Try something different in 2023: unusual holiday ideas

By Simon Heptinstall 

Published: Friday, 30 December 2022 at 12:00 am

If you fancy a holiday to remember in 2023, why not break your usual holiday habits by trying something different? The UK is home to hundreds of exciting and unusual places that offer a sense of adventure and an experience you won’t forget.

From staying on a farm to learning a new skill or a a multi-day hiking adventure, here is our guide to Britain’s most unique holiday ideas with options for couples, families and solo travellers alike.

Unusual British holiday ideas

Try a rail adventure

Hop on a sleeper to Fort William, experience Brunel’s Great Western line along the South Devon coast or cross the Pennines on the Settle to Carlisle route. The UK is full of great rail adventures.

UK’s most scenic public transport routes

Leave the car at home and let Britain’s public transport system take the strain. From trundling through the Trossachs on a bus or hopping on and off a train in the New Forest, the scenery is worth the journey.

See our guide to the best public transport routes in the UK

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Plan a rail holiday yourself or let an expert tour operator arrange everything, whether it’s five days exploring the valleys of mid Wales by rail with accommodation, half board, transport and guides, or two weeks discovering the Emerald Isla. For a selection of some of the best UK rail holidays, try www.greatrail.com

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Take the spectacular Settle to Carlisle route via the Ribblehead viaduct (built 1874) in North Yorkshire. The viaduct is 400m long and 24 massive columns carry it 32m above the moor below. Getty Images

Try your hand at whittling, woodcraft or conservation

The National Trust offers hundreds of working holidays every year, ranging from building hedges and clearing canal banks to pruning and weeding vegetables in a stately home’s walled garden. It’s not luxurious but it’s great fun, and you’ll be helping a charity, learning traditional skills and mixing with a team of like-minded workers.

Why not try your hand at some traditional woodland crafts, such as whittling and charcoal-making and return home with a new skill? nationaltrust.org.uk/working-holidays

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Learn to whittle wood and other traditional woodland crafts with the National Trust. Getty Images

Tackle The Dorset Doddle

The 32-mile hike from Weymouth to Swanage along the South West Coast Path is anything but a doddle. In fact, you’ll need to feel rather energetic and allow at least two or three days to complete it. But the reward for a total of 3,000m of ascent and descent is some of the UK’s finest coastal scenery, including Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door and Man O’ War Cove.

Best walks in Dorset

One of England’s most-loved counties, Dorset’s coastal cliffs, bird-rich moorland and marsh and vast pebble beaches are a hiker’s dream.

Here’s our guide to some of the county’s best walks

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It’s part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site with spectacular rock formations around every corner – but lots of ups and downs, too. southwestcoastpath.org.uk

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Walk the spectacular Dorset coast and catch a colourful sunset over Durdle Door. Don’t forget to look for fossils along the way. Getty Images

Go castle counting in north-east Scotland

With a total of more than 300 forts and stately homes, there are more castles per acre in Aberdeenshire than anywhere else in the UK. A dedicated ‘Castle Trail’ lets you discover 18 of the most dramatic sites in a self-drive, four-day itinerary. The drives are punctuated with sightseeing walks through gardens and countryside.

The highlights include the tough stone 17th-century Cairngorm fortress at Braemar, the elegant loch-side baronial palace at Fyvie and spotting puffins and dolphins from the spectacular cliff-top stronghold of Dunnottar. 

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Dunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north east coast of Scotland, about two miles (3 km) south of Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been an early fortress of the Dark Ages. Getty Images

Guide to Britain’s castles: history and best to visit

From the ravens of the Tower of London, to remote medieval ruins, Britain’s sprawling castles retain a sense of heritage in our cities and countryside – our guide to Britain’s best castles. 

Read more

 

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Stay in a historic room at Oxford College

Many of Oxford University’s colleges offer B&B in their rooms when students are away. The best of these can be in medieval buildings overlooking ancient quads or alongside Oxford’s water meadows and riverside walks. Don’t worry about dirty socks and posters of Black Sabbath, the rooms are completely cleared of student detritus before guests arrive. Note that beds are typically singles but cheap enough for a couple to take adjoining ensuite rooms each, and are always in close proximity to the college gardens. Don’t miss the highlight of breakfast in the Hogwarts-style grandeur of the college’s dining hall. visitoxfordandoxfordshire.com

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The Radcliffe Camera, one of the ‘golden spires’ of Oxford was built 1737-1749 in the Palladian style. (Getty Images) JRR Tolkien used it as inspiration for Sauron’s temple in his Lord of the Rings prequel The Silmarilien

Cycle through Constable Country

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Willy Lot’s House Cottage, Flatford Mill, Suffolk, England. An ancient farmhouse made famous by a painting by artist John Constable. (Getty Images)

The leafy River Stour villages along the Essex/Suffolk border were once immortalised by Constable’s brushstrokes. You can potter around this gentle rural landscape trying to spot the locations he painted. These flat, quiet lanes are perfect for rediscovering cycling. If you’re uncertain, a holiday of circular rides gives you the choice of pedalling as much, or as little, as you like. Packages include route notes and two nights’ bed and breakfast at a four-star hotel with spa and leisure facilities. www.cyclebreaks.com

Go Scottish island hopping

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The tropical white sands of the Isle of Berneray (Bearnaraidh) a small island located in the sound of Harris at the nothern tip of North Uist. (Getty Images)

Step aboard a converted traditional wooden fishing boat for a luxury small-ship tour of the Western Isles. It’s a chance to spot wildlife – including whales and dolphins – learn some history and roam true wilderness areas with a small group of like-minded passengers. You can spend six nights exploring the coast of Skye and the islands of the Inner Hebrides, or choose from a range of different 10 night trips. www.themajesticline.co.uk

