What To Do This Spring Across The UK

Green grass dotted with daisies, swaying tree branches scattering blossom through the air, and the sun finally peering from behind the clouds: spring is one of the most hopeful times of the year, and we can’t wait to get stuck in. There’s plenty going on across the UK to make the most of the freshest season of them all, and we’ve gathered the good stuff. Here’s our comprehensive guide to spring 2024 across the UK.

Spring Things To Do Across The UK 2024

HowTheLightGetsIn Hay

Fancy sharpening your mind this Spring Bank Holiday? Visit HowTheLightGetsIn 2024, the world’s largest festival of ideas on the idyllic banks of the River Wye. There’s plenty on the 2024 line-up to enjoy, including speakers spanning mathematics and science, beauty and media, politics and philosophy, and everything in between, plus live music, comedy, and delicious food and drink. Check out our full guide to the action.

Details: 24–27 May 2024 set on the edge of the Black Mountains, alongside the River Wye in the famed book town of Hay. The site is located just off Newport Street, HR3 5BZ. Festival tickets start from £184, and students and under 25s get 30 percent off tickets. Early bird tickets sold in record numbers, so be quick. Bonus: Country & Town House readers get an exclusive 20 percent off tickets when using the code CATH24 at checkout. Visit howthelightgetsin.org to secure your spot.

Newbury © Steven Cargill/Racingfotos.com

Newbury Racecourse

Let’s go to the races! Newbury Racecourse is our top pick, with a thrilling calendar to enjoy this spring kicking off on 19 April with the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials Weekend & Beer Festival. Planning ahead? You have until 5 April to bag Super Early Bird tickets (£29 for Adults and £16 for U18s) for the Weatherbys Super Sprint Day at Newbury Racecourse, followed by the famous Party In The Paddock headlined by super producer Sigala.

Details: Visit Newbury’s website for the full calendar of events and to book your tickets. All events take place at Newbury Racecourse (Racecourse Rd, Newbury RG14 7NZ). newburyracecourse.co.uk

Family Staycation

Why not celebrate this season of joy and renewal, and gather the family for a staycation this spring? Come together over home-cooked dinners, games nights and time outdoors by booking a beautiful property with Luxury Cottages. There are plenty of handpicked boltholes to choose from up and down the country, but we can’t stop daydreaming about Yew Grand Suite, a gorgeous lakeside apartment tucked away in the Cotswolds. With an open-plan living space, three-ensuite bedrooms are finished with the highest quality furnishings, plus two large terraces overlooking the garden or lake, and a warming log burner to snuggle up beside.

Details: Yew Grand Suite sleeps six and can be booked at luxurycottages.com

Icons Of British Fashion At Blenheim Palace

A special, blockbuster exhibition is running at the UNESCO World Heritage Blenheim Palace this spring: Icons of British Fashion. The exhibition will showcase a creative curation of fashion clothing, accessories, archival materials, drawings, photography, and patterns by an array of legendary designers – including Terry de Havilland, Barbour, Bruce Oldfield, Jean Muir, Lulu Guinness, Stella McCartney, Stephen Jones Millinery for Christian Dior, Temperley London, Turnbull & Asser, Vivienne Westwood and Zandra Rodes – dramatically lit and displayed amongst the Palace’s own priceless collections.

Details: Icons of British Fashion will run from 23 March–30 June 2024 at Blenheim Palace (Woodstock OX20 1PS). Book your tickets at blenheimpalace.com

Visit A Country Estate

Get back to nature as a family this spring – with the backdrop of a magnificent country house, of course. Our go-to this season is Holkham, a rural mid-18th century estate nestled in north Norfolk, featuring an adventure play area, a ropes course, an interactive exhibition, and a leafy nature trail around the lake.

Details: Learn more about the spring activities at Holkham (Holkham Rd, Wells-next-the-Sea NR23 1AB) at holkham.co.uk

The Subtropical House at Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Easter Adventures At Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Black Country kids can celebrate all the joy of spring at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, which special activities inclue stretch and bloom yoga sessions, botanical egg trails, creating ‘journey sticks’ and building bee hotels. Visitors can also enjoy close encounters with a selection of exotic animals and let their creativity bloom in the Gardens’ Art Club.

Details: Entry to Birmingham Botanical Gardens (Westbourne Rd, Birmingham B15 3TR) costs £7.50 for adults (£6.50 for students at 65+), children (5–16) are £5.50, and under fives go free. Family tickets are also available. See the full lineup of events and book your slot at birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk

Niklas Weiss on Unsplash

Great Country Walk

Time to explore the great outdoors on foot – and earn yourself a refreshing pint in the process. Here are our favourite country walks that end at cute pubs to try this spring.

Ground, created and produced by Trigger. Image courtesy of Paul Blakemore

Ground At Brighton Festival

An ambitious, immersive exploration of the colonial legacy of the food we eat will premiere at Brighton Festival this spring. Part performance, part supper club, visitors can expect a three course meal accompanied by live performances and a recorded soundscape highlighting how simple ingredients (rice, bananas, cocoa) come at a great human cost. The live performances and soundscape is presented by Trigger, while Brighton based chef Jethro Carr will create the meal, using produce grown within the grounds of the venue, Earthship Brighton (a sustainable building made with recycled materials, and which beady eyed Grand Designs viewers might recognise).

Details: 4–26 May 2024 at The Earthship (Stanmer Park, Lewes Rd, Stanmer, Brighton BN1 9PZ). To learn more and book tickets, visit experienceground.co.uk

Easter Baking

Not yet tired of Mini Eggs? Flex your Bake Off acquired skills and teach the kids a thing or two about the kitchen by baking a delicious Easter treat this spring. Here are six Easter desserts we’ll be tucking into, and some classic bakes to try, too.

Wiston Estate

Wine Tours At Wiston Estate

Through late spring and summer, the award winning West Sussex winery Wiston Estate will host a variety of tours and experiences for guests to explore the beautiful South Downs estate in its full summer bloom. Totally unique and thoughtfully curated, these tours will provide an insightful introduction to both the estate as a whole and its working winery, vines and acclaimed restaurant. Guests can then sample exclusive tastings, enjoy a picnic lunch, dine on the Estate Menu at the ingredient-led restaurant Chalk, and even stay the night in a luxury self-catering cottage.

Details: Wiston Estate, North Farm, Pulborough RH20 4BB. Learn more about the tours and book your spot at wistonestate.com