The UK's best beaches, pub walks, outdoor pools and seaside hotels
Britain's in for yet another rather warm week, with temperatures forecast to soar to a whopping 36C in parts of the country. So where are the best places to enjoy the sun? We've got the answers.
Great pub walks
If there's a better way to enjoy the warmth than a walk through picturesque surroundings to a characterful pub, we've not discovered it. Richard Madden, expert on all things related to rambling and real ale, has chosen his favourite routes in six corners of England that start and finish at the great pub. You're welcome.
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10 perfect pub walks in the Cotswolds
10 perfect pub walks in the South Downs
10 perfect pub walks in Exmoor
10 perfect pub walks in the Peak District
10 perfect pub walks in Cornwall
Beaches
Forget rambles in the countryside, I want ice cream, sandcastles and sea breezes. Good idea. The best place to start would be our expert guide to Britain's 40 best beaches, from Cornwall to the farthest reaches of Scotland.
Or check out our favourite little-known strips of sand, including Worbarrow Bay in Dorset (pictured below). Doesn't that water look enticing?
Find more seaside inspiration with the articles listed below:
Britain's best beach cafes and restaurants
Britain's best ice cream parlours
Britain's most affordable sea views: 20 great coastal campsites
Swimming
You can swim at the beach, or you can head to one of Britain's growing number of restored lidos and outdoor pools. Reading's King's Meadow swimming pool, now known as the Thames Lido, welcomed its first bathers for 43 years in 2017. Other options include Saltdean Lido in Brighton, Stonehaven Open Air Pool in Aberdeen and Sandford Parks Lido in Cheltenham. See our full guide here.
Spend the night
Make a weekend of it and book a last-minute stay at one of Britain's best hotels for summer, all tested and recommended by our experts (like the Scarlet in Cornwall, pictured below).
If your hotel simply must have an outdoor pool, no problem. We've found 20 of the best.
Summer for Londoners
Escape the office early – your boss won't mind! But what to do?
Relax. Renting a deckchair in St James’s Park (April to October) is just one of those lovely London things: even better with a picnic from Fortnum & Mason or M&S over the road next to Green Park tube station.
Stroll. The Thames Path is a 180-mile National Trail and you can walk both sides of it in Central London.
Spot deer. Admire Richmond Park's 650 resident deer, enjoy the views from King Henry's Mound, take lunch and stroll through the gardens at Pembroke Lodge.
Have a lakeside soirée. Picnic beside one of Wimbledon Common's nine lakes, explore the Windmill Museum, take advantage of the sporting facilities and arrange a game of cricket or football.
Take the plunge. Take a dip in the public swimming pools at Hampstead Heath, visit 17th-century Kenwood House, and cast your eyes over the capital atop Parliament Hill. There is a clutch of other outdoor swimming options – find them here.
Have a cocktail. London's best rooftop bars? We've got you covered (not literally).
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Summer in the South West
The Eden Project
Cornwall is home to the world’s largest rainforest in captivity. There’s even a waterfall inside one of the giant Biomes, and these domes are architectural wonders in themselves. The crowds can be tiresome on an overcast summer’s day, so visit in sunshine and enjoy all the outside exhibits. Open all year.
Britain's 40 best beaches – according to our experts
Walk the South West Coast Path
Britain’s longest footpath (630 miles) traces the north and south coasts of Devon, offering easy access to wild and windswept cliffs, secluded sandy coves and peaceful hamlets. There are plenty of pit-stops on route, and the regular bus network means you can dip in and out as you please. The walk from Clovelly to Hartland Point is the most dramatic section on the north coast. On the south, Bantham to Salcombe has perfect beaches and jagged headlands.
Trebah Garden
A valley garden full of sub-tropical plants and trees that tumbles down to the Helford River, where there’s a small beach for picnics and swimming. A good garden for a family visit as it includes an inventive adventure playground and special children’s trails.
