What do you do holiday in the UK?

[Antiqueanniesmagiclanternshow]

With it looking unlikely that we will get a holiday abroad this year, i was wondering about whether to try and book something in the UK despite the prices being horrendous.
However, looking out of the window as the rain lashes down , i am wondering what do you actually DO on holiday in the uk?
We don't have small children so the attractions that you would take them to are out, I'm sick of going for walks, you can't do museums every day.
If the weather is like this, do you just stay indoors and read a book or watch tv? So like being home but more expensive?

Abroad, you can go the beach or the pool and just enjoy being warm to your bones or take a boat out etc on days you don't want to go sight seeing etc

My first holiday this year will be to Aberdeen where we'll visit the beach and Coronas funfair on the beach. Then a daybtrip to Dunnottar Castle, then visiting outdoor pool at Stonehaven followed by a lovely meal.

Seriously why do people have such a lack of imagination?

We enjoy city breaks abroad, we're not a family that likes to sit on the beach or by a pool. So last year and this year it's a UK city for us. Plenty of choice with lots to do - Bath, Bristol, York, London, Exeter, Oxford, etc etc etc. Museums, galleries, walks, nice cafés etc.

And absolutely agree with you @Keepitonthedownlow

we had two separte weeks in Wales last and one week in Cornwall

Cornwall was glorious, not a drop of rain. Wales was’t the warmest, but there was only one day that it rained.

UK holiday haters seem to be have convinced themeselves that rain is inevitable, when it really isnt.

I like a holiday abroad, I’ve had great weather abroad and rubbish weather abroad.

The UK has great scenery, heritage, history, a fabulous coastline, cities.

If you’ve made your mind up before you even go that it will be grim, then it will be grim. Or you could just take your blinkers off and see what’s out there.

UK holidays are boring. I'm saving the £££ for next year. When we are hoping to go Greek Island hopping or to the Italian lakes.

I love relaxing in the warm, soaking up the sun, different culture, different architecture, delicious food and just being somewhere else.

I have had a week abroad though and had bad weather, if it is a beach holiday then there really is nothing to do at least here there is a bit of variation.

Everyone wants different things on holiday. I’d rather poke pins in my eyes than sit by a swimming pool for a fortnight, I’m sure other people would rather stay at home than go on one of our hyper organised extended family holidays for 21 with a rota for cooking and board game league tables. If your perfect holiday needs reliable hot sunshine then the chances are you won’t enjoy a U.K. holiday, but that doesn’t mean nobody can.

Road trips are what we do. Pick a route, do about 30 miles a day, stopping at an attraction or two on the way. Its got to be scenic, no motorways, nice villages and market towns only. Ending mid afternoon in a town at a very nice hotel or gastro-pub with rooms. Wander around the town look at a few shops, the local art gallery maybe. Nice bath, get changed, go to the bar, eat very fancy lovely food, maybe a tasting menu or something. Lovely breakfast in the morning and off to the next place.

The beauty of this is that it doesn't get boring stuck in one spot, you don't need much luggage as you can wear only a few outfits as no one sees you twice and you can keep most things in the car.

It does take METICULOUS planning though. Every route, stop, attraction, hotel, restaurant etc all done in advance. I like that part of the holiday tbh, all the planning is right up my street. As is the notes I take on each place and hotel etc to do a review in TripAdvisor afterwards.

We are in the middle of converting a van into a camper and CAN'T WAIT to do the same in that.

I live semi-rural so when I go on holiday in the UK I prefer to go to places like London, Edinburgh, Brighton etc. I have rural England right on the doorstep and it doesn't quite excite me the way cities do, even if it is pretty.

If I was on holiday in the UK without kids, I'd book a nice hotel with a pool, eat in nice restaurants, book in a few gigs, shows, exhibitions, etc, visit some national trust places, potter around some quirky shops and read some books.

OP - if you like city breaks why don't you do a series of them? You could easily go from a few days in London to the beaches/quirky shops in Brighton etc.

We tend to choose UK holiday destinations with plenty of wet weather options. There are some great country or coastal places within an hour's drive of lots of brilliant cities. Last year we were within striking distance of York, this year we've got Glasgow in easy reach. Plus relaxing in the bath/reading/watching films is a billion times more relaxing when I'm not eyeing up the ironing/grubby skirting boards/window cleaning I sometimes feel I ought to be doing instead.

We have had dozens of holidays in the U.K. We’ve never just sat in and watched it rain. Actually, we’ve rarely had holidays where it rained.

U.K. averages 130 ish days of rain, that’s 200 days where it doesn’t rain. In the summer months, one third of the month will have no rainfall and even when it does, it is unlikely to be all day.

Every holiday overseas I’ve been on has had some rain. New York in July had two solid days of thunder storms. Spain in September, it rained all week. Portugal in August, rained. There had been better weather in Scotland the week we were in Portugal.

