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.
Explore the past at Elsecar village
Set within the attractive conservation village of Elsecar is Elsecar Heritage Centre, a unique attraction and a working hub of industry to explore.
Location: Elsecar, South Yorkshire
Marvel at a working 17th-century water mill
Worsbrough Mill in Northern England is an amazing place to watch wildlife and see history come alive in a beautiful setting.
Location: Worsbrough, South Yorkshire
Take an enchanting trip on the Dean Forest Railway
Experience the sights, sounds and the smell of traditional train travel on The Dean Forest Railway, a rural branch railway offering rides on steam trains and some heritage diesel services.
Location: Lydney, Gloucestershire
Climb aboard a classic steam railway at Bolton Abbey
Puffing through the Yorkshire Dales is the Embsay & Bolton Abbey steam railway where special events take place throughout the year.
Location: Wharfedale, Yorkshire Dales
Take a trip through the Cotswolds on a steam railway
Sit back and relax as you explore the Cotswolds on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.
Location: Toddington, Cotswolds