• Hadrian’s Wall — the Romans built this 87 mile wall to protect their English outpost from northern raiders.
• Isles of Scilly — magical archipelago of tiny islands off the south western coast of Cornwall.
• Lake District National Park — glorious mountains, lakes and woodlands; the land of Wordsworth.
• New Forest National Park — one of the few remnants of the great oak and hornbeam woodland that once covered southern England.
• North York Moors National Park — with heather-clad hills, woodlands, impressive sea cliffs and secluded beaches, this area is one of the true English gems.
• Peak District National Park — rugged moors and hills which form the northern spine of England.
• South Downs National Park — the gentle rolling chalk downs of southern England.
• Stonehenge — the iconic Neolithic and Bronze Age monument; as mysterious as it is famous.
• Yorkshire Dales National Park — charming, picture postcard villages set in some of the finest landscapes anywhere in Britain.

The medieval cathedrals of England, which date from between approximately 1040 and 1540, are a group of twenty-six buildings that constitute a major aspect of the country’s artistic heritage and are among the most significant material symbols of Christianity. Though diversified in style, they are united by a common function. As cathedrals, each of these buildings serves as central church for an administrative region and houses the throne of a bishop. Each cathedral also serves as a regional center and a focus of regional pride and affection.

Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Its formal title is the Cathedral and Metro political Church of Christ at Canterbury.

Founded in 597, the cathedral was completely rebuilt between 1070 and 1077. The east end was greatly enlarged at the beginning of the 12th century, and largely rebuilt in the Gothic style following a fire in 1174, with significant eastward extensions to accommodate the flow of pilgrims visiting the shrine of Thomas Becket, the archbishop who was murdered in the cathedral in 1170. The Norman nave and transepts survived until the late 14th century, when they were demolished to make way for the present structures.

Before the English Reformation the cathedral was part of Benedictine

Monastic community known as Christ Church, Canterbury, as well as being the seat of the archbishop.

Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is a large, mainly Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United Kingdom’s most notable religious buildings and the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and, later, British monarchs. The building itself was a Benedictine monastic church until the monastery was dissolved in 1539. Between 1540 and 1556, the abbey had the status of a cathedral. Since 1560, the building is no longer an abbey or a cathedral, having instead the status of a Church of England “Royal Peculiar”—a church responsible directly to the sovereign.

Since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, all coronations of English and British monarchs have been in Westminster Abbey. There have been 16 royal weddings at the abbey since 1100. As the burial site of more than 3,300 persons, usually of predominant prominence in British history (including at least sixteen monarchs, eight Prime Ministers, poet laureates, actors, scientists, and military leaders, and the Unknown Warrior), Westminster Abbey is sometimes described as ‘Britain’s Valhalla’, after the iconic burial hall of Norse mythology.

England is well serviced by domestic air, land and sea routes.

There are taxi firms everywhere (many are by booking only), and every town has a bus service. ‘Black Cabs’ are also common in cities and can be hailed from the side of the road. Sometimes in city centers, usually just after the nightclubs have closed, there will be queue for taxis which will sometimes be monitored by marshals or police.

To be safe, make sure you take a registered taxi or black cab; despite government action, many unlawful unregistered private taxi drivers exist – these do have a reputation for being unsafe, particularly if you are a woman.

England has one of the highest densities of railway lines per square mile in the world. There has been much improvement and investment in recent years to the railway network and rolling stock but delays and cancellations do occasionally occur. Overcrowding can be a problem in large cities, especially at ‘rush-hour’ times (7AM – 9AM & 5PM – 7PM, Monday to Friday) so it is best to avoid these times when tickets can be expensive as well.

Buses are numerous, frequent and reliable in most of the larger towns and cities and an ideal way of getting around. Rural areas are less well served and hiring a car is often the best option to explore the countryside and villages.

The roads are of generally excellent Care should be taken on rural and minor roads, some of which are extremely narrow, twisty and poorly marked, while many are two way roads and only wide enough for one car, meaning a meeting situation can be unpleasant. The signs and markings on most roads are clear, although roundabouts make traffic slow to a crawl during “Rush Hour”. The main problem with driving in England is the sheer volume of traffic on the roads. Unfortunately this is not only limited to rush-hours and large cities, and even cross country motorways can slow to a stop as they pass urban areas. Prepare for travel times being longer than you’d normally anticipate in relation to the mileage. The speed limit, unless otherwise stated, is 30 or 40 mph in built-up areas, 95 km/h elsewhere and 110 km/h on motorways and other controlled-access roads. Speed cameras and traffic police are numerous so caution is advised.

London is the start and finish point for most international tourists. It offers countless museums and historical attractions. To truly experience England, however, you must venture out of the hustle and bustle of the capital and see what the rest of England has to offer. You will find the rest of England very different to its capital city; indeed, if you only visit London, you haven’t seen ‘England’ – you’ve seen one city that bears few similarities with the rest of the country.

If short on time, you may find it more convenient to base yourself in a regional city and take day trips to the National Parks, coast and smaller towns. If you have plenty of time, then you could base yourself in a B&B (Bed and Breakfast) in any of the above. You will find that public transport to and within cities and large towns is acceptable, but that in smaller places off the beaten track then you should research your journey carefully, or consider hiring a car.

Popular places to visit include the counties of Yorkshire in the East, and Cornwall in the South West of England, the National Parks listed above, and the historic cities such as York, Bath and Lincoln.

Liverpool, as well as being a popular city break destination in itself with its Beatles heritage and maritime attractions, is centrally located for day trips to the Lake District, North Wales, and Yorkshire.

Plymouth makes a good base for exploring Dartmoor, whilst allowing day trips to Cornwall and offering its own range of attractions and museums.

Bristol, the West Country’s largest city makes for a very enjoyable weekend break. Although until recently overlooked by other Southern English cities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Bath and Brighton, Bristol has come into its own thanks to its leftfield attitude, laid back easy going groove, the West Country’s largest shopping complex, and above all its stunningly creative and brilliant music. Although Bristol doesn’t have any specific sights (apart from the Clifton Suspension Bridge), it’s a city to just browse and glide through at your leisure and soak up the mellow, amiable vibe of Britain’s most relaxed and laid back city.

If you have a little longer, you may be able to spend a week more locally based, for example staying in Ambleside in the Lake District.

If you want white sand beaches, turquoise sea, Arthurian atmosphere and a raw, misty eyed Celtic landscape head to the West Country coastline of Devon and Cornwall – particularly, the magnificent surf blasted beaches of North Devon’s Bideford Bay and King Arthur’s birthplace in North Cornwall’s Atlantic coastline (Bude, Tintagel, Padstow, Polzeath etc).

England has traditional dishes famous the world over from Beef Wellington and Steak and Kidney Pie to the humble sandwich. However, a modern English meal is just as likely to be Lasagne or Chicken Tikka Masala, with the traditional Italian and Indian meals taking on a decidedly English flavor. The English are great adopters of other countries’ cuisines.

There are many low-quality establishments and mediocre chain restaurants, and the motorway services can often still manage to produce food that is barely edible, however, you can generally expect pubs and restaurants to provide interesting and well-presented meals.

“A meal out” is the usual way to celebrate a special family event, and people expect the meal to live up to the occasion. Cooking programs are now among the most popular on the television, supermarkets have turned many previously unknown foods into everyday items, and Farm Shops and Farmers’ Markets have surprised all the commentators by becoming extremely popular weekend “leisure” destinations where people can buy excellent English meat, fruit, and vegetables.