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England Named Second Best Country In The World To Visit By Lonely Planet

England Named Second Best Country In The World To Visit By Lonely Planet

Only Bhutan beats Blighty, according to Lonely Planet's 2020 guide

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

If you're planning a holiday for next summer to daydream about during the bleak winter months, you might not actually have to travel that far to reach one of the top destinations.

That's because England has been named the second best country in the world to visit by adventure experts Lonely Planet.

Strange as it may seem during these turbulent and - let's be honest - boring times, the 2020 edition of Lonely Planet's Best In Travel book puts only the remote South Asian country of Bhutan above England in terms of desirable places to visit.

So, if you can't find the time to visit the Kingdom of Bhutan, why not opt for the next best thing and hang out here?

PA

Don't answer that.

Anyway, each year the travel guide compiles a list of the top ten countries, cities, regions and best-value destinations to visit each year.

This year, the most desirable cities are Salzburg, Washington DC and Cairo. The best regions are the famous Silk Road in Asia, Japan's Tohoku, Maine in the United States and - slightly closer to home - Le Marche in Italy.

In terms of value, you could head for East Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia, Buffalo in the USA or India's Madhya Pradesh.

Lonely Planet

As for Bhutan, the guide describes the kingdom thus: "If you like your mountains snow-capped, your nature untamed and your monasteries humming with the sound of Tibetan horns, look no further than Bhutan."

Sounds pretty good.

Let's hear what they've got to say about England, though.

Lonely Planet

The guide writes: "Brexit uncertainties have dominated the headlines in recent years but one constant amid all the confusion has been the timeless treasures that England is famous for - the historic castles and cathedrals, the quaint villages and rolling countryside, and of course, the seaside.

"Taking a bracing walk on a windswept pier, eating delicious fish and chips, searching for marine life in rock pools, finding fossils in ancient cliffs, building sandcastles and dolphin-spotting on picturesque beaches are just some of the activities offered by the English seaside."

The Vice President of Experience - what a job title to have - at Lonely Planet, Tom Hall, added: "For a relatively small country, England offers a lot of breathtaking scenery."

Lonely Planet

"There are 10 national parks and 34 Areas of Outstanding National Beauty - not to mention one of Europe's longest coastlines - which travellers will soon be able to enjoy in full as the England Coast Path continues to take shape.

"If travellers are seeking exhilarating beauty in 2020, England won't disappoint."

Hard to argue with that.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK News, travel, Weird