|
|
|
|
Population
- 49,993,000
There are five international airports servicing London - Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and London City. Other international airports in England include Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Bristol. The Channel Tunnel links Britain with mainland Europe. There are two services - a high speed train service between London, Paris and Brussels and a shuttle for cars, motorbikes and buses from Folkestone to Calais. Ferries also cross the channel from Dover or Folkestone to Calais or Boulogne. The journey takes about 90 minutes by ferry or 35 minutes by Seacat. There are also ferries to other parts of France, Spain, Belgium, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia from a number of other British ports. Buses or coaches are the cheapest but slowest way to get around. Some of England's scenic train journeys are well worth paying that bit extra for! There are plenty of car hire companies and the road network is good. Contacts:
If you are visiting Britain for the first time there's no doubt you will want to tour popular destinations such as London, Stratford and Bath. But when you're through with the crowds escape to some of England's quieter, more remote country areas. There are seven vast open national parks - Dartmoor, Exmoor, the Peak District, the Yorkshire Dales, the North York Moors, the Lake District and Northumberland. But there are also other stunning areas of English countryside to explore such as the South Downs, the New Forest, the Cotswolds, the Malvern Hills, the Norfolk Broads and the Pennines. Just a short drive from London you can explore rolling farmland, river valleys, rugged coastline and sandy beaches. In the South East region you'll find the world famous Norfolk Broads, water and wind mills, pretty market towns, maltings and oast houses and vineyards. In the South region are the leafy lanes and village greens of Surrey, the South Downs in Sussex, the beautiful south coast with its spectacular coastal scenery and the ancient New Forest. The South West region has moorland, thatched cottages, cider, pirates and shipwrecks. There's the Mendip and Quantock Hills, Exmoor, Dartmoor and the wild rugged coastline of Devon and Cornwall. Middle England is a pleasant mix of industrial heritage and picturesque rural scenes with thatched cottages, castles and market towns dotted with black and white timbered buildings. You can explore the stunning scenery of the Cotswolds, the Forest of Dean, the Malvern Hills and the Shropshire hills.
Heading north you'll find the heather-clad moorlands and mighty rock escarpments of the Peak District. It's an agricultural area and you'll see sheep dog trials, well dressing ceremonies, cotton mills and famous potteries. In the north are Yorkshire, the North West and the Far North regions. Yorkshire is a vast area combining large urban areas with wild open moorland and rolling green hills dotted with sheep and dry stone walls. The North West is dominated by the Lake District with its dramatic fells, picture book lakes and sandstone villages. But there's also the Pennines to the east and Ribble Valley and the Forest of Bowland to the south. The Far North has a turbulent history of border battles to tell. The most famous legacy of these is Hadrian's Wall. You can learn about the coal and leading mining history of the area, visit a flower show or explore the mighty Pennines and the Northumberland National Park.
Walkers are spoiled for choice - there are simply hundreds of waymarked walking routes throughout the whole of England. You can stroll on Frensham Common just outside London or hike the 270-mile Pennine Way. Some of the best known routes include the South Downs Way and North Downs Way, the South West Coastal Path, the Cotswold Way, the Pennine Way, the Cleveland Way, the Cumbria Way and St Cuthbert's Way. Rock climbing, caving and potholing have become popular sports in recent years and you'll find few places better than the rock features of the Peak District, Yorkshire and the Lakes to learn this exciting sport. A National Cycle Network, which will eventually cover more than 12,000 kilometres, is currently being developed in Britain. Some of the best cycling currently available in England includes the downlands of Kent and Romney Marsh, the West Country Way, the quiet lanes of the Cotswolds, the numerous old railway tracks in the Peak District, the West Yorkshire Cycle route and the Sea to Sea cycle route through Cumbria and the Far North.
There are hundreds of horse riding stables all over England and you can hack for days in places like Dartmoor, the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. England's vast coastline ensures there's plenty of fun to be had for water sports enthusiasts. The South Coast and Devon and Cornwall are becoming world class playgrounds for surfers, sailors and divers in particular. Inland the Lake District, Peak District, Kielder Water in Northumbria, the Midlands canals and the Norfolk Broads offer great kayaking, windsurfing, sailing, canoeing and barge holidays. Of course good sea fishing can be found all around the coast and there are countless great spots for river and lake fishing throughout England. This is only a brief outline of the activities available in England. See our English regional information for more ideas on places to visit and things to do in England. Or if you know what activity you want to do, but don't know where it's available, go straight to the Adventure Britain activities section.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