Dartmoor
Great for blowing away cobwebs, walks in this 365 square-mile wilderness take in wooded glades, open moorland, 13th-century hamlets, stone-age ruins and snug, country pubs. There’s the chance of spotting wild ponies, birds of prey, kingfishers, otters and rare butterflies.
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Lost Gardens of Heligan
Tim Smit’s first project in Cornwall (before Eden) near Mevagissey remains a magical place. It covers 200 acres, so it’s possible to find peace here even in high summer. Beyond the flamboyant Himalayan spring garden are superb restored Edwardian fruit, flower and vegetable gardens. Deeper into the valley there are shady bowers and pools where dragon and damselflies dance. Open all year.
The best beaches? Watergate Bay, Porthcurno, Blackpool Sands and Woolacombe.
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Summer in southern England
Brighton Pier
Yes, the shiny-shiny one – not the grungy burnt-out pier to the west. It's still the place for shot-in-the-arm seaside fun. You can easily waste an afternoon playing the slots, riding the dodgems and scoffing too much candyfloss. And if the mood takes you, the pier is licensed for marriages too.
The Slaughters
If you only take one walk in the Cotswolds, make it the easy, mile-long stroll between the timeless twin villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter (the latter part of the name has nothing to do with butchery and derives from the Anglo Saxon for mud). The lovely path runs beside the River Eye past rose-clad cottages and skirts an old flour mill.
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Westonbirt Arboretum
Britain’s national arboretum lies about three miles south of Tetbury. Whichever time of year you come, you can’t fail to be impressed by the landscape of more than 16,000 trees and the well-kept trails – there are about 17 miles of paths.
Oxford's Botanic Garden
Down the appropriately named Rose Lane, just off the High Street, Britain’s oldest botanic garden is a haven of stone-walled peace in the heart of the busy city centre.
The best beaches? Studland Bay, Compton Bay, West Wittering and Botany Bay.
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Summer in East Anglia
The Broads
This national park covers 117 square miles of mostly navigable lakes and rivers, created by flooding of medieval peat pits as sea levels rose, resulting in a landscape of marshes and reed beds. They’re home to a huge variety of birds and other wildlife, and you can rent boats for day trips or short breaks. The quietest and prettiest stretches include the River Thurne from Potter Heigham.
Ickworth Park & Gardens
This estate is home to a Georgian house and rotunda in Italianate gardens, with a collection of paintings that include Gainsborough and Titian
Pleasure Beach
This theme park at Great Yarmouth offers fun rides for families on the seafront, including a wooden roller coaster dating from 1932.
Sheringham Park
Designed by Humphry Repton in 1812, its beautiful landscape is backed by sea views.
The best beaches? Walberswick and Wells/Holkham.
Summer in the Midlands
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
You don't have to leave the city for the traffic and bustle of the centre to fade. In the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in Edgbaston, visitors can explore a 15-acre oasis of greenery. Look out for live musical and theatrical performances throughout the summer.
Boating in Cannon Hill Park
Take the children to mess around in boats in arguably Birmingham's most attractive open space this summer. Within the park is a five-acre woodland and a wildflower meadow, as well as a lake area, where pedal boats are for hire during the summer months.
Severn Valley Railway
It’s not often you take a steam train ride in the heart of England and spot a herd of bison through the window. This nostalgic trip from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth, complete with period concourses and booking office, and passes through gorgeous rolling countryside.
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Sherwood Forest
The home of Robin Hood, according to local folklore, Sherwood Forest now houses one of more than 20 Go Ape! adventure parks found across the UK. Children over the age of 10 (and their parents) can tackle zip wires, rope swings and treetop tunnels and bridges.
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Summer in northern England
Great Langdale
A hallowed name amongst fellwalkers, Great Langdale is home to some of the Lake District’s best hikes. Most people choose to tackle the Langdale Pikes, a spiky chain of hills on the valley’s northern side, but more experienced hikers might feel up to the challenging circuit along the Crinkle Crags and Bowfell. Whichever you choose, the views are guaranteed to be stirring.
