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What is a UK staycation?
Everyone in the UK has been asking ‘what is a staycation?’. One of the biggest questions since the pandemic. A UK staycation is simply staying in your country for a vacation; a staying-vaction. Another way to understand it is a holiday near your home, a way of taking much needed holiday time and using it to explore your own country. The definition of staycation can include everything from a local day trip to a weekend getaway to a full holiday exploring and enjoying the kind of places others would come to your country to enjoy. UK staycation culture has rocketed and become a pretty exciting scene. Many local businesses have redesigned and repurposed what they do in fun and creative ways creating safe and exciting experiences all over the UK, there has never been a better time to enjoy a UK staycation.
What is the best way to plan a UK staycation?
One of the best things about choosing a UK staycation over travelling abroad is that the planning side is noticeably easier. You don’t need to worry about flights, airport parking, visas, changing currency, travel insurance, language barriers and local systems. Don’t get us wrong we generally love international travel and think it’s worth the faff, but by comparison, planning a staycation is blissfully straight forward.
There are two main ways to plan a great UK staycation. The first is to find your dream accommodation, whether that is glamping in the UK, a luxury hotel, cute little B&B or camping, you pick your accommodation and then look for exciting local activities around that place. The second way to plan a UK staycation is to decide on something fun you want to try, learn about or conquer and then find somewhere to stay near by, then pack out the rest of your trip from that spot. We have put together 12 amazing ideas for UK staycations based around these two ways of planning your UK staycation this year.
Best Places for a UK staycation
There are hidden gems across the whole of the UK, so planning a UK staycation is pretty exciting. In this post we are exploring the best places in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. If you know you are only going to explore England, then check out our post dedicated to staycations in England. I think you will be genuinely amazed at what there is to do. If you want adventure with a surprising splash of colourful culture you will love the amazing staycations you can find in Wales. For those of you that want to go on a wild adventure and discover things you quite simple didn’t know you could do in Scotland you will love our 12 Scotland staycation ideas.
There are 10 beautiful national parks across the UK, endless stunning coastline, some of the most innovative accommodation options in the world and oh so many cool and quirky quintessential activities to enjoy.
To help you picture where in the UK the best staycations are we have pinned them all on a map for you. This should help give you an idea of what’s closest to you and also which areas are best for certain types of UK staycations. For staycations that involve moving around a bit we have pinned the starting point.
MAP for best places COMING SOON
1. Zorbing in Wales
Jump in a giant wet ball and throw yourself down a hill! Zorbing is a crazy amount of fun and if it’s the kind of thing you like you will love all the other crazy cool adrenaline activities in Wales. There is also a crazy cool underground trampolining experience and world’s fastest zipline at velocity.
Wales is the perfect place to explore for an adventurous UK staycation. If you love the ocean you can do everything from surf to night paddle boarding to cliff jumping. You either make a road trip of all the adventurous activities you want to do or hire a cottage as a base and take loads of epic day trips. Wales is just full of unique, nature and challenge based adventure staycations.
2. Explore Isle of Skye
The Isle of skye is one of the most magical places to explore in the UK. The striking ruggard stacks, rolling green mountainous hills strewn with lochs are stunning and ignite a sense of magic and mystery. The endless stunning hikes and beautiful fishing villages to stop in and explore. Some of the most famous spots you don’t want to miss are Old Man of Storr, Fairy Glen, Quiraing, Cuillin Ridge and Lorgill Clearance village. This beautiful part of Scotland makes for a great UK staycation, whether you do it as a road trip or rent an eco pod, this gem will make for a very memorable holiday.
3. Surfing in Cornwall
The surf in the UK really picks up in the summer, as does the surf culture. Cornwall is England’s surf capital and is a dreamy place to hang out, enjoy great beaches and actually learn to surf, it’s not the only place to enjoy surf in the UK. Generally the Southwest coast of England, a lot of Wales and the East Yorkshire coast (places such as Scarbourgh and Whitby) all have a pretty lively surf scene to get involved in. Even if you have never suffered before it can be a great experience to learn something new, staying by the ocean, surrounded by people that have a passion for what you’re learning. A lot the coastal surf areas tend to have great campsites, so it can also make for a great fun budget option for a UK staycation.
