England Vacations

Nestled at the edge of the Jurassic Coast, the genteel resort of Lyme Regis is famous for two things: fossils and The French Lieutenant’s Woman. John Fowles’ classic tale of a seaside love triangle was set in Lyme Regis and the Hollywood film starring Richard Gere was later filmed here, providing a briefly lived boost to both the town’s tourist industry and the local housing market. But the town is perhaps better known for its archaeological attractions; some of the first dinosaur skeletons ever discovered in Britain were found here during the 19th century, and the town has been a magnet for fossil-hunters ever since.

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Sitting snugly between the brooding North York Moors to the east and the dramatic Lake District to the west are the Yorkshire Dales (from the Viking word dalr, meaning ‘valleys’), a marvellous area of high hills and moors, cut through by rugged stone walls and spotted with extravagant houses and the faded, spectral grandeur of monastic ruins.

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York is the kind of place that makes you wish – if only for an instant – that the Industrial Revolution never happened, and reminds us of a world before the machines. A city of extraordinary cultural and historical wealth, its medieval spider’s web of narrow streets is enclosed by a magnificent circuit of 13th-century walls. At its heart lies the immense, awe-inspiring minster, one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in the world. The city’s long history and rich heritage is woven into virtually every brick and beam; modern, tourist-oriented York – with its myriad museums, restaurants, cafés and traditional pubs – is a carefully maintained heir to that heritage.

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Verdant hills honeycombed with springs and crisscrossed by beautiful walking trails thrust up alluringly over the south and west sides of serene Worcestershire. Though the northern and eastern plains offer little to visitors, plump in its regional heart is the capital, Worcester, boasting a fascinating cathedral and the world-renowned Royal Worcester Porcelain works. The dignified hillside Victorian resort of Great Malvern and the rolling Malvern Hills (the Malverns) beckon just south.

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An ancient cathedral city on the banks of the River Severn, Worcester (woos-ter) is sprinkled with stark reminders of its eventful history, though postwar city planners have hardly set out to highlight them. Turn a blind eye to the chain stores and multistoreys that nuzzle its architectural gems however, and you’ll be rewarded with a magnificent cathedral, pockets of timber-framed Tudor and elegant Georgian architecture, riverside walks, and tales of the English Civil War, which finished here.

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Conveniently close to Oxford, yet a quintessential rural retreat, the charming village of Woodstock makes a wonderful day trip from the city. The big draw here is Blenheim Palace, the opulent country pile of the Churchill family, but the village itself is full of picturesque creeper-clad cottages and elegant town houses.

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Windsor and the adjacent college town of Eton are two of the most visited destinations in the country, and with good reason. Windsor Castle, with its romantic architecture, superb state rooms and traditional changing of the guard, is an absolute must-see. It’s so prominent, you’d be hard pressed to visit Windsor and avoid it. Over the water, Eton is a quieter town with England’s most famous public school and a clutch of endearing antique shops. Not forgetting the Thames itself, which flows attractively between the two towns and is just asking for a boat trip.

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Framed by fells and encircled by a wooded shoreline, Lake Windermere is the largest natural lake in England, stretching in a silvery north–south line all the way from Ambleside to Newby Bridge for a distance of some 10½ miles. Ever since the arrival of the steam railway in 1847 – something that was passionately opposed by William Wordsworth – Windermere has served as the main gateway to the Lake District, and it remains one of the region’s busiest spots. The town itself is split into two main areas – Windermere town, 1½ miles uphill from the lake, and Bowness-on-Windermere, from where cruise boats have been chugging across the waters of the lake since the early 19th century.

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The ancient, wistful and often eye-wateringly lovely cathedral city of Winchester is a must for all visitors to the region. A capital of Saxon kings and power-base of bishops, the city’s rich history is reflected in heroic statues, handsome Elizabethan and Regency buildings, narrow winding streets and above all, the wondrous cathedral that marks its centre. Thanks to its moist location, nestled in a valley of the River Itchen, there are also charming waterside trails to explore, and as walkers will be well aware, the city marks the beginning of the beautiful South Downs Way.

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Capital of the Saxon kingdom of Mercia and one of the most important towns in the Cotswolds until the Middle Ages, Winchcombe is now a sleepy place with the timeless charm of a typical Cotswold town. Beautiful houses line the streets, and the picturesque cottages on Vineyard St and Dents Tce offer quintessential Cotswold views. Fine gargoyles adorn the lovely St Peter’s Church and just outside the town are the evocative ruins of Cistercian Hailes Abbey (EH; 01242-602398; adult/under 15yr £3.30/1.70; 10am-5pm Easter-Oct), once one of the country’s main pilgrimage centres.

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Britain’s ancient history comes to life around the fields, plateaus and plains of rural Wiltshire. It’s a place that teases and tantalises the imagination, littered with more ancient barrows, processional avenues and mysterious stone rings than anywhere else in Britain; the stunning prehistoric sites of Avebury and Stonehenge understandably receive the most visitors, but there are plenty of lesser-known sites to explore too, including Woodhenge, Silbury Hill and the Iron Age fort at Old Sarum. Wiltshire is also home to the stately homes of Longleat and Stourhead and the delightful villages of Castle Combe and Lacock, as well as the magnificent cathedral city of Salisbury.

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