If you read Part 1, you already know how to show up. You have sensible boots, a packable rain jacket, and a willingness to let the afternoon stretch. Now comes the part where you decide where to actually go, where to sleep, what to eat, and how to build the rest of the trip around it.
This is where the planning gets interesting. England’s countryside is not one thing. It is a collection of distinct regions, each with its own character, its own architecture, its own coastline or moorland or market town energy. The Cotswolds and the Sussex coast feel like entirely different countries. Bath and Brighton sit an hour apart and exist in completely different registers. Knowing which version of the countryside you are looking for makes all the difference.
Here is my breakdown of where to stay, where to eat, and what to do across every region worth building a trip around.
WHERE TO STAY: THE BEST COUNTRY HOUSE HOTELS IN ENGLAND
Greater London and the Home Counties
The counties immediately surrounding London offer the most accessible version of the English countryside experience. Moreover, many of these properties are extraordinary in their own right, not just convenient.
Coworth Park, Dorchester Collection (Berkshire): A Georgian manor estate with a polo club and eco-spa tucked into wildflower meadows. Contemporary interiors without losing the sense of genuine history. When you book through Sunshine Escapes Travel you receive a hotel credit, daily breakfast, and an upgrade whenever possible.
Beaverbrook (Surrey Hills): Once the private estate of press baron Lord Beaverbrook, this property carries layers of cinematic and political history. The Japanese restaurant is serious. Additionally, the stained-glass spa is visually extraordinary. When you book through Sunshine Escapes Travel you receive a food and beverage credit, daily breakfast, a welcome amenity, an upgrade, and extended check-in and check-out whenever possible.
Cliveden House (Berkshire): Set above the River Thames, this Italianate mansion has been accumulating history for 350 years. The National Trust gardens and the sense of genuine grandeur make it worth the journey on their own. When you book through Sunshine Escapes Travel you receive a hotel credit, daily breakfast, a welcome amenity, an upgrade, and extended check-in and check-out whenever possible.
Great Fosters (Surrey): A 16th century Elizabethan estate with original oak paneling and a Michelin-starred restaurant set against topiary gardens that have been growing in their current shapes for a very long time. When you book through Sunshine Escapes Travel you receive a hotel credit, daily breakfast, a welcome amenity, an upgrade, and extended check-in and check-out whenever possible.
Southern England: Hampshire, Sussex, and the Coast
The southeast is more varied than most visitors expect. Hampshire offers the New Forest and some of the country’s finest estate hotels. Sussex gives you the South Downs, the chalky cliffs of Eastbourne and Beachy Head, and the pebble beaches and independent culture of Brighton. The coast from Bognor Regis along to Rye and across to the white cliffs of Dover and the garden villages of Kent offers a different pace entirely
Brighton deserves its own moment here. It is simultaneously the most un-countryside town in the southeast and one of the most rewarding overnight stops available. The Royal Pavilion is unlike anything else in England: an Indo-Saracenic fantasy built for the Prince Regent that looks as though it belongs in a different hemisphere. The Lanes are a warren of independent jewelers, vintage shops, and coffee bars. The food scene is genuinely strong, and the pebbly beach on a sunny afternoon has an atmosphere that is entirely its own.
Rye, by contrast, is one of England’s most perfectly preserved medieval towns. Cobblestone streets, half-timbered houses, and a church that has been counting the hours since the 12th century. The town sits on a hill above the Romney Marsh, and the surrounding flat landscape gives it a visual drama that amplifies its age. Stay overnight if you can.
Kent, the so-called Garden of England, fills the stretch between the Romney Marsh and the Thames Estuary with hop gardens, oast houses, orchards, and medieval churches. Dover is where the chalk cliffs make their most famous statement. Standing at the cliff edge looking across to France on a clear day is one of those genuinely simple experiences that stays with you.
Eastbourne sits at the eastern end of the South Downs where the chalk downland meets the sea. The seafront is traditional and unhurried. Beachy Head, a short drive or long walk away, is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain and one of the most dramatic coastal viewpoints in England. The walking here, along the South Downs Way toward Alfriston and the Cuckmere Valley, is some of the best accessible walking in the southeast.
Bognor Regis offers a more traditional English seaside experience: a long pebble and sand beach, a pier, fish and chips, and a genuinely relaxed pace that feels deliberately unhurried. It is not glamorous. That is part of its appeal.
Heckfield Place (Hampshire): Feels more like a progressive country estate than a hotel, built around a biodynamic farm and market gardens that supply the kitchen. The food is genuinely exceptional. When you book through Sunshine Escapes Travel you receive a food and beverage credit, daily breakfast, an upgrade, and extended check-in and check-out whenever possible.
Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire: Five hundred acres of rolling hills surrounding an 18th century manor, with clay pigeon shooting, falconry, and canal boating available on the property. When you book through Sunshine Escapes Travel you receive a hotel credit, daily breakfast, and an upgrade whenever possible.
Gravetye Manor (Sussex): An Elizabethan stone manor surrounded by world-famous wild gardens created by pioneering horticulturalist William Robinson. The Michelin-starred kitchen draws its menus directly from what the gardens produce. When you book through Sunshine Escapes Travel you receive daily breakfast and a VIP welcome whenever possible.
Chewton Glen (Hampshire): On the edge of the New Forest, a classic English luxury resort with the reliability that comes from doing one thing very well for a long time. The treehouse suites suspended in the forest canopy are the defining experience. When you book through Sunshine Escapes Travel you receive a resort credit, daily breakfast, a welcome amenity, an upgrade, and extended check-in and check-out whenever possible.
The Cotswolds and Bath
The Cotswolds is England’s most visited rural region, and for good reason. Honey-colored stone cottages, village greens, and lanes winding between hedgerows. It is genuinely beautiful and genuinely worth it. However, it can feel crowded at peak times, so spring and early autumn are the best windows.
Bath sits at the southwestern edge of the Cotswold Hills and deserves more than a day trip. It is the most intact Georgian city in England, built above the only natural hot springs in Britain that the Romans developed. The Royal Crescent, the Circus, Pulteney Bridge, and the Roman Baths are each extraordinary in their own right. Together they make a city that rewards slow, curious walking.
Salisbury, an hour to the southeast, adds a medieval cathedral whose spire is the tallest in England. Stonehenge is a 20-minute drive from Salisbury and best visited early in the morning before the coach tours arrive.
Estelle Manor (Oxfordshire): A neo-Gothic estate with maximalist interiors, a Roman-inspired bathhouse, and a social scene more vibrant than most countryside properties manage. When you book through Sunshine Escapes Travel you receive a hotel credit, daily breakfast, an upgrade, and extended check-in and check-out whenever possible.
Thyme (Gloucestershire): A collection of restored honey-stone barns and cottages organized around a restaurant and extensive gardens. Quiet without being precious. When you book through Sunshine Escapes Travel you receive daily breakfast, welcome amenities, an upgrade, and extended check-in and check-out whenever possible.
The Royal Crescent Hotel (Bath): Occupies the center of Bath’s most famous Georgian crescent, one of the great pieces of urban architecture in England. The walled garden behind the hotel is one of the most peaceful spaces in the city. When you book through Sunshine Escapes Travel you receive a hotel credit, daily breakfast, an upgrade, and extended check-in and check-out whenever possible.
Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, A Belmond Hotel (Oxfordshire): Raymond Blanc’s two-Michelin-starred kitchen and hotel combined. This 15th century manor house, its kitchen garden, and the cooking justify the journey entirely on their own. When you book through Sunshine Escapes Travel you receive a hotel credit, daily breakfast, a welcome amenity, an upgrade, and extended check-in and check-out whenever possible.
Southwest England: Dartmoor, Cornwall, and the Jurassic Coast
The southwest is where the English countryside gets genuinely wild. Dartmoor and Exmoor have free-roaming ponies and heather-covered moorland. The Jurassic Coast is 95 miles of UNESCO World Heritage Site coastline where you can find actual fossils on the beach. Cornwall, furthermore, has surf breaks, whitewashed fishing villages, and a food culture that has become seriously good.
The Newt in Somerset: A Palladian limestone manor estate organized around world-class botanical gardens, a working cider press, and an indoor-outdoor spa that is architecturally worth visiting in its own right. When you book through Sunshine Escapes Travel you receive an exclusive on-site experience, daily breakfast, a welcome amenity, an upgrade, and extended check-in and check-out whenever possible.
Lime Wood (Hampshire): Hidden in the New Forest National Park, this Regency country manor has a multi-story herb house spa and an Italian-inflected kitchen that treats forest-foraged ingredients seriously. When you book through Sunshine Escapes Travel you receive daily breakfast, a welcome amenity, and an upgrade whenever possible.
THE PIG at Combe (Devon): An Elizabethan manor in a valley running on a 25-mile kitchen garden policy and a relaxed, unpretentious aesthetic. The food is hyper-local and the atmosphere does not try too hard.
Northern England: The Lake District and Yorkshire Dales
The Lake District is England’s most dramatic landscape: a UNESCO World Heritage Site of glacier-carved lakes and high peaks. The Yorkshire Dales immediately to the east are quieter, defined by dry-stone walls, deep green valleys, and limestone pavements. Together, they offer the most serious outdoor walking available in England.