4. Off grid eco pod with hot tub – star gazing
There’s something wild and wonderful about going off grid. As ecotourism really takes off in the UK we are seeing more and more innovative and exciting staycation options for staying off grid. One of our favourites is Broomhills farm eco pod. Not only is it eco friendly and off grid, it has a wood burn hot tub. Not a lot beats relaxing in a hot tub, breathing in fresh air and gazing at the stars. Off grid holiday naturally lend themselves to unplugging, reconnecting with nature and reconnecting with your loved ones. Naturally they are always based in beautiful parks of the UK with great hiking, biking, climbing and wild swimming spots near by. If you want a wild invigorating UK staycation, go on an eco adventure and get off grid.
5. Go Ape
Go Ape is crazy amounts of fun for everyone! Go Ape gets you up in the trees, enjoying treetop assault course, zip lines and swings. It is worth visiting a few of them as each Go Ape across the country has something that makes it special. Some are famous for giant drop swings and other super long zip lines and challenging obstacles. The thing they all have in common is that they are a lot fun and always set in the most beautiful parts of nature. GO APE LIST. They make for a great UK staycation as they are often situated in woodlands that also have beautiful woodland accommodation such as cosy cabins and eco pods.
6. The Giants Causeway
The Giant’s causeway is crazy cool; 40,000 interlocking basalt columns caused by an ancient volcanic eruption. Though a beautiful place to visit in itself, there is so much more to the area. The Giants Causeway is in Antrim with miles of rugged coast, lush green hills and great Irish pubs, it is an amazing place to enjoy a staycation. If you love hiking, there are many beautiful coastal routes, one of which can include swinging by the famous Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. First erected by salmon fishermen in 1755, this beautiful rope bridge is not for the faint hearted. If you’re feeling brave though, it is a super fun thing to go check out.
This kind of UK staycation is perfect if you love long walks and great pubs. When we were there (evidently a while ago when you look at the photo!) we wandered into a local pup to be drawn into a feel good Irish singsong with locals. The Irish really know how to have a good time.
7. Scotland road trip north coast
A road trip has to be the best way to explore and enjoy Scotland. The really exciting thing is that the Scottish tourism board has come up with lots of new exciting routes to help you explore the lesser known parts of this beautiful country. We have pulled together all the most epic road trips in Scotland for you that include a mix up of the new tourism board ones, our own adventures and some clever little highlight roundup routes. For very good reason, the North coast 500 road trip has become the most popular in Scotland and takes you to some amazing places. You wont believe the perfect beaches on this route! You can even zipline across one of them.
8. Chasing waterfalls
The UK is full of beautiful waterfalls, some are epic to look at, some to climb and some to swim in. A road trip round up of the best waterfalls would make an awesome UK staycation. Depending on how long you’ve got you could choose just one country to see the best waterfalls. If you love superlatives you could visit the tallest in each country such as England’s Cautley Spout, Scotland’s Eas a’ Chual Aluinn and the stunning Pistyll Rhaeadr in Wales.
If you love wild swimming there are endless choices all over the UK, but some of the best are at Lady Falls, Thornton Falls, Rivelin Valley Falls and Fair Pools. Chasing waterfalls is a fun, invigorating and exciting focus for a summer staycation in the UK.
9. Picture perfect white beaches
So often we jet off all over the world for perfect beaches. But, and this is a big but, when the weather is good, some of the UK’s beaches are stunning, genuinely picture perfect. In summer there is a pretty good chance at getting a UK beach in all its glory. Though beaches in Cornwall are truly glorious, they come with a high price tag in the summer holidays. Our favourite hidden gem in all of the UK is Achmelvich beach up in Scotland. Picture perfect sands, crystal clear waters and surrounded by mountainous coast, quite surreal really. When that good weather picks up for a few months in Scotland, this beach genuinely looks tropical. There are places to camp or glamp in the area too, perfect little UK staycation if you fancy a white beach, lots of hikes and a bit of haggis.
10. Portmeirion a colourful Italian village in Wales
Stepping into Portmeirion makes you feel as though you have wandered into a colourful Italian village. From the colourful buildings to the sandy estuary and scoops of gelato, every detail is beautiful. There is even a quaint little wooden train that takes you up round the gardens on a loop. If you want to make Portmeirion into an exciting little Uk staycation you will be excited to hear you can actually stay in the village; you can wake up and step out into this colourful dreamy and unique village. There is a 4 star hotel overlooking the mountains of Meirionnydd as well as self catered little dwellings within the village. We have written about everything you need to know to stay in Portmeirion (COMING SOON)
11. Bushcraft and wild camping holiday
This would be the ultimate UK staycation for the adventurer and survivor in you. Start by taking a bushcraft and survival course then set out to put your new skills to the test. I feel the need to put in a very British disclosure about only taking measured risk and not being daft. That said, wild camping is a super fun way to really immerse yourself in nature and just for fun see how you do when you unplug from all things technology and rely on your own survival skills. There are great survival courses all over the UK, Dryad Bushcraft in Wales is one of our favourites. We learned so much with them and they do everything from 1 day to 1 week courses.
