French Countryside or English Countryside

English countryside. Nicer folks - cool landscapes -etc. Consider the midlands. My personal favourite village is Tanworth in Arden, home of the late great musician Nick Drake, about 30 minutes from Birmingham, and close to Warwick Castle and Stratford Upon Avon. If possible, stay a night or 2 at The Bell Inn. Only 9 rooms, and utterly charming!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEglPLHtKWQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n55k7fPUogs
https://thebellattanworthinarden.co.uk/

Just got back from RS Loire Valley to the South of France. Last Fall we did bath/Cotswolds on our own. I'd take the French countryside in a heartbeat if scenery is your main priority. Check out the Dordogne region Sarlat, beynac the Caves...Nothing wrong with the Cotswolds but the French countryside blew me away. I was surprised how many people were on cycle tours in the Dordogne region. If you end up choosing England and like castles, you'll love Warwick, I don't think it's actually considered part of the Cotswolds, but close enough for a day trip from the North end.

Ideal French countryside for me is Burgundy. Rolling forested hills dotted with small medieval villages. I thought it was the most beautiful anywhere I've been. I went there in May, it was a little cold but felt uncrowded. In August, it may be too busy.

Cotswolds in England are the ideal there. I was also there in May (different year) and had really nice weather, only a little crowded. I'm worried that August crowds will spoil it for you. I'd suggest researching the top towns to visit - and avoid those.

My suggestions: either the French Pyrenees or Brittany.

If you get out on the peninsula in Brittany, the weather will be great in August and it's (relatively) uncrowded. I went in September and felt I had it to myself. It's a different feel than the others but has some great small towns.

I went to the French Pyrenees last June. It looked like Burgundy, only the towns were further apart and there are more castle ruins on the hills. It might be hot in August but it's much greener/shadier than either Provence or the Spanish Pyrenees.

In this age of "overtourism," crowds and traffic problems make late August the very worst time to visit the French Riviera. At this time Europe is on vacation and beaches on every European coast are crowded.

I second Allan’s comments.....my dad-in-law was a Mississippi farmer and encouraged us wherever we traveled to appreciate the farmers and countryside....and the Loire Valley of France also blew us away! We rented a car and drove there after flying in from Paris.....it was beautiful. We based in Amboise and drove to the chateaus and gardens in the area, enjoying a nice late afternoon walk and dinner every night in Amboise after returning from a fun day exploring. Villandry is a treasure. Seen enough museums and churches for a lifetime too! We did Provence last May and loved it as well. Explore THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES IN FRANCE if you end up there....every one is so worth exploring......we mapped them out and drove through as many as possible on our trips.

You can't go wrong with either.

It's not the same as English countryside, but we traveled the highlands of Scotland from coast to coast. A month ago we were in the Loire Valley. Both trips were wonderful and enjoyable in their own way.

I hope the five days you have is on the ground and doesn't count flying days to and from.

Both, it’s more hassle for me to go the UK otherwise I would visit it more often. If you can be happy with less, there is plenty of countryside to enjoy in both countries.

Leaving this right here....

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/travel/gascony-food-restaurants-france.html?_r=0

Darn you Dave. Now I want to go!

Overall England. But it does depend where you are going. The Cotswolds are very nice, but there are better options in both countries. Similarly, everybody likes Provence, but I wouldn't consider it must see compared to, for example, northern England.

But in August all the famous places will be busy because, well, they're famous.

Darn you Dave. Now I want to go!

Yeah, I know, Doug. Reading travel forums is fun, but it can be hard on the wallet.

It should be mentioned that the area could well be hot in August. The relatively low number of tourists compared to other, more popular spots is a definite plus.

Have you already bought your plane tickets? Are you flying in/out of Paris and London? If so, with only 5 day for the countryside, I would pick a place that’s not too far from the airport. You have a lot of choices. Both countries have many trails for hiking. Burgundy, Normandy or the Loire. In England, you could look at long distance paths. I love Winchester. We really enjoyed our time in Suffolk. Where will you be before and after the countryside time?

Thank you so much for all of the well thought out feedback. This is super helpful and I really appreciate it.

Are you planning to rent a car or are you relying on public transportation?

With a car, consider:
Driving on the other side of the road in England, especially tricky with narrow country roads, often lined with stone fences.
If your whole trip is 5 days on the ground, driving a car right after landing is dangerous if you are jetlagged and/or sleep deprived.

Without a car, consider:
You need to choose a place with good transportation to nearby places and you may not want to change hotels every night or two and shlep your luggage on buses/trains. That may mean basing in one location, which of necessity may be a fairly large city.

Both, but it depends if I am solo or not. If solo, then I will venture into the English countryside, etc.

To get the full flavour of the French countryside, spend an extended amount of time , ie, 2-3 weeks just focusing on that, then I'll do that only with the Mrs along as she speaks the language fluently.

Going into the French rural and countryside and getting far more than an superficial overview, you have to know the language fluently, speak and understand their language, and as that is beyond my capacity, the Mrs is there to communicate with the locals in those moments.

One more viewpoint. You can't go wrong with either the English or French countryside. We are starting our third week in France amidst an historic heatwave - no fun! You can't ever predict the exact weather but I would very much select a location that has the best chance of being on the cool side. We enjoyed Normandy/Brittany at the start of our trip and agree that it's relatively uncrowded. I also agree with the suggestion to avoid the French Riviera - it's a lot of asphalt and traffic IMO. We spent a night in Lincoln a couple of years ago and it was a nice-sized town and not touristy at all. Good train connections if you don't want to drive. Enjoy!

Both are large countries and have their good and their bad bits so you can’t make generalisations such as one is prettier than the other.

In August - England as France is on holiday en masse and if you haven’t booked already, you may struggle for accommodation in some parts of France and the roads will be clogged up.

England- surprisingly, there is more to England than the Cotswolds, which will be very busy in August. Ditto the Lake District. Avoid. You could head to the New Forest, the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland, the Wye Valley or Wales all for stunning scenery and good cycling.

Yeah, I know, Doug. Reading travel forums is fun, but it can be hard on the wallet.

Dave, to make matters worse, it looks like our oldest grandson will be returning to the Loire region to work and study. We feel it is our duty as responsible grandparents to head his way around New Years to check up on him. ;-)