground adventures at Go Ape
Release your Tarzan and journey to the centre of the earth on an epic double adventure in Derbyshire’s beautiful Buxton.
Location: Buxton, Derbyshire
Get lost in the twists and turns of Wistow Maze
Over the summer, pay a visit to the famous Wistow Maze, a versatile puzzle in the English countryside that changes shape each year.
Location: Wistow, Leicestershire
Spy on endangered wildfowl at Rutland Water Nature Reserve
Visit Rutland Water's famous wildfowl sanctuary, covering a 1,000 acres of bird hides, mucky nature trails and interactive visitor centres.
Location: Rutland Water, Rutland
Swing through the treetops in Sherwood Forest
Connect with your inner monkey as you swing through the trees at Go Ape in Sherwood Forest.
Location: Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire
Take a flight to the Heights of Abraham
Discover famous show caverns beneath a 60-acre hilltop park overlooking a deep, dramatic limestone gorge in the Peak District.
Location: Matlock, Derbyshire
Walk barefoot through the woods at CONKERS
From teddy-bear picnics to jumping on crunchy leaves, England’s woodland is brimming with things to do with toddlers - and award-winning CONKERS, in the heart of The National Forest, is no different.
Location: Swadlincote, Derbyshire
Live like a mediaeval knight at Warwick Castle
Experience an exclusive sleepover in your very own themed Lodge, set in a picturesque woodland grove on the river bank within the Knight's Village of Warwick Castle.
Location: Warwick, Warwickshire