Five travel writers share their favourite UK holidays, from a 130-year-old skiff rowing trip down the Thames to gravel biking in the Trossachs, a steam train ride in Yorkshire, and a lido stay in Bristol. Marcel Theroux's week-long row from Oxford to London with two friends in June 2013 stands out as a highlight, proving that a British holiday can rival any far-flung adventure.
Rowing the Thames in a 130-Year-Old Skiff
Marcel Theroux and his friends James and Tom hired a 26ft mahogany skiff named Ewen from Thames Skiff Hire, a company that caters to those recreating the fictional journey in Jerome K Jerome's Three Men in a Boat. The boat came equipped with two pairs of oars, a rudder, a cooking stove, a boat hook, and iron hoops supporting a green canvas roof over the hull.
After a brief hour-long briefing at a slipway near Donnington Bridge, the trio set off, piloting the boat approximately 80 miles downstream to London. The weather was blustery and wet, and on the second day they got soaked between Abingdon and Day's Lock, nearly giving up. Theroux notes that Jerome K Jerome's novel actually ends in disappointment, with the companions abandoning their sodden skiff at The Swan in Pangbourne.
Despite the initial challenges, the weather improved, and the group became more skilled at rowing, turning the trip into what Theroux calls "an extraordinary and memorable adventure." They visited riverside pubs, brewed tea on uninhabited midstream islands, and stopped at a meditation centre run by an ascetic Hindu sect. They passed Medmenham Abbey, headquarters of Francis Dashwood's Hellfire Club, and Monkey Island, setting for Rebecca West's The Return of the Soldier, and moored for lunch at the faux-gothic Oakley Court hotel, famous as Frank-N-Furter's castle in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Logistics and Tranquility on the River
The trip was not without logistical challenges. The skiff, though designed for sleeping, was too small for three people, and wild camping rules complicated matters. Theroux recalls anxiety when mooring the boat to visit pubs, hammering iron spikes into the riverbank to secure the precious antique. Negotiating locks also proved tricky, requiring someone to stay aboard with a boat hook to prevent the skiff from bumping against the sides as water poured out of the sluices.
Paradoxically, these minor hardships made the trip more relaxing than a holiday with an explicit goal of relaxation. The slow, reflective pace, deep silences, and wonderful birdlife left a lasting impression, including the flash of a kingfisher in the willows outside Abingdon. Other river users were kind, and one evening they were invited for drinks on a beautiful narrowboat while queuing at a lock.
Their final destination was Walton-on-Thames, but they enjoyed themselves so much they pushed on to Hampton Court before turning back to return the skiff. Theroux concludes, "I've travelled much further, at much greater expense and had nothing like as much fun."
Gravel Biking in the Trossachs
Kirsten Henton's partner Gary chose "Gravelfoyle" for his birthday, the nickname for the village of Aberfoyle, gateway to the Trossachs, about 50 miles north-west of Edinburgh. The area claims to have "the UK's finest gravel riding" and offers waymarked trails. Henton, who grew up in Edinburgh, was unfamiliar with Scotland's first national park, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.
The couple drove 75 minutes from Edinburgh, passing Falkirk's Kelpies and Stirling Castle, and stopped at The Smiddy farm shop in Blair Drummond for cheese and chorizo scotch eggs, described by the butcher as "the best thing we sell." They stayed in a glamping pod on the Cardross Estate near Port of Menteith, featuring a sofa, pull-down double bed, shower, and picture windows with views of Ben Lomond.
Their first ride was the 18.2-mile (29.2km) Lomond View route, one of three Gravelfoyle trails, which was wet and muddy after recent rain. Afterwards, the owner of Aberfoyle Bike Co, Liam, provided a hose and hot drinks. The next day, they hiked the 3.5-mile (5.3km) circular Bracklinn Falls route from Callander, crossing a bridge over a thundering waterfall and through thick forest, before enjoying baguettes from Mhor Bread.
That evening, they dined at Nick's at Port of Menteith, the restaurant of Scottish chef Nick Nairn, eating fish and chips and seafood linguine in the garden. Over three days, they biked and hiked various routes alongside lochs, ate locally produced food, and immersed themselves in the wilderness of the national park.
