England travel guide

It really doesn’t matter whether you’ve lived in England all your life or you’re visiting from distant lands; there are plenty of country tracks, coastal trails and historic towpaths to invigorate even the most wizened of world-weary travelers. There’s no better way to get around other than two feet or two wheels and packing your bag for every eventuality, weather-wise, gets you out of doors without a moment’s thought.

Crossing counties unlocks dialects and colloquialisms unbeknown to the rest of the country and if you’re ever asked the question: ‘does one apply jam or cream first to a scone?’ having first-hand experience is essential prior to confidently committing to an answer. Outdoor summer festivals, frosty winter mornings, newborn spring lambs and autumnal bonfires making dark nights sizzle; there’s a reason why England’s a great place to visit but that, of course, would be telling.

The North of England may be seen as bleak by some shandy-drinking southerners but it certainly packs a punch when it comes to height with Cumbria, Derbyshire and Yorkshire providing the three lions’ share of upland areas. Folds flatten, slightly, south of the Pennines, with the Cotswolds, Chilterns and North and South Downs providing ample hillside views whilst the uninhabited moors and rugged coastlines of the West Country, including Devon and Cornwall, offer much wilder, woollier, alternatives. The best time to travel in England is out of the summer vacations with the spring producing blankets of bluebells and twittering birds whilst the autumn is all about kicking up leaves and flasks of hot pumpkin soup.