Holiday Cottages In England

England has nearly 50,000 self-catering cottages on selfcatering.co.uk, spread across every county from the surf beaches of Cornwall to the fells of the Lake District and the wide sands of the Yorkshire coast. Choose a county to suit the trip, whether that is a city break, a walking week or a quiet stay by the sea.

Best places to stay in England

Cottage numbers cluster in the West Country, the north of England and along the eastern coast, so the choice of county usually settles the kind of holiday you get. These are the most popular places to base yourself.

• Cornwall: the far south-west, with surf beaches, fishing harbours and the warmest sea in the country
• Devon: two coastlines either side of Dartmoor, from Exmoor in the north to the red cliffs of the south
• North Yorkshire: the Dales, the North York Moors and a coast of cliffs and old fishing towns
• Cumbria: home to the Lake District, England's largest national park and its highest fells
• Norfolk: big-sky beaches on the north coast and the boating waters of the Broads
• Dorset: the Jurassic Coast, with Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door and the fossil town of Lyme Regis
• Northumberland: empty castle-studded beaches, Hadrian's Wall and the country's darkest night skies
• Derbyshire: the heart of the Peak District, with its limestone dales and gritstone edges
• Somerset: Exmoor, the Mendips, Cheddar Gorge and the levels around Glastonbury
• Gloucestershire: the honey-stone villages of the Cotswolds and the Forest of Dean
• Suffolk: a gentle Heritage Coast of shingle and reedbeds, with Southwold and Aldeburgh
• Lincolnshire: the Wolds, a long flat coast and the cathedral city of Lincoln
• Shropshire: hill country on the Welsh border, with the Long Mynd and Ironbridge Gorge
• the Isle of Wight: a short ferry from the mainland to chalk cliffs, sailing waters and sandy bays
• Kent: the Garden of England, with white cliffs, orchards and castles within reach of London

For more choices, Hampshire brings the New Forest and the Solent, while Sussex adds the South Downs and the cliffs at Beachy Head and Lancashire the Forest of Bowland and the resort of Blackpool.

Coast, countryside and national parks in England

England's landscapes range from high fells to soft farmland, and much of the best is protected as national park. The Lake District in Cumbria holds the highest ground, including Scafell Pike, while the Peak District spreads across Derbyshire and into neighbouring counties. The Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors cover much of North Yorkshire, the rolling chalk of the South Downs runs behind the Sussex coast, and the New Forest in Hampshire keeps its ancient grazing commons. The wilder west has Dartmoor and Exmoor in the South West, and Northumberland National Park rolls up to the Scottish border beside Hadrian's Wall. The coast is just as varied: the Jurassic Coast of Dorset and east Devon is a World Heritage Site, the Cornish cliffs and the white chalk of the South West Coast Path draw walkers, and the wide, dune-backed beaches of Norfolk and Northumberland are among the emptiest in the country. The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads make up a separate protected wetland of navigable rivers and lakes.

Things to do in England

There is far more to England than scenery. London brings world-famous museums, galleries and theatre, and historic cities such as York, Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and Canterbury each carry centuries of architecture in their streets. Stonehenge stands on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, Hadrian's Wall crosses the north, and great houses and gardens open across the country, from Chatsworth in Derbyshire to the estates cared for by the National Trust and English Heritage. Families head for theme parks such as Alton Towers and Legoland, for zoos and wildlife parks, and for the steam railways that run through the Dales, the moors and the Lake District. Walkers can follow long-distance trails including the South West Coast Path, the Pennine Way and Hadrian's Wall Path, while the coast offers surfing in Cornwall, sailing on the Solent and around the Isle of Wight, and boating on the Broads.

When to visit England

Summer, from July to September, brings the warmest weather and the busiest beaches and honeypot towns, and cottage prices peak through the school holidays. Late spring and early autumn are the sweet spot for walkers and for anyone who prefers quieter trails and lower rates, with long days in May and June and the colours of the moors and woodlands in late September and October. Winter suits city breaks, cosy cottages with a wood burner and the national parks at their most dramatic, though upland weather can be harsh and some coastal attractions close out of season. The weather is changeable in every season, so it pays to pack for sun and rain whenever you come.

Dog-friendly and hot-tub cottages in England

England is good country for a holiday with the dog, with miles of open beach, moor and fell to walk, and more than 32,000 of the cottages here welcome dogs. Over 8,000 properties come with a hot tub, ideal after a long day on the hills or the coast path. Once you have picked a county you can filter within it for dog-friendly cottages or for places with a hot tub, so it is easy to narrow a big choice down to the right base. Some popular beaches have seasonal dog restrictions in high summer, so it is worth checking before you travel.

Getting to England

England has a dense road and rail network, so most counties are within a few hours of one another. The motorway spine runs north to south on the M1, M6 and M5, with the M4 heading west to the South West and Wales and the M25 circling London. Main rail lines fan out from London to every region, with fast services to York, the North West, the South West and the south coast. The largest airports are London Heathrow and Gatwick, with Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle and others serving the regions, and ferry ports such as Dover, Portsmouth and Plymouth link to France, Spain and Ireland.

Useful links

• VisitEngland
• VisitBritain
• National Parks UK

England is the largest of the four nations of the United Kingdom, occupying the southern and central part of the island of Great Britain. It is bordered by Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Irish and Celtic seas to the west. Its coastline is long and deeply indented, and no part of the country lies more than about seventy miles from tidal water.

The land is gentlest in the south and east, where chalk downs, clay vales and the flat, drained Fens give way to farmland and low wooded hills. The ground rises towards the north and west into the Pennine chain, often called the backbone of England, the high fells of the Lake District, and the moors of the South West. The longest rivers, the Severn and the Thames, drain to the west and the south-east, the Thames running through London on its way to the sea.

England is among the most densely populated countries in Europe, and its settlement reflects layers of history, from prehistoric monuments and Roman roads to medieval cathedral cities, market towns and the great industrial cities of the Midlands and the north. London, the capital, sits in the south-east and is by far the largest city. Despite the density of people, much of the countryside remains rural and protected, and the contrast between busy cities and open national parks is one of the defining features of the country.