I know that the geographical and political definitions of Britain can be complicated. There are a lot of good YouTube videos describing the various combinations of regions and countries if you are interested. To avoid confusion, on this page I am including places within the British Isles so therefore: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey.
With a coastline measuring over 11,000 miles* whether it's a day trip, a weekend away or a longer trip you are planning there is a lot of choice when it comes to holidays by the sea in Britain.
*this is the figure given by the Ordnance Survey. There are many different answers to 'how long is the coast' varying hugely because of all the bumpy, wiggly bits and islands.
Britain also has many large rural areas which are perfect for leisurely holidays and stunning cities ready to be explored.
If food is one of your favourite things to enjoy on a holiday there is a blog I wrote previously about a few tastes of Britain. Maybe winter breaks are your thing, if you've not visited a Christmas market before there is a blog about what to expect here. They are held in many cities throughout England through the month of November and are a great experience.
I will keep adding to this list and of course there are many, many other places in Britain to explore and enjoy. It is a very green and pleasant land.
1. South East Cornwall
The South West peninsular has long been a popular place with holiday makers. The M4 and M5 are often packed with travellers heading for the beautiful beaches, pretty little villages and peace of the foot of England. Do remember though that the motorway stops at Exeter and becomes the much slower Devon Expressway.
One area of Cornwall that is often overlooked is a peninsular in the very East of the county,
Rame Head. This area is right on the Devon/Corwall border and in fact at one point in history the dividing line between the two counties was the stream that runs through the centre of the very pretty villages of Kingsand and Cawsand. Not only is the area close enough to the city of Plymouth to allow for some cosmopolitan delights on your holiday but it's also in the centre of a rural idyll and has mile upon mile of white sandy beaches. A word of warning though that although much of the area is accessible including much of
Mount Edgecumbe House and gardens, the climb down to the beach at Whitsand is not for the faint hearted.
2. Exmoor
Sprawled across the Devon/Somerset border this area of England has lots of rugged countryside, tiny lanes, lovely villages and stunning coastline. It's a great area for walking and there are large areas of remote moorland with a huge variety of wildlife.
Dunkery Beacon is the highest point on Exmoor (and in Somerset) and has incredible views. Nearby Porlock Hill has a 25% gradient making it the steepest gradient on a UK A road. There are many fantastic stories from this area of the country but not many beat the lifeboat launch of 1899 where a ten-tonne boat was moved over land and up the notorious Porlock Hill on a 13 mile journey.
3. Bristol
A beautiful and interesting city in the South West of England. I've written before about the harbour area, you can find that blog here.
4. North Wales
Land of legends, mountains and castles. Snowdonia National Park covers 2,132 km² including both the highest mountain and largest natural lake in Wales. It is a stunning area and very good walking country from gentle strolls to proper challenges. Mount Snowdon (or Yr Wyddfa) is the highest point in Wales and has a number of different routes of varying difficulty and a train that runs to the cafe on the summit; making it possibly one of the most accessible, challenging mountains there is. There are a lot of fascinating castles and other historical sites to visit in the area, beautiful beaches and lovely villages and towns. I wrote a blog about a trip to Snowdonia which does focus mainly on holidaying away from the boat but does also have quite a few pictures.
5. Devon
The pretty little village of
Lydford on North Dartmoor has a fascinating history. It has a Norman fort, links to Vikings, a medieval prison (known as Lydford castle) and a church full of wooden carvings. Although it is now a tiny place it held an important role in British history. In 1086 'it collected as much tax as London' and at one point had its own mint (thank you to
The history of Lydford website which has a lot more information about the village).
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| Lydford castle |
Not far from Lydford, is open moor. Dartmoor is one of the wildest places in Britain and has areas which are as far away from roads as it is possible to get in this country. You can sometimes walk for hours and not see another person. The dog and I followed this old railway track that was built for transporting granite up to a point that we could see for miles over the moorland.
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| Open moorland and track |
Torquay. This part of Devon is known as the English Riviera because of its sandy beaches and mild climate. You can see palm trees growing along the water front. The town grew from the hamlet of Torre with its important monastery which was founded in 1196 and is still standing today. Torquay became a popular Victorian seaside resort and has many grand buildings to show its history from the time it was known as the Queen of watering holes. It's a lovely place to promenade along the seafront.
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