Summer Fun in the British Isles
by Claire Burdett
Whatever your interest, passion or fancy, the UK has something to suit, for children and grown ups alike, families, couples or individuals. You don't always have to visit the theme parks and obvious, yet usually overcrowded, tourist attractions. Read on and be inspired on things to do in Britain this summer...and if you do go visit as a result of reading this article, do let us have feedback and some photos and we'll feature you in our "postcards from..." section!
Wildllfe Watching
The coast of Britain teems with marine wildlife, such as dolphins, whales, seals and leatherback turtles, so head off into the wild blue yonder and go dolphin spotting and whale watching (www.whaledolphintrust.co.uk), or if you are landlocked, go in search for otters, dormice and badgers instead (www.mtuk.org).
Watching the Birds
If your fancy is for the feathered variety, there are plenty of places to see hawks and eagles up close, as well as other varieties, such as puffins, in the wild. Try the Hawk Conservancy Trust in Hampshire (www.hawk-conservancy.org) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds for starters (www.rspb.org.uk).
Saddle up Your Pony
Summer is the very best time for riding on top of moors, fells and downs – or along the beach! Or you could hire a gypsy wagon and go wandering the leafy lanes of Wiltshire (www.whitehorsegypsycaravans.co.uk).
Cars, Thrills and Automobiles
If you are a speed freak at heart, visit the Grand Prix Collection at Silverstone (and maybe get tickets for the British Grand Prix on 8th July, www.silverstone.co.uk). Indulge childhood passions and visit Diggerland in Devon (www.diggerland.com) or go four-wheel off-roading near Bristol (www.4playoffroaddriving.co.uk). If your love is for classics and the stylish lifestyle that accompanies them, visit the Heritage Motor Centre in Warwickshire or hire your very own classic for a day and take a pose around town or to the seaside – try www.classiccarhire.co.uk.
Feed Your Brain
Whatever your age, indulge in a little extra-curricula learning. Try ‘Eureka!’ in Halifax, a brilliant hands-on science museum for children (www.eureka.org.uk) while ‘Explosion!’, the award-winning museum of naval firepower in Gosport, is great for all ages (www.explosion.org.uk), as is the Jorvik Viking Centre in York (www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk). Rather more tranquillity can be found at the Fan Museum in Greenwich (www.fan-museum.org) and the American Museum in Bath (www.americanmuseum.org), whose ‘Dollar Princesses’ exhibition runs throughout the summer.
Go Find You A Dinosaur
Obsessed with Jurassic Park and all things dinosaur? The UK is a great place to try your hand at fossil hunting – check out www.discoveringfossils.co.uk and get stuck in, or visit Dinosaur Isle on the Isle of Wight (www.dinosaurisle.com).
Discover Drowned Worlds
The myth of the drowned land of Atlantis is based on truth - our coastlines were a green and pleasant land as recently as 3,500BC. Find your own evidence of a drowned forest at Ynyslas beach, near Borth in Wales, where submerged preserved trees (oak, pine, birch, willow and hazel) can be seen at low tide. Check out www.bbc.co.uk/wales for more details.
Prehistoric Urges
Want more of the prehistoric world? Visit the granddaddy of them all, Stonehenge, or nearby Avebury, where you can still touch the stones and get up close and personal. Maeshowe in Orkney is a spectacular prehistoric chambered tomb (www.orkneyjar.com).
Roman Artefacts
Visit Hadrian’s Wall in the Boarder lands (the same Hadrian who designed the Pantheon in Rome) and imagine what life must have been for the soldiers posted here at the edge of the world (read their letters home in ‘Life and Letters on the Roman Frontier: Vindolanda and Its People’ by Alan K. Bowman). See Roman mosaics at the Roman palace in Fishbourne, West Sussex (www.romansinsussex.co.uk) and visit the beautiful Roman baths in Bath.
Just Because it’s There
Always wanted to climb a mountain? What are you waiting for, then? The mountain to come to you? Contact the Climbing Club at www.climbingclub.co.uk and get started!
Gone Fishin’
One of the most popular hobbies in the UK, fishing is the perfect way to see some truly exquisite countryside in total peace and quiet, so indulge yourself and head down to your favourite stretch of water or contact www.fishing-guides.co.uk for a guide of best places to fish in the UK and the rest of the world.
Going Underground
The UK is riddled with caves, many of which, like Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, the City of Caves in Nottingham and Chislehurst Caves in Kent, are open to the public. If you fancy becoming a proper caver, visit www.caving.uk.com for details on how.
On Yer Bike
Try cycling along your local canal path, or along one of the many coastal routes, such as from Bodmin to Padstow in Cornwall or Coleraine to the Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim. Northumberland is one of the nicest places to cycle in the UK – unspoilt, quiet roads and pretty flat – check out www.northumberland.gov.uk for cycle ways.
