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Englishness - Manners and Monarchy!

Here at the Carter Company, we specialise in luxury cycling and walking holidays around the UK. Although we do plenty of tours to the stunning Scottish Highlands or through wonderful Wales, this week is English Tourism Week, and to mark it we’re celebrating our favourite tours through this green and pleasant land, whilst reflecting on some of the things that make the country we call home special.

People all over the world probably know two things about England. Firstly, they know that our head of state is His Majesty, King Charles III. Our monarchy is one of the oldest in the world, and there has been a King or Queen of England since the 9th century. Secondly, they know that the English are polite, and indeed, today, the royal family – and their subjects – are generally quite well-behaved. But this wasn’t always the case.

Magna Carta

Until 1215, the were no formal rules about what the King could or could not do. King John’s barons rebelled against him, and forced him to sign a treaty, the Magna Carta, which gave some men some rights. This bout of misbehaviour led to the oldest constitution in the Anglophone world and is the basis of the rights that we, as well as many other modern constitutions, enjoy today. One of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carter is at Salisbury Cathedral, and this ancient city features in many of our tours of the West Country and Southern England. Our tour of England’s Great West Way passes through Salisbury on a cycling trip that runs from the arty city of Bristol (home of the internationally renowned graffitist, Banksy) to London.

Monarchy

If you’re interested in finding out more about the history of the royal family, you simply must stop at Windsor Castle - and Hampton Court Palace, on your way along the Thames. Windsor Castle – the world’s oldest and largest occupied castle known - was one of the late Queen’s favourite residences, but in the Middle Ages it was the site of numerous battles and sieges, when the English revolted against the occasional overbearing king. Hampton Court is the enormous estate built by Cardinal Wolsey and appropriated by the tyrannical Henry VIII, and the grandeur of its halls and gardens tells the story of England’s infamous Tudor dynasty. Although Henry VIII is best known for being an absolutely terrible husband, he is also quite important because the tensions around his reformation of the English church led to centuries of religious conflict – which certainly wasn’t polite! His distant descendent, Charles III, enjoys gardening and is a passionate environmentalist, which reflects a distinct mellowing of our national character since medieval times.

Landscape

England’s landscape is also complex (and let's not even start on the weather!). While we might think that the rolling hills of the Cotswolds and the Chilterns are typical of the English countryside, there is a great diversity of scenery the length and breadth of England. In the far northwest, you will find the Lake District National Park, whose dramatic mountains and lakeside villages were beloved by the Romantic poets. Hadrian’s Wall, the great Roman fortification that protected their empire from the Picts, begins just north of here, and our Hadrian’s Wall Walk takes you east through the rugged fells of Cumbria and Northumbria, all the while immersing you in England’s wild north. This tour ends in the cosmopolitan port city of Newcastle, which has been transformed in recent years – like many English industrial towns – into the ideal spot for a city break, with plenty of pubs, museums, and cultures from around the world.

All down the east coast, you will find the landscape surprisingly flat, not unlike the Low Countries in Europe. It is also surprisingly dry – not every English person carries a brolly! Many, many miles to the south of Newcastle, in Suffolk, you will find captivating coastal walks and desolate heaths, and quaint little villages that history has passed by. If you then chose to follow the coast, around verdant Kent and heading west, you would find the epic cliffs of Devon and Cornwall. Long ago, the coves and caves of these counties were used by smugglers to help sate our deep desire for affordable tea – some stereotypes about the English are, in fact, true!

This whistle-stop tour of England and its history has hopefully helped you untangle some of your assumptions about Englishness. We’re polite – but haven’t always been – and our landscape is beautiful – but more diverse than most could have imagined. But don’t take our word for it, come see for yourself!

This year marks the 250th birthday of Jane Austen (1775-1817), the novelist probably best known for Pride and Prejudice. Today, she is closely associated with Bath, where she lived for five years in the early-19th century. Indeed, the Jane Austen Centre celebrates her as ‘Bath’s Most Famous Resident’, which seems a bit unfair to Haile Selassie and Horatio Nelson.

AUSTEN IN WINCHESTER

Austen moved to the city at the age of 25, and lived there for five years. The time she spent in Bath was not her most productive, though we can see the imprint of her time there in her final works, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. Austen left Bath in 1806, and spent the rest of her life in the port town of Southampton, the peaceful village of Chawton, and England’s ancient capital – Winchester.

