Hello all, my husband and I are thinking of heading to England in Sept/early Oct for two weeks. We would like to book a cottage somewhere for one week of the trip and enjoy lots of walks, with a couple of day trips for sightseeing. I know the Cotswolds would be a great place, but does anyone have other recommendations for areas that would be good? We want to be within walking distance of a village with pubs and a small grocery, and would love to be somewhere with pretty fall colors. Thanks for the help!
Posted by
OP
Piedmont Triad, NC
164 posts
Oops - I should have added that we are open to Wales as well!
Posted by
WI
350 posts
Deanna, I would put a vote in for Dartmoor. The national park there is big, but you could pick some village setting there and find endless hikes, charming little villages and English country charm. We loved the area around Chagford (a charming little village in itself).
Posted by
Santa Rosa, CA, USA
1446 posts
Deanna, Google "walks in Kent UK" - Kent is in the southeast and is quite beautiful. There are many wonderful walks and many wonderful villages.
Posted by
High Wycombe, Bucks, United Kingdom
70 posts
I have to put a pitch in for the Chilterns... Beech woods and hangers along the western scarp, hardly touched by mass tourism as it's a working landscape, paths everywhere with some of the best views in the south east, dotted with lovely little places like Hambleden, Coombe, West Wycombe and Bradenham and yet within easy reach of High Wycombe, Aylesbury, Oxford and west London. Smaller towns like Princes Risborough, Chinnor or Great Missenden (home of the late Roald Dahl, btw...) make good bases. Its an Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty and criss-crossed by paths and bridleways all the way from the thames in the south to Dunstable Downs in the north. I hike out most weekends rain or shine and in 9 years living above Wycombe I've not got bored with a view yet! Check out the CHilternsAONB.org site to see what's around. Also, a quick shout out for my favourite pub/restaurant The Firecrest - good food for reasonable money & a regular stop for me when I bring guests out that way :)
Posted by
OP
Piedmont Triad, NC
164 posts
Thanks for all the wonderful options! I'll look into all of them!
Posted by
Santa Rosa, CA, USA
1446 posts
Aiken, I also love the area (Chilterns) you are recommending!
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3391 posts
I highly recommend the Lake District! Gorgeous scenery...looks exactly like you hope England will look like! Sheep, stone walls, rolling green hills, beautiful lakes and streams, small villages, and amazing walking. Been back many times and will return many more!
Posted by
Basingstoke, England
98 posts
I think the Isle of Wight is a good bet. Indeed the walking scene is so well established there is a big Walking Festival in May and a weekend in October with many guided walks of differing lengths and varied scenery. The footpaths are well marked and as a bonus you have one of the best climates in England.
Posted by
Paris
9566 posts
These all sound divine. . .
Posted by
OP
Piedmont Triad, NC
164 posts
I agree with Kim, these all DO sound divine…how to choose??? Keith, we will have a car, so options are wide open:) And thank you for the link - I will make sure I check out the website! And David, I had not even thought of one of the islands off the coast - it's an intriguing possibility. I definitely have some more research to do!! Thanks everyone for your awesome suggestions…
Posted by
OP
Piedmont Triad, NC
164 posts
With so many great suggestions, I think I need to think about what we want to see in our other week and see which options fit the best geographically, since it sounds like no matter where we go, we will be close to one of these lovely places! I've only been to Great Britain once before - visited London, the Lake District, and Edinburgh, so am looking forward to exploring some other areas. I'll post again asking for opinions once I get it narrowed down a bit more. Thanks to everyone for your generous help!