Go to an open-air cinema
Nothing says summertime more than being able to take what are usually indoor activities out in the open. Case in point: watching a film under the stars. The Luna Cinema (thelunacinema.com) run outdoor film nights in various picturesque locations across the country, from Tonbridge Castle in Kent, to Tatton Park in Cheshire, while Adventure Cinema (adventurecinema.co.uk) tours more than 250 locations across the country, and Rooftop Film Club (rooftopfilmclub.com) take to the terraces of London. Wherever you go, you’ll find everything from feel-good classics such as Grease, to newer releases such as Elvis and Top Gun: Maverick.
Make a splash
Dotted around the UK are some truly lovely lidos. Dating back to the 30s is Ilkley Pool in West Yorkshire (bradford.gov.uk), which has gorgeous views over the surrounding moorland. Tinside Lido (plymouthactive.co.uk) on Plymouth’s seafront juts out into the harbour and is consistently voted in the top 10 of Europe’s outdoor pools, while Sea Lanes (sealanesbrighton.co.uk) has finally opened in Brighton after a rather long wait. Marbury Pool (marburyparkswimmingclub.co.uk) in Cheshire is an idyllic place to take a dip, as it is nestled in the lawned gardens of the Marbury Country Park in the Cheshire countryside.
Have fun at a family festival
Having won Best Family Festival at the UK Festival Awards, Latitude (latitudefestival.com) in Suffolk is an excellent day out no matter what age your children are: there is both a kids and teen area. Camp Bestival (campbestival.net), meanwhile, is set in the grounds of Dorset’s Lulworth Castle and while this year’s line-up includes Sam Ryder and The Kooks, there is also a soft play area, circus skills workshops and entertainment from the Horrible Histories team. For something a bit smaller, try Stainsby Festival (stainsbyfestival.org.uk) in Derbyshire. It is a well established but intimate event held over the penultimate weekend in July, where there is plenty of kids’ entertainment, a singing competition, music workshops and theatre performances.
Enjoy some summer sport
This time of year is jam-packed with major events, starting with this weekend’s ICC World Test Championship cricket final at The Oval in London, before the Ashes series against Australia begin in Edgbaston on 16 June. The Silverstone Grand Prix is on 9 July and no sooner has Wimbledon finished (3-16 July) than golf’s Open Championships will start at Royal Liverpool (16-23 July).
Or play it…
If watching all that sport makes you itchy to pick up a ball or racket, try using Playfinder (playfinder.com). It is a really useful website which helps you to locate and book courts and pitches across the UK, whether you want to play tennis or squash, badminton or basketball.
See a show at an outdoor theatre
Every year, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in London (openairtheatre.com) has a stellar summer season. This year’s offerings include Robin Hood and The Tempest reimagined for everyone over the age of six. Residing on a cliff-side, Minack Theatre (minack.com) in Cornwall is seaside culture at its best, and don’t miss Mamma Mia! in Scarborough Open Air Theatre (scarboroughopenairtheatre.com). In Powys, Wales, the Willow Globe Theatre (shakespearelink.org.uk) is an intimate outdoor venue performing the Bard’s classics, including Romeo and Juliet.
Eat up a foodie event
The annual festival on Alex James’ Cotswolds farm, Big Feastival (thebigfeastival.com), might have great music, but it is all about the food: you would be hard pressed to find a better array of street food than this. James Martin will attend the ever-wonderful Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival (yorkshiredalesfoodanddrinkfestival.com) in July, and the first weekend in August marks the inaugural New Forest Food Festival (newforestfoodfestival.co.uk), where local chefs will be doing demos and there will be artisan market stalls aplenty.
See a summer blockbuster
It’s blockbuster season, so don’t miss Barbie, Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated take on the classic doll starring Margot Robbie; Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, a biopic about the theoretical physicist played by Cillian Murphy; and the new Indiana Jones film, in which Harrison Ford returns to the iconic role for one last rodeo – alongside Phoebe Waller-Bridge as his goddaughter.
See gardens in bloom
Summer is one of the best times to visit Kew Gardens (kew.org), where colour and fragrance takes over the Unesco World Heritage site. In Somerset’s Barrington Court (nationaltrust.org) and Suffolk’s Helmingham Hall Gardens (helmingham.com), the rose gardens are blooming, while the camassia meadow in RHS Wisley in Surrey (rhs.org.uk) is simply stunning.