Get Down and Possibly Very Very Muddy...
Seems you can’t move in the UK these days without tripping over a festival, and there’s something to suit every preference, from Cambridge Folk Festival and the Big Chill to the Secret Garden, Cornbury, and the Newbury Comedy Festival (where our house dj friends, Keep Off the Grass will be opening and closing the festival) Find a complete listing at www.efestivals.co.uk.
Carnival Time
Notting Hill’s Carnival is held in London on August Bank Holiday and is fast becoming one of the top Caribbean carnivals in the world. Find the essential guide to the entire weekend festivities at www.mynottinghill.co.uk.
On Shank’s Pony
Ramble your way to a view, whether you walk over Exmoor, to Durdle Door along the Dorset coast, up the west coast of Wales heading north from St David’s, across the Pennine Way, or over fell and dale, as immortalised in Wainwright’s classic guides. Find your perfect walk on www.go4awalk.com.
Lock, Stock and Barrel
Once the commercial arteries of the country, canals offer the perfect location for bags of summer fun, whether you want to hire a boat or just take a day trip, cycle or walk along it, find a canalside pub or go wildlife watching. Find comprehensive information at www.waterscape.com.
Take the Train
Take a step back in time on a vintage railway. There are lots of enthusiasts around the country keeping these gems from the industrial age in good running order. Many give you access to beautiful parts of the country - take the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in Cumbria, for example and you can have your picnic in the beautiful woodland valley of Eskdale. Take a look at the excellent guide on www.britainsfinest.co.uk.
Ride the Waves
Test your body against the elements and try surfing (for a list of best Cornish surfing beaches and daily surf conditions, go to www.cornwalls.co.uk/surfing and for a list of approved surf schools see www.britsurf.co.uk). Other water sports you might want to sample this summer include body boarding, windsurfing (ukwindsurfing.com) and water rafting, jet skiing and wakeboarding (www.wakeboardinguk.co.uk). Or you might just want to go for a swim...try anywhere along the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, or the breathtaking Lantic Bay near Fowey, or check out www.outdoorswimmingsociety.co.uk for safe water near you.
Up, Up and Away
Spread your wings and learn to fly or glide – see www.bhpa.co.uk for tips and details and a list of accredited schools. If you fancy leaping out of the plane, rather than flying it, then it is probably advisable to learn to parachute jump first! Visit the British Parachute’s website at www.bpa.org.uk for further information. And if you prefer something a little bit more sedate, how about a hot air balloon flight? Check your local newspaper for listings.
Let’s Go Fly a Kite
Kite flying is almost as good as flying, and sometimes you can do that too if you try power kiting (www.kitepower.com)! Find a suitable kite at www.kiteshop.co.uk and go fly it from the nearest, highest hill; it is easy once you have the knack! The White Horse at Uffington, Oxfordshire, is perfect for kite flying, plus you get to stand in the horse’s eye and make a wish. Bonus.
Fairground Attractions
For the Full Monty experience it has got to be Blackpool, although if it is vintage that tickles your fancy, how about visiting Hollycombe Steam Collection in Hampshire (www.hollycombe.co.uk), which has the biggest collection of steam-powered fairground rides in the country.
Messing Around in Boats
The Norfolk Broads is one of the nicest places for just messing around in a boat – also ssee www.broads-authority.gov.uk, and make sure you read Arthur Ransome’s ‘Coot Club’ to get you in the mood before you go. The Thames was the setting for Jerome K Jerome’s famous tale of three men in a boat and it’s still great for a water adventure – try www.riverthames.co.uk.
Be Queen for a Day
Castles and stately homes abound throughout the UK, and are the perfect place to spend a lazy, warm summer afternoon...just remember to bring a yummy picnic! Check with your local Tourist Board for ones in your area or see www.britainsfinest.co.uk.
Garden Glory
The tradition of opening gardens to the public is very English Summertime and the National Gardens Scheme’s (NGS) famous Yellow Book lists around 3,500 gardens (mostly private) that open to the public. Visit www.ngs.org.uk for details. For garden glory on an altogether different scale, visit the Eden Project in Cornwall (www.edenproject.com).
Pack a Picnic
The Ridgeway near Wantage offers a fabulous place to have a picnic, as does the Isle of Skye (the boat trip is part of the attraction), the Cow and Calf Rocks on Wharfdale, and just about anywhere in the New Forest. The best urban site for a picnic is quite possibly the Royal Crescent in Bath, where the lawns drift down to the exquisite curve of Georgian splendour ringed by the circle of hills.
Tasting... Tasting... Tasting
Wine tasting at Vinopolis Wine Museum in London happens regularly – try one of their wine-tasting Sunday Brunches and do it in style. Most vineyards, brewers, and cider works do tastings and tours – check out www.britainsfinest.co.uk for a list.
