The UK’s Most Exciting New Experiences To Try This Summer

Looking for ways to fill the long summer ahead? Flip open your diary – there’s plenty of great days out in the UK to fill it with, and 2026 has brought a host of new experiences and openings from the best brands around. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing adults-only break or fun days out for the family (from stargazing and freediving to trying your hand at The Traitors), Graeme Green rounds up the 20 best new things to do in the UK this summer.

New Range Rover, Defender and Discovery experiences at Eastnor Castle offer a chance for all ages to learn off-road driving skills

The UK’s Best New Experiences To Book For Summer 2026

Splash In A New East London Lido

A new freshwater lido is set to make a splash in Canary Wharf this summer. Created by the team behind Sea Lanes Brighton, the new Olympic-sized, six-lane swimming pool is expected to open in June and will float on the Wharf’s Eden Dock. It will be open year-round, complete with fitness classes, lifeguards, a community clubhouse, food and drink, a wetsuit concierge, and outdoor saunas powered by renewable energy. sealanescanarywharf.co.uk

Off-Road Thrills At Eastnor Castle

For years, Land Rover has been testing vehicles in the 5,000-acre grounds of Eastnor Castle (as seen in the HBO series Succession) in Herefordshire. Now, families can also test their mettle. New Range Rover, Defender and Discovery experiences offer a chance to learn off-road driving skills with expert assistance, conquering rocky tracks, grassy slopes and water challenges – perfect for first-timers or seasoned adventurers. landrover.co.uk/experiences

Cotswolds hotel Calcot & Spa is opening two woodland-inspired treehouses, bookable from June

Sleep In The Trees

Cotswolds hotel Calcot & Spa is opening two woodland-inspired treehouses. Bookable from June onwards, The Tree Houses are tucked away within 220 acres of rewilded meadowland on the estate. Each of the elevated timber retreats – built by Blue Forest, with interiors designed by Cathy Birtles – have two bedrooms, elegant bathrooms, a cosy living area, a private sauna on the outside decking, and sweeping views of the Cotswolds. calcot.co

Make A Michelin Morning Of It

London’s first ever Michelin-starred breakfast tasting menu is available at Pavyllon London in the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane. Created by executive chef Benjamin Ferra Y Castell under the guidance of Yannick Alléno (whose global restaurants hold 17 Michelin stars), the five-course gastronomic experience is served every weekend, with choices including tiramisu pancakes and French toast. pavyllonlondon.com

Grand Slam Gastronomy

Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and his wife Kim’s five-star country house hotel in Stirlingshire – Cromlix – is opening two new restaurants and a wellness retreat. Both restaurants will serve modern Scottish cuisine, with The Garden Room occupying a new glass-fronted building and the more intimate, fine-dining Cradle serving an ever-evolving tasting menu. The new Wellness Cottage will have a curated menu of treatments. cromlix.com

Wraxhall Vineyard, one of Somerset’s oldest, has launched a new experience, which includes a guided tour, wine tastings and a Somerset grazing table

Taste One Of Somerset’s Oldest Vineyards

Wraxall Vineyard, one of Somerset’s oldest, has an exclusive, new experience for wine lovers. After a private guided tour, groups of eight to 20 can enjoy tastings and a Somerset grazing table (a lunch of local cheese and charcuterie, salads, chutneys and breads) in The Nook, a canvas tent on a rooftop terrace. Travellers can also stay over in one of the two new shepherd’s huts, which have commanding views over the Somerset Levels. wraxallvineyard.co.uk

Hang Out With Henry Moore At Kew

The largest-ever outdoor presentation of Henry Moore’s art will be unveiled at Kew Gardens in London on 9 May. Running until 27 September, Henry Moore: Monumental Nature sees 30 of the acclaimed English artist’s monumental sculptures – including Reclining Woman: Elbow and Locking Piece – displayed across the 320-acre UNESCO World Heritage Site and inside the Victorian glasshouse, Temperate House. kew.org

Stargaze In The North York Moors

Stargazers should head to the North York Moors National Park, an International Dark Sky Reserve, where a new observatory has just opened. Set within the riverside surroundings of Danby Lodge National Park Centre, the Dark Skies Station has a retractable roof and a state-of-the-art telescope. The observatory will host stargazing events, talks and workshops throughout the year. northyorkmoors.org.uk

Try your hand at The Traitors with Pelorus Travel’s bespoke, three-night adventure in the Scottish Highlands

Are You A Traitor Or A Faithful?

