Have you ever been to England? Here’s Some Great Tips for Traveling to England

What’s the best way to get around England?

Some family friends visited recently, from Australia. They pored over road maps. Being used to long, straight, clear, fast roads deduced that they could hire a car and explore all of Southern England in about six hours. We gently suggested that they jump on the train network, instead. The National Rail website has an excellent journey planner. And then hire cars locally for their day-trips. At either end of their tour, they stayed with family in Cheshire & London. In between they stopped over in two swanky hotels that they found via Luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk.  This meant three rail journeys each, so they bought a Britrail England Party Flexipass, which saved them a good 50% on train fares.

Why do we prefer the train to driving?

Although our country is small, many of its roads started life as dusty, winding cart tracks. They remain narrow with slow speed limits. The motorways and many major “A” roads were purpose-built for cars, but they’re hardly scenic. At peak times, they can also get clogged up with commuters and holiday-makers – there’s nothing worse than sitting in a traffic jam somewhere north of Bristol, when you could be whizzing on by in a railway carriage, eating a picnic and watching the lush English countryside scroll by.

Best ways to explore:

Around London

There are plenty of lovely landscapes, bustling county towns and pretty seaside spots within an hour from the capital.  Of course it has several international airports, so makes a good place to start your trip. You might need a few days here if you want explore London’s excellent free museums. Our favourites are the V&A and the Natural History Museum – before heading out into the countryside. Travel to: Brighton, Sussex & Kent (all good seaside counties) from Victoria station; Hampshire (for the New Forest) & Wiltshire (for Stonehenge) from Waterloo; the Cotswolds & Oxfordshire from Paddington; and Norfolk & Suffolk (for the Broads) from Liverpool Street.

The South-West

The fastest train out to Devon goes from Paddington, although you could also go from Waterloo and stop in Wiltshire to see Stonehenge and the county’s other prehistoric monuments, and Dorset, where you can find dinosaur fossils on the beaches. Somerset is known for its regional food; Devon is best for wandering, picnics, pony treks and kite-flying on wild rugged Dartmoor and Exmoor, while Cornwall is excellent for surfing, kitesurfing, and relaxing on the beach.

The Cotswolds

Relaxed, stately Oxford is only an hour by train from London Paddington, while Bristol is about 1.5 hours, with trains departing every 15 minutes. In the Cotswolds, you’ll discover a rich seam of English history. There are hundreds of ancient houses, both quaint and grand, lying amidst miles of lush green countryside. Clean rivers, quiet woodland and steep hills that offer spectacular views over several counties. Many English kings and queens made their homes here in the old days. Now, most of their ex-property is open to the public, but retains old furnishings and possessions. It’s a beautiful region. If you only have a week in England, you could do much worse than spending it here.

Getting up to Scotland

There’s sleeper train from London to Edinburgh, every night except Saturdays. If you’ve bought a Britrail pass you will need to pay a supplement when you book this (booking, via Scotrail, is essential or you’ll have nowhere to sleep!). Once in Scotland – you’ll arrive in Edinburgh in time for a nice breakfast – you can hire a car to explore the green rolling Glens and craggy Highlands under your own steam, so to speak, or there are regular trains to key stops, from whence to go off walking, or catch a boat to explore the coastal islands and their fabulous wildlife, which include whales, basking sharks, seals, puffins and numerous other seabirds and smaller mammals.

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