Bored on Holiday?
With all these Things to do in England - No Way!

Do you love history and food? Do you like to walk in the footsteps of Kings and Queens? Do you like to see amazing sights and do things you've never done before?
Excellent! Because this page is for people who want to discover England and have fun doing so!

Regardless of where I find myself (and whatever the weather may have to say for itself) I just cannot manage to be bored in England!

Where you turn, you trip over history: awe-inspiring ruins, blood-soaked dungeons, proud castles, grand houses. You'll hear stories of gory tyrants, gallant crusaders or daring escapes.

Where the history is lacking there is usually food - uncommonly good food, or outright strange food like chilli ice cream or garlic beer.

If there's neither history or food, then I'll guarantee you can dig up some old traditions whose origins nobody can trace, watch an unusual spectacle or two, or have some plain old-fashioned fun.

Have you ever:

• Tasted ice cream laced with chilli?
• Cheered a shin-kicking contest?
• Chased cheeses down a ridiculously steep hill?
• Watched the Lord Mayor's procession?
• Celebrated Guy Fawkes' Night?
• Had a drink in a bar made entirely from ice?
• Cheered a Stage of the Tour of Britain Cycle Race?

As you can tell, I can go on for quite a while here. None of these events are strictly tourist attractions, but they do draw (sometimes vast) crowds.

That's because they are events to celebrate England, her history, her products, traditions and customs, to show off almost forgotten skills and have fun doing so!

Some, like the cheese rolling or May Day celebrations involving burning barrels of tar may seem strange at first, but I promise they'll begin to make sense once you've been there. Just join in and experience the fun!

County and Village Shows

It will be busy.

There will be livestock - mostly in pens and well controlled.

There will be tents and stalls exhibiting and selling food, crafts, gifts, clothing and almost anything else you care to think about.

But most of all, there will be competitions:

• horses race and jump and draw carriages at vast speeds
• pigs and sheep compete for coveted rosettes
• dogs show their abilities herding sheep and tackling assault courses
• cookery, cake decorating and jam making skills are put to the test
• craft projects like knitting, needlework, crochet or flower arranging are exhibited and judged
• and fierce competitions rage between growers for the reddest tomato, the longest runner bean, the largest pumpkin or the tallest sunflower.

While the Royal Show and the individual County Shows concentrate more fully on farming, livestock breeding and rural skills, the Village Show is the battlefield for hobby gardeners, cooks and crafters.

Tales of nightly spying missions to the neighbour's greenhouse and potential acts of sabotage on giant marrows lend flavour to the mild and bitter or hog roast bap, but are they true?

Well, they may be.

Some shows are very prestigious and coming away with the prize brings cudos.

Just visit one and see for yourself.

Here is an exceptionally good list of county shows with their dates and locations.

And if you are the organiser of a village show and would like your event mentioned on this site, then please let me know.

Days out for History Lovers

Living history is becoming more and more popular amongst children and adults alike and throughout the year you can not just visit some amazing historical monuments. Very often you can also watch people try their hand at living like their forebears cold, damp and scratchy clothing notwithstanding.

And it matters little if your favourite historical period is Roman, Medieval, Tudor, Regency or Victorian ... we love to dress up and try them out!

Roman History

You can watch Roman soldiers drill or repair their armour, shudder at the rough and ready methods of the local doctor and taste the food in a real Roman taverna.

Anglo-Saxon History

They were also wonderfully skilled craftsmen as you may see if you visit the excavations at Sutton Hoo.

But their very success made them the envy of their neighbour and we all know what happened next. And if you don't, then make your way to Battle Abbey on October 14th each year and watch a replay of that momentous fight. Or celebrate King Harold Day in his burial place in Waltham Abbey, practising archery and watching the construction of the Bayeux tapestry.

Medieval History

This is excellent information for history lovers! And so medieval festivals are never short on the ground. The largest in Europe takes place every summer in Tewkesbury on the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the War of the Roses.

Warwick Castle and Hampton Court Palace both put on famous tournaments with jousts, siege engines and traditional food. And medieval Christmas celebrations are to be had across the country from Battle Abbey to York Minster.

Cromwell, the New Model Army and England's bloody Civil War are also well represented on the festival stage. Try Worcester or Corfe castle for a glimpse behind the curtain of these rather gory events.

Regency and Victorian History

You can explore the houses used in the most recent TV or cinema adaptations, wander through the Regency splendour of Bath or Brighton or burn your fingers on roasted chestnuts at a Victorian Christmas market.

You could study the less savoury side of Victorian London on the Jack the Ripper trail, of course ... or admire the crown George IV wore at his coronation in the jewel house in the Tower of London.

Modern History

Wacky and Unusual Days Out

If you're looking for something really out of the ordinary to brighten your England holiday, you don't have to look far. The English have always had a reputation for eccentricity and we also do the wacky rather well.

Take cheese rolling, for example. The 'civilised' version of that ancient art is practised in Stilton, where teams roll wooden truckles along the road between two pubs. Whoever gets their "cheese" to the end fastest gets the beer and the accolade.

But there's a "dark side" to cheese rolling, and that one's practised in Gloucester. Here, the competitors hurl themselves down a seriously steep hill chasing a Double Gloucester Cheese! Fun to watch, but I would not recommend taking part.

If you like your fun with a bit more tradition, you could watch the tournament of jesters during the Festival of Fools at Muncaster Castle.

You could cheer classic cars (or pigs) around a race track, or try your balance during a pancake race.

Or if you have a taste for the wacky side of history, try taking part in the 400-year-old Cotswold Olimpicks.

If you love sport, then England is definitely the place for you. There are football, rugby and cricket matches almost every weekend somewhere in England. Sailing and rowing regattas are popular and so is horse racing.

Have you ever been greyhound racing? It's surprisingly good fun, even if you can just about tell one end of a dog from another.

Or how about cycling? The biggest spectacle of the lot has to be the annual Tour of Britain, England's biggest live sporting event. If you're in the vicinity, make sure you catch a glimpse as it whizzes past you and marvel at the speed, the colours and the enthusiasm of those watching!

Mountain biking and BMX are popular - and usually free to watch, like the Tour of Britain. And if you're in Manchester, you positively MUST look in at the Velodrome. The GB track squad train there and they put on regular competitions and events that are eminently watchable.

Grand Occasions

So if you happen to be in Central London one lunchtime, take a few minutes to watch the Changing of the Guards outside Buckingham Palace - it's fun!

And if you're a bit more of a Royalist?

Then you could watch the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. For the last 700 years the Tower of London - where the Crown Jewels are kept - has been securely locked every night. These days, visitors are allowed to watch the ceremony. Entry is free, but you must apply for tickets at least two months in advance.

Trooping the Colour is the Queen's Annual Birthday Parade and I remember watching it on TV as a child, amazed that Her Majesty could ride side-saddle! These days, she is driven in a carriage to take the salute of her troops.

The Lord Mayor's Show, a street parade taking place in November, is another event that it might be fun to watch if you happen to be around. Make sure you arrive by public transport, though, as parking can be a nightmare.

Also in November - on November 5th to be precise - is Guy Fawkes Night. And that one is celebrated with bonfires, fêtes and firework displays all over England. Pick the party nearest to where you're staying and have a ball!




So, it matters little during which month you visit England or in which part of the country you're staying.

There are plenty of interesting and unusual things to do in England at any time of year!

Trooping the Colour

Watch a Stage of the Tour of Britain

The Lord Mayor's Show

Robert Dover's Cotswold Olimpicks

The Great Shrove Tuesday Pancake Race

And for all serious food lovers: the guide to England's food festivals