Anyone obsessed with the BBC’s hit series will likely leap at the opportunity to immerse themselves in Pelorus Travel’s bespoke, three-night, Traitors-inspired adventure in the Scottish Highlands. Guests will step inside a real-world game of trust and deception, arriving in a fleet of iconic Land Rover Defenders and taking part in daily challenges, mystery-driven tasks, and candle-lit dinner parties before a revealing round-table finale. pelorustravel.com

Party At Blenheim Palace

A brand new, open-air music festival is taking place in Oxfordshire this summer (27 June to 4 July) in the grounds of Blenheim Palace. Headliners will include Katy Perry, Michael Bublé, Alanis Morissette, Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts, and Pete Tong Ibiza Classics. Special packages are available, including The Grand Banquet, a fine dining experience with front-of-stage seating. blenheimpalacefestival.com

Walk With Winnie The Pooh

Ashdown Forest in East Sussex is celebrating 100 years since the publication of AA Milne’s first collection of Winnie the Pooh stories. Milne’s tales transformed the forest into the magical Hundred Acre Wood. This summer, The Big One Hundred is a series of free cultural events which invites visitors to explore the forest and meet its newest inhabitant, The Curious Adventurer, brought to life by 10 puppeteers. thebigonehundred.co.uk

Belmond’s luxury train, Royal Scotsman, will be completing new Scottish culinary journeys with acclaimed chefs this summer

Make Michelin-Starred Tracks In The Highlands

Belmond’s luxury train, Royal Scotsman, will be completing new Scottish culinary journeys this summer. A Taste of Scotland with Tom Kitchin has two nights aboard (17-19 June), travelling from Edinburgh to Dundee and back, while the four-night Epicurean Highland Adventure (29 June-3 July) includes a dinner by Michelin-starred Glasgow chef and Great British Menu judge Lorna McNee. belmond.com

Sauna On The Shingle

The UK’s largest wild beach spa has opened at Folkestone Harbour Arm on England’s south-east coast. Set directly on the shingle with views across the English Channel, Sea Scrub Folkestone features wood-fired saunas, cold plunge pools, a hot tub with a Jacuzzi, indoor changing rooms, and a traditional bucket shower – all with direct access to wild swimming in the Channel. seascrubsauna.co.uk

Sip & Stay In County Atrim

Known as Ireland’s first whisky hotel, the recently refurbished Harbourview Hotel in County Antrim is hosting a week of special events for its first ever Carnlough Whiskey Festival (16-23 August). As well as a chance to sample spirits from local distilleries, the hotel – located in the coastal village of Carnlough – will also present live music, cask sampling, and a whisky cruise along the rugged Antrim Coast in a converted lifeboat. theharbourviewhotel.com

The Pig hotels are gearing up to host Smoked & Uncut garden parties this summer with live music, pop-up spa treatments, firepits and buzzing bars

Garden Party With The Pigs

The folks at The Pig are gearing up to host Smoked & Uncut garden parties at their hotels this summer. Taking place at The Pig in the New Forest (12-14 June), The Pig at Combe, Devon (10-11 July) and The Pig at Bridge Place, Kent (7-9 August), they promise all-day garden party vibes with bands and DJs, pop-up spa treatments, night-time firepits, buzzing bars and more music – all set in glorious country gardens. thepighotel.com

Moor Michelin Stars

Acclaimed chef patron Mark Birchall has launched an exclusive, 12-seat private dining experience at his three-Michelin-starred Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms in Aughton, Lancashire. Atelier Hearth offers three, four and five-course tasting menus featuring dishes such as monkfish cooked in brown butter and honey-roast Sladesdown duck, paired with rare single malts from The Macallan Red Collection. moorhall.com

Celtic Deep is launching new snorkelling and freediving adventures on South Wales’ Pembrokeshire coast, where you can meet wildlife like puffins, seals and whales

Deep Dive Off Pembrokeshire

Fancy meeting a puffin or a seal in the wild? Celtic Deep is launching new Expedition Deep adventures on South Wales’ Pembrokeshire coast. Led by experienced marine biologists, the five-day snorkelling and freediving trips run from May to September and combine hands-on wildlife encounters with research and conservation work. Seasonal highlights include puffins and other seabirds, seals, blue sharks, whales and ocean sunfish. celticdeep.org

Eat Wild In The Inner Hebrides

Chef William Rhys Hamer, of The Wilder Kitchen, is hosting an open-fire culinary retreat on the Isle of Luing in the Inner Hebrides this summer. The five-day Wild Island Experience (8-12 June) will immerse guests in open-fire cooking, seasonal eating and remote island life, and deep dive into Luing’s farming heritage, wild swimming, hiking, and fishing. You’ll stay in one of WildLuing’s eight luxury cabins overlooking Torsa Bay. thewilderkitchen.co.uk

Cycling holiday specialist The Slow Cyclist has launched its first ever UK journey, a four-night e-bike adventure in Herefordshire

Cycle (Slowly) Through Herefordshire

Cycling holiday specialist The Slow Cyclist has launched its first ever UK journey. The Herefordshire Heritage Trail is a four-night e-bike adventure taking in rolling hills, river valleys, the scenic Gospel Pass, Neolithic ruins, and black and white villages of timber-framed cottages (as seen earlier this year in the film Hamnet). Along the way, riders stay in characterful accommodation. theslowcyclist.com

Get Lost At Guildenacre

A new adventure playground is opening this summer at Helmingham Estate in Suffolk. Secluded within a four-acre woodland in the grounds of Helmingham Hall, Guildenacre has four animal-themed areas – from tunnels, burrows and lookout spots at Flint’s Hollow (home to Flint the Badger) to Elderglade (the domain of Atlas the Stag), where children can enjoy climbing walls, tunnels, ladders, multi-level walkways, bridges and slides. guildenacre.co.uk