England
Rolling countryside and special cities
Compared to its European neighbours, England might seem pretty small and lacking in cultural charm and culinary expertise. But get underneath the skin of eccentric England and you’ll discover a place of outstanding natural beauty, ancient history and modern metropolises.
For such a (relatively) small country, England has an astonishing amount of natural beauty. Whether it’s the hills and waterside retreats of the Lake District, the rugged bleakness of the Peak District or coastal views on the South Downs, England’s countryside is perfect for exploring, whether hiking, cycling or simply visiting its villages.
However, if you’re into culture more than nature, England’s cities are some of the world’s most exciting. Everyone knows London is one of the world’s great cities, with outstanding nightlife, music, arts and restaurants, but try exploring a little further. Manchester is renowned for its music scene and nightlife, while Liverpool’s regeneration goes far beyond Beatles tours and football teams.
Ultimately, enjoying a visit to England is about the small things — visiting a pub for a pint of beer, eating a full English breakfast, getting confused by regional accents – but the more you see, the more you’ll enjoy.
The UK by foot
An essential guide to planning a walking holiday in the UK
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South West Coast Path
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Dorset
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Cornwall
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Dartmoor National Park
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Exmoor National Park
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Somerset
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Devon
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Cotswolds
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Isle of Wight
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South Downs
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Kent
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Chiltern Hills
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Norfolk
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Suffolk
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Cheshire
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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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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
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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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Yorkshire Wolds
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Tyne & Wear
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Shropshire
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Northumberland
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Worcestershire
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Broadway
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Hadrian's Wall
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England Tours
The South West Coast Path (all sections)
Self-guided walking holidays on the SWCP
4 daysFrom £340
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South West Coast Path, Dorset, Cornwall, Somerset, Devon |
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Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
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Active, Walking, Nature & Wildlife, National Parks |
Recommended Multi-Day Tours
The South West Coast Path (all sections)
Self-guided walking holidays on the SWCP
4 – 7 days £340 – £595 per person By Encounter Walking Holidays| Destinations |
South West Coast Path, Dorset, Cornwall, Somerset, Devon |
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| Activity |
Active, Walking, Nature & Wildlife, National Parks |
| Tour Type |
Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
 Physical Level |
Moderate |
Choose from any of nine segments—follow the link or contact Encounter Walking Holidays for more information.
From towering cliffs to hidden coves, ghostly tin mines to lush wooded creeks. One minute a dramatic rock theatre hewn out of the cliffs, the next a prehistoric fossilised forest. On the South West Coast Path you re-trace the footsteps, histories and lives of old tin miners, fisherman, smugglers, wreckers and of the customs men who chased them.
The full path snakes a staggering 630 miles, but is more commonly broken up into nine shorter sections. Encounter Walking Holidays will happily tailor a route to your preferences—get in touch now for more information.
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Accommodation |
All nights in carefully selected B&Bs and small hotels. All accommodation is specifically chosen as walker-friendly, situated close to the paths, proprietors with local knowledge and happy to assist with local logistics. All accommodation can be adjusted to suit your budget. |
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Ground transfers |
Door to Door luggage transfers and transfers to and from the trail if required. |
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Breakfast |
Full English breakfast included at all accommodations. |
Classic Cornwall Short Break
Self-guided walking holiday
2 daysFrom £170|
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South West Coast Path, Cornwall |
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Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
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Active, Walking, Nature & Wildlife, National Parks |
Recommended Multi-Day Tours
Classic Cornwall Short Break
Self-guided walking holiday
2 – 3 days £170 – £255 per person By Encounter Walking Holidays| Destinations |
South West Coast Path, Cornwall |
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| Activity |
Active, Walking, Nature & Wildlife, National Parks |
| Tour Type |
Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
| Physical Level |
Moderate |
Not everyone has the time to walk a full week on the South West Coastal Path, you may want to fit in a short section of walking within a longer sightseeing holiday or if it’s your first time on a walking break you may want to play it safe and try a taster trip over two or three days.
