16 of the best autumn holiday ideas in the UK
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There is something liberating about an autumn staycation; no anxiety-ridden forecast checking. You have signed up for drizzle, fires and thick roll-neck jumpers. To embrace the season, here are some of our favourite ideas for an autumn holiday in the UK.
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Get lost in the New Forest, Hampshire
Hampshire is best explored during autumn, when the ancient woodlands transform into a forest of fire, leaves pirouetting towards the dewy pre-winter ground. Myriad walking routes take in the chocolate-box villages – amble along Fordingbridge’s riverside and learn about the history of the New Forest’s seven medieval churches. This corner of the UK has castles, cottages and cute pubs galore, so be sure to pack the boots and a camera.
Where to stay: Explore all Hampshire offers from the comfort of The Montagu Arms. The dog-friendly property resembles a charming cottage, with foliage cascading down the front. Don a jacket and dine on the terrace, where guests and locals gather for deliciously seasonal post-stroll fare, and unwind in the spa as Thai-trained therapists get to work on aching muscles. Connor Sturges
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Go back in time in Canterbury
Following in the footsteps of pilgrims through Canterbury’s cobbled streets is like stepping back in time. The Pilgrim’s Way runs from Winchester to Canterbury and is a well-trodden route that the devoted have followed for almost a thousand years. While many still tackle the walk through the glorious British countryside, most visitors come straight here for historic sites, charming cafes and some well-deserved R&R in the surrounding hotels. Tick off the tourist attractions, immerse yourself in the Canterbury Tales, then branch out – Blean Woods National Nature Reserve is a short drive or bus journey away and the perfect place to break in the hiking boots. Don’t forget to check out the village-feel pubs, from the allegedly haunted Tyler's Kiln to the plant-based monument.
Where to stay: Take a 10-minute drive from the city and check into The Pig at Bridge Place. Expect period features, large fireplaces, and a cosy feel throughout. Food is taken seriously here – even if you’re passing through, try to bag a reservation and sample fresh ingredients from the garden. Connor Sturges
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Go leaf peeping at Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire
Follow gentle trails through the 600-acre National Arboretum in the Cotswolds – one of the best places to see autumn leaves in the UK. Nearby Tetbury is stuffed with over 25 antique shops to sift through; the 17th-century Market House comes alive on Wednesday and Saturday mornings with everything from plants to bric-à-brac, and you can refuel at Veloton – a bike and coffee shop, where milk is delivered from a local dairy.
Where to stay: After a day of exploring, flop into the steaming hot tub next to a log fire at Calcot Spa, less than a 10-minute drive from Tetbury. Within the village, we love the look of The Cottage Library on Plum Guide, a charming apartment where you can sink into velvet sofas while gazing up at 300-year-old wooden breams.
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Trawl for antiques in Frome, Somerset
Savvy treasure hunters will mark the first Sunday each month in their diary from March to December, when Frome Independent takes over the centre of this Somerset town with a sea of antiques, vintage clothes, handmade jewellery and stoneware, as well as local beer and artisan snacks (perhaps perfectly soft scotch eggs, or vegan brownies made in nearby Bristol). If you’re not in town for market day, brace yourself for a climb up the cobbled Catherine Hill, dipping in and out of its overspilling independent shops to catch your breath. Reach the top of the hill, and your prize is a silky latte and an apricot Danish at Rye Bakery, housed in a former 19th-century church.
Where to stay: We love the look of Hemington Couch House, a smart four-bedroom new-build townhouse with magnificent natural light and surrounded by a walled garden. For a cosy stay for two, Weavers Cottage is within steps of St Catherine's Hill.
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Empty beach walks at Holkham, Norfolk
Amble your way down to Holkham beach for a bracing walk on the endless expanse of sand, and it can feel like you’re the only person left on the North Norfolk Coast. Warm-up afterwards with lunch at the Victoria Inn, where ingredients are grown and raised on the Holkham Estate. You can get your seafood fix at Gurneys Fish Shop in Burnham Market, and the village high street is littered with independent shops, including The Hat Shop at Pentney House, an emporium of thousands of millinery creations.
