10 best things to do in Britain in 2024
From new hotels to D-Day celebrations, hip entertainment centres to an inland-surfing spot, put these must-dos in your diary…
Walk the England Coast Path: The much-anticipated coastal path around England should be fully walkable by the end of the year. It’s been re-named the King Charles III England Coast Path and there are beautiful trails wherever you are in the country. Pick a section and start walking, here.
Book into a new hotel: I’ll write more on the best hotels coming to the UK soon, but there are plenty of lovely new stays to be had this year, including The Emory, London, Six Senses London, art’otel Hoxton, 100 Princes St, Edinburgh, The Pig on the Farm, Stratford and many more.
Take a Manchester mini-break: It’s all about Manchester this year, as it gets its own Soho House members club, Treehouse Hotel , first-ever RHS Urban Show and its new flagship entertainment centre Aviva Studios, home of Factory International is fully open, alongside new creative centre Diecast and Britain’s largest new music venue Co-op Live.
Go on a chocolate tour: If you’re inspired by Wonka, then celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first Cadbury shop at Cadbury World in Birmingham.
Visit Britain’s newest museums: There’s something for everyone this year, from Blackpool’s Showtown museum to the re-opened Perth Museum in Scotland. Leicester's Jewry Wall Museum will relaunch into an immersive experience about the Roman history of the city and coming in 2025, will be the V&A East Storehouse at London’s Olympic Park and The Museum of Shakespeare in Shoreditch.
Visit Norwich Castle: In the summer, comes the much-anticipated re-opening of Norwich Castle, in the middle of the city, with a new gallery and medieval treasures.
Celebrate 100 years of Gleneagles: The famous luxury hotel in Scotland hits its centenary this year, so what better reason to visit Gleneagles?
The new fashion exhibition at Blenheim Palace Check out a fashion exhibition: I love a good fashion exhibition and this year there’s a few to choose from. Blenheim Place will host the biggest exhibition in its 300-year history when it launches Icons of British Fashion in March and global fashion icon Barbie is coming to the Design Museum to celebrate her 65th birthday, from July. Naomi Campbell also gets her own retrospective at the V&A in June.
Remember D-Day: It’s the 80th anniversary of D-Day in June and commemorations will take place in Portsmouth, which has The D-Day Story museum dedicated to the invasion.
Grab your surfboard: Head to Europe’s largest inland surfing spot, when Lost Shore Surf Resort opens in September. Just outside Edinburgh, it will generate up to 1,000 waves an hour and will have accommodation and a spa.