Langdale Chase (Lake District): On the banks of Lake Windermere since 1891, this Victorian villa has been revived with contemporary lakeside luxury while keeping its original timber-framed grandeur. The private jetty puts guests directly on the water. When you book through Sunshine Escapes Travel you receive a hotel credit, daily breakfast, an upgrade, and extended check-out whenever possible.
Grantley Hall (Yorkshire Dales): A 17th century estate running a subterranean cocktail bar and an elite wellness sanctuary alongside grand country house hospitality. When you book through Sunshine Escapes Travel you receive a hotel credit, daily breakfast, one complimentary lunch, an upgrade, and extended check-in and check-out whenever possible.
WHERE TO EAT: RESTAURANTS WORTH THE DRIVE
Not every great restaurant in England is in London. In fact, some of the most interesting cooking in the country happens in converted barns, medieval market towns, and roadside properties that do not look like much from the outside.
The Fat Duck (Bray): Heston Blumenthal’s Michelin-starred institution in a 16th century building, running a multi-sensory tasting menu that plays with science and memory in equal measure.
Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons (Oxfordshire): Two Michelin stars and a kitchen garden that supplies everything. The restaurant stands on its own even without an overnight stay.
The Angel at Hetton: Widely considered the original gastropub in the UK. Michelin-starred and still delivering technically excellent cooking in a genuinely rustic Yorkshire Dales setting.
The Old Stamp House (Ambleside): A Michelin-starred room in the Lake District celebrating local produce through foraged ingredients in an intimate space. Worth booking well ahead.
Restaurant Sat Bains (Nottingham): Two Michelin stars tucked beneath a flyover. Hyper-innovative tasting menus in one of England’s most interesting restaurants.
Gravetye Manor (Sussex): The Michelin-starred kitchen garden philosophy makes this worth visiting even if you are not staying overnight.
The Chesil Rectory (Winchester): Inside a 600-year-old medieval house with modern British cooking built around Hampshire produce. One of the most atmospheric dining rooms in the south.
The Ox Barn at Thyme (Southrop): A restored 19th century barn with a seasonal menu drawn directly from the estate gardens. Quiet, considered, and genuinely lovely.
WHAT TO DO IN THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE
Walking and Rambling
The national trail network covers over 2,500 miles of long-distance paths. The Cotswold Way is gentle and accessible for most fitness levels. The South Downs Way runs 100 miles from Winchester to Eastbourne, crossing chalk ridges and river valleys along the way. The Lake District and Yorkshire Dales require more preparation but reward accordingly. The Hadrian’s Wall Path, furthermore, follows 2,000-year-old Roman fortifications across the north of England and operates in an entirely different register.
Historic Houses and Estates
Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, birthplace of Winston Churchill, is one of the largest private houses in England set in a 2,000-acre park. Sudeley Castle in the Cotswolds has a thousand years of history and contains the only private castle in England with a queen’s tomb. Entry hours change seasonally, so check ahead before you go.
Historic Cities Worth a Stop
Bath is the most intact Georgian city in England, built above the only natural hot springs in Britain. Oxford rewards getting slightly lost between college quads. York has 13th century walls you can walk around the entire center on. Salisbury adds one of the finest medieval cathedrals in Europe, with Stonehenge close enough to visit in the same afternoon.
Canterbury, in Kent, is worth the journey specifically for the cathedral. It is the seat of the Church of England and one of the most historically significant structures in Britain. The medieval streets around it are among the best-preserved in the country.
Afternoon Tea
The ritual is taken seriously and the setting matters considerably. A country house hotel afternoon tea with scones made in-house is a different experience from a village tearoom. Both are worth doing. The scones should be warm and there should be more than you can reasonably eat.
Country Estate Activities
Many properties offer croquet, archery, clay pigeon shooting, and falconry on their grounds. Horseback riding is available across the New Forest, South Downs, and Dartmoor. Boat tours operate on Lake Windermere connecting villages along the shore. Additionally, several Cotswolds estates offer guided foraging walks and cycle hire.
READY TO PLAN YOUR ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE TRIP?
The country house hotel selection, whether to rent a car or hire a driver, and what time of year works for your specific priorities: this is the kind of trip where the planning matters as much as the going. I can help with all of it.
Reach out and let’s build something that does the English countryside properly.
📸 Photo Credit & A Special Thank You: A massive thank you to my wonderful clients, Jaime and Johnny, for graciously sharing so many of the beautiful and special photos featured in this post. It was an absolute joy and privilege to curate your adventures and help bring your vision to life as you explored the magic of the English countryside over so many months. Thank you for trusting Sunshine Escapes with your journey!