Explore cliffs in Cumbria
Part walk, part climb, via ferrata ("iron road") expeditions have long been popular in the Italian Dolomites, but you can also test your mettle closer to home, on old miners' tracks along the cliff face at Honister Slate Mine, Borrowdale, one of the most successful attractions in the Lake District. Visitors are attached by a harness to a fixed cable and climb independently using a system of iron rungs and supports – along either the Via Ferrata Classic route, or the Via Ferrata Xtreme. Trips are led by guides and no climbing experience is required.
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Heaton Park
Manchester’s largest green space – a 45-minute tram ride north of the city centre – is the perfect spot for picnicking and perambulating. The 600-acre site was renovated at the turn of the century using lottery funding, and contains nine listed buildings, including Heaton Hall, an 18th-century neoclassical house that now serves as a museum. There’s also a boating lake, stables, ornamental gardens, and a horticultural centre.
The best beaches? Sandsend, Bamburgh and Formby.
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Summer in Wales
Walking in the Brecon Beacons
With scenery like that found in the Brecon Beacons, there are no excuses for not earning your hearty lunch with a hearty stroll. The National Park Authority offers self-guided walks that include hikes up to the conical summit of Sugar Loaf from Abergavenny, or to the red flat-topped peak of Pen y Fan from Cwm Gwdi.
Take to the Gower Coastal Path
Gower is all about the beaches and the views – a stroll along the clifftops, almost anywhere in the peninsula, will take your breath away.
The best beaches? Marloes Sands and Rhossili.
Summer in Northern Ireland
The Glens of Antrim
This is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ideal for walking holidays. The pretty coastal village of Cushendun makes for a good base for exploring the region. On a clear day the Mull of Kintyre, just 15 miles across the North Channel, can be spotted.
Newcastle
This Victorian seaside resort has undergone a multimillion-pound facelift in the recent past. The town has a pretty 5km beach and plenty of traditional amusement arcades, while beyond the beach lies the Murlough National Nature Reserve. If you're feeling really energetic, Slieve Donard, the highest peak in Northern Ireland, is around a three-hour walk from Newcastle.
Lough Neagh
Britain's largest freshwater lake and a popular spot for fishing.
The best beach? Portstewart Strand.
Summer in Scotland
Walk to Faraid Head, Sutherland
In spring and summer on this grassy peninsula at the northern end of Balnakeil Beach, you can spot puffins raising their young. Faraid Head also offers far-reaching views of Cape Wrath to the west and Scotland's north coast to the east.
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Swim at Portobello
Head to the Victorian seaside resort of Portobello, three miles to the east of Edinburgh, for a stroll along the promenade, or, if you're feeling brave, a dip in the decidedly bracing waters of the Firth of Forth. Although rather faded now, the town and promenade are a pleasant place for a wander, and the beach gets packed at the merest hint of sunshine.
Ride coast-to-coast on horseback
Gallop on sandy beaches, swim with your horse in a highland loch and canter across heather-covered moors on a seven-day coast-to-coast trail ride from Brora in Sutherland to Kylesku on the west coast with Highlands Unbridled. This trek is for experienced riders only but the Brora centre also offers shorter rides and treks for all ages and abilities, including beginners.
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Stroll along the seafront at North Berwick
This attractive resort town east of Edinburgh has had something of a revival in recent years, and now makes a pleasant day trip from the Scottish capital. Watch guillemots, puffins, shags, fulmars and seals from live cameras at the Scottish Seabird Centre or head out on a boat trip around the Bass Rock, the world's largest single island rock gannet colony. There are also three golf courses in the town, and a nearby distillery and scattering of haunting castles.
Sunbathe on the Edinburgh Meadows
OK, the opportunity to sunbathe is indeed rare in Edinburgh, but the Meadows, an expanse of flat, grassy park in the south of the city, provides a verdant oasis in the summer months. Tree-lined paths criss-cross the area (once filled with water as Burgh Loch, but drained in the 17th century), and locals flock here to play Frisbee, have a picnic and generally lounge about in the shade of cherry trees.
The best beaches? Lunan Bay and Sandwood Bay.