Go England:The royal wedding will put a smile on UK tourism's face this week, as the world tunes in to watch Prince William marry his princess. SANDRA O'CONNELLhas rounded up a few more reasons to visit England this summer
Campervans can
How about channelling your inner Scooby Doo and touring the English countryside in a VW camper?
Few touring holidays offer this kind of freedom. Unlike regular, bigger campervans, with a VW camper you can nip into city centres without stopping traffic.
But unlike with a car, you don’t have to worry about having to shell out on accommodation each night.
Best of all, not only are you like a snail carrying its own bed but put a few bikes up there too and you have the makings of a wonderfully diverse break.
Roam south west England from beach to beach, hike Dartmoor and Exmoor and then cycle along the beautiful Camel and Tarka trails – 18m and 30 miles respectively of old railway line through glorious countryside.
O’Connors Campers in Devon has a fleet of 15 shiny, happy VW campers to choose from, both iconic 1960s split screen and classic 70s bay window versions. Beautifully restored and with all new engines, they can sleep from two to six people.
The deal: The cost of a week's VW Campervan rental ranges from £325 to £800 in July, depending on the number of berths.
oconnorscampers.co.uk
Luxury Lake District
For an elegant bolt hole close to England’s beautiful Lake District check out Ann’s Hill in Cockermouth, Cumbria.
It gives the lie to the view that “farm stay” and “luxury” are mutually exclusive terms, by pulling off the admittedly exceptional feat of providing both in one go.
Guests on this 300 year old farm stay in either its cottage or its lodge, and are equally pampered in both.
This includes chilled champagne on arrival, chocolates and treats at regular intervals, a breakfast basket delivered fresh each morning and the option of meals direct from great local restaurants at night. You can even book pamper treatments to revive your tired limbs after a day on the fells.
The farm is two miles from Cockermouth, birthplace of William Wordsworth and just a short drive from the beautiful lakes of Buttermere, Crummock and Loweswater in the western Lake District.
It isn’t all “wandering lonely” either, there are all sorts of activities on offer, from hot air ballooning to paragliding and rock climbing.
Meanwhile, back at the farm, it’s all superking-sized beds, roll-top baths and log-burning stoves.
The deal: A week's stay in Ann's Hill Cottage, which sleeps two, costs £650 in high season. A three night break costs £350.
annshill.co.uk
Enchanting woods
For an enchanted holiday in a fairytale forest, check out Puzzlewood, in the historic Forest of Dean, in western Gloucestershire.
Known as the “Queen of Forests”, the Forest of Dean was Britain’s first National Forest Park and is England’s largest oak forest.
Within it, and even more wondrous still, is Puzzlewood, a 14 acre tangle of gnarled and mossy trees.
It’s the kind of eerie landscape in which you’d expect Merlin to appear, and indeed, in the BBC series of the same name, part of which was filmed here, he does just that. It is also thought to have been the inspiration for Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Visitors can explore a maze of pathways through beautiful ancient woodland, gullies and moss covered rocks, over bridges and through fantastical tree and rock formations.
It’s how the entire Forest of Dean looked thousands of years ago and for children especially it’s just magical.
There’s an indoor maze and playground and, if you’re lucky, you might even find treasure. Workmen in the 19th century lifted a rock in Puzzlewood and found a cavity containing more than 3,000 Roman coins.
Even if you don’t, it’s a great base for a family holiday with the Forest of Dean giving you a further 110sq km of nature to enjoy, plus ready access to all sorts of activities from outdoor pursuits centres to birds of prey conservancies, steam train rides and ancient caves.
The deal: A two bedroom cottage at Puzzlewood, sleeping four, plus a cot, costs from £525 to £590 a week in summer.
puzzlewood.net
Theme park heaven
For some reason, no doubt to do with marketing, when Irish people think theme parks we tend to think Florida. Yet just across the water is a veritable white-knuckle haven, for a fraction of the cost.
Daddy of them all is Alton Towers in Staffordshire. It is home of the “Air”, a ride you undertake lying down, so you feel like you’re actually flying through the air.
The park’s latest addition, Thirteen, is billed as a “psychocoaster”, a frightening thrill ride through the Dark Forest using the latest in scarifying special effects.
Drayton Manor, also in Staffordshire, has one of the UK’s most terrifying rides in Apocalypse, the world’s first ever stand-up tower drop.
Near London, Chessington World of Adventures has the advantage for families of having 90 per cent of its rides suitable for children under 12. Gentler still is Legoland in Windsor, with 53 million Lego bricks and 55 rides.
Thorpe Park in Surrey is home to SAW, a horror movie-themed rollercoaster, with a vertical drop of 100 degrees, plus the 205 foot high rollercoaster, Stealth, Europe’s fastest.
In fact, wherever you are in the UK you’re only a drive away from something terrifying, from The Pepsi Max Big one in Blackpool to Velocity at Flamingo Land in Yorkshire, a motorbike coaster which goes from 0-60mph in 2.8 seconds.
