What's Hot in England for 2014

Events commemorating the start of World War I and filming sites for major Hollywood films are some of the travel highlights of England in 2014.

England's tourism organization, VisitEngland, is encouraging visitors to check out Camber Sands, the beachside filming location for the World War II epic Monuments Men, starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Cate Blanchett. The Invisible Woman, centering on Charles Dickens and his mistress that stars Ralph Fiennes and Kristen Scott Thomas, was also filmed in the area.

"The winter destination is perfect for long bracing walks on the beach, afternoons of antiques and retro-clothing shopping with plenty of cozy cafe stops, and relaxing evenings by burning log fires or dining in top-quality restaurants," according to VisitEngland. The county of Dorset in the south was the filming location of Far from the Madding Crowd, the latest adaptation of Thomas Hardy's classic novel (it stars Carey Mulligan and Michael Sheen). VisitEngland recommends checking out Hardy's houses in Dorset and staying at the area's stylish new hotel, The Pig (no comment on that name).

In honor of the hundred years that passed since the start of the first world war, a candle-lit vigil of prayer will take place at Westminster Abbey on August 4, the day the U.K. entered the conflict. Also in the summer, The Imperial War Museum London will launch the First World War Galleries, which tell the story of the global conflict and the 16 million people who perished because of it.

There are plenty of other England-specific events in 2014: click here for more info.