Europe enjoys a smorgasbord of festivals, saints’ days and commemorative holidays, but in Britain, bank holidays are one of the few freebies we get — which in our opinion makes it doubly important to make the most of them. Sitting around in the garden or popping down to the pub is fine, but isn’t it time you got a little more creative? To whet your appetite for adventure, we’ve cooked up a feast of unusual ideas for your next bank holiday escape. Exploring England’s only desert, in Dungeness; spotting puffins on Lundy; sunbathing on Scilly; or sailing round St Malo — all are doable in the space of a long weekend, albeit with a little bit of pre-planning. Alternatively, you could consider using the bank holiday as the jumping-off point for an extended adventure: a week of hiking in Iceland, perhaps? A city break in Berlin? Or a why not take a trip aboard Switzerland’s most scenic mountain railway? Every option beats spending another day at the garden centre, so here are some of the best things to do on the next bank holiday weekend.
Become a subscriber and, along with unlimited digital access to The Times and The Sunday Times, you can enjoy a collection of travel offers and competitions curated by our trusted travel partners, especially for Times+ members
This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue
1. Go puffin-peeking on Lundy Island
Best for twitchers
It’s only ten miles off the north Devon coast, but the little island of Lundy feels a million miles away. Just three miles wide, Lundy is a haven for all kinds of seabirds: gannets, Manx shearwaters, razorbills, kittiwakes and guillemots roost on the island in large numbers, but it’s the playful puffins that most people come to see. The only way to the island is aboard the MS Oldenburg, which travels over three times a week from either Bideford or Ilfracombe.While bank holidays can be busy, the crossing takes just two hours, so it’s eminently doable as a day-trip.
Privately owned for many years, the island was donated to the National Trust in 1969, and is now managed by the Landmark Trust, which offers a range of holiday cottages on the island. Otherwise, base yourself somewhere near Ilfracombe: the Watersmeet Hotel is a smart seaside choice.
Advertisement
2. Watch the sunsets in Dungeness
Best for photographers and artists
This peculiar peninsula is England’s strangest landscape — flat as a pancake, mostly treeless and made almost entirely of sand and shingle, it has an edge-of-the-world feeling that’s hard to describe until you’ve been there. The artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman fell in love with its bleak beauty: his house and garden at Prospect Cottage has become a place of pilgrimage. It’s a wonderfully odd area to explore, especially for photographers and artists: climb the Old Lighthouse for the views, watch birdlife at Dungeness Nature Reserve, and ride the quaint steam trains of the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway. The best sunset spot is near the lighthouse, where conveniently, the Pilot also serves excellent fish and chips. Buses run regularly to new Romney from Rye and Folkestone; better still, catch a train to Folkestone and bring your bike.
A charming clapboard cottage on Dungeness Beach — in the same stretch of beachfront as Jarman’s house — has its own patch of garden looking out over the shingle, so you can watch the steam trains puffing past the front door.
• Best beaches near London
• Best hotels in Kent
Advertisement
3. Enjoy a wild weekend on Shetland
Best fornature lovers
One way to escape the bank holiday crowds is to go wild — and Shetland definitely fits that particular bill. Shetland Wildlife, run by the renowned naturalist and photographer Hugh Harrop, provides fantastic trips to see some of the island’s wonderful wildlife, including seabirds, seals, dolphins and, if you’re lucky, even orcas and whales. You can book a multi-day tour, or arrange your own accommodation and just sign up for one of their daily wildlife cruises instead.
Busta House Hotel has a splendidly remote location on the shoreline of Busta Voe, near the small town of Brae, 25 miles north of Lerwick. Rooms are simple, but the sea-views are superb — and will whet your appetite for wildlife adventures.
• Best places to stay in Scotland
4. Go hiking and stargazing on the North York Moors
Best for dark skies
You’ll likely have the wild North York Moors largely to yourself while the crowds head for the Lake District and the South Downs. Take a guided hike from Helmsley to Rievaulx Abbey, then spend a day or two exploring the Yorkshire coastline or fossil-hunting around Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay. And don’t overlook the night skies: the North York Moors is a Dark Sky Reserve (one of only six in the UK), and many local organisations, such as Adventures for the Soul, offer stargazing adventures.
The Feathers Hotel, in the traditional market town of Helmsley, makes a lovely base and is handy for exploring the national park and Castle Howard too.
Advertisement
5. Lose yourself in Bannau Brycheiniog
Best for wild Wales
Stirring scenery abounds in Bannau Brycheiniog (formerly the Brecon Beacons) and while some parts are guaranteed to be busy — including the ever-popular summit of Pen y Fan — there is ample opportunity to dodge the crush. Lose yourself among the wooded trails and waterfalls of Fforest Fawr, hike one of the quieter trails through the off-the-radar Black Mountains, head for the River Wye for some canoeing — or just spend a day browsing the bookshops of Hay. Sounds like bank holiday heaven.