Being treated for some unknown illness – thought now perhaps to be Addison’s disease – Austen died at a house on College Street, only a five-minute walk from her final resting place at Winchester Cathedral. In the summer of 2025, Winchester College will open the house to the public for the first time. In a peculiar twist, Colin Firth, who would go on to play Mr Darcy in the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice went to school in Winchester.

REGENCY SPIRIT

So, in the battle of the Austen attractions, how has Bath come to hold the crown? The simple answer is the Regency spirit that Austen’s novels, and their countless adaptations capture, is alive and well in Bath. You can see it in the sweeping curve of No.1 Royal Crescent, an outstanding example of Georgian architecture, and you can experience it at the Jane Austen Centre in Bath – it is a lovely, romantic exhibition, in an authentically decorated Georgian townhouse where you can dress in Regency gear and have a delicious afternoon tea. There is good reason that the Netflix romp-com Bridgerton, based in Regency England, was filmed in Bath. The film and television cameras that Austen’s adaptations have brought to Bath have made it an obvious setting for other, unrelated, productions, like Wonka (2023). The city also has a wide range of historical and cultural attractions, like the 2,000-year-old Roman Baths (where you can’t swim, sadly) and the modern Thermae Bath Spa (where you can).

ROYAL WINCHESTER

Winchester, while just as beautiful as Bath, has a different feel. Austen rests at the enormous, medieval Winchester Cathedral – one of the largest of its kind in the world – as do many of the Anglo-Saxon kings. History lays thick here – the 13th century Great Hall boasts a replica of King Arthur’s fabled round table, and the Westgate Museum tells the story of Winchester’s Tudor and Stuart past, when the town’s religious icons were destroyed once during the Reformation, and again during the Civil War. John Keats, a near-contemporary of Austen, wrote his ode ‘To Autumn’ during a stay in Winchester in 1819, and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin is said to have written his autobiography in nearby Twyford.

FOLLOWING IN JANE AUSTEN'S FOOTSTEPS

For all its history, Winchester has a stately, sombre feel. So Bath – a larger, livelier, town – takes the gold. But you can’t have too much of a good thing. Visit both (with us!). The Hotel du Vin in the centre of Winchester is the starting point of our new South Downs Way luxury walking holiday, which runs through the unspoilt beauty of the South Downs National Park. Taking between nine and twelve nights (our holidays are customisable) ensuite accommodation and breakfast is guaranteed at every stop. Walk through England’s green and pleasant land – in luxury!

Bath is a stop on many of our luxury walking and cycling holidays. Our Cotswold Ride to Bath takes you from the magnificent university town of Oxford, over the hills and through the valleys of the charming Cotswolds – featuring chocolate-box villages like Bibury and Burford – and on to Bath. A variant of this tour includes a visit to Stonehenge, the ancient megalith in the heart of southern England . If you fancy taking things at a statelier pace our luxury Cotswold Way holiday features ten days of walking south, beginning at Chipping Camden and passing through picturesque Painswick and wonderful Wooton-Under-Edge, and ending in Bath. Finally, our England's Great West Way cycling holiday has you spend a night in Bath on the twelve day journey from the trendy city of Bristol to England’s iconic capital, London – where Austen often visited her brother.

Portugal as a travel destination has been growing in popularity in recent years and rightfully so. Flanked by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, this travel destination is the perfect choice for avid foodies. Here are our top favourite things to eat whilst in Portugal.

PASTÉIS DE NATA: In Portugal it's not just socially acceptable to devour sugary pastries for breakfast, it's actually expected. You can savour these little beauties everywhere in Portugal for breakfast, as a snack or dessert. Be careful, they are quite addictive.

BOLINHO DE BACALHAU: Delicious fish cake with salted codfish as main ingredient. Also try the croquettas version. Excellent as a snack or accompanied with a glass of beautiful Douro wine.

SARDINES: Barbecued, salted, grilled or even mashed up in butter you will be amazed at the incredible number of options when it comes to enjoying sardines in Portugal.

CATAPLANA: A delicious stew based on seafood or a combo of clams and pork prepared in a cataplana pot, hence the name of the dish. It’s rich and full of flavour.

