Budget
Being on a budget doesn’t mean you have to scrimp and save on fun. We’ve plenty of ideas for cheap weekend breaks to take the pressure off your purse. With such rich landscapes you won’t need to spend much at all, just grab your bike or pull on your hiking boots and explore the countryside before tucking into a picnic hamper in front of a panoramic view that inspired Brontë or Turner. Next, soak up the works of those creative masterminds in any number of free museums and art galleries on cheap holidays in UK cities too. And nothing helps you get under the skin of a place like a free guided tour from a local Greeter.
Visit the Diamond Isle
Enjoy a 10 min trip on the Needles Park Chairlift and go dinosaur hunting.
Location: Isle of Wight
Pier to Pier in Bournemouth
Got a spare hour or two in Bournemouth? Then take a stroll between the two piers.
Location: Bournemouth, Dorset
Explore Dungeness
Dungeness attracts both visionary artists and nature lovers.
Location: Dungeness, Kent
Catch some waves at Woolacombe Beach
North Devon has some of the county’s most popular family beaches, including award-winning Woolacombe.
Location: Woolacombe, Devon
Cycle alongside the Exe Estuary
Jump on a bike to explore the beautiful Exe Estuary, taking in the lovely scenery, villages and landscapes along a 26 mile-long route.
Location: Exeter, Devon
Go walking with dinosaurs
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk alongside the dinosaurs that once roamed the earth? Well now you can…
Location: Sandown, Isle of Wight
July events: Open Studios Isle of Wight
It’s a rare opportunity to be invited into an artist’s creative space, but in the Isle of Wight, they’re happy to fling open their doors every July for you to come and take a look.
Location: Newport, Isle of Wight
Discover dinosaur footprints on the beach
Everyone who has been to the beach has seen footprints left in the sand, but have you ever seen ones that have been left by a dinosaur?
Location: Brook, Isle of Wight
Build sandcastles at Bamburgh Beach
Do you know your cockles from your winkles? St. Aidan and Grace Darling certainly did. And what better place to learn than on Bamburgh Beach.
Location: Bamburgh, Northumberland
Picnic in Blackpool’s largest park
Stanley Park, in the heart of Blackpool, is renowned for being one of the region's finest parks.
Location: Blackpool, Lancashire
Make a splash at Sandhaven Beach
Sandcastles, surf and smiles await in the fantastic seaside town of South Shields!
Location: South Shields, South Tyneside
Get on your bike with the epic Viking Coastal Trail
Enjoy spectacular chalk cliffs, sandy shores and quiet country villages on unforgettable, pedal-powered discoveries.
Location: Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate, Kent
Discover Maggi Hambling’s The Scallop
The Scallop, this iconic image of the Suffolk Coast arrived on Aldeburgh beach in 2003, courtesy of local artist, Maggi Hambling.
Location: Aldeburgh, Suffolk
Enjoy beach sports on Brighton beach
Brighton beach is famously full of pebbles, but at Yellowave there is plenty of sand making it the place to go for all kinds of beach sports.
Location: Brighton & Hove, East Sussex
Enjoy a classic holiday by the seaside
When the sun shines there is only one place to be – beside the sea.
Location: Brighton & Hove, East Sussex
July events: Sunderland International Airshow
Pack a picnic, head to the beach and lie back for dazzling aerial acrobatics, classic aircraft, live music, fireworks and traditional seaside fun.
Location: Sunderland, Tyne and Wear
Picnic within the walls of Portchester Castle
Surround yourself with thousands of years of history as you enjoy a picnic in the grounds of Portchester Castle.
Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire
Sit back with a picnic and enjoy the view
Rest your feet and enjoy your picnic whilst overlooking the beautiful scenery of the North Yorkshire coast.
Location: Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Majestic views at a Corfe Castle picnic
Enjoy breathtaking views at the majestic ruins of Corfe Castle in the perfect idyllic picnic spot.
Location: Corfe, Dorset
Explore the West Bay coastline as seen on TV’s Broadchurch
Soak up the picture-perfect setting used in the TV series Broadchurch as you explore West Bay on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast.
Location: West Bay, Dorset
Take a dip in Bude Sea Pool
Take the whole family to this part man-made, part natural sea pool which nestles under the cliffs at Summerleaze beach in Bude.
Location: Bude, Cornwall