People complaining about weather as a reason not to holiday in the U.K. seems weird to me.

The U.K. has a whole load of really good museums, many of which are free, heritage sites, outdoor pursuits, cities to explore etc. There is pretty much something for everyone, except perhaps if you want to sit by a pool or on a beach for a fortnight.

Actually my worst idea of holiday would be one of those eat all you can ones where you have to wear a wristband and just lie on a sunbed all day,

We'll be going out for a walk down the hill to a small seaside resort where I've found a nice looking pub so lunch and we enjoy playing cards/other games over a couple of drinks. Also, going up in the mountains, again for a walk - if weather is iffy we'll just go up there for the drive, scenery and take lunch with us. Local town by sea pottering around shops, coffee/lunch and any small museums/churches and along the seafront. Visit to another seaside resort with pebbles which we'll throw in the see, maybe finds some rocks to eat a sandwich on. Plan to eat out a couple of times in the evening.If weather is decent we'll eat in garden or have a couple of drinks or coffee over a game one, if not a candle lit meal. Then anything else that takes our fancy in the area. Are there any castles/National Trust properties nearby?

I haven't been abroad in near 20 years.

We try and book places where there are lots of things to do ie museums, national Trust or English heritage places to go to, a beach, or somewhere with good walks is always nice. We have made sure to book somewhere with either access to a private pool or a hot tub.

However, a roaring fire, books and honestly just peaceful time away from the day today stresses of life is amazing.

There’s loads to do in the U.K. as posted above. We often holiday with other families so that definitely helps keeps the kids entertained...maybe consider this?

Loads of ideas ,Walks in Forest ,Beaches . Shopping and cafe /pub lunches .As above PP said 4 /5 days is nice here not too long and days fill nicely .

There's plenty to do in the UK but you have to project manage each day which can be exhausting. If the weather is shit then I find it a bit of an endless slog with kids to be honest, especially now they're teenagers. Our holiday in the lakes last year finished me off, horizontal rain and cold, crap food and overpriced gloomy accommodation. I couldn't wait to get home.

UK holidays are utterly grim. Anyone who says otherwise is deluded or lying

UK holidays are boring

Do you never visit museums, many of which are free? Art galleries, stately homes, NT properties, zoos, safari parks, other places of interest?

I think it’s quite sad people can’t see the variety of things this country has got to offer

I agree @Sirzy. The lack of imagination is astounding.

While walking in torrential rain is pretty unpleasant, light rain or drizzle is fine if you are wearing the right clothes. One of the best holidays DH and I had was a wet week in Devon. We had waterproofs and didn’t get wet as it was mostly light drizzle rather than torrential rain.

I live semi-rural so when I go on holiday in the UK I prefer to go to places like London, Edinburgh, Brighton etc. I have rural England right on the doorstep and it doesn't quite excite me the way cities do, even if it is pretty.

Same here. The last rural holiday we went one meant getting in the car every time we wanted to go anywhere, so we now do city breaks. We had a fabulous short break in Carlisle a few years ago. I had no idea that there was so much to see there, and we had some fabulous meals.

I also think that due to the vagaries of our weather having really nice accommodation is more important.

My first holiday this year will be to Aberdeen where we'll visit the beach and Coronas funfair on the beach. Then a daybtrip to Dunnottar Castle, then visiting outdoor pool at Stonehaven followed by a lovely meal.

Sounds fabulous. We’ve missed our trips or Codonas!

How about a boat holiday? Still really expensive but much more civilized than camping. You can move daily (from pub to pub in our case!) enjoy peace and scenery or busy, more touristy areas.

It makes me laugh that people think that if you want to go abroad and have access to a beach and a pool, that that is all you do. Sit by a pool for a fortnight.

At no point have i critcised anyones choices. I'm looking for ideas and inspiration!

You do the same things as abroad, you're just wetter and colder.

We love holidaying in the uk. We do camp (have a Campervan), we do walk as there’s lots to see, we places with history, coastal paths and/or wildlife. We eat out, visit places (castles, cathedral’s, landmarks, museum’s, shops). We also plan trips around local events, wether it’s a farmers market or a festival. The weather can be a pain but we always find things to do. We also paddleboard and bodyboard.

Tbh sitting by a pool for a week drinking cocktails is my idea of hell 😬.

It does take METICULOUS planning though. Every route, stop, attraction, hotel, restaurant etc all done in advance. I like that part of the holiday tbh, all the planning is right up my street. As is the notes I take on each place and hotel etc to do a review in TripAdvisor afterwards.

We do similar trips with less than meticulous planning as we are bad at it. However, one year we happened to be staying near a friend who loves a spreadsheet. Her kids’ school holidays have spreadsheets, complete with wet weather options. She planned three of our days and it was brilliant.

You should look in to starting a business with that. I would definitely pay for your meticulous planning.