England Vacations

The Roman Empire existed here for three and a half centuries and there are signs of it everywhere – in the architecture, as the origins of the Church of England, and in the forts and the remains of the Empire’s northernmost outpost, Hadrian’s Wall. Remnants of the Roman Empire exist in Bath too, which was built on natural geothermal hot springs, and named for some of the world’s best-preserved Roman bathhouses. 

The country as a whole may have a green thumb, as gardening is considered a pastime, hobby, way of life and a joy. Even the tiniest of urban homes is likely to include a small garden. Parks, pastures, and green panoramas continue the idyllic theme of nature as an important part of the English way. 

The Cotswolds have been described as the ‘quintessential English countryside’. An English cottage resounds with quaintness and there are many villages among the gently rolling rural hills. It’s worth a drive to see even if you don’t stay in one. The country air, the flat caps, the cows, and the stone walls that edge some of the farms will put you back a century, pining for the simple life. Even in cold and grey weather, you can be sure there’ll be a fire spitting in the hearth, or a warm lamp in the window.

There is religion in England, but football might reign supreme. If you can tap yourself into that energy by getting yourself to a stadium to attend a Premier League game, or even catching one at a local pub, you’ll get some inclination of the passion. Other sports like rugby and cricket are popular, but they don’t touch football. 

Other notable cultural powerhouses include authors Chaucer, Shakespeare, Tolkein, and Dickens. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Adele, and Amy Winehouse round out a selection of musical cultural icons, while Chariots of Fire, A Clockwork Orange, Dunkirk are a few films to mention. The arts are fully realized in England, and it keeps coming.

On an island off the northwest coast of mainland Europe, sits stunning England, a beloved and much visited country that gets packed in the summertime with traveling tourists and locals enjoying the summer holidays when school is out. But the nation offers lots of other things to do in its low seasons too, with affordable travel, and fewer crowds. While there are occasional heatwaves, Buckingham Palace in London can be visited in the summertime when the royal family is away. 

Summertime in England is the best time to experience its maritime locations with its beaches and surf. With the Irish Sea on its west, the English Channel on the south, and the North Sea to the east, England boasts dozens of seaside resorts and beach towns to bum around in. Head to  Cornwall, Norfolk, Brighton, or Essex – no matter where you are in the country, the water is never more than a couple of hours away. 

If you’re more of an urbanite, Manchester, York, Liverpool, and many more cities and quaint towns dot the coasts and inland regions. It’s easy to take the train or a bus or to rent a car and get around. 

The autumn, winter, and spring each bring with them their own character-building weather patterns with plenty of cold weather, snow, rain and fog, depending on the year and the mood of Mother Nature. Luckily, most of these weather patterns are perfect for lots of tea and time spent in cosy pubs. And if you’re into camping, hiking, hunting and fishing, spring and fall are gorgeous times of transition as the sun returns and things begin to bloom, or in the fall when the colours burst and the land prepares itself to rest under a blanket of snow over the winter.

England is old. Like Roman Legions old, and its lands have been inhabited by humans for almost a million years. Stonehenge, located in county Wiltshire on Salisbury Plain, is thought to be an ancient burial ground. The circular structure is aligned towards the sunrise on the summer solstice. It’s one of the most popular British landmarks, and is set as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Pub culture is real. Everyone goes for pints. Locals attend their local pubs after work and on the weekend. Beer is not necessarily supposed to be freezing cold according to some Brits, and ciders, Pimms, gin, and wine are staples. The drinking age is 18, but if you’re accompanied by an adult and they allow it, when you’re 16 and 17, you can have a beverage with your meal.

There are ten national parks in England that protect the integrity of its natural landscapes and wild regions where red deer roam.

It doesn’t always rain in England. It just rains a lot. The seas surrounding the country have a great influence on the weather, so there are cooler summers, but not terribly cold winters. The western side of the country is the wettest, and yes, England, even the coast beside the Atlantic, still has an abundance of sun-kissed days too.

London is a global capital of finance, fashion, entertainment, and culture – the list of attractions is unending. The Tower of London, the National Gallery, High Park, the Theatre DIstrict, the London Eye Ferris Wheel, are just a start, but you can travel anywhere in the city and pop into any lesser known pub or curry house for an authentic culinary experience and a chinwag.

Traditional fare exceeds boiled meat and potatoes with a side of boiled vegetables, though that meal has seen its fair share of tables, especially in the England of old. Today’s England is popularly and richly spiced with global influences and has developed several of its own dishes that have crossed the pond and continents in every direction.

Scones, not quite cake or biscuit, are a beloved snack often served at tea time, with Cornish clotted cream and jam – there is actually a debate as to whether you spread the cream or jam first to let it soak into the scone – you’ll have to experiment to see on which side of the debate you land.

Bubble and squeak, a meal traditionally made on Mondays with leftovers from the big Sunday meal, is a fried meat, cabbage, and potato casserole. Black pudding is a blood sausage made with pork or beef blood, oatmeal and spices like marjoram, mint, and thyme. Bangers (sausage) and mash (mashed potatoes) are often served with baked beans and make a hardy meal. And a full English breakfast is made in a frying pan filled with eggs, bacon, blood sausage, beans, fried tomatoes and fried bread on the side.

Tea time is a serious regular tradition across the country and for expats living abroad as well. If you can make it for a cuppa at the Ritz in London, you’d be doing yourself a favour. Same goes with make it to a Chippy – a fish and chips shop with deep fried fish and potatoes. These are traditionally wrapped in newspaper to catch the grease and keep it warm on the way home.

During the time of the British Empire and imperial expansion, the country absorbed a diverse mix of Afro-Caribbean, Asian, Muslim, and Indian people who brought with them their own traditions – in the larger cities, all kinds of ethnic foods are available, but even in small towns, you’re likely to find at least one Chinese restaurant and a curry house. Curry has been so popular it has been adopted as a national dish. In fact, the first curry house opened in London in 1810, more than two-hundred years ago.