Navigating the UK’s holiday hotspots on a bank holiday weekend can be a gridlocked puzzle at the best of times. Fear not though, there are ways to avoid all the hassle that comes with following the crowd – and The Telegraph’s local destination experts hold the key.
From their respective corners of the nation, our experts have tried and tested the very best (and worst) their local areas have to offer. The result? They know the secrets to spending an enjoyable short break in Britain’s most popular destinations – from the coastal charm of Cornwall to the rugged fells of Cumbria. Here are our experts’ top tips for a hassle-free escape this bank holiday.
Cornwall
Cornwall wears a May mantle of glorious colour, from the delicate wild bluebells, pink campion and carpets of lilac squill on the clifftops to the fabulous blooms of rhododendron, azaleas and tall echiums in the many exotic gardens open to the public.
What to do
Head for Helford Village on the Helford River, where there is a circular woodland walk to Frenchman’s Creek, made famous by Daphne du Maurier. After lunch at the community-owned Ferry Boat Inn cross Helford Passage, which has had a ferryboat for 300 years. From here it’s a short walk to Trebah Garden famed for its colourful Himalayan plants. It has an extensive adventure play area for children, its own private beach and welcomes dogs.
Where to eat
The Fish Shed at the west end of Porthmeor Beach in St Ives has a small menu of delicious fresh fish. Most of its seating is outside undercover so wrap up and enjoy a grandstand view of the sun setting over a vast blue sea.
Insider tip: St Ives has a new one-way system for cars to keep them out of the harbour area. Use the park-and-ride at St Erth station or take the “back road” from Lelant to Halsetown and park at the Rugby Club (TR26 1ER).
Gill Charlton
Devon
Devon comes into its own in late May, when its sun-soaked landscapes draw visitors to its coasts and moors. But while the best-known hotspots become clogged with traffic, quieter corners still offer empty roads, peaceful pub gardens and crowd-free attractions.
What to do
The exquisitely beautiful, 13th-century thatched village of North Bovey, in Dartmoor National Park, remains one of Devon’s quieter corners, even over the bank holidays. A gentle circular walk follows the River Bovey through woodland, while Easdon Tor offers sweeping 360-degree Dartmoor views, birds of prey and wild ponies.
Where to eat
For such a diminutive destination, North Bovey packs a gastronomic punch, with a village pub, the Ring of Bells, and luxury hotel, Bovey Castle, to choose from. Fresh from a refurbishment, the pub now has additional restaurant seating, making it far easier to get a table on busy weekends.
Insider tip: Unusually quiet holiday cottage bookings mean there are some excellent deals, so it’s worth seeking out independent homes and smaller agencies.
Suzy Bennett
Pembrokeshire
Beyond coastal honeypots like Tenby and St Davids, Pembrokeshire offers plenty of calm corners for a nature-loving bank holiday escape.
What to do
Begin in the one-pub village of Bosherston for a stomp through pretty broadleaf woodland to the National Trust Lily Ponds (at peak bloom in June). It’s a fairytale of a walk where you might spot swooping dragonflies, kingfishers and resident otters. After half an hour, you’ll emerge at the powdery dunes fringing Broad Haven South Beach, a cliff-clasped scoop of gold sand, with Church Rock flinging above the water.
If you’re up for more, hike a rugged mile along the coast path to wave-smashed St Govan’s Head and St Govan’s Chapel, a hermit’s cell notched out of the gnarly limestone cliffs where Saint Govan holed up in the 6th century.
Where to eat
A five-minute drive from Bosherston, the Stackpole Inn is the ivy-swaddled country pub dream. Go for a £15 walkers’ lunch of Welsh cheeses, hams and pickles with a pint, or order a local fillet of halibut with cockle and laver bread butter.
Insider tip: If hotels and B&Bs are booked solid, pitch a tent at Vicar’s Field near Broad Haven South Beach. Or glamp in a handmade yurt and gaze up at twinkly night skies at nearby Stackpole Under the Stars.
Kerry Walker
Dorset
Dorset’s coastline is often less crowded than Devon and Cornwall’s. Even so, traffic queues might prove a nuisance outside Lulworth Cove, Studland Bay or Bournemouth.
What to do
The beach at Seatown is quieter, mostly because it is golden pebbles as opposed to sand. What you lose in sandcastle material you gain in astonishing water clarity and in the relaxing sound of wave-tumbled shingle. There’s always space to spread out or you can tackle the steep walk up to the Golden Cap for views from the highest point on the south-west coast.
Where to eat
The Anchor is a friendly pub just steps up from the beach, with a garden that looks out to sea. Try the chunky, rich bouillabaisse or order sourdough pizza from Seatown Slice.
Insider tip: Seatown has its own sauna – the Seaside Sauna Haus. Bag a private (£60) or a communal session (£10) and warm up after a not-quite-summer’s dip in the sea.
