Wilderness England has unveiled a new set of itineraries for 2024. Travelers can explore England’s countryside and towns while staying in luxurious accommodations along the way.
The Cotswolds
Covering nearly 800 square miles and running through five counties, the Cotswolds are home to quaint market towns, honey-colored stone villages, rolling hills, palaces, castles and country houses. Walk (or cycle) around and discover its landscapes via historic trails, ancient woodlands, gardens, shops, and more.
Wilderness England offers several different trips and ways to discover this part of the country, be it hiking, cycling or, new for 2024, e-bikes. The new “Highlights of England” trip is a 10-day luxury hiking adventure that explores the Cotswolds, New Forest, South Downs and Dorset, and includes stays in five-star hotels along the way. These include The Lamb Inn in the historic market town of Burford; Dorset’s Lulworth Lodge, a coastal hotel; the Montagu Arms, a country house in the village of Beaulieu; The Spread Eagle in Midhurst, one of England’s oldest coaching inns, dating to 1430; and The Star in Alfriston, originally a religious hostel dating from 1345 and then a traditional coaching inn that has been remodeled into a luxury boutique hotel.
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is known for its Roman and Viking roots, its Norman castles, medieval abbeys, Industrial Revolution-era cities and two national parks. Travelers can explore the North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales, Peak District, East Yorkshire Coast, Leeds, York and beyond. It is also in Yorkshire where “Bridgerton” fans will find Castle Howard, which played a starring role in Season 1, doubling as Clyvedon Castle, the Duke of Hastings’ ancestral home.
Wilderness England’s new “Highlights of Northern England” luxury hiking adventure spends 10 days exploring the limestone landscape of the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District National Park and the Peak District. Travelers can explore ruins, historic estates and villages. Evenings are spent in bespoke accommodations including Beck Hall Hotel, touted as England’s first 100 percent plant-based hotel located at the foot of Malham Cove; Rothay Manor, a country house on the edge of the Lake District town of Ambleside; and The Peacock at Rowsley, a 17th-century manor house in Peak District’s Derbyshire countryside.
Bath
Historic Bath is home to the Holburne Museum, with its collection of over 10,000 objects (porcelain, silver, books, Roman coins, and more) gathered over the last 200-odd years.
A bit further afield, but located due south of Bath, directly along the A36 to the coast, are New Forest and South Downs, featured as part of Wilderness England’s new-for-2024 hiking trip of the same name. The itinerary first explores the old woodlands of New Forest, a place where ancient rights of common pasture are still exercised, followed by the South Downs National Park, with its undulating chalk hills and coastline. Evenings are spent enjoying the comforts of a boutique townhouse hotel and a 19th-century country house.
For those in search of special and luxurious journeys, Wilderness England also offers a selection of “Beyond Luxury” trips. Designed for every traveler’s wants and needs, these custom itineraries can incorporate a range of accommodations, lavish experiences, guides, and more.
For more information, visit WildernessEngland.com.
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