Discovering Anglesey's Edges
Andy Pietrasik had passed through Ynys Môn (Anglesey) many times but never visited until his daughter suggested an outing while they were visiting her at university in Bangor. Their first visit took them to Newborough Forest, a nature reserve on the south-west coast with Corsican pines, sand dunes, and a beach offering panoramic views of Eryri (Snowdonia). They walked to the tidal island of Ynys Llanddwyn, with its lighthouse and the ruins of Saint Dwynwen's church, the Welsh patron saint of lovers.
On a subsequent visit, they rented a cottage with floor-to-ceiling windows framing the mountains near Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. They discovered the island matched HV Morton's description in his 1932 book In Search of Wales: "The long roads run through flat, green country, linking quiet, stone-built little market towns together."
Pietrasik found the island's edges most rewarding. They walked the Wales Coast Path along the cliffs at Rhoscolyn on Ynys Gybi (Holy Island), an island off an island with dramatic sea arches, and swam in a sheltered cove near Rhosneigr. They also visited Red Wharf Bay, where they enjoyed crab meat crumpets and mussels at the Boathouse cafe. Reflecting on HV Morton's line about Holyhead being "an excellent place for a holiday," Pietrasik rued having previously seen the island only as an embarkation point for the ferry to Dublin.
North Yorkshire with 42 Pals
Jill Mead's annual June tradition began 12 years ago when she mentioned to a friend, Vicky, "I'm thinking of taking a few friends up to Yorkshire." Word spread, and soon 42 of them were heading to Cote Ghyll Mill, a youth hostel at the time, on the edge of Osmotherley. Mead and her son Ned made a giant Welcome to Yorkshire banner and Blu-Tacked handwritten names on bedroom doors.
One day, Mead's parents led a six-mile circular walk from Grosmont through the hamlet of Beck Hole, a centre for the traditional game of quoits, and back across the North York Moors. Her mother brought homemade fruit cake and enormous sandwiches from Danby Bakery, and her father made short thumbsticks (traditional walking sticks) for the kids. Halfway round was the Birch Hall Inn, a pub doubling as a sweet shop, where the group bought lemon sherbets, cola cubes, and pear drops by the ounce.
The walk crossed the North Yorkshire Moors Railway line to Whitby, and after watching a train steam past, everyone wanted a ride. Eleven-year-old Eleanor caught coal dust in her eye and ended up in A&E in Northallerton, but was fine. In Whitby, Ned's pals buried him in the sand on Tate Hill beach.
The trip also included a visit to the Sun Inn, or Spout House, in Bilsdale, where Mead's father and brother played cricket on the famously sloping field. The landlady, Audrey, a childhood friend of Mead's, laid on a domino tournament and a Yorkshire platter. Six-year-old Harriet beat all the local diehard players, bursting into tears while her mum laughed. This year, Mead asked Ned, now 21, if anyone might fancy going back, and they are returning to Cote Ghyll Mill this month, with Harriet, now 18, ready to defend her domino title.
A Quick Dip into Bristol
Max Benato travelled by train from Kent to Bristol on one of the hottest days of the year, arriving "hot, broken and miserable" after cancellations and delays. Less than an hour later, he was swimming at the city's lido, thanking himself for booking what he calls "one of the best summer city hotels in the country."
His base was the Lido Townhouse, a six-bedroom hotel in a Georgian building in Clifton that opened in 2024. The real attraction is the Victorian lido, restored after falling into disrepair, with water heated to 20-24C. Guests booking directly with the hotel get full access to the pool, which is flanked by old-fashioned changing cabins and a bar and restaurant. Benato managed three swims in 24 hours, including one at 9.30pm, and enjoyed breakfast on the deck with Turkish eggs.
He and a colleague paid £210 for two double rooms with a shared bathroom, which, with unlimited swims and 10% off their food bill, seemed an excellent deal. The harbour is a 25-minute stroll from the hotel, and Benato visited the Arnolfini arts centre for the exhibition Polly Braden: Against the Tide. Though a lightning visit, the city showed its best side, and a return trip is on the cards.
