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Holidays in England

Horse Riding Weekend Break

Beyond the crowded tourist honeypots that are both a blessing and curse of England's rich cultural heritage lies a countryside waiting to be explored. Our collection of short breaks and holidays in England embraces this rural idyll - from waking to the sound of birdsong and the smell of dewy grass in a cosy yurt to embracing the sweeping views over Derwent and Coniston Waters. England is perfect

…for getting active outdoors. Walking holidays in England are some of the best in the world thanks to the network of ancient long distance paths dotted with charming inns serving locally brewed real ale. The UNESCO World Heritage Hadrian's Wall route traces the course of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire featuring fantastic walking through the wild North of England. Whilst the Cotswolds Way wends its way through gentle hills peppered with quaint little hamlets.

Cycling holidays in England benefit too from the tangle of winding country lanes which result from England's rich history. You can choose to cycle amidst the gritstone escarpments and the heather moorland of The Peak District (not forgetting to stop at majestic Chatsworth House) or potter around seaside towns in Devon and Dorset.

If all that sounds too active for you, then you simply must consider tipi holiday in England, a magical experience that can be enjoyed by almost anyone. Build a roaring open fire, explore the woods, chat into the night wrapped up in blankets and the fug of a couple of glasses of good wine and to cap it all of, retire to a proper bed and comfortable furnishings in the cathedral like space of a yurt or tipi. All these features combine to make a collection of holidays in England perfect for staycations, short breaks or an integral part of your grand tour.

Tours & Itineraries / Reviews

eco holiday on the Isle of Wight

Stay in a Yurt on the Isle of Wight!

The South Coast & New Forest > Yurts & tipis

Stay in a yurt and enjoy an eco holiday on the Isle of Wight! Prices from £175 for a 4 night midweek stay.

from £175 (4 nights)

5 reviews

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Horse Riding Weekend Break

Horse Riding Weekend Break

The West Country > Horse riding

Escape the city on a horse riding weekend break with cosy B&B accommodation in Wiltshire.

from £220 (2 days)

1 review

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Historic tour of England - Grimspound

Guided historic tour around the West of England

The West Country > Tailor-made Holidays

If you're interested in English history why not try this Historic Tour of the West of England, including including trips to Stonehenge and Bath.

from £825 (8 days)

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fly fishing course in Cumbria

Fly Fishing Course in Cumbria

The Lake District > Fishing

A one-day fly fishing course in Cumbria. Equipment and expert tuition included.

from £95 (half day)

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Bushcraft Courses

Survival & Bushcraft Courses in the Lakes

The Lake District > Walking & Trekking

These hands-on bushcraft courses are the perfect choice for those wanting to learn about survival.

from £225 (2 days)

2 reviews

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Walk the Cumbria Way!

Walk the Cumbria Way!

The Lake District > Walking & Trekking

Walk the Cumbria Way through the very heart of the picturesque Lake District.

from £375 (5 days)

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Self-Guided Walk Along Hadrian’s Wall

Self-Guided Walk Along Hadrian’s Wall

North East England > Walking & Trekking

Tailor-made self-guided walks along Hadrian’s Wall. Accommodation and baggage transfer included.

from £445 (7 days)

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Walk the Cotswold Way

Walk the Cotswold Way!

The Cotswolds > Walking & Trekking

Walk the Cotswold Way and enjoy the rolling greenery of the Cotswolds, south England.

from £480 (7 days )

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Peak District Tour, Compass Training

Silva Map and Compass Courses - Bronze level

The Peak District > Walking & Trekking

A great Peak District tour for those interested in navigation, map and compass training.

from £115 (2 days)

6 reviews

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Self Guided Walking Weekend in the Peak District

Walking Weekend in the Peak District

The Peak District > Walking & Trekking

A weekend rivers and ridges self-guided walking tour in the Peak District. Accommodation, maps and bikes provided.

from £125 (2 days)

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Short Weekend Breaks in the Peak District

Short Weekend Breaks in the Peak District

The Peak District > Cycling

Short weekend breaks in the Peak District, featuring Chatsworth and Millers Dale. Accommodation and bike included.

from £140 (3 days)

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Cycling in the Peak District - Family Tours

Family Cycling Break in the Peak District

The Peak District > Cycling

A four-day self-guided family cycling tour in the Peak District. Accommodation, bikes and luggage transfers included.

from £195 (3 days)

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Average reviews for England holidays

(based on 14 ratings)

  1. We'd def recommend to others (and have already been spreading the word to our friends). A real bonus of the Yurt hol is the excellent site manager, LJ. She is extremely helpful and welcoming. She went out of her way to make our trip a really enjoyable one.

