The mother country
England is the motherland to both the U.S. and Canada because both were English colonies, but Canada retains a closer ongoing bond as part of the Commonwealth. No matter that many ethnic groups have settled in North America — we inherit our literary traditions, legal systems, ethics and social customs from our mother country and traditional ally.

It is our great good fortune that, as we answer the call to return to these roots, we are visiting a modern nation with a compelling mix of historic attractions, charming villages, lovely natural settings — and the welcoming people themselves.

About England and Wales
North Americans generally have the time of their lives in the British Isles, and the Brits themselves are one reason. The fact we have a common language (almost) facilitates communication, so the kindness, politeness and sense of humor of the British come through.

Visitors feel at home there for other reasons, too. England is a favorite destination for many because they have family there or because their ancestors originated there. Some use the occasion to research the family tree.

Because England is so small, even a single visit can be satisfying because the traveler can see a lot at one shot. The countryside is agreeably diverse, but consistently beautiful. History and historic sites (too many to mention throughout England and Wales) are even more important than scenic beauty, especially to centrics and venturers.
There is good public transportation including the train service across England and into Wales and Scotland. If pressed for time, travelers can plan day trips from London to any of a number of popular destinations — Bath, Cambridge, Canterbury, Oxford, Salisbury (access to Stonehenge and Sarum), Stratford-upon-Avon and Winchester, among others.
It is more satisfying though to overnight at key points, whether in Cardiff, the Welsh capital; Cornwall, the Cotswolds, York, the Lake District, Sir Walter Scott country in the far north, Stratford for plenty of theater or closer in at, say, Canterbury or Salisbury.
Visitors encounter places of literary or historical significance just about everywhere.

Much of this — plus the lovely countryside — is most appealing to the centrics among us. In addition, when their sightseeing day is done, they like to discover nice B&Bs in quaint villages, stroll around, shop or have a quiet drink with the locals in a pub.
To see the same things, venturers may rent a car and set out on the “wrong” side of the road.

Authentics have similar interests but are more likely to choose an escorted tour. Here is a place where asking directions is no problem, where places authentics have studied in school come alive, where natural beauty abounds and where authentics feel at home.

• Develop new skills with the bow and arrow in sessions at the Alnwick Castle in Northumberland.

• Go to Hadrian’s Wall for a look, then take a walk, a very long one, following the wall for as long as possible. Or, walk one of Wales’ long walking routes: Glyndwr Way (120 miles of “wild Wales”); Offa’s Dyke Path (177 miles) roughly following the border with England, or the Pembrokeshire Coast Path (186 miles) around the tip of far southwest Wales.

• Spend the night of summer solstice at Stonehenge. The central axis in this circle of stones aligns with the sun on Midsummer Day, and British Heritage in recent years has been opening the site to visitors throughout the night of the summer solstice.

• Enter one of England’s wackier contests. The Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling Festival, held in May in the Cotswolds, is a 200-yard race chasing a seven-pound Double Gloucester cheese down a near-vertical slope. The winner gets all the cheese. Enter on a whim, but at your own risk (contestants and even onlookers are known to wind up in the hospital), and your clothes are certain to take a beating.

• If you are fit, try a Wales original, an adventure sport called coasteering; it is a potentially risky combination of climbing, traversing cliff faces and swimming.

• Go sailing off Brighton, or in Cornwall, or in any of a number of other coastal regions.
Or, surf the coastal areas of England. There are options in the far west, across the south and up the east coast. Or, surf the bore, or tidal wave, in the River Severn.

• Attend summer music festivals in either Leeds or Reading. These are rock festivals, big and loud. Not everyone will like them.

• Learn to be a punter. A punt is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, meant for use in small rivers or other shallow waters. As the punter, you will propel your punt by pushing against the river bed with a pole. These days, punting opportunities are largely limited to Cambridge and Oxford.

• Volunteer to work on an archaeological dig at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland.

