What do people DO on UK holidays?

[JudgeRindersMinder]

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

Go camping.

I hate the sun & no longer live in the U.K., so when I come back on holiday I go to museums, shop a lot as the shops are novel (you could check out independents), find interesting things to eat, marvel at the architecture, go for walks. You could find one of those escorted historical walks if they’re currently available.

We live outside the UK, and always get so excited about coming home. I’d say go to London; beautiful hotels, museums, great food and drinks, walking tours, stand up comedy, markets.

OP. Have a look at Portmeirion. Stay in the lovely hotel there, wander the village, relax, read, eat, have cocktails.
Have a look at this link too.

www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/hotels/

I think the best idea is to get a gorgeous hotel, and start from there. Enjoy your surroundings, a good book and go from there. Don't put pressure on yourselves to be tourists, just be visitors and see what new experiences arise.

What are your interests generally? There are many places to visit. English Heritage, National Trust, other castles/homes etc. Look into membership, they have a wide variety of places to explore.
We are outdoors people. Are you?
Look into Geocaching perhaps, it takes you to places you may not otherwise go.. we love it!
We recently stayed in a bell tent at a youth hostel. It was great! Something different perhaps?

We've got a caravan and take week long holidays around the UK.

We'll have a couple of days on site just chilling, reading, playing cards etc. Then a couple of days at a NT place, or the beach and a couple of days taking longer walks in the country.

We'll either eat at the caravan or get some fish & chips somewhere.

Lots of good suggestions above, although if you wanted a similar reading holiday you could just find a lovely hotel with spa/pool and read there and visit different coffee shops each day for different places to read. Lots of more expensive hotels have libraries to sit and read in.

mol.im/a/8607177

Ideas here

My parents used to take us on a UK holiday every easter and a foreign one in summer. My mum wanted to make sure we saw a lot of the country we lived in since it's so easy to miss what's right on the doorstep!!

We would visit a lot of national trust properties and gardens, mosy around little villages- can easily kill a few hours doing this. Popping in and out the shops, stop for a coffee, visit the local museum etc. Galleries. General mooching around.

Honestly I live in Australia now. Been here since 2017 and I miss those things about the UK so much. National trust properties are few and far between here. Rarely do you go to a town in Australia for the town itself. By that I mean there's so many beautiful villages towns and cities in the UK. It's rare to find a town in aus and say "oh it's so beautiful !" The scenery and landscape is of course beautiful here. Spectacular beaches etc. But I always feel like there's so much more to "do" in the UK. I miss the culture and history so much

@Pobblebonk

My question is: What do people DO on sun worshipping holidays? I can't think of anything more excruciatingly dull than lying around sunbathing all day. And if that's all you're going to do, why can't you do it in your back garden or a local park?

I'm with you on this one!! Of a 2 week holiday I might spend 2/3 days of that lying around the pool but generally I want to be up and exploring. I never understood why people would spend thousands to lie on a beach in the Caribbean when you could do that for a couple of hundred in Spain. I think it's such a waste to visit a country and it see the country beyond the swimming pool or beach.

I live in Australia now and even after almost 4 years I still can't spend all day at the beach like most of my Aussie friends do. I'm bored after an hour. I so miss the culture and history of the UK and national trust properties etc.

We had a holiday cottage in Cornwall in a lovely quiet spot with gorgeous scenery. We brought wetsuits with us and swam in the sea, hired a paddle board, children messed about in rock pools finding creatures. I sat on a camping chair whilst they played cricket with Grandad and DH or built sandcastles. I was apprehensive about going into shops but went into a surf shop and bought 2 nice items. Not busy at all. We went bodyboarding and DH had a coffee and read his book. Had fish and chips on the beach. One rainy afternoon when the DCs watched a film on the cottage DVD player. We read books and played board games. Cooked pancakes and fry ups for breakfast, lots of nice meals (4 adults so took turns). Watched TV, played cards, read in the evenings. Short walks and picnics. Not a strenuous holiday and very relaxing.

Have you thought of going to one of the holiday camps as a base that way you could take advantage of the entertainment on site and go further afield if you want to.

We didn't spend all day on the beach, usually 3 hours or so. Excellent location with a choice of beaches within 15 min drive helped and we also could walk 10 mins to a cove.

I used to love sunbathing holidays but can't now as I have some patches on my skin that could be a bit dodgy - actinic keratosis, which I have to watch, so usually cover my arms and legs in the sun. So now we go on more walking type holidays and visit NT places and stuff like that, we have a touring caravan and are both about 60.

I also like to explore in other countries and had booked a walking holiday in Austria this year but sadly had to cancel it.

Scottish Isles for a whiskey tour?
That's where I'd go if I was in the UK right now.

Also love the Canal Boat idea.

Or, charter a yacht?

Normally I’d say a city break, but might not be fun just now with all the regulations.

So, what about a fancy cottage somewhere near nice restaurants? You could eat out lots and relax with books beside a roaring fire.

Just spent two weeks in the UK, mostly lying on the beach and reading books all day - also visited some historical sites and done some walks. Been cracking weather.

What about Blackpool. You've got the beach, the weather can be great in September and you can get a really nice hotel for reasonable cost or caravan.

I love going abroad too. I also like history, architecture and all that jazz but I really do love lolling around relaxing on holidays so if I can get away this autumn I accept that lolling in the sun will not be an option so I plan to find some character accommodation and loll about in front of a woodburner. Ideally somewhere where I can spend a day doing sightseeing so somewhere like Bath, York or Edinburgh.

I'm with you OP. Nothing better than lying on a sunlounger and chilling with my kindle and a cold drink. We have a holiday to Turkey booked in less than 2 weeks and I don't know what we'll do if we can't go but I have to get away.

Sorry, I'm not much help!

Just as an aside. One of the best ways of reducing arthritic symptoms and as a preventive measure to stop it getting worse is regular exercise. As a medic my heartsinks when people say they don't want to exercise because they have a chronic pain condition. I say this as someone with Fibromyalgia and mild arthritis.

We walk/bike/kayak etc but we also sit and read quite a bit. Outdoors if we can or in a lovely hotel lounge or cosy pub if not.

Padstow is lovely. Lively village and seafront, gentle stroll down the Camel Trail. Plenty of really good food (although, from experience I would avoid Rick Steins places) and some lovely places to visit within easy driving distance.

DH and I are walkers and can't afford peak prices so our UK holidays tend to be booking a cottage on a remote cliff top on the coast path in October or February and setting out in different directions with a Thermos and waterproofs each day. Complete opposite to what you are after!

Walking mostly. Last year we went to Yorkshire and did lots of walking and eating cake (the cake was consistently excellent in Yorkshire)

We are just starting our annual leave at home and I think I need to use my annual leave to sort the mould in the bathroom and maybe get to the back of the cupboards.

So, enjoy where you are, and all the daily life tasks you don't worry about when you're not home.