Bath and Somerset
England
Photo by Alison Plummer
England destinations
England
England is cutting edge cultural, historic and romantic as can be, delivering its rich tapestry of travel experiences against a backdrop of castles, thatched cottages, pubs, centuries-old towns, intricate coastline and magical countryside. Balancing built and natural heritage with exciting contemporary design, the landscape changes around every corner.
Now add the English creativity responsible for some of the world’s best music, film, design, fashion, art, literature, chefs, sporting heroes and architecture and you have a destination that delivers, big-time.
England’s History and Heroes
England’s powerful history is well-preserved in its vast network of castles, manor houses, historic homes and gardens. Themed travel connects people to places and 2017 is England’s ‘Year of Literary Heroes’. The many significant anniversaries include 200 years since Jane Austen’s death and 125 years since the publication of the first Sherlock Holmes’ book. It’s also 20 years since the first Harry Potter book and the 75th anniversary of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books. Check out events, exhibitions, film locations and the houses where heroes such as Shakespeare have lived to inspire your travels.
Engage or Escape
Modern cityscapes sit alongside ancient streets in historic towns where reinvented dockland and industrial precincts add designer flair. Sprawling suburbia and new housing developments surround towns and villages and you’re never really very far from civilisation. Away from the main roads, however, everywhere is linked by inviting back roads lined with hedgerows.
You can feel a million miles away in country, moorland and coastal landscapes. Discover the intricate coastlines of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset, the wild beauty of Dartmoor, Exmoor and the Yorkshire Moors. Experience the atmospheric Marches of the scenic Welsh borders, the Derbyshire and Yorkshire Dales. Be impressed by the dramatic coastline of Northumberland and seduced by the beckoning border country with Scotland to the north.
Love London
London is a global magnet, a multi-cultural city, home to iconic landmarks such as Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and the Tower of London. Also ‘The City’ business hub and dockside developments to the East including The Barbican and Canary Wharf.
London has palaces and parks (leafy Hyde Park is at the centre) and many famous/historic shopping and dining areas. Explore Covent Garden, Kings Road, upmarket Knightsbridge, Bond Street, Oxford and Regent Streets and Piccadilly, plus chic designer haunts in London’s East End. Some of the world’s most revered galleries and museums here, too. The Tate, Tate Modern, the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert (V&A) along with music venues, theatres and famous sports venues.
Other significant English cities include Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Leicester Liverpool, York, Oxford, Cambridge and Bath, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
For these and more places you could visit during your stay in England, see the Where to Go section (in the yellow bar above).
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Photo by Alison Plummer -
Photo by Raphaël Chekroun -
Photo by Alison Plummer
Where To Go
South East
South West
Bristol
South
Brighton and Around
Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire — with The New Forest
The Midlands
Stratford, the West Midlands and Birmingham
The Cotswolds
Peak District and Derbyshire — with Nottingham’s Sherwood Forest
East
Cambridge and East Anglia — with Norwich and Ipswich
Lincolnshire — with Lincoln and the Wolds
North West
Manchester, Liverpool and Around — including the countryside of Cheshire, Merseyside and Lancashire
North East
York
Yorkshire and Leeds
Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland and Durham
When To Go
April to September/October are the spring/summer/autumn months when there are more daylight hours thanks to Daylight Saving, adding hours to your day for evening walks, drinks outside at a pub in a great location, time to have a look around after dinner.
Spring, summer and autumn (say March – October) are the main seasons to visit when the trees are beautiful and the flowers are in bloom – England literally springs to life from March/April onwards. But if you need to visit in winter, city breaks and cosy country weekends are the way to go. The Southwest is warmer (palm trees grow in Cornwall) but, there again, England can be warm in December and have snow in May.
June–September is the peak summer period, gardens are in bloom and long, night lights add hours to your sightseeing opportunities. Peak season airfares and accommodation at a premium.
October –November is autumn which can see bright clear whether or be misty and damp. Cheaper airfares, choice accommodation.
December–February is the winter, sunset at 5pm, cold. Towns and cities light up for Christmas, think shopping, celebrations. Airfares expensive as the Christmas season kicks in (book well ahead for the best bargains).
