Summary

England is presented as an underrated tourist destination with a rich variety of attractions, from vibrant cities to stunning natural landscapes, all easily accessible by road or public transport.

Abstract

The article argues that England deserves more recognition as a tourist destination beyond just London. It highlights the country's diverse offerings, including bustling cities with vibrant food scenes and nightlife, numerous walking trails, National Parks, and a wealth of historical sites. The author, who moved to England from Canada, emphasizes the ease of travel within the country, the surprising diversity of landscapes, and the accessibility of various attractions. Despite its small size, England boasts a range of environments from sandy beaches to mountainous regions, all within a few hours' journey. The article encourages readers to consider England as a travel destination, suggesting that its beauty and diversity may pleasantly surprise visitors.

Opinions

The author believes that England is often overlooked as a holiday destination and encourages adding it to travel bucket lists.
England is praised for having something for every type of traveler, from city lovers to nature enthusiasts and history buffs.
The ease of getting around England, whether by car or public transport, is highlighted as a significant advantage for tourists.
The author expresses surprise at the diversity of landscapes and cities in England, despite its small size.
The article suggests that the English weather, often seen as a negative, contributes to the country's lush flora and should not deter tourists.
The author and their spouse have enjoyed exploring England, finding it unnecessary to look beyond the country's borders for travel experiences.

England Is An Underrated Tourist Destination

It’s worth taking the time to explore

If someone were to ask you your top three dream holiday destinations, I doubt England would be on that list.

And if you were to visit England, you’d probably stick to London.

While London is a pretty incredible city, I’m here to argue that England is worth exploring and has a lot of incredible things to offer.

My husband and I moved to England about a year ago. We were thrilled to explore this new country. Coming from Canada, England seemed very small and we didn’t expect the diversity of things we would get to experience.

Here’s why you should add England to your travel bucket list.

There is something for everyone

England has something for every kind of traveler.

Love cities, food, and nightlife? There are a number of big cities with incredible food cultures and busy nightlives for you to explore, such as London or York.

Avid hiker and nature enthusiast? England has an extensive network of walking trails, a number of mountains to scale, several National Parks, and an incredible diversity of fauna and flora to discover.

Fascinated by the past? England has a really rich history, which can be explored through its historical cities, such as UNESCO-classified Bath, unique historical sites, including Stonehenge, and world-class museums, such as the British Museum.

Love nothing more than spending time on the beach? As an island, England is surrounded by coasts. While the weather is not always ideal for sunbathing, you can find incredible beaches all around the country.

It’s easy to get around

England is a fairly small country, especially compared to Canada. Therefore, everything is close by.

You can drive across the whole country in less than 8 hours and there are a lot of great stops along the way.

That makes England a great place for a road trip.

However, if you’d rather not drive, it’s extremely easy to get around using public transportation. All major cities are connected by trains. Within cities, there are extensive bus, metro, ferry, and taxi networks.

Most English cities are also best explored on foot.

We’ve done most of our traveling by train. Finding parking in large cities can be complicated so it’s very liberating to not have our car while visiting. Train stations are also most often found in the city centres, which makes exploring very easy.

The landscapes and cities are incredibly varied

For such a small country, we did not anticipate the diversity of landscapes and cities that we’ve encountered.

We live in the North of England, near the Scottish border.

Driving an hour East, we find beautiful sandy beaches and lovely coastal villages and towns.

Driving an hour West leads us to the Lakes District National Park, a beautiful mountainous region with some of the largest lakes and tallest peaks in England. The houses there are made of black slate and look unlike anything else we’ve seen before.

Driving an hour South and we are in the North Pennines, desolate landscapes of yellow grass and soft hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Driving an hour North, we reach Northumberland National Park, the home to England’s darkest skies, an incredible place to stargaze.

Within a few hours of our home, we have visited castles, forests, beaches, cities, villages, plains, mountains, hills, and everything else in between.

We’re constantly amazed by the things we are able to experience within a few hours of each other.

Final thoughts

When we learned we were moving to England, we were thrilled to get to experience a new place. However, we didn’t expect how much we would enjoy exploring this country.

I had imagined that we would spend a lot of our time visiting Europe as it has so much to offer. But we have found spending the majority of our time in England. It’s so easy to take the train to a different area just to spend a few days there.

Overall, England is a place of incredible beauty and diversity. While the weather may deter some, we have found that it’s not actually that bad. And the combination of rain, humidity, and occasional heat allows for a thriving flora of the likes I had never experienced before. Rain truly does make the flowers grow.

I hope this article has enticed you to add England to your dream travel destinations. It has so much to offer and you might be surprised how much you enjoy it.