Have a picnic
Summer would not be summer without at least one picnic. A handful of perfect spots across the country are: the waterfalls of Bowlees Picnic Area in Durham; the wide expanse of Burton Dassett Hills Country Park in Warwickshire; and the tranquil lakeside of Llyn Tegid in Gwynedd, Wales.
See some animal magic
With 550 acres that are home to more than 500 animals, Knowsley Safari (knowsleysafariexperience.co.uk) in Merseyside is Britain’s longest safari drive. In Trentham Monkey Forest, meanwhile, there are 140 free-roaming Barbary macaques to admire on a walk through the woodland and meadows.
Walk a coastal path
When complete, the English Coastal Path will stretch 2,700 miles around the country’s shores. One of the best sections that is already open is the South West Coast Path, which traces the coast of Devon, Cornwall and Dorset, and celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Elsewhere, the Gower Peninsula in South Wales is one of Britain’s very best walking spots (it was the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), while the Causeway Coast Way in Northern Ireland offers 31 miles of rugged cliffs, Unesco-listed rock formations and outstanding beaches.
Feel the adrenaline rush
Don a harness and make your way through a rather tall treetop trail at Holkham Ropes Course (holkham.co.uk) in Norfolk, or zoom down Velocity 2 (zipworld.co.uk) in North Wales, which is the world’s fastest zip line. If you’re brave enough, that is.
Browse an outdoor market
Ludlow Market takes place every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday in the town square, selling fresh produce and local crafts. Truro Farmers Market is open on Lemon Quay every Wednesday and Saturday (and there is no better place to find net-fresh crab). In Scotland, Loch Lomond Shores Farmers Market couldn’t be more picturesque.
Drink in one of Britain’s best beer gardens
The large sloping lawn at The Stackpole Inn (stackpoleinn.co.uk) in Pembrokeshire, Wales, is a tranquil spot to sip a sun-soaked pint, while The Trout in Oxford (thetroutoxford.co.uk) is perched on the edge of the River Thames as it runs alongside Port Meadow. The Boathouse (boathouseshrewsbury.co.uk) in Shrewsbury has equally lovely river views.
Go stargazing
South Downs National Park is among the world’s International Dark Sky Reserves, so is one of the most awe-inspiring spots in the UK to go stargazing. On the wild coastline of Wales’s Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, it is also possible to see the spectacle of the Milky Way by the naked eye.
Get lost in the music
More than 100 acts will be taking to the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival (edinburghjazzfestival.com) in mid-July, while Cambridge Folk Festival (cambridgelive.org.uk), taking place two weeks later, is one of the longest-running folk festivals in the world, having been established in 1965. In London, don’t miss Somerset House Series (somersethouse.org.uk), 11 nights of pop, rock and R’n’B in the grand outdoor courtyard; nor West End Live, which is a free weekend of musical theatre in Trafalgar Square. Proms in the Park (atgtickets.com) will take its classical music delights to Shrewsbury this summer, before visiting Bath, Windsor and Warwick in September.
Watch a sunrise
Find your nearest east-facing hill and get up early (or stay up late) to watch a spectacular sunrise. For more of an expedition, join the hundreds of people who flock to the Stonehenge Summer Solstice, celebrated from 7pm on Tuesday 20 June to 8am on Wednesday 21 June.
Or a sunset
If you are less of a lark, the pink skies of a sunset are just as pleasant. Some of the best places across the UK to see it are Land’s End in Cornwall, Greenwich Park in London, and Portrush on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Escape in a beach read
This year’s summer releases include The List by Yomi Adegoke, a thriller about the dark side of social media, and The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Bramer, a feel-good story about a death doula. Some older but equally excellent choices to get lost in: Miranda Cowley Heller’s The Paper Palace, Elif Shafak’s The Island of Missing Trees, David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas, Bonnie Garmus’s Lessons in Chemistry, and The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton.
Grill nights
You don’t need to have your own barbecue to enjoy one. At Roth Bar & Grill (rothbarandgrill.co.uk) in Somerset, seasonal food is cooked over an outdoor firepit. In London, the smoky air from the fresh fish and slabs of meat on the grill make Brat x Climpson’s Arch (bratrestaurant.co.uk) an all-the-more atmospheric wood-fired restaurant. Inkie’s Smokehouse in the beautiful Golitha Falls nature reserve in Cornwall is a hut-turned-award-winning barbecue joint.
