What to Do When Visiting the UK

Eating crab sandwiches on a beautiful Cornish beach. Watching the sun set against the jagged Cuillin Mountains in Scotland. Listening to a lilting fiddle played in a cosy Southern Irish pub. All of these are possible - and much more – when you pay a visit to the UK.

Mountain climbing and hill walking

What you’ll want to do, of course, depends on your own interests. If you love climbing mountains, for instance, then you’re in Heaven. Both Scotland and Wales have numerous peaks you can pick off while there’s smaller, but equally as beautiful rolling hills in both the Lake and Peak Districts of England. Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in mainland Britain Sitting at 1,345 metres above sea level, Ben Nevis in Scotland is the UK’s highest mountain, with Snowdon the highest in Wales at 1085 metres. Around 50 metres shorter is Carrauntoohil in Ireland, while Scafell Pike provides the tallest spot in England at 978 metres.

Coastal visits and fossil hunting

If you’re more of a seaside cliff lover well, you’re spoiled here too. The White Cliffs of Dover are, of course, famous for their stunning vista, and also WW2 nostalgia. But equally as fascinating is Norfolk’s Jurassic Coast (so-called because of incredible prehistoric finds – and fossils are still regularly found there today). Then there’s the incredible rock formation in Northern Ireland known as the Giant’s Causeway. Comprising 40,000 basalt stone columns it’s Northern Ireland’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Visit famous film backdrops

Game of Thrones fans can make a pilgrimage to Northern Ireland where they’ll find a number of iconic landscapes featured in the series. Ballintoy harbour, for instance, doubled as the Iron Islands, Castle Ward was Winterfell and the King’s Road was actually the dark hedges near Armoy. Potter fans, can see backdrops all in the one location by visiting the Warner Bros Leavesden Studios near London. There you can order a butterbeer, explore the Great hall and even jump on your own broomstick.

See the iconic sights of London

From Big Ben and the Tower of London to the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral and Buckingham Palace there’s just so many ‘big locations’ to visit in the capital it can take you up to a week just to get around them all. Other non-architectural or historic venues to see include Madame Tussauds, the London Eye, Highgate Cemetery and the Changing of the Guard. There’s also Portobello Market, Harrods and the Shard. Actually, take your pick, there’s countless others too…

Visit Oxford and Cambridge

The UK’s two medieval universities aren’t just stunning to look at, they also ensure ancient academia and student life permeate the lovely cities in which they stand. It’s possible to punt through both locations, visit incredible museums and sit in stately libraries. Go and see work by Michelangelo, Raphael Pisarro and Turner at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, for instance, then later dine at its rooftop restaurant and bar. In Cambridge you can spend a morning exploring the stunning gothic wonder that is King’s College Chapel. Afterwards share a pint tub of heavenly ice cream at Jack’s Gelato.

Immerse yourself in Shakespeare

Still in that medieval frame of mind, enjoy some Tudor delights by popping over to Shakespeare’s home town of Stratford-upon-Avon. Not only will you be pretty much bowled over by those cutesy Tudor homes, but you’ll also be able to see one of the bard’s famous plays acted out at the riverside Royal Shakespeare Theatre. You can even visit the house in which the playwright was born and grew up, as well as the church where he was buried in 1616. His wife Anne Hathaway’s 500-year-old cottage is definitely worth a visit too.

Go aboard the Titanic

The story of the famous ocean-going vessel which sunk on its maiden voyage can be learned in interactive detail at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast where it was constructed in the first place. The legendary RMS Titanic, which sunk in 1912 in the Atlantic, still fascinates today. After all, who amongst us hasn’t seen the film with Leonardo Di-Caprio and Kate Winslet or heard Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On? The museum contains not just reconstructions of the boat, but also rides with special effects where you can descend into the ocean itself.

Get in touch

Planning a visit to the UK in the near future and wondering where to stay? Then why not take a look through our website to find a host family that appeals? Our hosts are located throughout the UK so choose one local to what you plan on doing when you get here. See www.visitsomeone.com.

 Useful websites:

 www.rsc.org.uk

www.visitbritain.co.uk

www.visitoxford.co.uk

www.discovernorthernireland.com