The United Kingdom
Four countries, one shared history






Where can you find four countries in one, each with its own defining characteristics, but with at least one big thing in common?
The United Kingdom is that rare beast. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are the four separate entities: Four capital cities, four unique histories, four national football teams, four ways (at least) of looking at the world… all rolled into one haphazard, at times strained, but unquestionably fascinating union.
With its self-contradictory national myths, the UK can be hard to pin down for locals and visitors alike. Brits are oddly proud of their reputation for mind-your-own-business reserve, while simultaneously fond of tipsy banter with strangers in friendly pubs. They cultivate the so-called “stiff upper lip” and a supposed penchant for good manners, while roaring for their local football team with a rowdy, delirious tribalism. The UK has global, culture-defining cities among its fair share of small-town parochialism. It celebrates its history, monuments and Monarchic rituals alongside an ever more diverse and progressive urban society which borrows (admittedly, often without asking) from cultures in every corner of the world.
It’s an onion of a national identity. All the visitor can do is keep peeling back the layers to see what lies beneath.
Where to go? What to do? It’s all a matter of taste. You’ll find towns and cities with world beating museums, music and cultural festivals; Edinburgh, Hay, Glastonbury, among a panoply of others. You’ll find a country that’s working hard to shake off its reputation for stodgy cuisine (yes, really!) You’ll find castles, estates and ruins that are older than many countries all set in timeless, rolling (and occasionally dramatic) countryside that is tailor-made for walking and hiking trips.
From country pubs to the Notting Hill Carnival; Sunday afternoons on village greens to the world’s largest Diwali festival outside India. The ball’s in your court. With four countries in one calling you, and countless good reasons persuading you, all you have to do is…go.
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Scotland
Highlands and Islands
There is a border between England and Scotland, but it’s easy to miss... -
Caithness
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John O'Groats
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Thurso
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Edinburgh
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Dumfries and Galloway
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Hebrides
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Isle of Mull
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Isle of Jura
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Isle of Islay
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Shuna Island
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Isle of Barra
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Isle of Lewis
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Isle of Skye
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St. Kilda
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Isle of Rùm
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Isle of Eigg
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Isle of Arran
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Oban
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Speyside
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Cairngorms National Park
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Loch Ness
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Caledonian Canal
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Inverness
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Orkney Islands
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Isle of Arran
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Glasgow
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Fort William
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Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park
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Aberdeen
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Balmoral
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Morvern Peninsula
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Loch Linnhe
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Sound of Arisaig
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England
Rolling countryside and special cities
Compared to its European neighbours, England might seem pretty small and lacking in cultural charm and culinary expertise... -
Dorset
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Cornwall
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Cumbria
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Easton
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Kirkby Stephen
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Grange over Sands
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Dartmoor National Park
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Devon
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Exmoor National Park
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Herefordshire
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Symonds Yat
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Hereford
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Lake District
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Windermere
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Keswick
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Peak District National Park
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North Yorkshire
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York
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Yorkshire Dales National Park
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North York Moors
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West Witton
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Hawes
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Aysgarth
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Tyne & Wear
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Shropshire
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Somerset
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Northumberland
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South Downs National Park
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Worcestershire
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Broadway
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Wales
History, hills and Hiraeth
Wild Wales is the perfect place to get away from it all and explore nature... -
Brecon Beacons National Park
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Monmouthshire
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Pembrokeshire
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Powys
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Snowdonia National Park
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Northern Ireland
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The United Kingdom Travel Companies


EasyWays
Specialists in Scotland walking holidays
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Scotland |
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Custom itinerary, Group tour, Private tour |
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Nature & Wildlife, National Parks, Active, Walking, Hiking & Trekking |


Encounter Walking Holidays
Self-guided walks in South West England & Wales
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England, Wales |
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Custom itinerary, Private tour |
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Nature & Wildlife, National Parks, Active, Walking, Hiking & Trekking |


South Downs Discovery
South Downs Way walking holidays
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South Downs National Park |
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Custom itinerary, Private tour |
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Nature & Wildlife, National Parks, Active, Walking, Hiking & Trekking |


Macs Adventure
Active adventures at home and abroad
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The United Kingdom |
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Custom itinerary, Group tour, Private tour |
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Nature & Wildlife, Active, Walking, Hiking & Trekking |


Open Road Open Skies
Cycling and walking adventures
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The United Kingdom |
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Custom itinerary, Group tour, Private tour |
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Active, Walking, Biking |


