UK Staycations 2026

UK Staycations

The UK offers something for every type of traveller. There are gourmet breaks for foodies, an abundance of ancient sites for history buffs, white-sand beaches and blustery coastal strolls for a seaside escape, and enough hiking trails for even the most avid walker. Make 2026 the year of your Staycation. In partnership with The Coaching Inn Group, we've hunted out the best history and heritage sites, the top outdoors things to do, and the insider tips for each region of the UK. Plus, The Coaching Inn Group are giving away five mini breaks so you can embark on a UK adventure and experience one of their cosy characterful properties for yourself. Choose from 42 inns in super rural spots across England and Wales. Click on the Win a Stay tab to enter.

Don't Miss While there is plenty of scenery and many historic buildings in the north, another reason to visit is the lively selection of cities. Take in Bradford's industrial heritage and top-notch curry scene, the stadiums of Manchester, and Liverpool's vibrant music scene. Comfort food wins out over fine dining: must-trys include breakfast with black pudding, a roast topped with a Yorkshire pudding, and a classic Lancashire hotpot. There's an abundance of museums and galleries for those inevitable rainy afternoons. Top picks are the Maritime Museum and The Beatles Story around Liverpool's Albert Dock; York's National Railway Museum where you can enjoy afternoon tea in a converted train carriage; or step back in time at the Beamish Museum in County Durham.

The travel enthusiast's guide to

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Yorkshire pudding

The Shakespeare Express

North

Midlands

Southeast

Southwest

Liverpool's Albert Dock

Melton Mowbray pork pie

Win a stay

York

Cornwall

Seaham

Robin Hood's Bay

The Peak District

Caribbean Coast

Green iguana

The Great Outdoors Walkers will be in for a treat: the north is home to four exceptional national parks. Traverse the drystone walls and waterfalls of the Yorkshire Dales, or star-gaze amid the tranquillity of Northumberland, the remotest of all England's national parks. Embark on a Heathcliff-inspired hike over the heather-strewn North York Moors, or explore England's highest mountains and deepest lakes in the Lake District.  The north is also home to sandy beaches and a Jurassic-era coastline, where you can reward your rambling efforts by snaffling some of the UK's finest fish and chips at Robin Hood's Bay. Discover lush landscapes, a plethora of pretty cobbled villages, and a warm welcome at a cosy pub while resting your muddy boots.

Don't Miss The Shakespeare Express combines the best of history and heritage with the great outdoors. Catch the vintage steam train from Birmingham to Stratford-upon-Avon, journeying through Warwickshire's countryside. Do it in style aboard an original Pullman car, complete with dining. If it's modern motoring you're into, a trip to Silverstone is a must. Known as the Home of British Motorsport, the circuit hosted the very first Formula One World Championship race in 1950. Catch the 2026 British Grand Prix from 2–5 July. The Midlands also has an incredible food scene, from British classics like the Melton Mowbray pork pie to the famous Birmingham Balti. Birmingham also has an impressive Michelin scene, with 25 restaurants currently listed.

One of the Midlands' greatest gems is without a doubt, the Peak District. The national park is famous for its rugged limestone landscapes and traffic-free trails. Many follow former railway lines and are popular with ramblers and cyclists. We recommend the Monsal Trail—an 8.5-mile route between Chee Dale and Bakewell. Pass through railway tunnels, see the iconic Headstone Viaduct, and stop for a well-deserved pint in Great Longstone. To the east, in Nottinghamshire, discover Sherwood Forest. These ancient woodlands are the legendary home of Robin Hood. Follow the Major Oak Trail to see the storied tree itself. Over in the West Midlands, you can hike up the Malvern Hills. The ancient rock ridgelines offer views stretching from the Cotswolds to the Black Mountains.

