TOP 40 THINGS TO DO ON A TRIP TO THE UK BEFORE YOU TURN 40:
1. Spend the night at Northumberland International Dark Sky Park and look at the stars in England’s darkest skies.
2. Drive Scotland’s North Coast 500 for the ultimate road trip and see beautiful wildlife, scenery, and the huge Dunrobin Castle.
3. Go to Birmingham’s Balti Triangle, where the famous “Balti” was invented, for a unique taste of British and Asian food.
4. Take a canal boat on a staycation to see the UK’s 2,000 miles of canals and rivers.
5. Take a course in the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District to learn bushcraft and survival skills.
6. Go to Blakeney Point Nature Reserve to see common and grey seals and look for them.
7. After a night in Cornwall, enjoy the early morning sun on the golden sands of Porthcurno Beach.
8. Book a vineyard tour in Kent and try world-class English wines.
9. Visit Tolkien’s inspiration for “Middle Earth,” the Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean.
10. Walk up the basalt steps of the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland’s County Antrim.
11. Swim in the clear water of Tresco’s Pentle Bay and stay on the Isles of Scilly’s white sandy beaches.
12. Go hiking in Essex’s big, wild Epping Forest and stay in a camping pod to get back to nature.
13. Take a walk through the beautiful and colourful Welsh village of Portmeirion, which was built in the Italian style.
14. See the main act at the Somerset Glastonbury Festival
15. Rent a traditional punt and sail on the River Cam under the Bridge of Sighs in Cambridge.
16. Go to the trendy seaside town of Margate, Kent, and see the Turner Contemporary Gallery.
17. When you glamp in the New Forest, you can enjoy nature with a touch of luxury.
18. Climb Mount Snowdon, the highest mountain in England and Wales, in the Snowdonia National Park in Wales.
19. Try a cream tea from Devon and the nearby county of Cornwall to see which one you like best.
20. Sandboard down “The Big Dipper,” Europe’s second-biggest sand dune, in Methyr Mawr, Wales.
21. Go to the beautiful Jurassic Coast in Devon and Dorset to find fossils from long ago.
22. At the Big Pit National Coal Museum in Blaenavon, Wales, you can see an old mine that is 300 feet below the surface.
23. Walk along the Seven Sisters in Sussex and breathe in the fresh sea air.
24. For the best views of Scotland, drive up the A82 from Glasgow to Fort William.
25. Ride your bike along the Tissington trail in the Peak District, which was once a railroad track.
26. Join the Notting Hill Carnival parade in London and learn about the Caribbean history of the UK.
27. Get a taste of the upper class by going to Highclere Castle in Hampshire, the real Downton Abbey.
28. Go to Windsor Castle in Berkshire to see one of the places where the Queen lives.
29. Get tickets to see the beautiful palace, park, and gardens at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire by calling the box office.
30. Visit a Scottish distillery in Campbeltown, Highland, Islay, Lowland, or Speyside for a whiskey tasting tour.
31. Walk the oldest road in England, the Neolithic Ridgeway in Oxfordshire, which is 5,000 years old.
32. Rent a kayak from one of Scotland’s beautiful beaches on the Isle of Lewis.
33. Book a walking tour of Belfast’s famous pubs and small distilleries that serve gin.
34. Have a party in an old brick warehouse in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle, which is the city’s cultural centre.
35. Go to Manchester and dance all night in one of the gay bars that line Canal Street.
36. Join the fun London Pride parade as it makes its way through the city.
37. The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London, is a great place to learn about the history of the Thames.
38. Ride the Bridgnorth Cliff Railway, which is the oldest and steepest electric funicular railway in England.
39. Get a rush of adrenaline by coasteering in Pembrokeshire’s cliffs, caves, and rock pools.
40. Surf on North Devon’s 19 miles of coastline
Brits adore being outside, so they travel in the UK (40 percent ).
