UK travel guide
As well as reading our UK travel guide, start your vacation planning in the UK by taking a trip to your favourite independent bookshop. Because so much UK literature has been inspired by journeys through the lakes of Cumbria, the snowy Scottish slopes of the Cairngorms, a love of the lochs, or the wilds of Darmoor. Robert Macfarlane brings our ancient tracks, drove roads and coastal paths to life in his exquisite book The Old Ways. Or shares his inner thoughts evoked by remote spots such as Bardsey Island, Wales, in ‘The Wild Places’. Alfred Wainwright walked the length and breadth of the UK for his prolific and historic collections of walking guides. And Roger Deakin, in the highly acclaimed ‘Waterlog’ swims his way around lakes and rivers for fully immersed tales of our waterscapes.
There are so many boundaries in life these days. Not when you walk the Wales Coast Path or across Scotland's high, low and islands. In these natural kingdoms, freedom reigns.
Such writing reawakens a pride of place in our homelands, dusting off out hiking boots and OS maps and realizing that there is so much of it we have still to discover.
Our UK Vacations
Vacation cottage in Snowdonia, Wales
Cottage on Lake Padarn with wonderful views of Snowdonia
From
£350 to £450
per cottage per week (sleeps 4-5)
Lake District hike on the Cumbria Way, England
Hiking vacation in England's Lake District
From
£675 to £981
10 days
ex flights
West Highland Line railway vacation in Scotland
Take the "The World's Best Rail Journey" to the Isle of Skye
From
£685 to £735
4 days
ex flights
Fowey accommodation in Cornwall, sleeps 2, England
Cottages looking down the valley towards Fowey and the sea
From
£125 to £145
per cottage per night
Pilgrims Way self guided walking tour, England
Discover Kent's history, its landscape and its people
From
£649
6 days
ex flights
Devon self catering cottage in England
Cosy self catering cottage with woodburner in rural Devon.
From
£205 to £590
per week (sleeps 4)
Sea kayaking vacation in Wales
Sea kayaking explorations Pembrokeshire National Park coast
From
£295
2 days
ex flights
Isle of Wight self catering accommodation, England
Quiet cottage on edge of Brighstone village, Isle of Wight
From
£395 to £845
per week (sleeps 2-4)
Devon eco lodge accommodation, England
Award winning lodges on a wildlife-rich Devon farm
From
£205 to £810
per accommodation per week
Orkney & Shetland self drive vacation, Scotland
Self-drive island-hopping through the Northern Isles
From
£785 to £845
7 days
ex flights
Hebrides cruise, The Sounds of Mull, Luing, Shuna and Jura
Cruise the Sounds of the Hebrides: Mull, Luing, Jura, Shuna
From
£480 to £1350
7 days
ex flights
Pembrokeshire group accommodation, Wales
Group bookings for up to 40 at an activity lodge, West Wales
From
£39 to £62
1 day
per person per night
Walking vacation in Kent, self guided walks
Discover hidden Kent, its people and their history.
From
£778
7 days
ex flights
Wildlife vacation in the Isle of Mull, Scotland
Spot whales, otters and eagles on Isle of Mull, Scotland
From
£640 to £660
5 days
ex flights
Scottish Hebridies photography vacation
Photography tour of stunning Islay & Jura, Scottish Hebrides
From
£1950
8 days
ex flights
Shakespeares Way & Thames Path walking vacation
Two fantastic traditional English walks.
From
£595 to £1180
8 days
ex flights
Dartmoor and Exmoor walking vacation, England
Self guided walking between the Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks.
From
£269 to £639
3 days
ex flights
Family adventure vacation in Wales
Discovery, fun, exploration adventures Pembrokeshire coast
From
£545
6 days
ex flights
Lands End To John O'Groats biking trip
Britain's classic cycling challenge
From
£1945
16 days
ex flights
Scotland West Coast cruise, Skye and the Small Isles
Scottish Vacation to Skye and the Small Isles | Cruise
From
£1755 to £1930
7 days
ex flights
Northern Ireland walking vacation
Self guided walking tour of the Causeway Coastal Way.