Where to stay: After lunch, check in to one of the 20 rooms at The Victoria Inn, where you'll find freestanding baths and modish chandeliers. For a private bolthole, we love the look of Blenheim Lodge, a lodge annex located on the beach.
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Cider sipping in Bruton, Somerset
This is the season for apple picking and pressing, and when South African Koos Bekker and his wife Karen Roos turned Hadspen House into The Newt in Somerset, planting 267 varieties of apple trees in the process, it was destined to become a hotspot for cider (or cyder as it is known here). Take a tour of the cyder press and cellar, then sit back with a glass overlooking the landscaped gardens from the glass-walled Garden Café. Delve into contemporary art at the nearby Hauser & Wirth gallery set on a converted farm on the edge of Bruton, where the burger with smoked cheddar at the Roth Bar & Grill will cure the cruellest of hangovers.
Where to stay: There are pared-back rooms within the old stables of the The Newt. Another option is Number One Bruton, a slender Georgian house with oodles of personality and a small farm-to-table restaurant.
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Drive the North Coast 500, Highlands
You’d be forgiven for plotting your way around the North Coast 500 – a 516-mile route around the north coast of Scotland that starts and ends at Inverness Castle – according to foodie pitstops. Pies from the Lochinver Larder (poached salmon or venison and cranberry are our favourites) need to be boxed up and eaten on the white sand of Achmelvich beach three miles away.
Where to stay: Settle in for a plate of Loch Glendhu langoustines at the Kylesku Hotel with sprawling views of the loch and hills beyond, or nurse a dram at The Ceilidh Place in Ullapool where you can swap tales with fellow travellers. As the wind picks up and the Scottish drizzle descends you’ll feel rightly smug that you’ve decided to watch the hills turn technicolour from behind your wheel.
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Invigorating wild swimming in the Lake District, Cumbria
The Lake District is home to some of the best wild swimming in the UK, where the majestic colours might just distract you from the plummeting temperatures. The pool at Rydal Bower near Ambleside, found by following signs to Rydal Falls, is deep in the forest and magically tranquil. For more ideas, see our guide to the best things to do in the Lake District.
Where to stay: Arm yourself with a flask for the short dash by car back to The Forest Side, where you will have earnt a soak in a standalone bath as well as the 10-course tasting menu, with ingredients foraged from the walled garden. For more options, see our pick of the best Airbnbs in the Lake District.
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Spot the Northern Lights on the Isle of Skye, Hebrides
Make a beeline for the Hebrides to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights as the nights get longer. On the Isle of Skye, your best chance is from the Trotternish Peninsula at the island’s most northerly tip. By day, don walking boots to hunt for shells on some of Scotland's best beaches; Torrin is a favourite, where the only crowds are likely to be cattle. In the old fishing village of Stein is the Loch Bay Restaurant, where chef Michael Smith has devised simple set menus and you can kickstart dinner with a cockle, mussel and squid broth. And the nine-course tasting menu at The Three Chimneys on the shore of Loch Dunvegan, which might include roasted scallop with seaweed, lives up to the hype.
Where to stay: Kinloch Lodge, a former hunting lodge turned one of the best hotels in Scotland. All of the rooms here have pillowy beds and widescreen loch views. Don't miss the breakfast spread in the morning – the cinnamon-buttered oatmeal is a standout.
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Walk a stretch of the South West Coast Path, Devon
When the summer crowds have gone, the traffic heading west on the A303 has sped up from a standstill and the ice cream queue has dwindled, Devon calls. The South West Coast Path follows 630 miles around Britain’s southwest peninsula, but even a slither of this adventure will be deserving of a cream tea laden with jam. Pick any part of the 104-mile South Devon slice from Plymouth to Starcross and it will cast you under the spell of the South Hams as you meander past estuaries, over gorse covered cliffs and past hidden beaches, as well as Agatha Christie’s writing retreat at Burgh Island.
Where to stay: Recharge your batteries at Harbour Beach Club in Salcombe, where rooms embrace a relaxed Hamptons aesthetic and the restaurant serves up fresh lobster and grilled squid for supper. For a stay in Torquay, we love the look of Higher Lodge, a 300 year old thatched cottage retreat with slick interiors, hot tub and a cosy fireplace.
