The perfect UK holiday for every month of the year
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Whatever you feel about the word itself, the “staycation” is here to stay. Our internet searches for the term increased by more than 500 per cent in summer 2020 compared to the year before.
No huge surprise – in the midst of the Covid pandemic, we couldn’t go anywhere else. But the trend seems to have stuck: new analysis by Adido Digital found searches for staycations are now consistently higher than those for holidays abroad, throughout the year.
Maybe this is because flight prices have soared since the pandemic. Or because climate craziness has turned former holiday hotspots into, well, uncomfortably hot spots. Or quite possibly it’s because there are so many brilliant places in Britain.
Want to swim with sharks, walk amid ancient megaliths, go on safari or paddle waters as blue as the Caribbean? You can do it all here. And the domestic tourism offering has never been more interesting. Glamping has shaken up the accommodation scene, British food and wine has improved 100-fold, experiences are more immersive and creative.
And this is true across the seasons – there’s always somewhere great to be. So whether you want to seek the sun, cosy up against the cold, grab a bargain, avoid the crowds or see nature put on a show, we’ve compiled a calendar of delights to get you through the next 12 months.
April
Where: Isles of Scilly
Rise and shine! The Isles of Scilly are back in business. Days are now dry, mild and bright in Britain’s sunniest spot, the Scillonian III ferry has started running again and seasonal facilities have reopened – though the islands aren’t yet busy. Check-in at Bryher’s Hell Bay Hotel, freshly refurbished this year, and enjoy strolls during Walk Scilly (from now until 12 April), an archipelago-wide festival of walks and talks. Keep a look out for puffins too, which arrive this month.
How to do it: Ferry from £83.90 one way (01736 334220; islesofscilly-travel.co.uk). Hell Bay Hotel (01720 422947; hellbay.co.uk) offers B&B doubles from £155 per person per night.
For more information, see visitislesofscilly.com
May
Where: Suffolk
May is National Walking Month – and there’s nowhere better to celebrate than Suffolk. The flowers are out in colourful bloom, the nightjars are chirring, days are long and pleasant, and the county’s Walking Festival takes place (May 11-26; suffolkwalkingfestival.co.uk).
This venerable event is one of the UK’s most extensive hike-fests, and the 2024 programme includes dawn chorus strolls, walks and riverboat trips, as well as haiku-writing hikes, and ambles on Orford Ness (lovely for walking in early spring, too, and this month worth pairing with nearby Halesworth’s theatrical INK Festival, finishes 14 April; inkfestival.org).
Further south, Dedham Vale is a particular delight – in the lushness of late spring, it looks just like a Romantic painting. Explore it on Ramble Worldwide’s walking break, staying at Flatford Mill and Willy Lotts’ Cottage, as featured in Constable’s Haywain.
How to do it: The Crown & Castle in Orford (01394 450205; crownandcastle.co.uk) offers B&B doubles from £144 per night. Ramble Worldwide (01707 537231; rambleworldwide.co.uk) offers a five-night Constable Country guided trip from £639 per person including full board accommodation.
For more information, see discoversuffolk.org.uk
June
Where: Aberdeenshire
Midsummer is marvellous up in northern Scotland – the days last forever – you just need to avoid the midges. This is best done over in the east, so opt for Aberdeenshire. The vast and varied region offers 165 miles of coast, 263 castles and some epic drives, such as the North East 250 (northeast250.com), a loop via seashore, Speyside and Cairngorms – far less busy or buggy than the uber popular North Coast 500.
There’s plenty of entertainment too, from the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival in Portsoy (June 22-23; stbfportsoy.org) to Aberdeen’s Nuart (early June), one of the world’s biggest street-art festivals. Or simply head to Greyhope Bay, overlooking Aberdeen harbour, the UK’s best place to spot dolphins from land. Stay at Tahuna Bothies, stylish self-catering hideaways, just behind Newburgh’s vast sandy beach and colony of seals.
How to do it: Tahuna Bothies (tahunabothies.co.uk) cost from £125 per night, sleeping two-four people.
For more information, see visitabdn.com
July
Where: Shropshire Hills
As the Paris Olympics kicks off this month, make for Much Wenlock instead. Almost every July since 1850, the Shropshire market town has staged its own Olympian Games, considered the forerunner of the modern Olympics. Catch the event (July 1-14) and view artefacts in Much Wenlock’s Museum.