CHOURIÇO: A distant cousin of the Spanish Chorizo, this lovely pork sausage has many varieties depending on the region you visit and is fabulous to nibble on with a glass of Douro wine.

BIFANA: A Lisboan sandwich with thinly sliced pork that's been slowly cooked in white wine, garlic, and spices.

TRAVESSEIROS DE SINTRA: A fluffy puff pastry shaped like a pillow, sprinkled with sugar on the outside and filled with velvety egg and almond cream on the inside.

FRANCESINHA: This sandwich, originally from Porto, is not for the faint of heart. It contains sausage, roast meat or ham in the centre topped with melted cheese and a special tomato sauce infused with beer.

POLVO: Octopus is very popular and it comes in many variations throughout the country. Served cold or warm, we guarantee that olive oil and garlic are at least 2 of the base ingredients.

All this delicious food needs to be accompanied by quality wine. You’re in luck as one of the oldest and most alluring wine regions in the world is to be found in Portugal. The Douro Valley, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001, is a stunning region in the north of Portugal where the mighty Rio Douro meanders through the landscape. Although parts of the region do produce excellent regular white and red wines, the region’s true recognition comes from the different styles of fortified wine or port wine that are produced here. These are some of the recommended wines to try:

• Quinta de la Rosa 10 Year Tawny
• Quinta da Raza, Alvarinho-Trajadura 2021
• Quinta da Raza, Dom Diogo Padeiro 2021
• Real Cave Do Cedro, Aleixo Grande Reserva 1997

All perfect excuses to make Portugal your next travel destination. Your suitcase is waiting…

Winter sun in Provence is a new 5 night gentle walking tour especially designed for the winter months in Provence with its mild temperatures and blue skies lighting up the enchanting scene.

Stays are in buzzy locations – St Remy, the heart of Van Gogh’s landscapes in the Alpilles region, charming Isle sur la Sorgue in the different setting of the Luberon mountains and Avignon with its notable wine and gastro options. Arles can also be included in the tour. Our usual mix of luxury boutique hotels and short transfers to carefully crafted easy walking routes make this a holiday full of Provencal charm and flair.

It is available from November to the end of April.

A recent study has found that The Lake District is officially the most Instagrammed nature spot in the whole of the UK!

This probably (definitely) isn’t a surprise to locals, or holiday makers that have found beauty in the vast and remote expanses of the area. With lots of tough competition including Loch Ness, Ben Nevis and Stonehenge, The Lake District beat many of the other glorious spots that the United Kingdom has to offer.

With many holiday makers returning to the areas in and around Cumbria every year, there is a clear desire for walking and cycling holidays that offer incredible scenery, and a lovely change to the everyday hustle and bustle.

The Lake District is also officially the UK’s largest national park so it makes sense to see its beauty recognised in posts on Instagram. Containing 16 lakes and more than 150 high peaks, this popular nature spot is a favourite beyond the UK with international tourists too.

Be sure to check out one of England’s highest and most prominent mountains based within the Lake District - Helvellyn - if you’re up for a 5 mile walk and climb with our recommended guide.

As well as the scenic views, there are clear benefits of outdoor holidays to both physical and mental health,and if there is one positive to come out of the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s our reconnection and rekindling with the great outdoors. The contrast could be especially beneficial to residents of cities, where there is a constant hum of public transport and activity.

Just 30 minutes or one hour walking outdoors each day, breathing in fresh air and getting exercise is a sure-fire way to feel refreshed and grounded (so imagine how amazing you will feel after a week of walking in The Lake District!)

Because hiking holidays are often enjoyed in small groups of friends and family, they have significant links to happiness levels and endorphins associated with laughter and human interaction.

The study of Most Instagrammed Nature Spots was conducted by Absolutely Bear, a sustainable men’s clothing brand based in the UK. By combining data of exact match and associated hashtags of the top 100 beauty spots, they discovered the top 15, and surprise surprise we have trips to most of them - see links above!

Walking has been one of the few safe and social activities we have been able to do over the past year in the pandemic. In fact, there have been over one million people searching for “walks near me” in the UK alone in the last year!

As we look forward to the easing of restrictions and the impending opportunities to meet more friends and family outdoors, taking a trip to The Lake District should be definitely something to consider