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Marvel at the changing colours at Stourhead, Wiltshire
Stand outside The Temple of Apollo overlooking the lake in Stourhead gardens and watch the rusty palate of Japanese maple, hornbeam and chestnut trees gleam in front of you. There’s a reason it was called a ‘living work of art’ when Henry Hoare’s gardens – now part of the National Trust – first opened in the mid-18th century.
Where to stay: Four miles north is the recently revamped Bradley Hare; less stately than neighbouring Stourhead House but a place where the fire roars in the dining room and the free-standing baths are reassuringly deep. Soho House alum James Thurstan Waterworth is in charge of interiors and stripped back elegance is the backdrop for plates of cleverly crafted food, hearty enough for the change of seasons (don’t miss the roast chicken on a Sunday).
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Curl up fireside in the Cairngorms, Highlands
The Cairngorms National Park resembles a painting-by-numbers book as autumn approaches – which is as good an incentive as any to tackle one of the 50-plus Munro mountains in it.
Where to stay: Recover with afternoon tea (including Invercauld Estate rare roast beef and Belhaven smoked trout) by the fire in the drawing room at the Fife Arms, renovated in 2020 by the brains behind the global gallery Hauser & Wirth. A watercolour of a stag’s head by Queen Victoria and a masterpiece by Chinese artist Zhang Enli, painted on the ceiling, are just the tip of Iwan and Manuela Wirth’s eclectic art collection, which trickles into every room and corridor. Tear yourself away for whiskey tasting at the nearby Royal Lochnagar Distillery.
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Indulge in Malton’s food scene, North Yorkshire
Celebrate autumn’s seasonal produce with a culinary pilgrimage to Malton, which has been transformed into a foodie hub thanks to Tom Naylor-Leyland, heir to the Fitzwilliam Malton Estate. Meet the town’s producers on a food tour, tasting Yorkshire fare as you go, or drop into the cookery school at The Talbot. Don’t miss Talbot Yard Food Court, which houses six artisan producers, including a gin distillery and coffee roaster. And you can walk off any overindulgence in the grounds of nearby Castle Howard, which bursts into colour as the leaves turn.
Where to stay: In addition to the cookery school, the Talbot is also a hotel and restaurant. All of the rooms are lovely, but book 16, or any with a river view, and you’ll be particularly sorry to leave.
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Hibernate with a pile of books in Hay-on-Wye, Herefordshire
Start stockpiling your winter reading collection in the ‘town of books’, which straddles the border between England and Wales. Lose track of time in Richard Booth’s sprawling bookshop and if the weather turns, hunker down in its cinema or with a slice of lemon polenta cake and rhubarb jam in the café. At The Old Electric Shop tuck into the vegetarian menu, surrounded by the curious collection of vintage furniture and house plants for sale. Head to the River Café, next to a canoe rental shop on the banks of the River Wye, and contemplate doing something more energetic while you order hearty gnocchi with lamb shank, or just a coffee and pastry.
Where to stay: We like Cheese Market Flats for the splendid vantage point in the historic market opposite the castle.
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Sea air and sunsets in Margate, Kent
Margate's views of sea and sky are all the temptation you'll need to head outside for a restorative walk on Margate Main Sands. Bag a table at Angela’s seafood restaurant (try the ray knobs with aioli), which is set back from the beach, and watch the autumn sun go down.
Where to stay: Following a full makeover Fort Road Hotel has recently emerged as a smart 14-room hotel with serious food and drink.
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Marvel at Mount Stewart Gardens, County Down
The mild climate on the shores of Strangford Lough means that the gardens at Mount Stewart House – just a 30-minute drive from the centre of Belfast – are still in bloom as winter looms, while the surrounding parkland and woodland transform into an auburn spectacle. Back in the city, replenish energy levels with a half a dozen oysters at The Morning Star pub, washed down with a pint of Guinness. Or dive into the low-key tasting menu at The Muddlers Club, which rounds off with chocolate, espresso and Irish sea salt.
Where to stay: Retire back in Belfast with a stay at The Harrison, a sublimely restored Victorian merchants' residences with 16 district rooms that are full of personality and playful touches.