England. Home. And honestly, one of the most underrated travel destinations on the planet. Particularly if tha lives here and keeps flying over it to get somewhere else. We’re from Yorkshire, so we’re obviously biased, but the north in particular has a quality and variety of landscape that rivals anywhere we’ve visited in the world.
How much does England cost?
That depends enormously on where and how tha travels. London is expensive by any measure. But the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland, the Peak District — these are accessible, affordable and utterly brilliant. Camping brings costs right down; a campsite pitch in the Lake District costs £15–25 per night. Many of the best activities (hiking, wild swimming, scrambling, cycling) cost nowt. Accommodation in smaller towns and villages is far more affordable than cities, and pub food in the north is still genuinely good value.
For city breaks within England, Booking.com is always worth checking for last-minute deals. And if tha needs to travel between cities, National Rail advance tickets or coach with National Express or Megabus can be surprisingly cheap booked early.
Where we went
The Lake District — Our closest mountain playground and one of England’s genuinely world-class landscapes. We’ve ghyll scrambled (climbing up and down mountain streams — sounds mad, is brilliant) and found a hidden gem of a campsite right on the edge of Ullswater. Both are covered in the posts below.
Yorkshire — Home turf. The Dales, the Moors, the Coast. Whitby, Harrogate, Skipton, Knaresborough. We might be biased but we’re right. Yorkshire is brilliant and relatively cheap compared to the south.
Northumberland — Dark sky territory. The least visited and least populated county in England has some of the finest landscapes, emptiest beaches (Bamburgh, Seahouses, Druridge Bay) and most interesting history (Hadrian’s Wall runs straight through it) of anywhere in the country.
Getting around England on a budget
A car remains the most flexible and often cheapest way to explore rural England — public transport in the national parks is improving but still patchy. Rail is good value for city-to-city if booked in advance. The Railcard (16-25, 26-30, or Two Together) saves 1/3 on most fares and pays for itself after a couple of trips.
When to go
May, June and September are the sweet spot — decent weather, manageable crowds, and the landscape at its greenest. July and August are peak season everywhere with school holidays driving prices up. The Lake District in autumn is genuinely spectacular. Winter walking in the Dales is brilliant if tha’s properly kitted out.
Our England posts — start here
Explore Ullswater: A Hidden Camping Gem
Looking for a place to camp by the lake? Well, we stumbled upon a reyt good spot in the Lake District. Campsite location This campsite is nestled right up against Ullswater, one of the lesser-known lakes that still manages to flaunt its Lake District beauty. It’s at the bottom of Ullswater, near a charming little…
Explore Ghyll Scrambling in the Lake District
Now you may not know what Gyhll scrambling is at this point but we can promise you its a good laugh. And if you do know what it is then you’ll know that the lake district is the perfect place to do it. What is Ghyll scrambling? Ghyll scrambling in basic terms is climbing up/down…