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

Last year we managed a few days in Edinburgh. It rained the whole time and because of covid everything (practically) was shut. All the museums, the castle etc
We did an open top bus tour with umbrellas over us and sat in pubs a lot.
It was nice but couldn't have done it for more than a couple of days.

We often holiday in the uk, mainly due to budget rather than anything else.
For me a holiday is as much about both me and DH being off work than anything else! Weve had some great holidays in the uk but you do need the weather on your side for at least some of it. Last year we came home early as weather was forecast to be awful and the only indoor things we could think of were booked up.

Last year we managed a few days in Edinburgh... because of covid everything (practically) was shut...couldn't have done it for more than a couple of days

I reckon if you go on a city break in the middle of a pandemic then you cannot really expect to have much to do...

I live in a rural area, so for me a child free UK holiday is definitely be a city break in a nice hotel! Maybe one with a spa. I'd go for nice dinners, maybe a show or a concert, sightseeing....

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

That certainly wasn’t what I said. I said, if you wanted that in a holiday (as some people do) you won’t find that in the U.K.

All our holidays are dog-centric so they do involve a fair bit of walking, but on top of that:

• trips to dog-friendly tourist attractions, fairs and fetes.
• wild-swimming
• lake/boat cruises, or things like rowing or pedal boating (taking the dog with us)
• leisurely lunches in nice, sunny beer gardens (or inside by roaring fires depending on the weather)
• long walks on the beach or up in the hills
• we always try and hire a cottage with a hot tub so we can have lazy days there if we want.
• all the towns/areas we visit are dog-friendly, so we might have a day of wandering around town, shopping, drinking coffee/eating cake and just generally exploring.

Last year we managed a few days in Edinburgh... because of covid everything (practically) was shut...couldn't have done it for more than a couple of days

Which would be the case anywhere you’d been at that time.

I live close to Edinburgh and the vast numbers of tourists we see every year would post to it being somewhere you could spend a lot of time. It is also a good base to be able to travel not much further afield for some decent day trips, Glasgow, Falkirk Wheel, Kelpies, Scottish Borders etc.

Depends on where you go. We always go self catering as, if it is bad weather, we're not stuck in a hotel room for the whole day - there's only so much swimming you can do!

At least you can spread out in a cottage/apartment. If we're lucky I've managed to find one on a resort with at least an outdoor pool although I've found one in the Lake district area and one in Cornwall with an indoor pool and a spa on the resort (self catering cottages). Walking in the rain isn't an issue if you're warm and dry and have somewhere to dry off the clothes later - another good reason for self catering as you don't have damp coats lying around.

We always find a museum or indoor attraction or two in the area we're visiting. Then we plan those for the final few days. That way, if it rains on Tuesday we can just bring those forward and swap days around. Probably not that easy with Covid pre booking but that'll be the same abroad I would imagine now.

None of us are sitting by the pool all day people and I can't cope with beaches - I need the shade as I can burn (and have) in Mid June in this country! I honestly don't remember a horrible holiday in this country (or abroad to be fair). It just takes a bit of planning. But I have to do that if I'm going abroad anyway and I don't have the added hassle of trying to figure out currency or what particular foods are in a different language - which can be fun or can be stressful depending on how rushed/hot/tired I am!

@SummerHouse please start a Whitby thread

It may sound nerdy but I’ve had some wonderful days out to Industrial Revolution places like Wedgwood (but not their workers’ village) Macclesfield silk museum, Clifton suspension bridge. You usually meet really knowledgeable guides who are passionate about their subject.
I’d like to see the Spode Blue room or a working woolen mill.

We stay in North Devon every year and if the weather is crap you can always still surf or bodyboard. The sea is often warmer anyway! Nothing quite like a good session in the water on a rainy day and going back to the house for hot showers and hot chocolate.

North Cornwall
Body boarding
Swimming in the sea
Paddle boarding
Lunch out
Browsing little shops and cafes
Looking in galleries
Visiting friends we know in the area

Sorry i didn't mean i couldn't do Edinburgh more than a couple of days. I love it- it is a fab place. I meant the rain.

I agree with you @MintyMabel - Edinburgh is fantastic. Yes, a lot of places were closed earlier in the year. But every indoor place near us was shut too and I would imagine every castle in France and Spain, every vineyard in Italy or France are in exactly the same boat at the moment.

You can't judge a place on a Covid restricted visit.

We've done lots of UK holidays. There are so many things to see and do and I love the countryside, gardens, historic properties, museums, etc. We are very lucky to have such a rich heritage in this country.

Much as I like warm weather I find sitting on a beach all day pretty dull. Even when we are abroad we are pretty much out and about most days.

OK ideas:
We went to Northumberland in 2019. It rained - a lot! We went to museums in Newcastle. Looked at wet Roman ruins at Hadrian’s Wall.
Walked around a wet maze and queued for the house at Cragside. Had afternoon tea at Barter books like everyone else in the north East that day (heaving!)
2020 we had better weather and did beaches, Lindisfarne, Bamburgh Castle, Dunstanburgh Castle, Wallington.
Somerset we did Bath, Stourhead, Stonehenge, Longleat, Corfe Castle, Sea Life and some beaches.
As I say good fun if the weather is ok and you like day trips. Not relaxing for any of us. Get up, pack a lunch and all the clothes in the world for every weather, a load of other toys and gear, drive for a while. Worse because Covid means pre booking and queuing for everything- no spontaneity.
Have a nice time!

The thing about this year, is many of the things that people talk about aren't going to be easily possible or will have to be meticulously planned. Not going to be easy to pop into a cafe for tea and cake or go to indoor visitor attractions if it's raining if everything needs to be booked in advance.

Also, we've spent a lot of time in the Southern hemisphere and the weather has been just as bad as here if not worse!

Spa hotel? With a City break. Book activities you do like? Cookery course? Still life classes? Sailing lessons?

Loads to do in the UK if you don't mind doing it quite likely in the cold and rain.

If a large part of the appeal for a foreign holiday is the ability to relax outside I’d suggest that you should make sure that the accommodation you pick is somewhere you’d enjoy spending time in. A cosy luxurious apartment or cottage, a hotel with decent bar and/or spa. Rainy days lounging around in a really nice environment are very different from a Premier Inn room, caravan or tent.

Basically, don’t skimp on accommodation.

Basically, don’t skimp on accommodation.

Yes, we've booked something higher quality than we normally would as we're expecting to spend more time there and eat more meals at the accommodation.

Sorry i didn't mean i couldn't do Edinburgh more than a couple of days. I love it- it is a fab place. I meant the rain.

Edinburgh has a lower than average number of U.K. days of rainfall. I work in Edinburgh and it really doesn’t rain that much.

Visit local areas and attractions
Go swimming
Eat out
Explore history
Go canoeing
Bike rides
Boat trips
Relaxing in the sun

Not a fan of the countryside really. It's a bit dull.

Only if you go through it with your eyes shut.