Free summer holiday ideas in the UK

The Met Office is predicting a long, hot summer and what better way to enjoy it than with a free day out right here in the UK?

Funds might be tight, but with so much on offer choosing what to do can the toughest decision of all, so here travelbite.co.uk takes a look at some of the best free summer days out in the UK.

Underground Gems

For holidaymakers in the south-east Rambles from the London Tube is a treasure trove of information on some of great architectural, historical and downright intriguing sights which can be visited in the more unassuming boroughs of the capital.

Highlights include the Swaminarayan temple in Neasdon and the picturesque village of Richmond - but there are hundreds of suggestions, often just a five minute walk from some of the outlying tube stations.

A personal favourite is Epping Forest - a ten minute walk from Epping station on the Central Line - which is great for weary urbanites looking to escape the confines of the city.

Similarly Chislehurst Caves are a welcome retreat.

Back in central London, Antony Gormley's One & Another is drawing the crowds to Trafalgar Square as members of the public take their chance to spend an hour on the Fourth Plinth.

Free Festivals in the UK

Still in the capital the Thames Festival will take over the south bank of the river on September 12th-13th with pageants, choirs and fireworks all set to light up the skyline. Watch This Space at the National Theatre and the Scoop at MoreLondon both offer a season of free theatrical performance.

The ongoing A Night Less Ordinary programme also offers readers under 26-years-of-age a chance to pick up some free theatre tickets for most shows in London this summer. Check out Tom Stoppard's Arcadia - now playing at the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End - for a night to remember.

Down in the south-west the Creation Fest will be held at the Royal Cornwall Showground from the 7th-13th August - with a full programme of music, teaching seminars, workshops, sports activities and films.

At the other end of the country the Mathew Street Music Festival will illustrate what music means to the city of Liverpool.

The ever popular Chapel Allerton Arts Festival in Somerset will also return this year - offering a packed programme of music, film and entertainment.

Slightly later in the year the Big Draw will also see over a thousand venues host public drawing events - all for free.

Top UK Museums

Britain's museums hold a wealth of fascinating material on everything from prehistoric man through to adventures in space. The blockbuster events can be found at the British Museum but the smaller Sir John Soane's Museum in Lincoln and the seven National Museums in Liverpool - including the World Museum, Walker Art Gallery, Lady Lever Art Gallery and Merseyside Maritime Museum - offer a chance to escape the crowds.

An outpost of the Natural History Museum in Tring is also well worth a visit, with its Rothschild collection of taxidermy presented in gilded Victorian splendour.

The Lowry in Manchester's Salford district also has a permanent art collection open to the public.

On a Plain

The UK's green and pleasant lands are also free to holidaymakers - with hundreds of wide open spaces just waiting to be explored.

Leazes Park, the oldest green space in Newcastle is one such destination. Recently restored to its former glory it makes a great destination for a short-break in the UK - complete with boating lake, crazy golf, playground and skate park.

In Leeds Roundhay Park is popular with locals, offering a lake, sports facilities, woodland areas and nature trails.

Perhaps the most famous open space in the country Hyde Park is also open throughout the summer, with 350 acres of verdant wonder to explore.

Britain's National Parks - with nine in England, three in Wales and two in Scotland - are also celebrating their sixtieth anniversary with a year of special events.

Wild camping is also allowed in areas of the Scottish Highlands and Dartmoor.

Still going with the natural theme, how about cycling in Bath & Bristol? A virtually traffic free route along a converted train track links Georgian Bath to the historic port of Bristol with a number of great sites for visitors along the way.

VisitBritain has more details on this and a host of other activities to do for free this summer.

If the weather is not always so kind, you can enjoy nature indoors at the Winter Garden in Sheffield. This is one of the most visited free attractions in the UK and is over 70 metres long with over 2,500 plants from around the world.

UK Beach Breaks

With so many British tourists considering staying closer to home during the economic downturn they will be forgoing their two weeks in the sun. Or perhaps not! British beaches recently scooped a record 79 Blue Flags, indicating water quality around the coast is steadily improving.

To celebrate how about a beach break in the UK? Pack up the car and head to Poole - which has four Blue Flag beaches - or Torbay which has an incredible five.

The resort of Llanbedrog in Wales is also a popular destination for beach lovers with a penchant for exploring; forming part of a new 146km route from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, and ideal for an active holiday.

Star for a Day

Finally, if you want to be a star - but perhaps lack the talent - why not take a seat in the audience of a television programme? The BBC offers places in the audience for a range of programmes recorded around the country, while ITV has everything from X-Factor to Loose Women. VisitBritain also has some top tips for getting ever closer to the stars - celebrity spotting in London.

travelbite.co.uk staff