Or you can simply use it as an excuse to get active in the wider county. Named one of ABTA’s “10 global destinations to watch” for 2024, Shropshire is far less crowded than the coast. You can avoid any summer traffic by using the Shropshire Hills shuttle bus (weekends, late May to October), which links glorious walking spots like Carding Mill Valley and the Stiperstones, flushed purple with heather in July. Or ride the Six Castles Cycleway, a 58-mile route between Shrewsbury and Leominster, linking a string of striking strongholds.
How to do it: Wenlock Pottery (01952 727600; wenlockpottery.co.uk) has B&B doubles from £95 per night. See shropshiresgreatoutdoors.co.uk/six-castles-cycleway.
For more information, see shropshirehills-nl.org.uk
August
Where: Northumberland
In awkward August, aim for Northumberland, England’s least densely populated place. Even in peak season it offers so much space, helped by the fact that schools in neighbouring Scotland go back halfway through the month. The wild and bulbous Cheviots are especially empty. Stay at the Dovecot, an 18th-century love-nest near Wooler, for easy access to these underrated hills.
Prefer to sleep under canvas? A 2023 GO Outdoors study found Northumberland was the top spot for camping (scoring 4.87 out of 5) and, with August the warmest month, there’s no better time. Walkmill Campsite has only 10 peaceful pitches on its eight wildflower-flecked acres; encircled by the River Coquet, the site is a short walk or cycle from Warkworth, and Northumberland’s endless sandy coast.
How to do it: The Dovecot (01573 226 711; crabtreeandcrabtree.com) costs from £1,004 per week, sleeping two. Walkmill Campsite (01665 710155; walkmillcampsite.co.uk) has pitches from £11/£5 per night adult/child.
For more information, see visitnorthumberland.com
September
Where: Pembrokeshire
With the kids back at school, the weather still warm and the sea at its warmest, early autumn is idyllic for Wales’s south-west coast. It’s also a great time for wildlife: this is one of the busiest months for seal pupping, and wildlife-rich Skomer Island is still open for day visits (albeit on a reduced schedule).
For something special, head out to Pembrokeshire’s outlying islands with Celtic Deep to look for, and snorkel with, species such as bluefin tuna (most likely August-October), blue shark, sunfish, minke and fin whales, and dolphins. Hole up at the Officer’s Mess, a quirky converted Second World War radar station near Little Haven, well-placed for St Bride’s Beach, takeaways from Lobster and Môr, and sailing out to the isles.
How to do it: Officer’s Mess (01326 555555; classic.co.uk) costs from £600 for three nights, sleeps two. Celtic Deep trip costs £195 per person (celticdeep.org). Skomer day trip costs £30 per person (welshwildlife.org).
For more information, see pembrokeshirecoast.wales
October
Where: New Forest
Lean hard into autumn in the New Forest. The national park holds Western Europe’s highest concentration of ancient trees, wonderful to see in their golden glory; the Walking & Cycling Festival, held this month, includes rambles and rides amid the flaming colours. October is also mid pannage season when, thanks to an ancient bylaw, pigs are released to eat fallen nuts – see them mingling with the free-roaming ponies and rutting deer.
For a guided safari, join a trip with Wild New Forest; its Halloween Wildlife Adventure heads out at dusk to seek owls, bats and spooky fungi. Stay at clearing-tucked Dell Cottage, where you can watch deer and ponies grazing from the wood-fired hot tub.
How to do it: Dell Cottage (01590 679 655; newforestcottages.co.uk) costs £1,683 per week, sleeping six. Halloween Wildlife Adventure costs £15 per person, October 30 and 31 (07949 032702; wildnewforest.co.uk).
For more information, see newforestnpa.gov.uk; thenewforest.co.uk
November
Where: Belfast
In truth, this whole year is ideal for visiting Northern Ireland’s capital. Belfast 2024, running until November, will be the city’s biggest ever cultural and creative shindig. But it culminates with the Belfast Film Festival (November 2-11; belfastfilmfestival.org), a celebration of the best in global cinema – and the perfect type of event for this cold, dark winter month.
Further embrace the theme and season on a Winterfell Trek, a tour of Game of Thrones locations from Inch Abbey to Tollymore Forest, cloak included. Then warm up at the Crumlin Road Gaol Distillery (opening spring; crumlinroadgaol.com), which will offer whiskey tours and tastings in the former prison. Stay sustainably heated at Room2, a new low-carbon “hometel”, with rooms and studios run on 100 per cent renewable energy.