• Participate in an organized shooting party at Raby Castle in County Durham. The quarry are generally birds such as grey partridge, pheasant, snipe and woodcock. Guided outings to stalk roe buck are also on offer.

• Visit the much-admired Winchester Cathedral. Then, go to Winchester’s St. Cross Hospital, Britain’s oldest charitable institution, dating from the 12th century. Ask for the wayfarer’s dole, a traditional source of sustenance intended for weary travelers. You must say: “May I have the wayfarer’s dole?” The payoff is a bit of bread and small tumbler of ale. This is the only place in England where the wayfarer’s dole is still handed out.

• Take hop-on, hop-off bus tours in London or in any of a raft of other cities.

• Book a watercolor painting class at the Sizergh Castle in Cumbria, in northwest England.

• Look for ghosts in York, the town that is said to be the most haunted place on Earth. The most famous York ghosts are Roman Legionnaires who walk across the basement of the Treasurer’s House. Or, follow the Ghosthunter Trail in Chester, or sign on for a ghost-hunting event at Ty Newydd Country Hotel, a former country house on the outskirts of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales.

• Visit the Cheddar Caves, which are noted for their fantasyland interiors, in Cheddar (birthplace of cheddar cheese). J.R.R. Tolkien used one of the caves as his inspiration for Helm’s Deep in “The Lord of the Rings.”

• In the spa town of Bath, take the cure if you dare. The water is not to everyone’s taste. The Romans built Bath, and much of the original work can still be seen. Get a load of the gorgeous Georgian architecture there, too.

• Plot an itinerary following one of Wales’ cheese trails to find cheese makers and buy samples right from the farms. Start the search at www.walesthetruetaste.com, click on Welsh Cheese, then choose Cheese Trail to find links to trails.

• Go to the Tower of London for the 700-year-old nightly ceremony of the keys (when the tower is locked for the night). You have to book well in advance for the free event which starts at 21:53 and ends at 22:05. Be on time, or you won’t get in.

• Sign on for classes at the Raymond Blanc Cookery School in Oxford. Learn to make bread the old-fashioned way, or hone your skills preparing a three-course dinner party.

• Go cycling or horseback riding in Sherwood Forest. The Historic Royal Hunting Forest of Sherwood covers a third of Nottinghamshire.

• See the Bronte manse, now the Bronte Parsonage Museum, in Haworth.
Or, if a devoted literature lover, plan an itinerary around any number of writers besides the Bronte sisters, such as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Sir Walter Scott, William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth and on and on.

• Theater lover or no, include Stratford-upon-Avon in your itinerary. Spend time at Ann Hathaway’s thatched cottage with its English garden, and attend a performance of one of the bard’s masterpieces in the town where he originated.

• Plan a Salisbury sojourn, in part for the 13th century cathedral there, where sarcophagi of crusaders still lie and one of four remaining copies of Magna Carta is on display. (The ambitious can climb the tower.)

• See Canterbury Cathedral, then visit the goofy Canterbury Tales attraction.

• It’s London. Go to Leicester Square and buy reduced-price tickets to as much theater as you have time for.

• In Rochester, crawl through what is left of its 12th century stone tower (a la the White Tower at the Tower of London), then focus sightseeing on the Charles Dickens Centre there and titter over all the shops and eateries named for Dickens characters or book titles. (Dickens lived here for a period of time.)

• Follow the so-called Embroidery Trail which will take you to communities along the Mersey River, in the Liverpool area, to look at fine examples of old and new needlework.
Then, take a embroidery class at Voirrey Embroidery, a major needlework center on the route.

• It takes some advance planning, but arrange to attend the Royal Ascot races, held in June.

• Shop at Harrods in London, or just ogle the food courts there.
Or, in Wales, shop for Celtic jewelry, handmade craft items and woolen sweaters. Also, look for that traditional Welsh gift, the lovespoon.

• Hear proclamations from the town crier in Chester. The city maintains a tradition for town criers that dates from the Middle Ages. Listen for the news at the Chester High Cross at noon, Tuesday to Saturday, May to August.