Take a cowboy-esque horse ride across Salisbury Plain
Wild, remote and with a hint of the wild west, Salisbury Plain, just 12 miles north of Salisbury, in Wiltshire, has chalk grasslands, vast plateau and roaming deer suited to a rising trot or a vigorous canter on horseback. A two-hour hack out on to the plain for the day comes after a little introductory bonding with your horse. Look out for soaring RAF Chinooks on training exercises, myriad wildflowers and Neolithic remains, while you trek across this piece of the southern UK’s truly untamed wilderness.
For equestrian adventures, search for homes in Wiltshire on Airbnb
Swim with seals along the coast of Lundy Island
A former haven for pirates and now owned by the National Trust, Lundy Island, a hulk of windswept granite in the Bristol Channel, north Devon, is home to razorbills, puffins, ponies and a huge population of Atlantic grey seals. Snorkelling in the protected waters around Lundy will bring you nose-to-nose with these unusually friendly beasts. You can expect a warm welcome with some seals even taking to nibbling on the fins of divers to initiate some splashing and bonding. During the summer season, (end of March until end of October), the remote and largely unpopulated island’s own supply ship and ferry, the MS Oldenburg, departs several times a week from either Bideford or Ilfracombe.
To experience remote island life, search for homes on Lundy on Airbnb
Bungee jump off the Tees Transporter Bridge
Built by the same firm that designed Sydney Harbour Bridge, Middlesbrough’s Transporter is an architectural icon of the north east of the UK. Built in 1911 with a “gondola” to transport vehicles and people across the river Tees, now you can take in the view from 160 feet up, before plummeting via bungee towards the waters. Though your heart may be pumping long before you take flight: there are 210 steps to climb before you even get to the take-off spot.
For a trip to take your breathe away, search for homes in Middlesbrough on Airbnb
Climb the UK’s original “via ferrata” mountain trail in the Lake District
Hanging out over a seemingly bottomless drop like a fearless spider, ready to take on a “via ferrata” (Latin for “iron way”), is to experience the UK’s most strenuous commute. In the heart of the Lake District, near Keswick, this breathtaking series of rope bridges, footholds and cables was how workers at Honister slate mine used to get to work every day. Now, if you have a head for heights, you can inch your way across the UK’s first version of this ancient Alpine method of navigating some of the most dramatic landscapes imaginable.
For spectacular trekking, search for homes in the Lake District on Airbnb
Go shipwreck diving at Scapa in the Orkney Islands
Conger eels, octopus and crab are now the captains of what was once an entire German fleet, scuttled by their own commanders during the first world war and at rest for the last century on the seabed off Scapa in the remote Scottish Orkney Islands. To plunge into the waters here is to explore a distant military past. Take a guided dive around battleships (now fully-fledged coral reefs), where, if you have the nerve, you can swim through the ancient vessels and gain a secret insight into a ship graveyard seldom disturbed by man. Scapa is accessible by plane or ferry.
For an underwater history quest, search for homes on the Orkney Islands on Airbnb
Learn bushcraft survival skills at the Catton Hall estate, Derbyshire
The 18th-century baroque-style Catton Hall – around a 30 minute drive from Birmingham – may look the very picture of central England gentility. But on certain weekends the nearby Derbyshire woodlands are a hive of infinitely wilder activity. To take a weekend bushcraft course here is to get a full immersion into essential survival skills such as navigating from the stars, learning how to light fires by friction, preparing and cooking game meat, and constructing your own shelter. It’s an experience light on luxury but heavy on assuring that you make the most of the English countryside, revealing more than a few of its secrets.
For a weekend of wilderness survival, search for homes in Derbyshire on Airbnb
Go on safari in Kent
Seeing giraffes or rhinos walking freely around you might be an experience more attuned to Kenya than Kent, but this corner of southeast England is home to the Port Lympne wild animal park. The plethora of exotic creatures, which also includes bison, gibbons, zebra and wildebeest is a 20 minute drive from Ashford, which is just 40 minutes from St Pancras train station in London. Once you’re there, jump on board a safari truck to explore the enclosures, home to nearly 800 species, or help care for rare and endangered animals, via the “keeper for the day” experience.
To get up close to nature, search for homes in Kent on Airbnb
Go dolphin spotting in Cardigan Bay
Bass, mullet, salmon and mackerel: it sounds like a decent seafood platter. And so it is, for the bottlenose dolphins of Cardigan Bay. This region of the central Welsh coastline is one of the best places in the UK to spot these playful creatures in action from June to October. As well as seals and porpoises, the bottlenoses have a habit of swimming alongside the boat trips for a closer encounter. Stay for a few days and you might even start to recognise them individually; locals speak of one dolphin named Topnotch who has been calling in at Cardigan for almost 20 years!
For oceanic delights, search for homes in Wales on Airbnb
Explore the Caribbean-style beaches of the Isles of Scilly
Velvety soft sands, iridescent sunshine, hardly any crowds and the gentlest breeze softly caressing the verdant greenery … It sounds like a secret Caribbean island but this is Tresco, one of the Scilly Isles off the coast of Cornwall in the UK’s extreme southwest. Lazy, sun-drenched days on Tresco are easy to fill: simply paddle in the turquoise waters, eat dazzlingly fresh seafood or gaze at the exotic plants in the immaculate sub-tropical Abbey Gardens. Small, yet perfectly formed, this is the UK’s version of a real-life Treasure Island.
For a little pieces of paradise, search for homes on the Isles of Scilly on Airbnb
See a polar bear cub in the Scottish Highland Wildlife Park
In January this year, for the first time in a quarter of a century, a polar bear cub was born in the UK. The location: the unique Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore, where mother Victoria is currently rearing her offspring. The polar bear family can be regularly seen in their enclosure, situated in the heart of the Cairngorms. Their park neighbours include wood grouse, Amur tigers and the elusive Scottish wildcat.
For an animal-lovers Scottish break, search for homes near Aviemore on Airbnb
For more inspiration go to visitbritain.com/jointheworld