12. Luxury spa holiday
You will be excited to know that the UK has some of the most exquisite spa experiences set in some of the world’s most beautiful settings. London has some magical and serene underground Spas, St.Pancras may well be the best though. If you are looking to unwind there are aqua spas all over the country that make for great weekends away. Many high end hotels in England offer spa treatment, many with both indoor and outdoor facilities. Some are focused on well being in particular and you could book yourself into a few treatments to help relax and reset your body from tip to toe.
13. Yorkshire Walking Holiday
Hiking in Yorkshire is massively underrated. The great thing about this is it means when so much of the UK gets overcrowded during peak seasons, you can still enjoy a UK staycation away from the crowds. From coastal routes to national parks that include epic caves you wont believe, to completing the yorkshire 3 peaks, you are spoilt for beautiful and literally breathtaking walks. Yorkshire is also full of beautiful lodgings, everything from camping to glamping to pub stays to hotels. A walking holiday in Yorkshire is a gem of a UK staycation most don’t think about.
14. Romantic hot tub getaway
If you are looking for a super romantic getaway, it doesn’t get much better than a little cosy Scottish cabin with a hot tub. Excitingly, over the past few years more and more log cabins and eco pods have started building hot tubs into the experience, making them more affordable. A hot tub getaway is a perfect all year round UK staycation as whatever the weather, it is always nice to be in a hot tub. We have picked put some of the most romantic hot tub getaways in Scotland. A few are on the classic booking sites, but more of the chacterful ones tend to be on sites like Airbnb and Vrbo now.
15. Glamping in the Highlands
Have you ever glamped? If not, it is time! Glamping is the kind of holiday that is more relaxing, reviving, beautiful and straightforward then you will ever expect. It has the feel of adventure, you are surrounded by nature, it is eco friendly and often wonderfully quirky and full of character. Scotland has some of some super fun and very unique glamping spots. Everything from colourful shepherds huts to little stargazing pods, you will love the little hidden gems we have found for you. All the unique glamping spots we have picked out for you are set in the most spectacular parts of the highlands, perfect UK staycation for you if you really want to feel like you’re escaping to somewhere beautiful.
16. Adventure getaway in Loch Lomond National Park
Loch Lomond National Park is a beautiful national park in Scotland with more to do than you would imagine. We have put together all the best walks and activities in Loch Lomond for you. We even included a map so you work out where the best walks are so you can easily book somewhere to stay that best suits you. This beautiful part of the world is surprisingly easy to get to for how remote it feels once you start exploring. Loch Lomond has it all for the type of traveller that wants to experience and learn about wildlife, whilst also keeping super active hiking, biking and swimming. If you are looking for an adventurous UK staycation over summer, definitely look into this national park a bit more.
17. Stay on a farm
Staying on a farm is such a fun experience and makes a UK staycation with a twist. There are many farms that simply have cottages and you can be on the farm but not overly involved. There are also farms that intentionally have a great set up to encourage you to be part of farm life whilst you are staying. One of my absolute favourite places if you want to learn more about farm life that is run with sustainability at the heart of it is Love Land farm. It has become so much more then a farm, with its innovative eco friendly accommodation, it is becoming a well established eco retreat.
18. Live it up like a King and Queen
People travel from all around the world to visit castles across the UK. The UK has such a rich heritage and if you already live here it makes for the perfect idea for a UK staycation this year. There are castle all over the UK where you can actually stay in them and live it up like a King or Queen of old. The rooms are rich in character and you can often dine in banquet halls. You can stay in a castle turret in room in both Lumley castle and Langley castle. There is something truly magical about this. Depending on your budget, a great idea for a magical UK staycation could be to book a couple of nights in one of the turret rooms and then enjoy the rest of your week in a more affordable but still amazing courtyard room. The castle grounds are wonderful and they often have great events and activities for you to join in with during your stay. There are so many ways to enjoy the rich heritage of the UK.
How to make your UK staycation more eco friendly?
A staycation in the UK can naturally lend itself towards being very eco friendly, but there are some things you really need to be mindful of. If you are learning how to make your holidays in the UK more sustainable, you will love these staycation eco friendly tips. There is a good chance you may already be doing some of them and some are surprisingly small changes you can make for how big of a difference they can make collectively.
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