Practise painting seascapes

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The Tate Gallery at St Ives Getty Images

Where better to learn to paint seascapes than at the St Ives School of Painting? Not far from the Tate Gallery in this Cornish artists’ haven, you’ll spend four days trying to capture the beauty of the sea and the shore. ‘Landscape Painting with Natural Pigments’ is just one of a long list of art courses for everyone from beginners upwards. Note that the fee includes all materials but not accommodation. schoolofpainting.co.uk

Stay on Prince Charles’ farm

King Charles and Camilla often escape the pomp of their royal duties to their little-known home among beautiful rolling hills near Llandovery, Carmarthenshire. Surprisingly, half of their Llwynywermod Farm holiday retreat is available to rent to ordinary commoners when the heir to the throne isn’t there. These two adjoining cottages provide a fascinating glimpse of their lifestyles and a chance to share their tranquil rural retreat. There’s no throne room or dungeon but you’ll need to be vetted, negotiate tight security and ignore sentry boxes hidden in the trees. It’s worth the hassle to experience the immaculate cottages full of royal nick-nacks, Charles’s charming garden and the walks teeming with wildlife, including red kites.  www.duchyofcornwallholidaycottages.co.uk

Get snapping in the Brecon Beacons

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Professional landscape and wildlife photographer Steve Hedges’ inspiring three-day course is held amid the peaks, valleys and waterfalls of the Brecon Beacons National Park. So you’ll need to be energetic enough to walk around the hills all day. Steve’s small-group workshops help everyone from beginners to experts develop artistic and technical skills while exploring the Beacons countryside.  www.stevehedgesphotography.co.uk

Best wildlife photography courses in Britain

From snapping otters in the lochs of Argyll to capturing reed deer in their autumn rut, hone your photography skills with our guide to Britain’s best wildlife photography courses.

See our pick of the best wildlife photography courses

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Take a deep breath at a mindfulness retreat

Be guided through a sequence of calming and mindful yoga sessions within the historic walls of Monk Coniston, a romantic and charming national trust property. Set amongst the relaxing greenery of the Lake District, you’ll start your days off with mindfulness meditation sessions before attending a light lunch provided by the house. Then, take time to explore the local area or make the most of the house during the afternoon.

A to Z of mindfulness in nature

We look at the various ways that nature and the countryside can be used to help improve physical and mental wellbeing. 

Find nature-themed mindfulness ideas

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Enjoy a lamb-watching break

This is the perfect time to visit a farm and see newborn lambs skipping through the grass. There are hundreds of British sheep farms that provide accommodation, either as B&B rooms or in self-catering cottages, each with unique features to suit you: from hot tub lodges in Shropshire to unspoilt and secluded cottages in Powys. Visit: farmstay.co.uk/Accommodation/HolidayIdeas/lambwatch

Our guide to lambing, including when it takes place, what happens and where you can see it.

It’s miraculous. Amazing. Unforgettable. And yet it’s commonplace on British farms. Every year, 16 million ewes give birth in the UK.

These days, lambing takes place anytime between November and May – but the birth rate still peaks in spring.

Discover where to watch lambing

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Take a discovery tour in the Yorkshire Dales

Relax as an expert guide takes you to discover the sights of the Yorkshire Dales on a winter tour through historic castles and leading museums. You’ll travel by mini-coach surrounded by like-minded passengers, and stop in local pubs and cafes for lunch on touring days. And you’ll stay in a grand 19th century house in the rolling Yorkshire countryside.

Best walks in the Yorkshire Dales National Park

The valleys, moors, hills and caverns of the Yorkshire Dales are etched with miles and miles of rolling footpaths – explore this atmospheric limestone landscape with our guide to the national park’s best hiking trails.

Find walking routes in the Yorkshire Dales

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Immerse yourself in music

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Traditional and modern morris dancing during Sidmouth Folk Week in Devon.

From Sidmouth to Stornaway, there are scores of festivals featuring traditional British music in 2016. The Hebridean Celtic Festival on the Isle of Lewis is always memorable: expect vibrant Gaelic music displays and a mixture of local talent with household names. A weekend arena ticket covers entry to events across all venues from Thursday to Saturday. www.hebceltfest.com 

Explore an ancient island kingdom

 

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The lifeboat station in the harbour on Roa Island, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria circa 1989. The castle on nearby Piel Island can be seen in the background. (Photo by RDImages/Epics/Getty Images)

Piel Island is half a mile off the southwest tip of Cumbria. Its 50 acres contain an English Heritage castle, the 18th-century Ship Inn and a few old pilots’ cottages. The human population is just 10 but Piel is a haven for hundreds of seabirds that nest on the beach. Fishing and seal-spotting boat trips can be arranged, too. Piel was the starting point, 500 years ago, for Lambert Simnel’s ill-fated revolt against Henry VII. That story has since transformed into an unlikely tradition: the Ship Inn’s landlords are grandly crowned ‘King of Piel’ and have the power to bestow knighthoods to any visitor who sits in an ancient ceremonial ‘throne’ (and buys a round of drinks for all). The pub serves food packed with local produce and has ensuite rooms, a bunkhouse and campsite. www.pielisland.co.uk 

Take a wildlife holiday

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Isle of Mull, Scotland, UK

Unwind and immerse yourself in the natural world this year – from spotting otters to kayaking with puffins and catching a glimpse of a minke whale, here is our pick of the UK’s best wildlife watching holidays.