Spring: Things To Do Across The UK
By Olivia Emily
1 year ago
Planning ahead while refilling our hot water bottles...
(© Emli Bendixen)
It’s time to get out and enjoy spring. Even if it is just a walk to your local park, a jog along the river, or a hike up a remote hill away from it all, get outside and soak it all up. To get you excited about the arrival of warmer weather, if you’re looking for the best places to visit and things to do in spring in the UK, your search ends here. From lovely staycations to festivals, we’ve rounded up the best seasonal sojourns from every corner of the country…
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Spring Guide: Things To Do & Where To Go In The UK
Walk Scilly
It’s been 20 years since the first Walk Scilly, an annual week in April brimming with island knowledge parsed by local experts. Author Raynor Winn – who, despite walking the entire South West Coast Path, has never been to Scilly – will be a guest speaker, while Cornish business Molesworth & Bird will be seaweed foraging and pressing and, as always, locals will showcase their favourite walks on each island.
Celebrate Shakespeare’s Birthday
22 April
Pay tribute to the Bard on his birthday at Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon, where you can tread the floorboards of the home where he was born and admire the gardens of Anne Hathaway’s cottage.
Enjoy Afternoon Tea At Cliveden House
Cliveden House is an illustriously historical house with a delicious afternoon tea worth the journey. Served in the Cliveden Dining Room, enjoy views of the impressive grounds, gardens and woodland.
Cliveden House, Taplow, Berkshire SL6 0JF
Join The Isle Of Wight’s Walking Festival
Avoid the crowds and the summer heat and get fit at the same time by taking park in the Isle of Wight’s annual walking festival each May, or do your own version. For those up for the challenge, you can walk round the whole island (72 miles) in 24 hour.
Celebrate Dylan Thomas Day
14 May
Celebrate Wales’ most famous literary son on International Dylan Thomas day also in May. Do make sure you visit his boathouse in Laugharne, where he wrote many of his most famous works.
Try Cheese Rolling
Yes, you read that right. Ever rolled a cheese down a hill? Perhaps not, but every Spring bank holiday, health and safety goes out the window and runners hurtle down the exceedingly steep Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire after a 7lb Double Gloucester.
You may well ask, but its a centuries old tradition that has even earned a dedicated episode of Netflix documentary series, We Are The Champions.
Visit The Manchester Gallery
The Manchester Gallery reopened on 18 February 2023 following a major, £15 million refurbishment. Expect new exhibition spaces and more inclusive facilities for visitors, as well as the brand-new South Asia Gallery in partnership with the British Museum. Overall, the museum aims to ‘build greater understanding between cultures, a more sustainable world and to bring to life the lived experience of diverse communities through the Museum’s historic collections and new displays’.
Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL
Photo by Chris Bull.
Follow The Art Trail At Fairmont Windsor Park
Featuring work from acclaimed artists Paul Vanstone and Thomas Joynes, this countryside Windsor hotel has teamed up with The High-Performance Art Gallery to showcase a curated selection of stunning sculptures. Guests of Fairmont Windsor Park will immediately be able to see the sculptures upon entrance to the grand estate, and more across the 40 acres of lush greenery.
Bishopsgate Rd, Englefield Green, Windsor TW20 0YL
Try Southampton’s Accessible Walking Trails
Southampton’s new walking trail is making it easier for people with physical and learning difficulties to explore the city this spring. Wander along the ‘From Parks to Port’ trail to experience the city’s textures, smells and sounds with 15 key locations on the map.
Stroll Around A Pretty Garden
There are plenty of gorgeous gardens across the UK worth a daytrip, but our pick this spring is the newly reopened Borde Hill in West Sussex, a Grade II* listed garden set within 383 acres of heritage parkland. There’s an Enchanted Garden Trail for little ones, a Spring Plant Fair for horticulturalists, and an Eco Trail, too.
Borde Hill, Borde Hill Ln, Haywards Heath RH16 1XP
(Image © Emli Bendixen)
See winter shake off its torpor and the year really come alive at Exbury Gardens, the vision of Lionel de Rothschild, who planted copious colourful rhododendrons and azaleas, which are best seen in May.