    MissingKate Rowson reviewing Stay in a Yurt on the Isle of Wight!

  2. An excellent introduction to map reading and using a compass which has given me the confidence to plan my own routes.

    MissingChristine Conboy reviewing Silva Map and Compass Courses - Bronze level

  3. We very much enjoyed the course run by Pete Hawkins. The two instructors were thorough and patient (very important in my case) and our confidence visibly grew as the weekend progressed. We were very pleased at the end to receive the bronze award and look forward to the next level.

    MissingPauline reviewing Silva Map and Compass Courses - Bronze level

  4. Very happy with everything, very nice yurt site, Anthony who runs it was very helpful, booked the ferry and was always about to help out , he communicated by text and was always available, would def recommend to friends and revisit

    MissingJohnB reviewing Stay in a Yurt on the Isle of Wight!

  5. Thanks very much. Everything was of a high standard and we really enjoyed our weekend. Peter Hawkins was a fantastic leader.

    MissingEmmaW reviewing Silva Map and Compass Courses - Bronze level

  6. Great riding, great companions and fabulous trails with very little road work. A glorious weekend, where we arrived as strangers and left as friends.

    I would recommend this to others, but they do need to be able to ride its not a novice yard.

    MissingErica reviewing Horse Riding Weekend Break

  7. We had a wonderful time, it was simple yet magical; toasting marshmallows on crackling fires at the end of the evening, cooking locally caught fresh fish over hot coals, being a stones through away from the beach, stunning landscapes and beautiful bike rides, waking up to birdsong...we loved it and would recommend it to anyone.

    MissingMarieC reviewing Stay in a Yurt on the Isle of Wight!

  8. We love camping and cooking outside but we also like a bit of luxury - this was the perfect combination of both.

    We loved being able to hire bikes for the whole family - including a tag along for our four year old - and to be able to cycle on quiet lanes and cycle paths to Yarmouth. Successful crab fishing in Yarmouth also went down very well with our young family.

    We loved it and would recommend this to other travellers

    MissingMike reviewing Stay in a Yurt on the Isle of Wight!

  9. I would rate the course 5 out of 5. We both had an excellent time and we learnt a lot, probably a bit more than we both expected.

    First, it was an excellent walking weekend as we got to do some lovely walks in the Tideswell area. Second, we both had the opportunity to learn and then practice what we had learnt so I genuinely feel that I got my money's worth out of the course. And third, Pete was an excellent instructor.

    I would thoroughly recommend it to other would be orienteers and friends.

    MissingEmilyJM reviewing Silva Map and Compass Courses - Bronze level

  10. The Silva bronze Navigation weekend was a wonderful opportunity to mix with like-minded strangers who had missed out on learning about map reading and navigating earlier in life. The first evening was spent at The Anchor being introduced to the basics of map reading in preparation for Saturday's 7 hour walk in the lovely Derbyshire countryside with ample opportunity to practice navigating from point to point using map and compass. After many years of cursorily scanning OS maps it was only under Pete's expert guidance that they began to release their hidden store of information to make navigating both challenging and fun. The second day proved even more of a challenge having woken up to a 6 inch covering of snow obscuring many of the features that were to be the object of Sunday's attention. Unfazed, we set off for a long snowy walk putting our new skills to the test in conditions that we will meet again unless we become fair-weather walkers, which I doubt. Throughout the weekend Pete proved to be good host and the arrangements for the evening meals at The Anchor met everyone's approval. The B&B Jaret House was comfortable and I will never forget the wonderful packed lunches provided by Pete's lovely wife. The weekend Navigation course could not be more highly recommended and is well deserving of five out of five.