How to do it: Room2 (028 9018 4198; room2.com/belfast) offers doubles from £115 room-only. Winterfell Trek from £45 per person (028 9568 0023; gameofthronestours.com).
For more information, see belfastcity.gov.uk/belfast2024; visitbelfast.com
December
Where: Wiltshire
The rolling chalk downlands of Wiltshire are acned with Neolithic sites, most famously Unesco-listed Stonehenge and Avebury, plus plenty more barrows, cursuses and tumuli. December is great for appreciating this ancient heritage: sites are uncrowded, vegetation sparse, light atmospherically low and landscapes rimed with frost. December also means winter solstice, a spiritual/busy day to visit Stonehenge.
Alternatively, book a Stone Circle Experience to access the megaliths in a small group – sunrise is late this month, so the tours start at a civilised 8am. The county also has tasty countryside pubs to curl up in. Try the Beckford Arms, in the Fonthill Estate, which has open fires, local ales, a highly acclaimed chef and a massive wine list, supplied from its own merchant.
How to do it: The Beckford Arms (01747 870385; beckfordarms.com) has B&B doubles from £130 per night. Stone Circle Experience costs £65 per person (0370 333 1181; english-heritage.org.uk).
For more information, see visitwiltshire.co.uk
January
Where: Galloway and Southern Ayrshire
“The sweeping blast, the sky o’ercast / The joyless winter-day / Let others fear, to me more dear / Than all the pride of May.” If the depths of winter were good enough for Robert Burns, they’re good enough to explore his homeland. Scotland’s bard was born in Alloway on January 25; visit its Burns Birthplace Museum, and look out for Burns Night events.
Then explore the wider Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Unesco Biosphere, which was extended in 2023 and is a great place for walks in poetry-inspiring moorland and ancient forest. Also, it’s great for stargazing – join a tour of the official Dark Sky Park with Freelance Ranger (freelanceranger.com). Stay at Ross Bay Retreat’s seafront cottages, perfect for watching storms roll in or simply snuggling up with a book after browsing nearby Wigtown, Scotland’s book capital.
How to do it: Ross Bay Retreat (07973 255279; rossbayretreat.com) has cottages from £555 per week, sleeping four-five.
For more information, see gsabiosphere.org.uk
February
Where: Brecon Beacons/Bannau Brycheiniog
Snow-sprinkled cirques and ridges, beautifully bleak moors, a wealth of waterfalls in full spate – Bannau Brycheiniog is impressive off-season. And, while much care must be taken, the national park offers far safer Welsh winter walking than Snowdonia; try hikes to Henrhyd Falls or easy strolling on the Brecon and Monmouth Canal.
Bannau Brycheiniog is also an International Dark Sky Reserve – you might see the Milky Way; good dark spots include Usk Reservoir, Carreg Cennen castle and Sugar Loaf Mountain. Or cosy up in the Boho Beacons Loft, a romantic hideaway with a woodburner and stargazing balcony. If the weather doesn’t play ball, seek shelter on an underground tour at the Big Pit Coal Museum (February-November) or head to the Market Hall in Brynmawr (markethallcinema.co.uk), Wales’s oldest cinema.
How to do it: Boho Beacons Loft (kiphideaways.com) costs from £110 per night, sleeping two. Big Pit tours are free (02920 573650; museum.wales/bigpit).
For more information, see breconbeacons.org
March
Where: Jersey
Spring arrives early in the southerly Channel Islands, with March weather warming nicely. That said, hide tides and strong winds can still produce spectacularly dramatic seas – fun to watch from coast paths or seaside seafood restaurants. Indeed, it’s a very tasty time to visit. The first of the Jersey Royals are picked this month, and farmers fill roadside honesty stalls with these protected-status potatoes, fresh from the soil (head to the stall at Le Braye).
This is also when Taste Jersey is held (mid March to late April; tastejersey.co.uk), a celebration of the best local food, from oysters to ice cream. Stay at the Atlantic Hotel, which hosts gourmet events with Michelin-starred chefs during the festival.
How to do it: The Atlantic Hotel (01534744101; theatlantichotel.com) offers B&B doubles from £149 per night; three nights from £265 per person, including ferry or flights and free room upgrade for February-March stays (0800 6409058; channelislandsdirect.co.uk).
For more information, see jersey.com
