The ultimate C&TH guide to summer: these are the best seasonal spots to visit in the UK...
Wondering where you can escape to for a summer staycation this year? Look no further for the best things to do and places to visit in the UK during the Summer season.
Where To Visit In The UK This Summer
Looking for the perfect hotel to accompany your trip this Summer? Our new Great British & Irish Hotels Guide has them all, handpicked and arranged by region. Available to purchase in hard copy here.
Wales & The Marches
Wales’ beautiful beaches are a must-visit, start at the long sandy Rhossili beach in South Wales before heading further around the coast for long beautiful walks in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
Devon, Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly
Nervous about tides? How about going half-wild swimming. There are many tidal sea pools dotted around the coastline, from Bude’s 91m sea pool to the lido-sized rock pool at Treyarnon. Most impressive is Penzance’s restored Art Deco Jubilee pool.
Scoop an ice cream from Roskilly’s near Helston, made using Jersey milk from the farm’s 125 cows. They make everything from wild cherry with chocolate flakes to own-made toffee flavours, but the vanilla is still the best.
Dartmouth
There is absolutely nothing worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Live by Ratty’s maxim and visit Dartmouth Royal Regatta, it was a favourite of Queen Victoria’s. Oarsome fun. August / dartmouthregatta.co.uk
Photo by Zach Pickering
Hampshire & The Isle Of Wight
Head to Smoked & Uncut, the ultimate foodie festival, held at The Pig Hotel and Lime Wood. Top British chefs rustle up grub that’s a cut above the usual festival fare. smokedanduncut.com
The Home Counties
Tower over Bekonscot in Beaconsfield, the oldest original model village in the world and a riot of colour during the summer.
Party like Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild at Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire. Every June, foodies flock to the stately home for Feast festival, a celebration of artisan food and drink.
Margate
Make for Margate and gaze out across the same beach, sea and skies that inspired more than 100 of JMW Turner’s works from the seafront gallery sharing the painter’s name. turnercontemporary.org
The West Country
When Stourhead Garden opened in the 1740s it was regarded as ‘a living work of art’. Amble down paths that lead to classical temples, over a Palladian bridge and around the glorious lake.
Camp Bestival, the family-friendly sister of Bestival usually held at Lulworth Castle, likes to call itself a ‘festi-holiday’. There is entertainment from DJs and a whole host of fun activities for all ages.
Bristol
Bristol International Balloon Fiesta: a truly unique sight, this is Europe’s largest annual meeting of hot air balloons. Don’t miss the night glows and firework finale. What a lot of hot air! bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk
Photo by Paul Gray
The North
Grab an ice cream and wander round the harbour and quaint coastal village of Staithes, North Yorkshire, which used to be one of the largest fishing ports in the North East of England. Go birdwatching at Bempton Cliffs while the seabird breeding season is underway. Visit between April and July to spot the famous puffins.
Manchester
Manchester International Festival, a cultural event like no other that showcases artists from a spectrum of art forms and has previously exhibited the likes of The XX and Marina Abramović. mif.co.uk
London
Brand new winery Renegade London Wine in Bethnal Green features London’s first wine ‘tap room’, open on Fridays and Saturdays. Cheers in the good weather with London-made sauvignon blanc, bacchus, chardonnay and pinot noir.
Take in some sweet, sweet jazz in Soho. While the headline gig at Ronnie Scott’s will set you back a few bob, the late night shows cost under a tenner. The Pizza Express on Dean Street is another cheap way to dip your toe into the scene.
Royal Academy
Running since 1769, the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition is the world’s largest open submission art show. It’s a chance to peep into the exciting world of current art – and even bag a future masterpiece. royalacademy.org.uk
Scotland
In Sutherland, a four-mile walk through unruly heather takes you to Sandwood Bay and a mile-long stretch of remote beach. Bring a cricket bat and ball, or your swimsuit if you’re feeling brave.
The Callanish Stones on the Isle of Lewis were placed there in the Neolithic era where it was a site for Bronze Age rituals. In folklore, the stones were petrified giants who resisted converting to Christianity.
Admire the Queen’s former yacht, The Royal Yacht Britannia, berthed in Edinburgh. Book in for a private tour to enjoy a glass of champagne on deck and avoid the crowds.
East Anglia
Don’t let appearances be deceiving, while the quaint village of Snape might be small, it packs a mighty cultural punch. Thanks mostly to Snape Maltings, the creative arts campus that is home to the internationally renowned Aldeburgh Music programme and one of the most unique concert halls in the country. It’s at its best in June, during Aldeburgh Festival.
You can’t beat a soft baguette crammed with crab caught fresh that morning off the very same shore you are eating it from. The Crab Hut at Brancaster Staithe Harbour will certainly satisfy on that front. Open April to October, it’s brought to you by the same people behind Letzers Smokehouse, which supplies most of the local restaurants.
Mid Country
Toast England’s finest stone town- 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of Stamford’s award as Britain’s first urban conservation area. New town trails, talks and events will take place in and round town this summer, along with the creation of a themed beer.
Wax lyrical at Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire, the ancestral home of Lord Byron. The grounds of this historic house make for a perfect picnic spot in the summer, just mind the peacocks.
Pitch up for Also festival in June, which brings debate to the Capability Brown-designed gardens of Park Farm, Compton Verney, an 18th-century mansion in Warwickshire.
The Cotswolds
It’s got to be all about the great outdoors. There are endless trails to choose from, whether you fancy a potter or a serious hike. To find the ones to suit you, click here.
If you’re visiting with children, don’t miss one of the Cotswolds’ loveliest attractions, Giffords Circus, a proper, old-fashioned, village green affair that travels from site to site. There’s not a gimmick in sight.
Cotswold Lavender Farm
The summer months see parts of the Cotswolds turn lilac with the advent of lavender season, making it a particularly aromatic time to visit. Head to Cotswold Lavender Farm in Broadway before the autumn harvest, or just spot the purple fields as you take countryside rambles. cotswoldlavender.co.uk
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