Your holiday starts here...

... in a land blessed with incredible beaches, walks, culture and cuisine. It’s time to get ready for the great British getaway, says Richard Madden

Love affairs start for all sorts of reasons – pandemics included. Unforeseen a short time ago, this unexpected liaison has brought a new way of looking at the world, new experiences, and new possibilities. On the back of a series of exotic, long-distance relationships, one of the finest travel destinations has been staring us in the face all along. Britain, where have you been all our lives?

With international travel looking so uncertain for the foreseeable future, huge numbers of us are looking to explore our own country when we are finally allowed to venture forth out of our homes once more. After all, we guiltily remind ourselves, is it really necessary to fly halfway around the world when we have it all on our doorstep anyway?

“Do you realise, I’ve never actually been to…,” is becoming something of a catchphrase when referring to home shores. Fill in as applicable: the Peak District, Norfolk, the Cairngorms, Snowdon, on a long-distance rail journey, a cruise around the British Isles, a well-being break, a long weekend in a country house hotel, a walking holiday, a cycling holiday, canoeing, horse-riding, wildlife watching. The list goes ever on. And there we were thinking we’d done it all. If inspiring countryside is what you’re looking for, it’s no exaggeration to say that due to a happy accident of geology and tectonic plate movement, Britain has some of the most varied landscapes for its size anywhere in the world.

As well as our 15 National Parks, England,