Encounter Walking can provide this for you! We can operate a short section on any part of the South West Coast Path so if you are particularly interested in one area just contact us and tell us where you want to be and we will come up with the options.
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Accommodation |
All nights in carefully selected B&Bs and small hotels. All accommodation is specifically chosen as walker-friendly, situated close to the paths, proprietors with local knowledge and happy to assist with local logistics. All accommodation can be adjusted to suit your budget. |
|
Ground transfers |
Door to Door luggage transfers and transfers to and from the trail if required. |
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Breakfast |
Full English breakfast included at all accommodations. |
The Smugglers Way
Self-guided walking holiday
2 daysFrom £170|
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South West Coast Path, Cornwall |
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Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
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Active, Walking, Nature & Wildlife, National Parks |
Recommended Multi-Day Tours
The Smugglers Way
Self-guided walking holiday
2 – 3 days £170 – £255 per person By Encounter Walking Holidays| Destinations |
South West Coast Path, Cornwall |
|---|---|
| Activity |
Active, Walking, Nature & Wildlife, National Parks |
| Tour Type |
Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
| Physical Level |
Strenuous |
Created and developed by Cornishman Frank Squibb in the spring of 1994 this is Cornwall’s best and most challenging coast to coast walking route and for experienced walkers.
The Smugglers Way takes you down forgotten drove roads and ancient lanes mixed with testing sections of wild and open moorland walking. Either side of Bodmin Moor deserted, hidden river trails follow stunning and unspoilt forested valleys and pasture as you follow the waters gushing off the high ground and charging down to the sea.
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Accommodation |
All nights in carefully selected B&Bs and small hotels. All accommodation is specifically chosen as walker-friendly, situated close to the paths, proprietors with local knowledge and happy to assist with local logistics. All accommodation can be adjusted to suit your budget. |
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Ground transfers |
Door to Door luggage transfers and transfers to and from the trail if required. |
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Breakfast |
Full English breakfast included at all accommodations. |
Hadrian's Wall Path
Famous Roman coast-to-coast walk
3 daysFrom £325|
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Cumbria, Lake District, Tyne & Wear, Northumberland, Hadrian's Wall |
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Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
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Active, Walking |
Recommended Multi-Day Tours
Hadrian's Wall Path
Famous Roman coast-to-coast walk
3 – 9 days £325 – £765 per person By Wandering Aengus| Destinations |
Cumbria, Lake District, Tyne & Wear, Northumberland, Hadrian's Wall |
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| Activity |
Active, Walking |
| Tour Type |
Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
| Physical Level |
Moderate |
The 84-mile Hadrian's Wall path is a superb Roman coast-to-coast walk. Stretching from the mouth of the Tyne in the east to the Solway Firth in the west, the Hadrian's Wall path follows the greatest relic from the Roman occupation of Britain which lasted 400 years. During a walk along the Wall you will pass the sites or remains of the 16 Wall Forts, plus numerous milecastles and turrets, plus original and partly restored sections of Hadrian's Wall itself. The wall can be walked in either direction, and in a variety of lengths and durations.
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Accommodation |
All accommodation in twin/double rooms (with private bathroom where available) in carefully chosen, walker-friendly (close to the trails!) guest houses, inns or hotels. |
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Breakfast |
All cooked breakfasts included. |
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Ground transfers |
Secure, reliable luggage transfer between overnight stops. |
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Support |
Round the clock emergency telephone support. Also provided is a Wandering Aengus information pack containing all necessary maps, a current guide book or our own weather-proof route cards, laminated locator maps for each night's accommodation, and our own weather-proof 'info cards' with local information - including locations and opening times of restaurants, cafes, ATMs, supermarkets etc. |
The Cumbria Way
England's best kept secret
2 daysFrom £280|
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Cumbria |
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Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
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Active, Walking |
Recommended Multi-Day Tours
The Cumbria Way
England's best kept secret
2 – 8 days £280 – £775 per person By Wandering Aengus| Destinations |
Cumbria |
|---|---|
| Activity |
Active, Walking |
| Tour Type |
Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
| Physical Level |
Moderate |
Possibly England's best kept secret, the 73-mile Cumbria Way plots a course from the market town of Ulverston overlooking Morecambe Bay, right through the mountain heart of the Lake District, to Carlisle close to the Solway Firth. The Cumbria Way passes through a remarkable variety of scenery ranging from the ordered pastoral landscapes of its beginnings, the mixed woodland of the lake shores, dramatic peaks in central Lakeland and the wild reaches of the northern Caldbeck fells, before finishing in the historic Cumbrian city of Carlisle.
