England

England is a great vacation option for outdoor lovers. There is great walking and cycling, with popular footpaths throughout. The small roads that connect villages in England are some of the best road biking we’ve experienced. Combine this with charming villages, cozy pubs and friendly locals and it’s easy to see why people flock to England for a vacation.

Imagine a charming town, with a couple of cozy pubs and a fine Inn. This town is surrounded with rolling hills, historical sights and nearby are even more lovely towns. Welcome to the English countryside, one of our favourite places for an outdoors-focused vacation.

There is great variety in England, including historical cities, beautiful seaside, rolling countryside and the stunning hills – most notably in the Lake District. The entire country seems designed to beckon people outdoors, and exploring on foot or on bike is definitely our favourite way to see England.

For our money, the Lake District offers the best spring trip in Europe. It’s easy to see why the combination of incredible views, low crowds, cute villages and great walking and cycling works so well. While many people know about the Lake District, visitors usually bypass the nearby Peak District and the North York Moors, two other beautiful national parks in Northern England.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about England is how accessible the outdoors are from the big cities. This is best seen in London, which has great walking routes through the parks and boroughs. Even better, only 45 minutes from central London and you are in beautiful countryside! Two of the best places to explore outside of London are the Chiltern Hills to the North and the South Downs which are south of London.