The Swan at Hay Hotel in Hay-on-Wye is perfectly placed for exploring the Brecons, and offers some great-value packages including B&B and dinner.
Advertisement
6. Take the slow boat to Saint-Malo
Best for the French coast
This fortified Breton town can be reached on an overnight ferry from Portsmouth, making it ideal for a quick cross-Channel jaunt. It’s a dramatic sight, encircled by walls constructed by the French military architect Vauban. The town’s lanes and alleyways are eminently strollable, and you can climb up onto the battlements for a view across La Manche to Blighty. There are pleasant beaches nearby and if time allows it’s worth spinning along the coast to the seaside village of Cancale, famous across France for its oysters.
There are lots of hotels in the old town (known locally as “Intra-Muros”), but unless you want to lug your baggage for miles, it’s more practical to stay outside the walls — we like the elegant Villa Saint Raphaël.
• Best places to visit in France
Advertisement
7. Take a seaside break in Jersey
Best for beaches
Four hours from the south coast by ferry (or an hour by air), Jersey makes an eminently practical place to escape to for the bank holiday — and its beaches are way less crowded than the ones on the mainland. Sea kayaking is a fun family activity, and the kids will definitely want to factor in Mont Orgueil Castle, the underground maze of the Jersey War Tunnels and, of course, Jersey Zoo, founded by naturalist and author Gerald Durrell. And for the best beaches? Portelet Bay and Plémont Bay are beauties.
Most people stay around the main town of St Helier, but the Moorings is in the little seaside village of Gorey Pier, a picturesque spot on the island’s quieter east coast.
• Best hotels in Jersey
• Best things to do in Jersey
8. Go cycling around Ljubljana
Best for cycling fans
The compact capital of Slovenia receives far fewer British visitors than it deserves — and yet it’s one of Europe’s most ravishing little cities, a perfect concoction of shady streets, riverside cafés, medieval architecture and a belter of a hilltop castle, reached via a funicular railway. It’s a fine city to explore on foot or by bike, and there are longer cycling and hiking trails within easy reach of the city. A day-trip to Lake Bled is also a must. Direct flights to Ljubljana depart from several UK airports, including Manchester and London Luton.
Hotel Cubo has everything you could ask for: art deco style, spacious rooms, attentive staff and a brilliant old town location. It also hosts one of the town’s top restaurants.
9. Glamp it up in Iceland
Best for road trips
Iceland is all about its landscapes, and for the wildest views of all, the fabled Laugavegur trail has a legendary status amongst hikers: taking in lava fields, glaciers, hot springs, active volcanoes (including the notorious Eyjafjallajökull) and the otherworldly valley of Þórmörk, this is a once-in-a-lifetime route. At 55km long, it’s doable in a week — Exodus offers a well-organised, fully guided seven-day expedition — but though the distance is relatively short, be prepared for some challenging terrain.
For a night in Reykjavik, choose Ion City Hotel, a sleek, modern space where rooms use natural materials like lava stone and reclaimed wood. Junior Suites have private saunas overlooking the city and mountains.
10. Spot street art in east Berlin
Best for history
Berlin is one of Europe’s coolest cities, and makes a less crowded place for an urban break than Paris, Rome or London. The edgy east is the most interesting part of town: take a street art tour, visit the sobering DDR Museum, browse the artworks of Museumsinsel and visit Cold War landmarks including Checkpoint Charlie and the Oberbaum Bridge. If you have time, a day trip out to see the ostentatious architecture of Schloss Sanssouci is well worth it.
Hotel am Steinplatz shimmers with the elegance of the art nouveau era. It’s a favourite hangout for the city’s design crowd, with a great restaurant and a knockout rooftop spa.
• Best things to do in Berlin
• Best affordable hotels in Berlin for under £150
11. Discover the Netherlands’ second city
Best for architecture
While Amsterdam gets the crowds, Rotterdam is all but ignored. This frees it up for you to see its adventurous architecture and urban design, with innovative buildings like the De Rotterdam tower, the redeveloped Centraal Station, the reborn docklands around Kop van Zuid and the new Markthal (Market Hall). There’s art galore at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen and the Kunsthal, too, but like Amsterdam, this is a canal city — and seeing it from the water on a cruise is essential. Best of all, it’s easy to reach thanks to the Eurostar, which runs direct in just over three hours.
The luxurious — and very modern — Mainport Design Hotel has views over the city’s waterfront, but is also very handy for Centraal Station.
• Best underrated cities in Europe
• Best things to do in Rotterdam
12. Wander around Tallinn’s old town
Best for exploring on foot
Estonia’s capital has history in spades, fascinating architecture and a thriving cafe culture — and its old town is a pleasure to get well and truly lost in. Our advice is to take a guided tour on the first day to get your bearings, then spend the rest of the holiday exploring on your own. Don’t miss the Kohtuotsa Viewing Platform for the best view of Tallinn’s rooftop jumble. You should easily be able to find budget flights from most major UK airports.
