Great summer picnic spots
England is hard to beat when the sun shines, and as they say, the best things in life are free. So pack your picnic basket, grab your sun cream, step outside and spend the afternoon on a picnic blanket in one of England’s many beauty spots.
If you’re in the East of England, head for Dunstable Downs where you can sit down to outstanding views over the Vale of Aylesbury and Chiltern Ridge. Here you can eat your cucumber sandwiches on the highest point in the region. The chalk grassland offers a haven for wildlife and there is some great kite-flying - fantastic fun for kids of all ages!
If you’re at the top end of the country you’ll find more spectacular and varied landscape than you can handle around Derwent Water in the Lake District. Borrowdale in particular is famed for its oak woodlands and picturesque scenery.
Back down South you’ll find lots of wonderful places to enjoy your lunch on the South Downs. At Bignor Hill in West Sussex there are some beautiful spots where you can sit down and enjoy some scenery with your celery. On a clear day you can admire panoramic views over the coastline.
Another of England's special places, the North Pennines, offers open heather moors, attractive dales and hay meadows in abundance. Pack a picnic and prepare yourself for tumbling upland rivers, wonderful woods, animals and plants and much, much more. If you’re visiting this area, check out High Force, England's biggest waterfall, which spectacularly drops 70 feet (21m) into a plunge pool below Woodland walk.
Nestled in a valley in the Peak District, Padley Gorge is ideal for families who love water. At this peat-coloured stream you can sit on grassy banks and enjoy some uninterrupted after-lunch chit chat with your partner as you watch the children paddle in the water and clamber over boulders and stones. They’ll be busy playing for hours!
You could try spreading a rug beneath the gothic arches and spectacular ruins of Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire. Here you’ll find an elegant ornamental Georgian Water Garden, a medieval deer park and Elizabethan mansion to keep you occupied - once you’ve eaten of course.
In the South West of England, Bodmin Moor, which lies at the gateway to the Duchy, provides a haven for lovers of birds and wildlife. It’s a delightful place to walk. For fresh air and not much else (except the odd wild pony) head for Bowithick Bridge – a perfect spot for a picnic before you dangle your legs in the ice-cold Penpont Water.
There are many well-marked picnic spots in the Forest of Dean. Check out Mallards Pike. Here you'll find a lake, a picnic area, two barbecues (free to use) and picnic tables with views across the water.
And if you’re in London, check out the redeveloped stretch on the south side of the Thames between London Bridge and Tower Bridge around More London. The juxtaposition of old and new is all around you here - and the sight of the Gherkin looming above the Tower of London makes for an impressive backdrop to whatever you happen to be munching. If it rains, the Hay’s Galleria is only a five minute walk.