Wandering Aengus
Walking holidays in the Lake District & beyond
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England |
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Custom itinerary, Group tour, Private tour |
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Nature & Wildlife, Active, Walking, Hiking & Trekking |


Sherpa Expeditions
Self guided holidays & baggage transfer service
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The United Kingdom |
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Custom itinerary, Group tour, Private tour |
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Nature & Wildlife, Active, Walking, Hiking & Trekking, Biking |


Scot Mountain Holidays
Self-guided & guided activity holidays in Scotland
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Cairngorms National Park |
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Custom itinerary, Private tour |
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Nature & Wildlife, Active, Walking, Hiking & Trekking, Camping, Biking, Winter Sports, Horseback Riding |


Ticket To Ride
Bike rental & transport in the Highlands
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Scotland |
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Custom itinerary, Private tour |
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Active, Biking |


Wheely Wonderful Cycling
Self-guided biking in England & Wales
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England, Wales |
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Custom itinerary, Private tour |
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Nature & Wildlife, National Parks, Active, Biking |

Albion Trails
Walking holidays around Hadrian’s Wall
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England |
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Custom itinerary, Private tour |
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Nature & Wildlife, National Parks, Active, Walking, Hiking & Trekking |


VIP Wales
Guided & self-guided walking holidays in Pembrokeshire
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Pembrokeshire |
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Custom itinerary, Private tour |
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Nature & Wildlife, National Parks, Active, Walking |


Treads & Trails
Guided adventures in the Brecon Beacons
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Brecon Beacons National Park |
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Group tour, Private tour |
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Family, Nature & Wildlife, National Parks, Active, Walking, Backpacking, Biking |


Adventure Tours UK
Authentic adventures in some of the UK's wildest places
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Wales |
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Custom itinerary, Group tour, Private tour |
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Nature & Wildlife, Responsible Travel, Conservation, Active, Walking, Hiking & Trekking, Backpacking, Camping, Yoga, Biking, Water Sports |


Contours Holidays
Self-guided walking holidays in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland
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Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland |
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Custom itinerary, Private tour |
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Nature & Wildlife, Active, Walking, Biking |


Snowdonia Walking & Climbing
Guided mountaineering in Snowdonia National Park
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Snowdonia National Park |
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Custom itinerary, Group tour, Private tour |
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Nature & Wildlife, National Parks, Active, Walking, Hiking & Trekking, Climbing |


British & Irish Walks
Offering the best of British & Irish walking holidays
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The United Kingdom |
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Custom itinerary, Private tour |
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Nature & Wildlife, National Parks, Active, Walking |


Midtown Farm B&B
Ideally located for Hadrian's Wall
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Cumbria |
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Custom itinerary, Private tour |
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Family, Active, Walking |


The Wensleydale Heifer
Family-owned boutique hotel in gorgeous Yorkshire Dales
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North Yorkshire |
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Luxury, Active, Walking |


Simonstone Hall
Country house hotel in the Yorkshire Dales
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North Yorkshire |
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Luxury, Active, Walking |


Stow House
Bed, breakfast and cocktails in the Yorkshire Dales
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North Yorkshire |
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Luxury, Family, Active, Walking |


The Samling
Hotel overlooking Lake Windermere
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Lake District |
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Luxury, Active, Walking |


Lindeth Fell
Five-star B&B in the Lakes
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Lake District |
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Luxury, Active, Walking |


The Cottage in the Wood
Restaurant and boutique B&B
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Lake District |
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Luxury, Family, Active, Walking |


The Saracens Head
Riverside B&B on the River Wye
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Herefordshire |
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Family, Active, Walking |


Castle House
Family-owned boutique hotel
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Herefordshire |
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Luxury, Active, Walking |


Pilgrim Hotel
Herefordshire country house hotel
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Herefordshire |
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Family, Active, Walking |


Augill Castle
Boutique castle hotel
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Cumbria |
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Luxury, Family, Active, Walking |


The Grange Hotel
Luxury gem on the edge of the Lake District
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Cumbria |
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Luxury, Active, Walking |


East House
Luxury B&B in the Cotswolds
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Worcestershire |
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Luxury, Nature & Wildlife, National Parks, Active, Walking |

Byways Breaks
Award winning walking & cycling holidays in UK
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The United Kingdom |
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Custom itinerary, Private tour |
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Family, Nature & Wildlife, Active, Walking, Biking |


Compass Holidays
Self-guided walking & cycling tours
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The United Kingdom |
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Custom itinerary, Private tour |
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Family, Nature & Wildlife, Active, Walking, Biking |