Wild in the Country
Get your fix of lions, tigers, monkeys, and bears at one of the UK’s numerous wildlife parks – visit www.zoowatch.freeserve.co.uk for one near you.
Culture Vulture
The Yorkshire Sculpture Park is an extraordinary place that is one of Europe’s leading open-air galleries, while you can see work by the fabulous Barbara Hepworth, our very own grand dame of sculpture, both there and at the St Ives Tate gallery in Cornwall (www.tate.org.uk). A fan of classical music and opera? Be there waving your flag at the Last Night of the Proms (www.bbc.co.uk/proms), and book a ticket now for St Matthew’s Passion at Glyndebourne (www.glyndebourne.com) in August. June is silly season for Shakespeare this year, with Shakespeare in the Park at Lichfield (www.sitp.org.uk) offering you ‘The Comedy of Errors’, and Propeller, an all-male Shakespearean company, bringing both ‘Twelfth Night’ and ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ to the gorgeous Watermill Theatre situated right on the River Kennet in Bagnor (www.watermill.org.uk).
Shop Til You Drop
Birmingham is shopping central for High Street brands at the moment, whereas Brighton’s Lanes are the epicentre of eclectic, and details of designer brand sales can be found at www.designersales.co.uk. If you are looking for a farmers’ market see www.farmersmarkets.net, and if you would like to find a car boot to go rummaging through on a summer Sunday morning, check out www.carbootjunction.com as a first stop or look in your local newspaper for listings. Antique fairs are to be found at www.dmgantiquefairs.com, and if vintage fashion is your thing, try the retro fashion fair at Chiswick in June. See www.antiquefairs.co.uk for more details.
In Search of God
If all that retail therapy has left you in need of a little soul therapy, reconnect at one of the many marvellous churches and cathedrals in Britain. Best of the best include St Paul’s in London, Wells Cathedral, York Minster, the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and the St Mungo’s cathedral (the High Kirk) in Glasgow
People Watching as Art Form
In London, Covent Garden is the place to sit with your beer or coffee and watch the world watching the street entertainers, while in Newcastle it’s the stunning waterside Quayside. Watch everyone wander around looking at the Quayside art, and look at some yourself – the Blacksmith’s Needle is brilliant! If you are in Brighton on a sunny Sunday, grab a hot chocolate at The Meeting Place Café, situated on the seafront just where Brighton and Hove meet. It is THE place to watch the world and other celebrities go by on their roller blades, skateboards, or simply ambling hand in hand.
Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside
In the summertime the beach is our favourite place to eat fish and chips (Padstow has the best), ice cream (Harbour Bar in Scarborough), and cockles (Leigh-on-Sea, Essex). Or you could paddle with your trousers rolled up a la Blackpool, or build a monster sandcastle (Torquay has the best beach for sandcastle building). Watch Punch and Judy, with or without the kids (Weymouth and Paignton beaches still have them – check www.punchandjudy.com for a full list) and hire a beach hut (www.beach-huts.com) so you can brew a cup of tea. You know it makes sense.
Be Totally British
Indulge your inner Brit and find the best...
• English Breakfast – avoid the chains and the hotels, the cool and the overdone, and look for the authentic English café, such as The Snack Bar near Bath’s railway station, where your tea comes in mugs and the full English is something to savour with ketchup or HP.
• Afternoon Tea – go to The Cadogan Hotel in London, and feel like you have wandered into a private country house for the afternoon.
• Cream Tea – complete with clotted cream, scones and jam... Head for Porth Chapel or Pendennis Castle in Cornwall, or if you prefer Devonian style, visit Primrose Cottage, Lustleigh or Southern Cross, Newton Poppleford.
• Village Fete – check out your local newspaper ‘What’s On’ guide. Or if you are in London and so nowhere near a traditional village, let alone fete, see www.innocentdrinks.co.uk for details of their Innocent Village Fete for urbanites, to be held in Regent’s Park in August.
• Down the Pub – visit www.britishpubguide.com for an inspirational guide to the very best in British pubs.
• Pimms – Henley Regatta offers the best venue to sip in style, but if you’d rather have home-made, here you go...
How to Make the Perfect Pimms
Pimms - 50cl
Lemonade - 150cl
Gin - 15cl
Apple – 1 sliced
Orange – 1 sliced
Lemon - 1 sliced
Celery - 2 sticks chopped finely
Cucumber - 10 slices, quartered
Mint - one stalk
Other fruits according to taste
Put the Pimms in a tall, ideally straight, jug. Add the fruit & vegetables, do not miss out on the celery, it is the secret ingredient, then add the lemonade. Add some, but not too much, ice and then stir gently. Splash the gin on top of this.
Serve in a tall glass with one or two lumps of ice, some of the fruit & vegetable from the jug and a leaf of mint near the top.
© Claire Burdett 2007
This article first appeared in Citylife magazine.