The deal: An overnight stay at Chessington Resort, with safari themed rooms and an indoor swimming pool, starts at £131 per family, including park tickets. Alternatively, Irish Ferries has two night hotel packages, including car, ferry and tickets to Alton Towers, from €99 per person.
chessington.comand irishferries.com
Walking wonders
For a gentler pace of holiday altogether, England is a wonderful destination for walkers. And with 4,000 kiliometres of designated National Trails across England and Wales, you’ll run out of time before you run out of trail here.
For anyone with even a passing interest in Roman Britain, following Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England makes a fantastic first step.
A Unesco World Heritage Site, the wall marked the frontier of the Roman Empire when it was at its biggest in the 2nd century.
Built under the order of Hadrian, the 73 mile wall sits on the border of what is now England and Scotland – to separate Romans from Barbarians – and took soldiers six years to build.
Along the way you can see Vercovicium, the best preserved and most impressive of the Roman forts along the wall. A five acre fort, it held 800 people in its day.
It is just one of a number of forts, temples and Roman architectural remains along the way, many of which are remarkably well preserved.
Almost 2,000 years later, following it makes for a wonderful week’s walking, with the Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail taking you from Bowness-on-Solway to Wallsend.
The deal: A six night, seven day self-guided walking tour of Hadrian's Wall, staying in hotels and guesthouses along the way, with breakfast, including luggage transfer, starts at €465 per person sharing. To include a packed lunch and evening meal as well, the price is €650.
trek-inn.com
Parc life
Like its watery neighbour to the west, the only problem with a UK holiday is the fear that the weather might not play ball.
One way to take that uncertainty out of the equation is to pick a destination that has enough going on indoors to make sure it isn’t a wash out, whatever the weather.
On this basis, the Sherwood Forest Centre Parc is a great option.
Sherwood Forest will itself elicit interest from any self respecting, cartoon watching kid who will know it as the home of Robin Hood. The forest is but a remnant of its former self, but you can still see the famous Major Oak, which was Robin’s main hideout.
Reckoned to be up to 1,000 years old, it is now supported by the arboreal equivalent of a zimmer frame, but is still mighty nonetheless.
The only problem with it is that you’ll be hard pressed to get the kids out of the Centre Parc long enough to go see it.
Among the extensive activities here an understandable priority is given to archery, but there are more than 100 other indoor and outdoor pursuits too.
Entry to the subtropical swimming pool with all the requisite slides, chute and flumes – not to mention wave machine – is free.
After that, guests at the 400 acre park can undertake all sorts of extras, from abseiling to zip wiring, tree-trekking, clay pigeon shooting, horse riding, hovercrafting, quad biking and paintballing at prices ranging from £10 to £30 per person.
The deal: A one week break for a family of six, staying in three bedroom accommodation with bunkbeds, in July, costs £1,078.
centerparcs.co.uk
Peaks and Trusts
The UK’s National Trust will be familiar to anyone who has ever visited an historic property or stately home there. But far more than offering just a great day out, the heritage conservation agency also offers a range of great walking and cycling family holidays. These are run in conjunction with HF Holidays which makes a contribution to the National Trust for each holiday booked.
Among the 150 walking and activity holidays it offers, one of the most scenic is a week-long break taking in Dovedale, a National Trust area of Derbyshire famous for its stepping stones, and the Peak District.
In the surrounding area three former railway tracks have been converted to trails for recreational use –Tissington, Manifold Valley and High Peak.
Together they make for a traffic free, and therefore family friendly, way to explore the countryside.
With this holiday you get three days of cycling, with the option of choosing a short, medium or long route each day, plus two days guided walking.
The holiday includes bike hire, full board accommodation in family rooms at Newton House, at Alsop en le Dale, with an evening activity programme should your weary limbs allow.
The deal: A week's family break including three days cycling and two days guided walking around Dovedale and the Peak District, arriving July 30th starts at £675, plus £49 per additional child under 11.
hfholidays.co.uk
Castle cottages
Finally, if you have Harry Potter fiends in your family, a stay at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland will put you in their good books for life.
The castle features as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies and plays host to all sorts of Potter-related activities, including wand making workshops, visiting wizards and broom stick battles.
As well as playing an imaginary game of quidditch on the Hogwarts quidditch field you can enrol in Knights’ School and learn the art of medieval combat and courtly chivalry. There are formal gardens plus a highly informal tree-house restaurant to enjoy too.
Take your time exploring all of it by staying at the castle. Well, not quite at the castle, the Duke of Northumberland lives there, but at Alnwick Castle Cottages.
These are owned by the Duke’s estate and are wonderfully atmospheric – think wooden beams and exposed stone – and fully equipped.
The deal: A one week stay at Lucker Mill, in Millstone, one of a variety of Alnwick Castle Cottages, which sleeps six and includes a four poster bed, costs £770 in July.
alnwickcastlecottages.co.uk
For more ideas of what to do during a stay in England see
Make the Most of Your Time in Britain - 500 Great British Experiences
, which is published by Rough Guides.