For many tourists it is the countryside not the city that makes a country and one of the most popular places of this ilk is the United Kingdom. Botanists, horticulturalists or landscapers have been tending gardens here for two centuries. A holiday in one of the cheap hotels in London, Edinburgh, Somerset and Surrey would not be complete without paying a visiting the surrounding natural splendour.

Kew Gardens

The best English gardens among visitors to TripAdvisor are these colourful spaces in Richmond upon Thames in London. The Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew attracts 1.3 million visitors each year, who come to visit sights like the world's largest compost heap, a water lily house, carnivorous plant den and palm plantation. Other highlights this autumn include an Ice House, winter woodland, holly walk and arboretum and grassland. Children can sleep over at special educational events and Kew will host an ice rink at Christmas time.

Royal Botanic Gardens

Edinburgh is teeming with fascinating sights for tourists, but a trip to this historic Scottish city would not be complete without paying a visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens. Although Kew also shares the same classification do not confuse the two, they are hundreds of miles apart for a start. However, these 70 acres are only a mile's retreat from the cheap hotels in Edinburgh and castle in the city centre. Don't miss the architectural splendour of the Glasshouse or Inverleith House nor the special events, which include an apple celebration day and time for meditation in October.

Groombridge Place & Enchanted Forest

So magical are the grounds at this stately house in Tunbridge Wells in Kent, that it has become a garden in the filming of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice . Then again, Groombridge Place has proved inspiration for many a film, documentary or book for hundreds of years. Don't miss the chance to see shy deer, drunken topiary and peacocks. Groombridge is running special events for families and children over the half-term period, including Halloween and Bonfire Night.

Stourhead House and Gardens

Walks around a lake and two hidden Iron Age forts in woodland will enchant visitors to Stourhead, which is overlooked by one of the finest follies in Britain, King Alfred's Tower. The 49-metre triangular structure originally marked the meeting point of three counties: Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset. The National Trust describes Stourhead as the finest landscaped gardens in the world, containing the Temple of Flora, the Pantheon Temple of Apollo among other Gothic ruins.

Hampton Court

It is important not to confuse this Hampton Court with another in Wales. This is fifth most popular on the list of English Gardens to visit and it is worth seeing. The world famous maze is one of the best places to visit in Surrey if not the world, for its half a mile of paths. Originally designed for William III, it remained a private garden until the 20th century. Costumed tours and ghost tours are available for visitors, as well as Henry VIII's great theatre hall.

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