From
£399
6 days
ex flights
Tesla self drive vacation in Scotland
Drive a Tesla through the highlands to castle lodgings.
From
£1385 to £1450
5 days
ex flights
Abergavenny bed & breakfast accommodation Wales
Abergavenny - History, Heritage, Food, Walking and Cycling
From
£65 to £75
per accommodation per night (sleeps 2)
Thames Path walking vacation, England
Self-guided walk along the River Thames, England
From
£545 to £765
6 days
ex flights
Family cruise vacation in Scotland
Short Break, Family Cruise Exploring the West of Scotland
From
£6010 to £7285
4 days
ex flights
Skye, Shiant & the Summer Isles cruise, Scotland
A cruise to visit Scotland’s most remote destinations.
From
£2250
11 days
ex flights
South Argyll cruise in Scotland, history and nature
Historic Villages & Gardens of South Argyll Scottish Cruise
From
£1685 to £1855
7 days
ex flights
Painting vacation cruise in Scotland
Staffa, Iona, Tobermory & Ross of Mull. Art tutor available.
From
£1350
7 days
ex flights
St Kilda, Outer Hebrides Cruise, Scotland
Cruise to St Kilda, Monachs, Outer Hebrides and Small Isles
From
£1760 to £2475
12 days
ex flights
The UK is...
so much more than a weekend break, but a plethora of parks and protected spaces. Islands and eye openers.
The UK isn't...
all populated. Go wild in Wales, seek out solitary Scotland or the elusive bits of England. And sail around Northern Ireland’s cliffs and coves.
Our top UK Vacation
Isle of Wight self catering accommodation, England
Quiet cottage on edge of Brighstone village, Isle of Wight
From
£395 to £845
per week (sleeps 2-4)
Accommodation
Helpdesk
Hello. If you'd like to chat about UK or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help. Rosy & team.
UK map & highlights
To look at the UK with a new perspective, it helps to look back in time. To the old ways. Literally. The Victorians created the Caledonian Canal to link up the lochs so that they didn’t have to sail around the treacherous tip. It is now one of the country’s greatest places to vacation. Sail Scotland’s remote islands on a traditional wooden fishing boat to experience marine perfection. Walk the Pilgrims’ Way in Kent, where people have trodden since prehistoric times. Or paddle around Pembrokeshire to forget time altogether. So often tourism in the UK is about castles and cottages, camping and city breaks. Here are just a few of our favourites that touch on all of these too, but throw a few more secrets ingredients into the mix.
1. Cairngorms National Park
2. Cotswolds
3. Devon
4. Edinburgh
5. Pembrokeshire
6. Pilgrims Way
7. Railway vacations, Scotland
8. Scottish lochs
9. Snowdonia
10. South Downs
2. Cotswolds
3. Devon
4. Edinburgh
5. Pembrokeshire
6. Pilgrims Way
7. Railway vacations, Scotland
8. Scottish lochs
9. Snowdonia
10. South Downs
Cairngorms National Park
1. Cairngorms National Park
Winter walking here is a revelation, where you discover a whole community of Cairngormers who cottoned on to this winter wonderland eons ago. Aviemore is the hub with its ski centre but the Cairngorms National Park has one of UK’s best outdoor scenes, with hiking, canoeing, climbing, white water rafting and gorge walking on offer. A must is the funicular train that takes and your bike up, and then cycle back down.
Cotswolds
2. Cotswolds
As well as its chi-chi, celebrity driven ‘we’ve got a weekend place in the Cotswolds’, dahhling’, this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) has an unrivalled network of walking trails. It’s jigsaw pic perfection; piece together the cobbled streets in ancient villages, cross stone bridges, sup and stay at idyllic inns. Walk the Cotswold Way National Trail, cycle from cottage to cottage, or do the castle thing.
