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Original poster

What do people DO on UK holidays?

404 replies

JudgeRindersMinder · 17/08/2020 00:30

We’re sun worshipers, and go abroad for the sun 2-3 times a year. Except this year!
We have a few days off in September, Thurs-Sun, and wouldn’t mind getting away for at least a couple of nights.

I’ve been looking at nice hotels in various UK locations (ie NOT Premier Inn type places) We aren’t super active people who are into bracing walks in the countryside (both have issues with arthritis 🙄), and if we stay in Scotland, any spas, pools etc are no go.

If you were us, where would you go and would you do?
Budget is fairly healthy, and travel by plane or car isn’t an issue

OP posts:
CrapSouzette · 18/08/2020 19:51

Sleep

Lifeisgenerallyfun · 18/08/2020 20:08

Go for walks
Boat trips
Look round historic places eg national trust/English heritage
Sea life type centres
Sit in pubs/cafes and people watch -talk to other people
Sit on beach and read
Quite a few heritage railways open
Museums and art galleries
Go on walking/bus tours of cities
Zoos/Safari parks/donkey sanctuary type places
Look round little villages/craft centres
Picnics in our wonderful
Countryside

Alpal1 · 18/08/2020 20:17

The Uk is so varied, other than asking for hot weather (highly unlikely end of August), I love holidays here as much as abroad.

There are so many options from lakes to mountains to world class cities. So much of our countryside and coastline is beautiful.

If you like relaxing, how about a spa hotel? (Alternatively, Bath is gorgeous and the spa there really fab so you could combine sightseeing and relaxing).

Have fun whatever you do.

Interested in this thread?

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Holidays
Bbq1 · 18/08/2020 20:31

I'd recommend Liverpool. Lots of things to do and places to go. Great history, culture.I am a Scouser who lives here so I'm baised but it's a wonderful, vibrant city.

Vinoonasunnyday · 18/08/2020 20:44

Op I hear you

We also only ever holiday abroad Andover to lounge have a dip in pool and eat and drink - repeat
UK holidays for my are not holidays as you can’t do all that

You worry bout weather all the time - will it change etc

So for me I’d book a last min abroad to a safer place (data at the time) or id take a city break and not think of it as a holiday and more of a break. York is nice for compact activities boats shops and lovely places to eat

Boat trip of the broads? Wine tasting weekend

Vinoonasunnyday · 18/08/2020 20:48

What about the Lake District - 3-4 hr drive from you based on my recent visits to Edinburgh

You can charter a boat for the day stopping at the little villages

Bowness have boats for the day for about £100 that you drive and moor up yourself

Lots of places to mouch about and indoor pools open in England now so spas may be ok an dtheres plenty on Lake District

Vinoonasunnyday · 18/08/2020 20:49

But honestly if you’re a sun worshipper like me all of it will annoy you if weathers rubbish 😂

NotACompleterFinis · 18/08/2020 21:01

Stay in a gorgeous hotel near the sea - if the weather's good (which it very often is in September) then you can read on the beach. If it's raining then you can read in one of the relaxing hotel reading rooms. Bit too early in the season for curling up by a roaring fire. Stay in a hotel du vin and you won't need to leave your room. One of my favourite places to read in the UK is in a public library. Find a fabulous one and centre your break around that.
What I do (or try to) when we holiday in the UK is read on the beach and visit local national trust places. Or we youth hostel in London and do the museum's etc.

FelicisNox · 18/08/2020 21:22

Go to London.

Stay in a nice hotel, take in the museums and restaurants. They could really do with the business right now and there's endless things to do in London..... have a Thames River Cruise at night with dinner. That's lovely.

WinnerwinnerGinfordinner · 18/08/2020 21:55

The Lakes. Go to Cartmel and eat at L'Enclume. Wander around lovely villages and towns have coffee in lovely cafes and meals in lovely pubs. Go to Kirkby Lonsdale and Windermere and Keswick

chillimartini · 18/08/2020 22:03

Following! Some great ideas here!

Ginfordinner · 18/08/2020 22:12

@Cloudspotter thank you for mentioning the AllTrails app. I have never heard of it, and am getting rather bored with doing the same walks all the time. I have downloaded it and am looking forward to using it.

Celestine70 · 18/08/2020 22:15

I like visiting historical places. Lying in the sun all day is my idea of hell.