Exbury Gardens, Southampton
Or try Gravetye Manor, one of the most historically significant horticultural sites in the UK. Once owned by William Robinson – whose wild gardening ideas popularised the English cottage garden – guests can venture on guided walks ranging between 30 minutes and four hours, covering gardens, meadows and woodlands.
Gravetye Manor, Vowels Ln, East Grinstead RH19 4LJ
Go Crabbing in East Anglia
Crabbing season starts in late April. While Cromer is the obvious choice, gillying in Blakeney Quayside and Wells Harbour is also popular. Wait for high tide and use bacon as bait if you’re using a line.
Image: Cromer Pier
Visit A Boutique Festival
If smaller is more your speed, head to one of the nation’s smaller music festivals for all the fun with less of the stress. This year, Sussex’s Elderflower Fields will be taking place from 27–30 May, brimming with brilliant music, sports, nature and art.
Check out our full guide to the UK’s best boutique festivals
Bluebell Views
Between April and May, follow the woodland path on the Ashridge Estate in Hertfordshire, admiring the springtime carpet of bluebells as you go.
See Beautiful Cherry Blossom
Forgo the long-haul flight to Kyoto and head to the Japanese gardens at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens instead. From as early as the end of February, nature’s confetti decorates the trees here. But, for the best cherry blossom vista, visit in April or May when the blossoms are in full bloom.
Enjoy A Literary Festival
At the end of every May, the literati gathers at the UK’s favourite book festival in Hay, where the small town, with more than its fair share of bookshops, attracts names as diverse as Eddie Izzard, Miriam González Durántez (and her husband Nick Clegg), Helen Fielding and Colm Toíbín.
Image (c) Sam Hardwick
Visit Lundy Island
Step back to a simpler time on Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel. Here you’ll find puffins, seals… no cars. Bliss. You can stay in castles, old school houses and lighthouses through the Landmark Trust.
Photo by Sarah Kilian on Unsplash
Escape For A Spring Staycation
Escape the crowds and head to Cornwall for a spring staycation. Check out our guides to the best things to do in Cornwall (better still, the best sustainable things to do in Cornwall), and Cornwall for kids.
Climb Leith Hill Tower
Count counties from Leith Hill Tower in Dorking on a clear morning. It’s the highest point in south-east England, which means you might even spot a boat on the Channel.
Take A Trip To Scotland
Hop aboard a steam train and take in the Scottish landscape from the comfort of a railway carriage. Harry Potter fans will be delighted to cross the Glenfinnan viaduct, recognisable from the films.
If you’re in Aberdeen, relax and unwind in an outdoor space if you’re able to. Try the Japanese-inspired Johnston Gardens, with flowing waterfalls, trickling streams and gorgeous blooms.
Visit A Waterfall
Take a spring walk to see the Rhaeadr Fawr waterfall (Aber Falls), home to many rare and beautiful birds from the Great Spotted woodpecker to the pied flycatcher.
Take a Trip To A Castle
Visit the stunning formal gardens of Alnwick Castle, redeveloped by the Duchess of Northumberland, which has its very own poison garden and a fantastic restaurant in a treehouse.
Or venture up to Scotland or across to Ireland for more castles galore.
Step Back In Time at Lindisfarne
Step back in time on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, Northumberland, and marvel at all that has been preserved. From ponies to seals, the wildlife on the island is also spectacular.
Visit Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Yorkshire Sculpture Park, set in the glorious parkland of Bretton Hall estate, displays works by leading sculptors of the 20th century and is an absolute must-see. Until September 2024, there are four magnificent Damien Hirst sculptures on display.
Joana Vasconcelos, Solitaire, 2018. Photo © Jonty Wilde, Courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Spot Birds at Havergate Island
Hop in a boat to Havergate Island in the middle of the River Ore to spot wading birds. It’s best-known for breeding avocets and terns at this time of year. The boat goes out at 10am on the first Saturday of every month, taking just 12 people, so plan ahead for a birdwatching experience that’s far away from the crowds. thesuffolkcoast.co.uk
Visit London’s Very Own Nature Creek
Who said you need to leave London to soak in some nature? Deptford Creek is one of the last natural creeks in the UK and it’s bursting with 120 species of wild flowers.
