How often, as an Englishman, do I hear people say "Oh yes, I've been to England ; I went to London and Stratford only last year." This is a little like saying that you know the USA by wandering around New York 's Times Square . How can you comprehend the beauty of the Sierras, the vastness of the Kansas plains or the wildlife of the Everglades from there?

So it is with England . The little market towns, the beauty that is rural England , the history that is all around you. And of course, there’s the fanaticism for gardening that seems to be part of the British DNA. For those of you thinking about a trip to the UK , here is another place that you might like to consider, as we did earlier this year.

About 2 1/2 hours drive from London to the southwest, passing Stonehenge on the way, lie the sleepy counties of Devon and Dorset . Sleepy, that was, until it was discovered that they hold a plethora of prehistoric remains. Now designated the UK 's first natural World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, this 95-mile stretch of coastline is known as the Jurassic Coast . It shows evidence of almost 200 million years of evolution and may be the only such place anywhere in the world.

Perhaps the most accessible part of the coast can be experienced by visiting the quiet seaside town of Charmouth on the Devon-Dorset border. This former fishing village at the mouth of the river Char has two huge cliffs that rise on either side where fossils may be found in plenty. It is not unusual to see parties of school children scouring the bases of the cliffs, a teacher carrying an archeological pick in hand to gently tease out a fossil find. The most common fossils are ammonites, ancestors of the nautilus, but other much larger examples can also be found. Local hotels will even lend you a small pick, or you can hire one at the beach. Hunting for these fossils on an amateur scale is permitted by the National Trust, who administer the land.

For those who prefer to just walk along the golden strand, there is a very small fossil shop close to the car park which for a small fee sells cleaned and polished ammonites. It also has a display of some other finds, including bones of dinosaurs and the jaw of a ichthyosaur that looks to be like something from a huge prehistoric crocodile.

Don't expect a Disney-style reception; Charmouth is particularly understated. The beach car park only holds about five buses, mostly school children on the odd day trip, and about 30 cars. Many more than this and there is a major traffic problem. Best to go off season, which really means any time of the year except July and August. This is England , after all, so take a warm sweatshirt and maybe an umbrella.

Near Charmouth is Chesil Beach , a vast dune not of sand but of small pebbles called shingle. It extends from the island of Portland to West Bay , a distance of about 15 miles. The dune rises to a height of over 60 feet in some places and is remarkable in that there is a regular decrease in the size of the pebbles from Portland to West Bay . It is claimed that fisherman who land at night can tell just where they are by looking at the size of the pebbles.

About halfway along Chesil Beach is Abbotsbury. As you approach you get an unmistakable view of St. Catherine's Chapel, built at the beginning of the 15th century, high on a hill just outside of town. Strangely, the town is host to a 20-acre subtropical garden, started as a kitchen garden in the mid-eighteenth century. Today it is an exotic collection of rare plants from all over the world, mostly brought to the UK by its founder’s descendents.

Between Chesil Beach and the natural coast is an eight-mile-long lagoon called the Fleet. It gained fame during WWII as the place that the Bouncing Bomb used by the famous Dambusters of the RAF 617 Squadron was tested. Dropped from massive Lancaster bombers, the bombs skipped like ping pong balls along the water before impacting a German dam which had proven immune to conventional bombing. One of those bombs is on display at a place called Abbotsbury Swannery.

For more than 600 years this quiet place, sheltered from the stormy English Channel , has been the nesting place for flocks of Mute Swans. Several hundred swans call this home all year round. Come in late spring and you will be able to walk the path and see the newly born cygnets. Abbotsbury has also become the home of many other water birds. We saw Black Swans, as well as many varieties of geese and ducks on our casual stroll.

With its aristocratic heritage, England now has a plethora of small manor and country houses. Many of the more spectacular can be visited for a small fee. Some are still owned by what is left of the aristocracy and many are now used as training or conference centers by large corporations. This still leaves a wealth that have been turned into small and often select hotels. We stayed in one such while we were there.

Summer Lodge Hotel, in the quaint village of Evershot , is an eighteenth century Georgian manor house which was home to the various Earls of Ilchester since 1789. One bedroom was actually designed by the gloomy novelist Thomas Hardy, who was born in Dorset and trained as an architect. The hotel has recently had an extensive renovation, and now boasts 24 rooms, including suites, spa and pool. It is the ultimate in honeymoon locations, one where you can have your own cottage with four-poster bed and a hot tub in your own private garden. Our room was in the main house - some are in the coach house across the courtyard - decorated in muted shades of gold. A bottle of champagne and a bowl of fresh-picked strawberries awaited our arrival.

The Summer Lodge includes a five-star restaurant, one of the best in rural England . It serves as proof that English cooking need not live down to its abysmal reputation. A full customary English breakfast of bacon and eggs greeted us in the morning along with fresh pastries and, for the more adventurous, kippers. Afternoon tea was served in the drawing room or the garden with crustless sandwiches, fresh baked cakes and the ultimate in decadence, warm scones with jam and that delightfully thick Devon clotted cream. For dinner, the package comes with a three-course set dinner. You must try the succulent Dorset lamb, an unforgettably delightful experience. There is also a fabulous wine cellar; sommelier Eric Zwiebel won the award for the Best UK Sommelier in 2004.

During the day we explored the local countryside on foot, stopping at some of the numerous local pubs. Like Hardy, Jane Austen lived in Dorset , and her "Emma" was filmed in this picturesque village a few years ago. We saw azure carpets of bluebells covering the grounds beneath the trees in a roadside copse. Wild flowers bloomed on the grass verges; the air was filled with the sound of rustling leaves, the call of wild birds and distant sounds of farm animals. The air smelled fresh and it was a delight to breathe.

Dorset has been central to the history of the British Isles since before Roman times. The Anglo Saxon kingdom was here, and this is where the Black Death first arrived in England . Dorset ships launched to fight the Spanish Armada, and King George III convalesced here from his bouts of madness and loss of the American colonies. But rich as it is in archaeology and history, it is the countryside’s beauty that draws visitors now just as in centuries past. Dorset has over 150 villages connected by ancient hedgerows and winding lanes, the perfect place for leisurely wanderings either by foot or car. Parts of Dorset carry the designation Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty from the British government, while much of the Jurassic Coast is owned by the National Trust. The Trust is an independent charity which protects and administers over 300 properties and over 650,000 acres of countryside in England , Wales and Northern Ireland .

With all that Dorset has to offer, who would ever want to be in a crowded smelly city like London ?

(c) Copyright Stephen Spill for Ess And Ess