Don't Miss London gives you all the theatre, live music, great dining, and shopping you could possibly handle. But one of the best reasons to visit is the free entrance to world-class museums and galleries. The permanent collections of the National Gallery, the British Museum, Tate Modern, Science Museum, and Natural history Museum—and many more—are all free to visit. It would be remiss not to take a trip to the beach while in the region. Margate is our pick for its mix of traditional seaside attractions and arty, boho charm. For a culture-packed day trip, head to Oxford or Cambridge and explore the college quads and Medieval city centres.

The Great Outdoors The White Cliffs of Dover. Beachy Head. The Seven Sisters. Southeast England is inseparable in the public imagination from these towering chalk cliffs on the Kent and Sussex coast. The cliffs give way to long, often sandy beaches like Camber Sands (East Sussex), Margate Main Sands (Kent), and West Wittering Beach (West Sussex). Head to Essex's Mersey Island to add award-winning seafood to the mix of sun and sand. But away from the coast, the South Downs, Surrey Hills, High Weald, and New Forest offer a feast of rambling and cycling routes. And, as the Southeast is England's very own wine country, you can often finish your walk with a glass of something sparkling and local at one of the region's many historic pubs.

History & Heritage Mystic stone circles, charming stately homes, ancient castles, and towering cathedrals, Southwest England has it covered. Stonehenge in Wiltshire is a prehistoric landmark. Known for its Roman-built baths and elegant Georgian architecture, the entire city of Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tintagel, an island fortress between the 5th and 7th centuries, is a place shrouded in myth and legend. Pendennis Castle in Cornwall was built by Henry VIII to defend England’s shores. The region was crucial for trade, exploration, shipbuilding, and British naval power. Its seafaring past lives on in vibrant Bristol and the ports of Plymouth and Dartmouth. You can delve into it at sites like National Maritime Museum in Falmouth and Brunel's SS Great Britain in Bristol.

The Great Outdoors The largest official region in England, the Southwest has a seemingly endless coastline and bucolic charm in spades. Spot wild ponies roaming Dartmoor National Park or stargaze in Exmoor's dark skies. There are extensive cycling trails in the Forest of Dean, and the chocolate-box villages in the Cotswolds need little introduction. Hugging the dramatic coast is the 630-mile South West Coast Path. The entire route can be walked in approximately eight weeks, with options for shorter, gentler walks as well. Stretching from Devon to Dorset, the Jurassic Coast has immense geological significance. Notable spots there include Durdle Door and Old Harry Rocks.

Don't Miss There are some truly singular experiences to be had in England's Southwest. Burgh Island, a celebrity hotspot in the 1930s, is only accessible by sea tractor during high tide. The open-air Minack Theatre is built into the cliffside with the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop. The Eden Project is a former clay mine converted into greenhouses and rainforests housing extraordinary natural life. Steeped in history, Glastonbury is synonymous with its music festival. The region offers up unique culinary experiences too. Sample some of the freshest seafood in the country and try a Cornish pasty or two. Whether you favour the Cornish or the Devonian method, there is something comforting about a spot of cream tea in a quaint tearoom. Cheddar cheese might be ubiquitous, but its origins lie in the caves of Somerset's Cheddar Gorge.

The Great Outdoors

Penyghent, Yorkshire

Headstone Viaduct

The Lake District

Cambridge

Natural History Museum

Beachy Head

The New Forest

Southwest

Cream tea

Burgh Island

South West Coastal Path

Dartmoor pony

Cotswolds

Bristol

Bath

Stonehenge

Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland

Scottish whisky

The Dark Hedges

Don't Miss Each country brims with unique things to see and do. Northern Ireland served as the primary filming location for "Game of Thrones". Fans can visit the Dark Hedges, Castle Ward, and Ballintoy Harbour on their travels, or take the dedicated studio tour in Banbridge. Step back in time and try a different mode of travel in Wales with nostalgic steam trains journeys on the Ffestiniog Railway or a canal boat ride over the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. Time your trip for the first week of August and the National Eisteddfod, a vibrant celebration of Welsh language, music, and poetry. Edinburgh Festival Fringe also takes place in August. Or why not visit the distilleries of Speyside to sample Scotland’s famous malt whiskies at their source?

