Best things to do in Britain in 2025
Where to go and what to see, this year
Happy New Year! What better way to kick-start 2025, than making travel plans? I recently wrote a piece on what’s hot in the UK and Ireland in 2025 for Escape - read the full article here - so thought I’d put together a short-list of top things to do and see, to get us going. There’s nothing better for the spirit, than planning a year of travel, in January. Here’s a few ideas to get you started:
Jane Austen’s birthday
You’ll be hearing more on this topic from me, you can count on it. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen and literary landmarks around the UK are celebrating, especially in Bath and Hampshire. Activities are taking place all year, including at Jane Austen’s House, Chawton, and Bath.
For more, janeaustens.house; janeausten.co.uk; visitbath.co.uk
Manchester rocks to Oasis
With the news Oasis is playing sell-out reunion gigs in their hometown in July, Manchester is officially rocking. The first Soho House in the north of Britain opens soon, in the old Granada TV studios, sharing the building with Mollie’s Manchester.
For more, sohohouse.com; mollies.com; visitmanchester.com
More luxury hotels for London
You would think London had reached max-luxe, but the next swathe of high-end hostelries open, including Six Senses London, in the old Whiteleys department store, Bayswater and The Chancery Rosewood, in the former US Embassy building, Mayfair. Then there’s the Waldorf Astoria London in Admiralty Arch, with its incredible view overlooking the Mall.
For more, Hilton.com; sixsenses.com; rosewoodhotels.com
England’s coast path opens
The King Charles III England Coast Path will fully open in 2025, joining up the coastline of England and becoming the world’s longest continual coastal walking route, at 2,700 miles. The Salt Path movie also comes out this year, starring Gillian Anderson as author Raynor Winn and Jason Isaacs as her husband Moth. Get your boots on and walk the South West Coast Path, or any section of the coast.
For more, nationaltrail.co.uk; southwestcoastpath.org.uk
The train turns 200
This year is also the bicentenary of “the birth of the modern railway”, marking the historic event in 1825 when George Stephenson’s Locomotion No.1 travelled 26 miles. Whether you visit the National Railway Museum in York, or catch the new luxury Belmond Britannic Explorer sleeper train, there’s never been a better excuse to see the country by rail.
For more, railwaymuseum.org.uk; Belmond.com
Museums go on the move
Kensington’s V&A museum continues to host its world-class exhibitions – look out for its Cartier show in April – but it also opens the new destinations V&A East Storehouse and Museum in East London. The immersive Museum of Shakespeare also opens in Shoreditch and further beyond, the much-anticipated new London Museum will open in its new home in the City of London, in 2026.
For more, vam.ac.uk; museumofshakespeare.org.uk; londonmuseum.org.uk
VE Day 80
May 8 marks 80 years since VE Day was declared and there are events planned all over the UK. There’s still discussion about whether there might be an extra bank holiday to mark it. To get in the mood, how about a visit to the excellent Churchill War Rooms, where you can join a guided tour or even take afternoon tea on key dates.
For more, veday80.org.uk; iwm.org.uk