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Accommodation |
All accommodation in twin/double rooms (with private bathroom where available) in carefully chosen, walker-friendly (close to the trails!) guest houses, inns or hotels. |
|
Breakfast |
All cooked breakfasts included. |
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Ground transfers |
Secure, reliable luggage transfer between overnight stops. |
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Support |
Round the clock emergency telephone support. Also provided is a Wandering Aengus information pack containing all necessary maps, a current guide book or our own weather-proof route cards, laminated locator maps for each night's accommodation, and our own weather-proof 'info cards' with local information - including locations and opening times of restaurants, cafes, ATMs, supermarkets etc. |
The Dales Way
Explore the Yorkshire Dales
7 daysFrom £595|
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North Yorkshire |
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Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
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Active, Walking |
Recommended Multi-Day Tours
The Dales Way
Explore the Yorkshire Dales
7 – 9 days £595 – £755 per person By Wandering Aengus| Destinations |
North Yorkshire |
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| Activity |
Active, Walking |
| Tour Type |
Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
| Physical Level |
Moderate |
The Dales Way is a delightful 78 mile walk through the Yorkshire Dales from the moors of Ilkley through the wonderful limestone country of Wharfedale and Dentdale and then skirting the Howgill Fells as you head west into south Lakeland to finish at the charming town of Bowness-on-Windermere, the largest lake in England's premier National Park.
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Accommodation |
All accommodation in twin/double rooms (with private bathroom where available) in carefully chosen, walker-friendly (close to the trails!) guest houses, inns or hotels. |
|
Breakfast |
All cooked breakfasts included. |
|
Ground transfers |
Secure, reliable luggage transfer between overnight stops. |
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Support |
Round the clock emergency telephone support. Also provided is a Wandering Aengus information pack containing all necessary maps, a current guide book or our own weather-proof route cards, laminated locator maps for each night's accommodation, and our own weather-proof 'info cards' with local information - including locations and opening times of restaurants, cafes, ATMs, supermarkets etc. |
England Travel Companies
Macs Adventure
Active adventures at home and abroad
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The United Kingdom |
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Custom itinerary, Small group tour, Private guided tour |
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Active, Walking, Hiking & Trekking, Nature & Wildlife |
Encounter Walking Holidays
Self-guided walks in South West England & Wales
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The United Kingdom |
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Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
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Active, Walking, Hiking & Trekking, Nature & Wildlife, National Parks |
South Downs Discovery
South Downs Way walking holidays
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South Downs |
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Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
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Active, Walking, Hiking & Trekking, Nature & Wildlife, National Parks |
Wandering Aengus
Walking holidays in the Lake District & beyond
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England |
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Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
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Active, Walking, Hiking & Trekking, Nature & Wildlife |
Sherpa Expeditions
Self guided holidays & baggage transfer service
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The United Kingdom |
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Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
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Active, Walking, Hiking & Trekking, Biking, Nature & Wildlife |
Wheely Wonderful Cycling
Self-guided biking in England & Wales
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The United Kingdom |
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Custom itinerary, Private guided tour |
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Active, Biking, Nature & Wildlife, National Parks |
Albion Trails
Walking holidays around Hadrian’s Wall
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Hadrian's Wall |
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Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
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Active, Walking, Hiking & Trekking, Nature & Wildlife, National Parks |
Contours Holidays
Self-guided walking holidays in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland
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The United Kingdom |
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Custom itinerary, Self-guided tour |
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Active, Walking, Biking, Nature & Wildlife |
Request a custom itinerary
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