Natalie Paris
Cotswolds
Late May is a top time to visit this implausibly pretty patch of England. Its honey-stone villages zing with colour from irises, alliums and more. Its meadows are awash with wildflowers. Of course, you won’t be alone, but you’ll dodge the tourist throng if you avoid honeypots such as Burford, Bourton-on-the-Water and Bibury.
What to do
For a jaw-dropping outlook and a compelling sense of the past head to Winchcombe and follow the 5.5-mile Belas Knap circular trail. It’s steep going in parts, which keeps paths relatively empty. The highlight is Belas Knap itself, an impressively well-preserved Neolithic long barrow dating from 3,000 BC (roughly the same age as the oldest part of Stonehenge). You’ll also take in fabulous views across the valley to Tudor Sudeley Castle.
Where to eat
In handsome Winchcombe stop at the 15th-century Lion Inn, complete with a glorious courtyard garden. The menu offers elevated pub food, the likes of flat-iron steak with chimichurri, and courgette and charred corn orzotto. Get a taste of the Cotswolds at Winstones ice-cream parlour at Rodborough Common near Minchinhampton. Favourite summer flavours include peaches in clotted cream.
Insider tip: The Bank Holiday is when various splendid old rural customs are celebrated, like the Cheese Rolling at Coopers Hill and Woolsack Races at Gumstool Hill, Tetbury. These events herald the start of the summer festivals season: Wychwood Music Festival in June, the Cotswold Show in July, and the Big Feastival in August.
Harriet O Brien
Suffolk
There are better times than a bank holiday to enjoy the delights of coastal Suffolk – in particular the resorts of Aldeburgh and Southwold, which will be chock-a-block. Far better to head inland than to stick close to the seaside.
What to do
Suffolk’s most off-the-beaten-track beach is the pebbly strand at tiny Shingle Street. Down the road, Bawdsey’s WWII Radar Museum hosts a 1940s café on Sunday May 24 and tours of the house and station on Monday, May 25, including the chance to climb its 360ft-high transmitter.
Where to eat
Avoid the seaside hotspots and head a little way inland to The Greyhound in the tiny village of Pettistree, where the food is always good and the crowd a lot more local.
Insider tip: Sadly, the brilliant Red Rooster Suffolk festival has been cancelled this year but music-lovers can seek some consolation at Somerleyton Estate’s much smaller and lesser-known “Somer Sounds”, held at the Duke’s Head pub on May 23 and 24.
The handsome town of Bury St Edmunds is home to a bank holiday Spring Fayre on May 24 and 25, and the pretty riverside town of Beccles, right on the Norfolk border, hosts its annual food festival on Saturday May 23.
Martin Dunford
Norfolk
Dodge the Bank Holiday crowds that hurtle to the coast and swamp the car parks serving the sandy beaches at Holkham and Wells. Instead, travel inland to discover the less-visited deer parks and peaceful walled gardens of Norfolk’s grand estates.
What to do
Tour the newly-opened exhibition of sculpture by the celebrated post-war British artist Lynn Chadwick at Houghton Hall. More than 30 of his impressive steel and bronze works are on view around the house and garden from May 2 until October 4 2026. This includes his largest and final revolving piece, “Ace of Diamonds III” which is dramatically sited in front of the hall’s imposing, 18th-century façade.
Where to eat
The Stables Café at Houghton Hall serves homemade cakes and cream teas, plus a light lunch menu of seasonal salads, quiches, sandwiches and sausage rolls. Alternatively, there’s a picnic area next to the children’s playground.
Insider tip: Bank Holiday opening is on Sunday, May 24 and Monday, May 25. Free admission for children (under 18 years).
Sophie Butler
The Lake District
Of course the Lake District will be busy this Bank Holiday weekend. It’s a landscape of tantalising drama and equal beauty, from its majestic fells and glistening lakes to its frothing waterfalls and white-washed villages. It suits the adrenaline-junkie and the sedentary voyeur alike – which means crowded fell-walks, overflowing car parks, busy beauty spots and sweaty traffic jams.
What to do
Swerve the honeypots – such as Bowness, Grasmere and Keswick – and head to Ennerdale Water in the north-western lakes. Often overlooked, this lake offers walks, beauty and peace – largely because road access is limited to two car parks at its western end, and no water sports or boats (apart from canoes which may require prior permit) are allowed.
Enjoy the eight-mile lake circuit or one of the way-marked routes. As the valley is part of one of the country’s longest-running rewilding schemes, you might come across free-roaming black Galloway cattle, Marsh Fritillary butterflies, and birds such as ring ouzel and green woodpecker – and maybe even a red squirrel.
Where to eat
Less than two miles from Ennerdale Water, in the village of Ennerdale Bridge, The Gather is a community-owned-and-run café, shop and community hub in an airy, chalet-style building. The simple but freshly prepared menu includes wholesome breakfasts, soups, paninis, scones and excellent cakes – all home-made.
Insider tip: If you’re planning a fell walk, set off earlier than you would normally; 8am is good, 7am even better. You’ll have more chances for a quiet walk, plus the earlier finish means you’ll beat the crowds to the pub.
Helen Pickles