See some summer art
Let’s face it: there is bound to be at least one rainy day over summer. But at least it will be the perfect opportunity to see some art. On Tuesday, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (royalacademy.org.uk) in London opens its doors to another riotous display of art in every medium, while there will be a major new Grayson Perry exhibition, Smash Hits, at the Scottish National Gallery (nationalgalleries.org) from 22 July.
Toast to English wine
It is no secret any more that English wines have become as good as any in the world – and an ever-expanding array of spectacular bottles will be celebrated by English Wine Week between 17 and 25 June. Raise a toast at the inaugural Vineyards of the Surrey Hills’ Summer Spectacular (surreyhillsvineyards.co.uk), or dig into a Fizz & Chips night at the Woodchester Valley Vineyard, Gloucestershire (woodchestervalleyvineyard.co.uk).
Splash off on an adventure
Winding River Canoe in Devon (windingrivercanoe.co.uk) offers a whole host of watery activities, from paddling to the pub to an evening canoe safari with storytelling around the fire. In Nottinghamshire’s Holme Pierrepont Country Park (nwscnotts.com), white-water rafting is a terrifically fun day out (though fair warning: you will get wet), and you can dive into a guided snorkelling experience in the Eyemouth, Scotland (visitberwickshirecoast.co.uk).
Go camping
On the edge of the Cotswolds, Rouselands Farm Camping (rouselandsfarmcampsite.co.uk) makes a lovely countryside stay on a working, family-run farm. And Fire & Stars Woodland Camping (fireandstars.co.uk) in Leicestershire is an ultimate way to go off-grid – the site is in a National Forest with no mains water or electricity, but each pitch has a ready-dug fire pit. For an adults-only escape, head to Lancashire’s Primrose Cottage Camping (pitchup.com), a peaceful setting in walking distance of a few pubs.
See some summer wildlife
Skomer Island, off the south-west coast of Wales, is best known for its puffins, which can be seen up until July, but you can also spot Manx shearwaters and dolphins. In Derbyshire, the mix of marsh, open water, grassland and trees make Carr Vale Nature Reserve (derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk) a birdwatcher’s paradise – as well as being an excellent location for the summery sight of dragonflies.
Head to a hidden beach
The problem with going to the beach on a sunny day is that everyone else has the same idea. So try one of these hidden spots instead: Church Ope Cove in Dorset, which is a tiny pebble beach tucked away on the Isle of Portland; the unspoilt beauty of Sandwood Bay in Scotland; or Isle of Wight’s Watcombe Bay – only accessible at low tide, unless you have a kayak handy.
Get in the carnival spirit
On the August Bank Holiday, Notting Hill Carnival (nhcarnival.org) will once again be bringing an explosion of sound, smells and colour to London, celebrating the rich history of Caribbean culture in the capital. Running the same weekend in Yorkshire, the Leeds West Indian Carnival (leeds2023.co.uk) will be complete with mouth-watering food stalls, toe-tapping music and a jaw-dropping parade. Ryde Carnival (rydecarnival.com) on the Isle of Wight is the oldest carnival in the UK, dating back to 1887, and is running over three dates: while the main event is on 31 August, there is a children’s carnival on 26 August, and the illuminated carnival is on the evening of 2 September.
Get on your bike
There are some stunning routes on the National Cycle Network (sustrans.org.uk), perfect for both families and experienced cyclists alike. Along the traffic-free Lagan Towpath from Belfast to Lisburn, you will pass both rivers and beautiful parks, while the Fallowfield Loop in Greater Manchester follows a former railway line. Riverside South Downs (riversidesouthdowns.com), in West Sussex’s tiny village of Amberley, is great place for bike rental – they have e-bikes to help conquer the tougher hills too.
Pick the fruits of the season
A colourful array of fruit and veg are in season in the UK at this time of year, and there are farms all over the country to pick your own. Essington Fruit Farm (essingtonfarm.co.uk) in Wolverhampton boasts rhubarb, blueberries and plums, while there is asparagus at Crock Bridge Farm (crockfordbridgefarm.co.uk) in Surrey and strawberries ripe for picking on Cornwall’s Trevask Farm (trevaskisfarm.co.uk).