Original poster
JudgeRindersMinder · 18/08/2020 22:20

@chillimartini

Following! Some great ideas here!
There really are!
OP posts:
Ginfordinner · 18/08/2020 22:23

I like sightseeing, mooching around, eating out, drinking wine and doing a spot of lying in the sun and swimming.

WouldBeGood · 18/08/2020 22:23

[quote Ginfordinner]@Cloudspotter thank you for mentioning the AllTrails app. I have never heard of it, and am getting rather bored with doing the same walks all the time. I have downloaded it and am looking forward to using it.[/quote]
Second this...I’ve just downloaded it too! Not a big fan of the great outdoors but will help me explore near here, and nothing much is open in Scotland 😂 Looks great

oknowimscared · 18/08/2020 22:24

Not RTFT, but I used to fly to Newquay to go to this amazing place (we stayed in one of the lodges, rather than the hotel - right on the cliff edge) (and ate in the hotel / local restaurants) www.headlandhotel.co.uk/

HairyToity · 18/08/2020 22:25

My parents usually have three foreign holidays a year. This year they stayed in a very fancy cottage in Saint Florence near Tenby. They did lots of country drives to different beaches and restaurants, ate out loads (they only cooked breakfast in the cottage), read books, a few walks, some shopping (don't have to wear masks in Wales), and generally pottered.

They have another holiday booked at the Penhelig in Aberdovey. They plan to do similar. The Penhelig is a hotel. Mum told me as all meals except breakfast were out when they stayed in a cottage, it was cheaper to stay in a hotel.

Hutella · 18/08/2020 22:26

@Aridane

Basically mooching and eating. Break it up with the odd boat trip or museum or the like. Glass of wine in a picturesque pub. Repeat.

Sounds nice - but no different to anything I can do at the weekend

This exactly!
namesnamesnamesnames · 18/08/2020 22:29

We love exploring the area by car or foot, finding little villages and towns to spend an hour, beach days (often multiple small beaches in one day if we drive around), meals out, visiting National trust or English heritage sites and other local attractions, take time to relax and just read or do our own things for a while...there are lots of things to do.

DrCoconut · 18/08/2020 22:42

The weather has been vile for most of this summer. Same as last. Cold and wet or windy most of the time. Last week was nice, now we're back to jeans and hoody and lashing rain again. It's difficult planning a UK break with limited indoor activities. We got lucky with camping and weather last week. It depends if you like city breaks or beaches or countryside. York is nice and makes it easy to do all 3.

Pikachubaby · 18/08/2020 22:43

I get it OP, I love being warm and I love being in Greece, and then lie in the shade, reading and having iced coffee, swimming in the sea...the warmth is just lovely and relaxing

For colder wetter climes, I always have to choose more active outdoorsy stuff, as long as I can come back somewhere nice to have a long warm bath Smile

In my experience, in colder wetter weather the accommodation becomes more important: a big cosy bed, fire place, bath tub, somewhere nice to eat nearby

In Greece I am happy with a tiny simple room and a salad or kebab, on a UK holiday dinner has to be more of an event in itself to compensate for not being able to just promenade and people watch Grin

user1490954378 · 18/08/2020 23:32

We did a UK holiday this year. I was thankful to have gone anywhere in all honesty, and did really enjoy it. The weather was beautiful. We went to the beach most days, and other than a bit of rock pooling with the kids and paddling while they were swimming and doing surf school, I just laid out and relaxed. We had some gorgeous takeaway meals from local pubs and restaurants, and wandered around a bit on our non beach days, but not very far at all. We would have looked around local shops, galleries and gone to cafes and pubs if it wasn't for the virus, which was our choice, but it was still a lovely 2 weeks, and easy to social distance on a huge beautiful unspoilt beach. We relaxed in our holiday house rental in the evenings with a glass of wine. It was only 2 and a half hours there and 2 and a half hours home. What's not to love?

LaraLondon1 · 18/08/2020 23:33

Camping !
I think its bit like a sun holiday (without the sun) as all I do is plan my next meal , read books and watch people coming and going from the comfort of my chair 😁

ilovemygirls · 19/08/2020 00:01

We’ve done all the national trust places a million times, bored of walking. I was feeling fed up. We visited a few seaside places, but none of them felt very nice & a family member offered us a caravan by the sea for £750. We went to Turkey all inclusive, returned 10 days ago & feel so much better for it. I switched off, read by the pool & watched the sun set from our balcony or the (very clean) restaurant/s every night. So glad we did it. Felt safer than going to the supermarket!