    MissingRichardS reviewing Silva Map and Compass Courses - Bronze level

  11. The course was really good, Pete was very friendly and made it much less daunting -particularly when you go on your own. He gave lots of encouragement but also challenged you. Village and the b & b I stayed in also seemed very friendly. I liked the way we had evening sessions in the pub as you had the option of being sociable if you want and it helped the group to bond.

    all in all would recommend it

    Missingrebecca reviewing Silva Map and Compass Courses - Bronze level

  12. After a week spent taking part in the Woodlander course, learning wilderness bushcraft, I know that I will never own a PlayStation. No amount of sitting in front of a television exercising my thumbs could possibly have the magical effect of this supremely absorbing subject. Strangely, producing fire by friction is an emotional moment. I feel initiated. There is something quite primal about the process, as if I’ve connected in some significant way with my ancestors. I feel more tuned-in with the outdoors than I have ever felt. I also have an irrepressible grin etched across my face.

    The course takes place in one of nature’s most beautiful classrooms on a remote 300-acre private forestry estate to the west of Lake Windermere, with a spectacular backdrop of mountains, lakes and rivers. Such a location gives the participants - a maximum number of 12 taught by five instructors - the chance to really commune with nature on a very intimate level. In my ten years of enjoying outdoor pursuits, mainly climbing and mountaineering, with a healthy dose of mountain biking and hill walking thrown in, I’ve never really engaged with my surroundings in this way until now.

    Before I arrived, I did have concerns about the nature of the subject matter, in particular whether it would be an exercise in Rambo-style machismo, an initiation into tree-hugging pseudo-spiritualism, or a sentimental regression into the past. Thankfully, it is none of these things. Rather, it encourages me to see what I’ve been missing when out walking.

    (Written by James Reynolds published in The Scotsman on 19 June 2004)

    The_scotsman_logoScotsman reviewing Survival & Bushcraft Courses in the Lakes

  13. When I originally booked this Bushcraft day I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. Were we going to be like Ray Mears, skinning rabbits, or cooking moose on hot coals, or were we going to be exposed to the Bear Gryls way of life where we dived into frozen rivers, and jogged 50 km’s through mosquito ridden swamps. Luckily it wasn’t the Bear Grylls side, phew! but it was definitely more Ray Mears, and definitely a lot of fun!

    As soon as we arrived in camp, which is set in a beautiful pine forest, set on the far banks of Lake Winderemere, we had to make fire, and properly. We all failed miserably at this task, but we learnt very quickly how to make a fire properly, and this lesson will stick with me for a long time to come. Throughout the rest of the day we made some Banock cakes that we then ate. Tracked foxes and squirrels, ate wild berries and mushrooms, and even made fire from wood. Not only do I feel like a proper caveman but the whole group thoroughly enjoyed the whole day and we were all sad to see it come to an end!

    Stephen was a great instructor, who delivered at just the right level, and the day has made us all want to learn more about how to survive in the wild.

    Bear Grylls, eat your heart out! And maybe a snake too!

    5 out of 5 – Brilliant!

    Missingnbamford reviewing Survival & Bushcraft Courses in the Lakes

  14. I stayed here with my wife, sister and young son in early July and enjoyed it can highly recommend it.

    The location is great, close to some stunning coastline, off the beaten track family beaches whilst the site itself is nestled amongst an orchard which keeps any breeze to a minimum.

    We stayed in a yurt which was as good if not better than it looked in the pictures. I really liked the fact that it was in an Orchard criss crossed by pathways rather than in an open field like most camping setups.

    Love, love, loved cooking by open fire and savoured the smell of the woodsmoke in the evenings. (we we're lucky with weather, could be a little of a bind if it rains).
    Each Yurt had decent quality table and chairs to enjoy the al fresco dining which was a nice touch and meant we spent nearly all our time outside. (Very rosy cheeks on return).

    Some might find the compost toilet a little much but the cafe next door offered use of their toilet. Owner Anthony was very welcoming and helpful, even when it came to helping us contact a local GP for our son.

    The site was perfect for little ones and we felt very comfortable giving out two and a half year old a farly free rein. There were also lots of other little ones to play with when we were there. (but not so many as to annoy;))

    The only very slight disappointment was that the adjoining Farm Shop had very limited stock (particularly on the drink front) which forced us to visit the local Co-op more than we would have ideally liked.

    Excellent mid week value for us means I wouldn't hesitate in giving this fabulous holiday experience a 5 out of 5 and will hopefully visit again.

    Missingalmacaw reviewing Stay in a Yurt on the Isle of Wight!

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Tours & Itineraries

  • Holidays in England