Yr Wyddfa

Cliffs of Moher

North Coast 500

The Great Outdoors The untamed landscapes of these Celtic lands will stir your spirit. Beyond the beauty of Loch Ness (home to everyone’s favourite monster), Scotland is home to the UK’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis. For those seeking a 4-wheeled adventure, the North Coast 500 circuits from Inverness Castle. It's considered one of the world’s most scenic road trips. Ireland’s western coastline equally wows with the Wild Atlantic Way and dramatic Cliffs of Moher. In Wales, cliff-hugging paths and secluded coves stretch along the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park to the south, while almost all of Anglesey's coastline in the north is classed as a National Landscape. Scale Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) in Eryri National Park (Snowdonia) and look to the stars in Brecon Beacons National Park, an International Dark Sky Reserve.

Rock of Cashel

Edinburgh Castle

History & Heritage A rich Celtic heritage weaves its way through Scotland, Ireland, and Wales: nations filled with folklore, awe-inducing sights, living languages, and proud traditions that endure. Wales has more castles per square mile than anywhere else in Europe, including the brooding towers of Conwy Castle and Caernarfon Castle, built by Edward I of England. Edinburgh’s iconic castle guards the Honours of Scotland, while Stirling Castle tells tales of ancient battles and Mary Queen of Scots. In Ireland, legend has it that the Rock of Cashel was made when the devil took a bite from a mountain and spat it back out, where it landed in the Tipperary countryside. The complex of Medieval ruins that stand today, silhouetted against the skyline, is a sight to behold.

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Colchester

St Paul's Cathedral

Dover Castle

History & Heritage From St Paul's Cathedral to Buckingham Palace to the Tower of London, the capital is stuffed full of buildings with centuries of stories to tell. But outside London, the Southeast is also home to Colchester and St Albans, two of England's oldest cities. As Camulodunum and Verulamium, they were two of the biggest settlements of Roman-era Britain. Mighty Dover Castle dates from the Roman era and sits atop a network of secret tunnels. The National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth houses warships including the Mary Rose, raised from the seabed after four centuries. Or visit Battle in East Sussex to see where King Harold was slain by William the Conqueror in 1066.

History & Heritage From cobbled castle courtyards to soaring minster spires, the north of England is replete with historic sites. Bamburgh Castle is a restored Medieval castle in an imposing spot on the Northumberland coast. UNESCO-listed Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire dates back to the 12th century. You might recognise Yorkshire's Castle Howard from "Bridgerton", while Northumberland's Alnwick Castle was a backdrop to several scenes in "Harry Potter" and "Downton Abbey". Gaze up at the spire of York Minster before wandering the cobbled Shambles in search of a scone at Betty's. Northern England also serves up a feast of cathedrals, with jaw-dropping iterations in Chester, Durham, and Liverpool. Take a tour before pottering through the city for a lively pint or a sedate afternoon tea.

York Minster

Bamburgh Castle

Warwick Castle

Stratford-upon-Avon

History & Heritage Twelve history-steeped counties make up the Midlands, taking in Warwickshire's Medieval castles and Shropshire's Roman ruins. Dating to William the Conqueror, the impressive Warwick Castle was initially built as a motte and bailey. It then became home to notable names like Richard Neville, the powerful kingmaker and Earl of Warwick, during the Wars of the Roses. Aspiring archaeologists will dig Wroxeter. The excavated site reveals the remains of what was once the fourth-largest city in Roman Britain. Literary buffs will want to bookmark Stratford-upon-Avon, a 16th-century market town brimming with Tudor charm and the birthplace of William Shakespeare. His family home is now a museum where you can glimpse into the playwright's early life.

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Fancy exploring more of the UK this year? Travelzoo has partnered with The Coaching Inn Group to offer five lucky Travelzoo members a 2-night bed-and-breakfast stay for two across 42 sites. To be in with a chance to win click here.