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England is a nation of queues, cups of tea and unapologetic apologies. It's also the birthplace of the Beatles, Bowie, punk rock, pub culture and a very British kind of dry humour. And let’s not forget cricket, that gloriously confusing sport only the English pretend to understand.
This is a country where history clings to every cobblestone. Castles, palaces, Roman roads and Tudor pubs all jostle for attention. Cathedrals sit beside brutalist icons and modern art hangs in centuries-old manors. The countryside looks like a Constable painting. The coastline changes with the mood.
Sport is sacred. So is the Sunday roast. And while the old jokes about British food used to land, they are now well out of date. London rivals Paris and New York in the kitchen stakes. And outside the capital, farm to fork is practically a religion, especially in the Cotswolds, Yorkshire and Somerset where foraging chefs, cider orchards and converted barns are rewriting rural cool.
Design lovers, culture seekers, antique trail hounds and curious roamers all find something here. Museums are world class, but so are small town galleries, music festivals in muddy fields and creative studios in repurposed sheds.
From the golden stone villages of Oxfordshire to Cornwall’s surf-art edge, England is layered and textured. A place of contrasts, contradictions and quiet creativity. Yes, we still say sorry for everything. Yes, we do love a good queue. But we also do craft, countryside and cultural rebellion better than most.
Whether you are sipping a pint in a crooked pub, walking the cliffs of Dorset or picking up ceramics in Bruton, England always offers a slightly different version of itself.
And that is exactly the point.
Loved by 19th century Romantic poets, prolific painters, families, hikers and dog walkers alike, this watercolour-come-to-life, much-loved corner of England holds some of the finest walking trails and views in the world and was even home to everyone’s favourite, the author Beatrix Potter. Known locally as Lakeland, this land of lakes, this almost offensively attractive Lake District, certainly goes some way to putting the ‘Great’ in ‘Great Britain’.
London really needs no introduction but it is important to keep an open mind when thinking of the British capital city - it may not be the city that never sleeps, but it is the city that keeps morphing like no other. It continually changes, shifts, re-invents itself and then clings on to the past.
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Get the insider news and lowdown on what we've been up to, where we've been, and who we've met along the way. Be the first to discover new places and get the scoop on our favourites.