The English countryside
Our countryside has so much to offer whether you are looking for wildlife, driving for pleasure or seeking a long walk in the fresh air to name but a few activities. You’ll discover an amazing diversity of scenery around the English regions. Quite often you’ll be surprised by the changing landscape presented to you within the regions and even the counties themselves! If its peace and quiet you are after then look no further. It’s right here in England!
East Midlands
Walk in the footsteps of Bronze Age tribes on Mother Mountain (Mam Tor) and learn why the tor is said to "shiver". Today the Peak District is the second most visited national park in the world (second only to Mt Fuji, Japan). Climb the highest hill in Bradgate Park (home of England's nine-day queen) for a view of the distinctive beer-shaped folly of St John. Head to the coast and watch marsh harriers hunt wading birds on Freiston Shore (www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/f/freistonshore/), or strike out on foot in Beacon Hill Country Park and come face to face with free-roaming alpacas. Then delve into one of the world's most enduring legends in Sherwood Forest (www.sherwoodforest.org.uk/).
Best natural settings around the region
East of England
Explore beautiful inland waters - their history and wildlife. From Britain's largest protected wetland - the reed-fringed waterways of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, to the flat open spaces, stunning skyscapes and unforgettable sunsets of the former wet wilderness of The Fens. Discover the industrial heritage of the canals of Essex and Hertfordshire at the Lee Valley Park (www.leevalleypark.org.uk/), Grand Union Canal and along the Chelmer/Blackwater Navigation.
Discover peaceful forest and woodland - rich in flora and fauna. From Britain's largest lowland pine forest at Thetford, to the ancient trees and commons of Epping Forest (www.eppingforest.co.uk/) - former haunt of highwayman Dick Turpin. Don’t miss the former hunting forests of the Kings and Queens of England at Hatfield and Hainault. The region also has some fine examples of ancient woodland, home to spring flowers, birds, butterflies and deer.
Explore large areas of open countryside - distinctive, rare and unique. Take a trip to the highest points on the gently rolling chalk hills of The Chilterns (www.chilternsaonb.org/) - with their fine beechwoods. Discover the flora and fauna amongst the sandy heathlands of The Brecks and The Sandlings. Follow in the footsteps of Britain's greatest landscape painter John Constable - in the Dedham Vale (www.dedhamvalestourvalley.org/), some of England's finest lowland landscape.
England’s Northwest
Seek out Wordsworth's daffodils and the secrets of Beatrix Potter in the Lake District. Quality bed & breakfast accommodation and cycle hire are available to help you explore Lake Windermere and Cumbria's fells. Traverse the shores of Lake Windermere and climb to Beatrix Potter’s former home at Hill Top. The following day explore the fells above Ambleside on foot before taking a lake cruise to round off a true Cumbrian adventure.
More about countryside in England's Northwest
North East England
The beauty of North East England’s scenery is its diversity – and the ease with which it can be explored. Here you can relax on miles of golden beach in the morning, enjoy a picnic in the hills for lunch and retire for dinner in a country village pub. Good news, because you’ll want to see and do it all.
North East England has some spectacular uplands that will take your breath away, including the Cheviots in Northumberland National Park (www.northumberland-national-park.org.uk/VisitorGuide/default.htm) and the deliciously-named Roseberry Topping with its sweeping views of the Cleveland Hills and the North Sea. The uplands of the North Pennines (www.northpennines.org.uk/) Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty make a glorious sight all year round, the heather a stunning purple in bloom before the chestnut bracken takes over in autumn, and if you’re lucky you may hear the cry of the rare black grouse while you’re there too.
Nature lovers should head for Kielder Forest Park, where the towering pines around the wide expanse of Kielder Water are alive with tiny goldcrests, butterflies and the occasional red squirrel. Escapists can take a wander through Hadrian’s Wall Country (www.hadrians-wall.org/), over gentle hills and patchwork fields, or explore the rolling parkland of Alnwick or Guisborough, both of which make you feel as though you’re in a giant English landscape painting.
South East England
A network of long-distance paths criss-cross the countryside, including four national trails, creating a unique variety of exceptional walking through Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, National Parks and forests. Follow the coastal paths and you’ll enjoy dramatic cliff-top walks and find secret coves and beaches. Refresh yourself in cosy tea-rooms; find a nice pub, have lunch or rest a while in the garden with a cool drink.
Many routes are suitable for wheelchairs, buggies and push chairs and are extremely child-friendly. Or you could cycle - hop on your bike and follow a route such as the picturesque Cuckoo Trail through East Sussex or the Meon Valley Off Road Cycle Trail in Hampshire. There’s more to the area than the superb walking and cycling too. There’s horse-riding, falconry, clay pigeon shooting or archery. Find your head for heights as you climb ancient rock-faces or soar into the clouds in a glider.
A number of rivers and canals run through this lovely corner of England like life-giving arteries. Rent a colourful narrow boat, choose the River Wey (www.weyriver.co.uk/theriver/index.htm) or one of the canals in the area; the Oxford, the Grand Union or the Kennet and Avon. This type of break is not about getting anywhere fast but about enjoying the journey as much as the destination. In the evenings, moor alongside a pub and end the day with a hearty meal. There are so many ways you can take to the waters and enjoy. There’s good fishing in the area. For example, running through Hampshire are the clear waters of the River Test. Known as one of England’s greatest trout rivers, it is also where salmon come to leap.
More on the South East's beautiful countryside
South West
The South West is a region of dramatic contrasts. Made up of two National Parks, 14 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and 638 km of coast, the region contains a diversity of landscapes that support a remarkable combination of wildlife and geological heritage some of which is very rare. The landscape varies from the rolling downlands of the Cotswolds, the chalklands of Wiltshire and Dorest through the hidden steep valley landscapes of Devon and Cornwall, to the high exposed moorlands of Dartmoor and Exmoor.
The coastal landscapes vary from low marshes and dunes to towering, rocky cliffs and in between there are mobile, shingle beaches, deep estuaries and lower, softer cliffs. There is also a wide variety of holiday accommodation to choose from including farm holidays, camping and caravaning and country house hotels. All great places from which to explore the stunning natural environment.
Yorkshire
The Yorkshire Dales offers a priceless gift and a landscape to be carefully enjoyed for generations to come. The beauty of the Dales is well known. It is an area of many moods. It can be described as wild, expansive, tranquil, charming and, at times, even awesome. However you wish to describe it, the Dales unquestionably includes some of the finest upland scenery in the country, making it the perfect place to enjoy, whatever the season.
The most popular trademark of the area is the network of dry stonewalls, marking ancient field boundaries. Although this is a dying art, expert wallers still hold contests in the Dales, attracting visitors from miles around. Timeless landscapes beckon the visitor to sample. From Arkengarthdale in the north to Wharfedale in the south, majestic scenery is the setting for picturesque villages, bustling market towns, caves, castles and rivers.
A sense of space and solitude marks the North York Moors, where ridge upon ridge of heather moorland roll into the purple distance. The deep secret valleys, which cut the plateau, come almost as a surprise and the warmth of their dreaming red-roofed villages gives pleasing contrast to the upland solitude. Discover the grandeur of stately homes and the majestic ruins of abbeys and castles.