Ask a tourist to picture England, and they will likely describe red telephone boxes, the London Eye, and Buckingham Palace. Yet go only twenty miles from the capital's limits, and you will discover a completely different version of the country. There is an England that has nothing to do with the city; picture soft green hills, broken-down ancient castles, warm scones with jam and cream, and ocean edges that have stirred the creative soul for centuries on end. Detailed information on how to avoid scams in London can be found on our website.

The Cotswolds. Welcome to the England photographers dream of capturing: sweet golden stone residences, floral-framed doorways, and villages with titles such as Castle Combe and the model village of Bourton. Your best bet is to take a vehicle or put on sturdy boots for the Cotswold Way walking route. Break your journey for the beloved ritual of cream tea — that is, scones layered with butter-yellow clotted cream and ruby-red strawberry jam, but be forewarned: if you choose a side in the jam-or-cream-first argument, someone from the opposite county will correct you.

Brighton & The Seven Sisters. Within easy reach, just sixty minutes from London, Brighton offers a quirky seaside escape. Walk the Victorian pier, dine on golden-fried fish and chunky potato wedges, presented in a paper wrapping, and wander through the Indian-inspired Royal Pavilion with its onion domes and chinoiserie interiors. Just a short car trip toward the sunrise reaches the towering chalk formation named after seven siblings — breathtaking bright cliffs made of ancient marine deposits that stand tall against the waves. Stroll the high path above the sea for sights that interrupt your own speech with their grandeur.

The Lake District. Home to a UNESCO World Heritage designation and widely considered the country's best destination for open-air activities. This region served as the living backdrop for Wordsworth's most beloved poem about daffodils and floating clouds.

Hike up Scafell Pike (England's highest mountain), take a boat across Lake Windermere, the largest natural lake in England, or the third option requires no physical effort: a pub seat, a local ale, and the hypnotic spectacle of rain sweeping across the fells while you stay perfectly dry. If your heart beats faster at the mention of castles, cathedrals, and cobblestones, then York must be visited. Stroll atop the medieval fortifications that have protected York since Roman times, explore the Shambles — the real-world inspiration for a certain boy wizard's favorite shopping alley, and admire the stunning York Minster, whose Great East Window is the largest expanse of medieval stained glass anywhere on the planet.

For visitors who like their legends on the darker side, take part in York's acclaimed night ghost experience. The city asserts with confidence that no other place in Europe can match its density of documented hauntings. Accessible from Manchester and Sheffield in under an hour's travel, the Peak District serves up sweeping highlands of heather and grass, artificial water reservoirs, and charming towns such as Bakewell, which is internationally associated with a small sweet pastry called the Bakewell pudding. This landscape works wonderfully for a short break combining outdoor rambling with traditional English pub food.

The tip of southwest England — known as Cornwall — has a personality so unique you might forget you are still in the same country. Expect jagged coastal rock faces, astonishingly blue-green ocean water (the color genuinely approaches Caribbean shades), and world-class wave riding in the town of Newquay. Visit St. Ives for its art galleries and seafood, walk the stone steps of the Minack Theatre, which was carved by one woman's determination into a sheer slope overlooking the Atlantic, and search for King Arthur at Tintagel Castle.

The pasty — a sealed pastry pocket filled with chopped steak, sliced potato, and diced swede — is indisputably Cornish, and the county has protected its name across Europe. The correct method involves nothing more than your fingers gripping the pasty's folded crust.