Splash out at the smart Schlössle Hotel, with a super location in the heart of the old town, and lots of antique atmosphere thanks to its 13th and 14th-century architecture.
13. Ascend the heights in Grindelwald
Best for mountains
The peaks of Switzerland are perfect for an easy, accessible alpine adventure. Grindelwald, overlooked by the Eiger, makes a great base: it’s perfectly placed for walks around the Jungfrau, and kids will love riding the gondolas up to the mountain tops, or catching the train up to Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe at 3,454m. The best way to get there is a flight to Zurich followed by a train ride to Grindelwald: it’s doable over a long bank holiday weekend, but better if you can allow four or five days.
The Romantik Hotel Schweizerhof has bags of Swiss charm, with its traditional timber architecture and epic views of Grindelwald’s peaks. It also has a great spa, and a restaurant serving gastronomic Swiss delights.
14. Take a quick trip to Copenhagen
Best for fairground fun
Few cities are as instantly charming as the capital of Denmark — although there’s a lot to see, so you might not pack it all in. In a weekend in Copenhagen, you should be able to cover the castles of Amalienborg, Christiansborg and Rosenborg, as well as a visit to the National Museum, the city’s Botanical Garden and the famous Round Tower, which offers the best vistas in the city. Save the best for last: the magical pleasure gardens and rollercoasters of Tivoli are utterly magical after dark.
Modern Danish design (and art) is showcased at the über-stylish Hotel Skt Annæ, located on the edge of the lovely harbourside neighbourbood of Nyhavn — super for dinner and late-night drinks.
15. Have a family adventure in Anglesey
Best for an island holiday
On the northwest coast of Wales, the island of Anglesey is within a few hours’ driving distance of Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol. Encircled by craggy cliffs and coves, it’s super for a wild weekend away. Try sailing, surfing, coasteering, kayaking or a white-knuckle RIB ride along the coast; alternatively, go birdspotting in Breakwater Country Park, ponder the past at the castles of Beaumaris or Aberlleiniog, or explore the post-industrial moonscapes around Amlwch, once home to the world’s largest copper mine.
For ostentatious architecture, Chateau Rhianfa is the only choice. Inspired by the châteaux of the Loire, it was dreamt up by Sir John Hay-Williams, 2nd Baronet of Bodelwyddan, who created a fantasyland of turrets, battlements, gables and towers.
16. Find an island retreat on Scilly
Best for families
Cornwall’s idyllic archipelago is perfect for a last-minute getaway — and it’s now possible to fly direct to the main Scilly island of St Mary’s from Exeter and Newquay, which avoids the long journey down to Penzance. The islands’ temperate, Gulf Stream-warmed climate means more sunshine than the mainland, so it’s a good bet for some beach time. Most people base themselves on St Mary’s, but the smaller island of Tresco makes a quieter alternative: bikes are the only way to get around, and the renowned Abbey Gardens are right on your doorstep.
Where to stay The New Inn on Tresco has bags of island atmosphere, and even if you’re not staying, it’s a cracking spot for a pint — the sunsets over to New Grimsby are something to behold.
tresco.co.uk
• Read our full review of the New Inn
17. Sleep under the trees in the Forest of Dean
Best for family fun
A weekend in the woods awaits at these forest cabins, which — despite their rustic location in the Forest of Dean — come with luxuries including an outdoor hot tub, underfloor heating and even wi-fi. Activities such as archery, horse riding, mountain biking and canoeing are all on your doorstep, making the forest ideal for a family adventure — and a yomp up to the top of Symonds Yat Rock is essential for the views.
The impressive Golden Oak Treehouse occupies a secluded corner of the forest, and even has a spare bedroom reached via its own rope bridge — the kids will love it.
forestholidays.co.uk
• Best romantic breaks in the UK with a hot tub
18. Explore the Eden Valley
Best for the Lake District without the crowds
If you’re dead set on the Lake District, you need to choose your spot. The eastern part of the park, especially around the Eden Valley, generally stays much quieter than the busy area around Windermere. There’s excellent hiking around Haweswater; a wonderful steam-powered railway in Alston; and one of the Lake District’s most evocative ruins, Lowther Castle, where the once-grand gardens are slowly being restored. There are also some brilliant pubs, such as the George and Dragon in Clifton and the Punchbowl Inn in Askham.
Askham Hall is a luxurious Lakeland weekend stay, with traditional, cosy rooms and one of the Lake District’s top restaurants, overseen by head chef Richard Swale, known for his creative use of Cumbrian ingredients.
askhamhall.co.uk
• Best UK mountain walks
• Best adventure playgrounds in the UK
Sign up to the Times Travel newsletter for weekly inspiration, advice and deals here