Devon
3. Devon
Some would call it England’s crème de la crème given its most famous local product in omnipresent cream tea outlets. It’s certainly one of UK’s most eclectic counties, landscape wise: wildness of Dartmoor, idyllic inlets, surfing strands and wooded cycle paths of the North Devon, and the coves and cliffwalks of the Jurassic Coast. And its fecund food scene is so much more than cider or scones.
Edinburgh
4. Edinburgh
You don’t get many cooler capitals. Small enough to walk everywhere, but with a hefty heritage, the castle towering over the city reminds you that history of independence is never far from Scottish hearts and minds. With a superb international arts festival, top restaurants, whisky filled bars, vibrant gay and student scene, and a beach just out of town, Edinburgh – we toast you with the traditional ‘Slainte’.
Pembrokeshire
5. Pembrokeshire
With one of the most exquisite long distance coastal walking paths in the UK, Pembrokeshire proffers headland after headland of hedonistic hiking, where having a swimsuit in your backpack is a must. Because Pembrokeshire is cove-alicious. A national park, it is also a sea kayaking hot spot. Sheltered bays, caves and sea arches, as well as deserted islands such as Skomer, make for paddling paradise.
Pilgrims Way
6. Pilgrims Way
The south of England’s rolling hills are made for rambling and this trail, so named after pilgrims who followed it from Winchester in to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent, has supported the feet of people since pre-historic times. Set in a natural causeway, mostly in the North and Kent Downs, this 200km trail takes you through open chalk hills, Turneresque meadows and picture perfect pubs.
Railway vacations, Scotland
7. Railway vacations, Scotland
Some of the UK’s most scenic railway lines are in Scotland and there are wonderful tailor made vacations that make the most of them. Such as the West Highland line from Glasgow to Fortwilliam across the wilds of Rannoch Moor and Glencoe. From here to the coast at Mallaig by Jacobite steam train, chugging all the way to Isle of Skye ferry. Or the Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness train, 130km of Gaelic gorgeousness.
Scottish lochs
8. Scottish lochs
Don’t let the Loch Ness Monster upstage all. Time to move on and also celebrate the other vast waterscapes that aren’t packed with tourists going mad over a myth. Navigate them by taking a small boat cruise up the Caledonian Canal that links loch to loch. With, confusingly, locks. An aquatic artery running through the glens from Corpach in the west to Inverness in the east, with Ness en route of course.
Snowdonia
9. Snowdonia
Wales’ wildest place, with the pater of peaks, Snowdon (1,085m) at its core. Protected all around by the national park, don’t just come here to summit and leave. Treat it with the outdoors love it deserves. Combine hiking with river gorging en route. Go cycling then swap saddle for paddle as you discover Snowdonia from water level. Wild swimming fans can head to the coast, or the shores of Lake Bala.
South Downs
10. South Downs
Close to our hearts, as our office is on its doorstep, the South Downs National Park is the breathing space of burgeoning SE England. Just an hour from London, this undulating, chalky landscape is a magnet for hikers, bikers and families wanting to escape. Hike all or part of the South Downs Way (161km), check out Transition Town of Lewes, and don’t miss our beloved Sussex Heritage Coast.
More about UK
Pick a point on the map and pack for all seasons as temperature & rainfall in the UK can twist in a twinkling. The S Downs in England, Highlands in Scotland and Snowdonia in Wales will all receive a different weather forecast throughout the year so read about things to do in the UK and our UK travel advice section before making your mind up on the best time to visit.
Why book with Responsible Travel
Photo credits: [Page banner: Mikadun] [Is/Isnt: Michel Curi]
[Map intro: David Evans]
[Cairngorms National Park: Aryeh Alex]
[Cotswolds: Diliff]
[Edinburgh: Herbert Frank]
[Pembrokeshire: Phil Dolby]
[Pilgrim's way: Hywel Williams]
[Devon: sagesolar]
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