March–May is spring with quieter, early days before the tourist season begins. Cheaper airfares, choice of accommodation.
How Much Time To Spend
Unless it’s a city break in London or a weekend in a destination such as the Cotswolds or Oxford as a stopover on the way to Europe, spending less than a week to ten days in England can be frustrating as there is just so much to see and do.
It’s always a dilemma – whether to see some the main sights around a country or cherry pick a couple key destinations and experience them depth.
London is a given. There’s aways something fabulous to see at a gallery, performances at theatres, concert halls, clubs and live music venues. There’s unbeatable shopping and dining as well as the famous architecture; just walking in central London is a great experience and guided walks and tours (there’s a new Gin tour, I hear) are the way to make sure you don’t miss anything.
High and Low Season
June–September is the peak summer period, gardens are in bloom and long, night lights add hours to your sightseeing opportunities. Peak season airfares and accommodation at a premium.
October –November is autumn which can see bright clear whether or be misty and damp. Cheaper airfares, choice accommodation.
December–February is the winter, sunset at 5pm, cold. Towns and cities light up for Christmas, think shopping, celebrations. Airfares are expensive as the Christmas season kicks in (book well ahead for the best bargains).
March–May is spring, the early days before the main summer tourist season begins. Cheaper airfares, choice of accommodation. Airfares like at Easter and school holiday breaks.
June –August is British summer with long light summer evenings. July and August are school summer holidays so tourism destinations are super-busy.
What To Pack and Wear
Waterproof/windproof jacket.
Comfortable walking shoes for city streets.
Walking shoes/boots if you are planning long walks.
Layers in case it gets cold – lightweight pure wool or merino packs well and travels light.
Fleece or windproof jacket.
A pure wool wrap, light jacket or jumper will make all the difference – cotton blend doesn’t beat the cold.
Adaptor (also easy to buy when you get here at shops including Argos (Masterplug around £5.00 converts European, American, Australian, Middle and Far Eastern and Asian plugs to UK electrical systems.)
Torch
What it Costs
Abstract Pricing at a Glance
Prices often fluctuate dynamically depending on capacity, seasonality and deals. We don’t want to lead you astray by quoting exact prices that quickly become wrong. To give you a rough idea for budgetary planning purposes, though, we have indicated general price ranges for all points of interest. Price ranges are quoted in Euros (€) and UK Pounds (£).
See & Do
N/A => Not applicable
Free Free
$ => Tickets less than €10 per person UK: Tickets less than £10 per person
$$ => Tickets €10-20 per person UK: Tickets £10 -£20 per person
$$$ => Tickets €20+ per person UK: Tickets £20+ per person
Sleep
Out of town/rural:
$ => Rooms less than €60 for a double UK: Rooms less than £45 for a double
$$ => Rooms €60 – €120 for a double UK: Rooms £45 – £90 for a double
$$$ => Rooms €120+ for a double UK: Rooms £90+ for a double
Large Cities/Major Destinations
$ => Rooms less than €100 for a double UK: Rooms less than £75 for a double
$$ => Rooms €100 – €180 for a double UK: Rooms £75 – £135 for a double
$$$ => Rooms €180+ for a double UK: Rooms £135+ for a double
Eat
#Note new construct to swap in
$ => Up to €10 for average main at dinner (or lunch/breakfast if no dinner is served)
$$ => €10-25 for average main at dinner (or lunch/breakfast if no dinner is served)
$$$ => €25+ for average main at dinner (or lunch/breakfast if no dinner is served)
UK
$ => Up to £8 for average main at dinner (or lunch/breakfast if no dinner is served)
$$ => UK £8 – £20 for average main at dinner (or lunch/breakfast if no dinner is served)
$$$ => UK £20+ for average main at dinner (or lunch/breakfast if no dinner is served)
Shop
N/A => Not applicable
Tours
$ => Tickets less than €20 per person UK: Tickets less than £20 per person
$$ => Tickets €20-30 per person UK: Tickets £20-£30 per person
$$$ => Tickets €30+ per person UK: Tickets £30+ per person