January 24, 2024
Destination: United Kingdom
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8 Reasons to Visit England in 2024
Beautiful, beautiful England. The majesty of our coastline. Our picturesque towns and villages. The magic of our countryside; Cotswolds, the Lake District, Northumberland, Devon and Cornwall, to name but a few. All bristling with rich culture and heritage.
Here, we’ve picked just eight reasons to visit us this year, and whilst we could have listed many, many more, promise us just one thing – make walking, cycling or even swimming part of your trip.
Travelling in a sustainable, environmentally conscious way is better for you and the world we live in, but it also helps forge a deeper connection with the very place you have chosen to visit.
Walk the new King Charles III England Coast Path
To celebrate England’s “Year of the Coast” and the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III in 2023, the coastal path around England was renamed the “King Charles III England Coast Path.”
By the end of 2024, this trail is set to become the longest national trail in England and the longest complete coastal trail in the world. For those looking for a walking holiday in England, the path is a great way to get inspired and help you plan a visit.
At over 2700 miles, the entire length of the coast path is enough for a lifetime’s walking, so why not walk some of the best bits? Breathe in the sea air on the South West section of the path with one of our walking tours in Devon and Cornwall.
Go ‘onset’ in Bath, backdrop for Wonka and Bridgerton
Bath is a city that has been featured as a stunning backdrop in many regency-themed movies and TV shows, such as Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Recently, it was also used as a filming location for the new adaptation of Wonka, which was released in December 2023.
Bath is once again the location for the hit Netflix series, Bridgerton, which is set to return for its third season on May 16th 2024. Head to the Royal Crescent for the quintessential Bath experience, before walking in the footsteps of Lady Danbury by visiting the Holbourne Museum.
Whether you spend a day in Bath, or it’s your destination after walking the Cotswold Way the city should certainly be on your England wishlist.
Cycle in one of 46 National Landscapes
England’s countryside is awash with fantastic cycling routes. From leisurely point-to-point or coast-to-coast rides to something for the more adventurous rider, there’s plenty for visiting cyclists to sink their pedals into. With thousands of miles of dedicated, signposted cycling routes like the National Cycle Network or King Alfred’s Way it’s easy to dream up a ride in potentially unfamiliar areas.
So with all these potential routes, it’s hard to decide where in England to ride, especially if you want to drink in some local culture and history too. That’s where our National Landscapes come in.
These special regions of England (and Wales and Northern Ireland) were previously known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and although their name may have changed in late 2023, their allure certainly hasn’t.
Choosing just one or two of the National Landscapes to visit on an England cycling holiday is hard, but in our book, the cycling in the Cotswolds and the traffic-free cycling routes of Devon and Cornwall make those two top of our list.
Tour Blenheim Palace for Winston Churchill’s 150th Birthday
Visiting the majestic Blenheim Palace is a right of passage for any traveller visiting England. Handily located between Oxford and the Cotswolds, it’s an attraction we almost always point our travellers towards. For cyclists wanting to visit the Palace, it’s easy to ride there from The Cotswolds, hence why it’s a destination on our Cycle The Cotswolds, Oxford and Bath tour.
Whilst the palace puts on a huge variety of events and occasions throughout the year, in 2024 it is celebrating what would have been Winston Churchill’s 150th Birthday. What better way then to understand one of England’s most historical figures?
Go star gazing in Northumberland
Whilst we’d love to keep the paradise of Northumberland to ourselves, we just can’t stop mentioning it to guests past, present and future. The Northumberland National Park is the most northerly in England, located between the Scottish border to the North and Hadrian’s Wall to the South. Perhaps for this reason, it’s England’s least visited National Park, but in our experience, it’s always, always worth the journey.
In 2023, the National Park celebrated 10 years of Northumberland Dark Skies – the first area of its kind to be given that designation.
After a day out on the hills and relaxing in your accommodation, simply wrap up warm, head back outside and use your naked eye or even a pair of binoculars to enjoy what the skies have to offer. Just don’t forget to let your eyes adjust to the light – it can take up to 20 minutes for this to happen!
Be one of the first to experience a new hotel
From authentic, local stays to more luxurious offerings, visitors to England are now spoilt for choice when searching for accommodation. Those travellers looking for a luxury tour of England should take a look at the Cotswolds, Devon and Cornwall, but one luxury new hotel opening in 2024 caught our beady eye. In Cornwall’s premier location, Una St Ives has released a collection of 29 new villas, built using locally sourced Cornish materials and finished in a contemporary style.
Meanwhile, authentic and unstuffy hotel brand The Pig has announced not one but two openings in our backyard. The first is a completely new location near Stratford-Upon-Avon, The Pig-on the Farm which is slated to open at the end of 2024.
The second The Pig-and The Village Pub, will be in the 17th-century Barnsley House hotel, near Cirencester and all being well, will be open for bookings from Summer 2024. With more and more of us considering the impact of our travels, The Pig’s ethos, like its 25-mile food menus, will no doubt grow in popularity.
Experience a unique local event
The Bourton-on-the-Water river football match, The Cooper’s Hill Cheese Roll and the Cotswold Olympiks are just three unique local traditions we featured in our 2024 guide to visiting the Cotswolds.
Like La Tomatina in Spain, Palio di Siena in Italy or the Wattolümpiade in Germany, these left-of-field traditions help visitors get underneath the skin of local culture and people.
Local events like these usually happen in the summer months, when the weather is better and there are more hours of daylight. No better conditions then to fill your days to the brim during your visit to England.
Walk (and swim!) ‘The Salt Path’ with us
For those who haven’t had the pleasure of reading Raynor Winn’s smash hit story of a walking redemption, you’ll be able to see it on the big screen in 2024, when a film adaptation of the book is released.
The Salt Path, is a vivid retelling of a couple’s walk around the entirety of the South West Coast path from Minehead in Somerset, to Poole in Dorset. At 630 miles in length, you’ll certainly need more than a week’s vacation to take on this one! With our experience of running walking tours in Cornwall, we know all the best bits of the trail. Those that deliver all the goods with none of the drawbacks.
Ultimately, this corner of England, and Cornwall in particular, is well known for its challenging, yet visually rewarding walking. Just be sure to do as Raynor and Moth do and make the most of the amazing wild swimming on the way.
Have we inspired you to visit England and enjoy our splendid country by stride, pedal or stroke? We very much hope so.
If you’re looking to plan a dream trip and you’d like some help, guidance, hints and tips, then take a look at our private tours of England for some more inspiration.
