Outdoor activities have taken an upswing in recent years… Perhaps because we all realized during the pandemic that we take the great outdoors for granted! Getting outdoors is a great way to see a different side to life in the city, and get your steps in and hit your recommended 150 minutes of activity each week!
We’ve got many options if you’re looking for some outdoor activities you can enjoy with your family in the UK in 2023. All of the listed places offer wonderful scenery, which gives home-like vibes, especially if you’re moving from the US, and want to adapt to life in the UK.
It’s impossible to mention all of them here, so we’ve listed just a few of the favourites we consider to be “can’t-miss” attractions.
The New Forest
The New Forest is packed with outdoor activities for families to enjoy together. If you’re looking for a more relaxed day out together as a family, you can do a bit of horse riding, take a cycle together, or go on a walk to enjoy the scenery. Dogs are welcome, as long as they’re well-behaved and leashed!
More adventurous families can opt for rafting, archery, axe throwing, crossbow, zip-lining, or learning Bushcraft survival skills together. You’ll be shocked that New Forest is home to 9 golf courses! There’s something for every handicap and every time frame, with a couple of 9-hole courses and more full 18-hole courses. Take your clubs along if you’d like to play a round!
Paultons Park
Set over 140 acres of beautifully landscaped parkland, Paultons Park offers more than 70 fun rides and attractions and is only 2 hours from London!
This amusement park also includes an exciting Peppa Pig theme, which should be a good one to enjoy as a family! Your kids will love trying the nine fun Peppa Pig rides, such as Muddy Puddles, to jump and play in.
Cairngorms National Park, Scottish Highlands
There’s more than just beautiful scenery in the Cairngorms National Park! As Britain’s largest national park, there’s plenty of room, and boy, do they fill it with interesting stuff.
For the purists, a huge array of stunning wildlife can be spotted and photographed. There are also walking trails, biking trails, castles to explore, and scenic spots to picnic.
If you’re looking for something a little more unusual, you can visit the Cairngorm Sleddog Centre, The Lecht or Glenshee Ski Centres, or Killiecrankie Bungee Jumping!
And if your family includes a fluffy member, you’ll be pleased to know they can join you in this adventure, as long as they stay on a leash!
The Eden Project, Cornwall
This is technically indoors, but look at the lush greenery, and it’s easy to see why it counts as being outdoors! From afar, it looks impressive, with a range of conjoined domes, making it impossible to know what’s inside.
But once you step into the domes of The Eden Project, it’s jaw-droppingly beautiful. Inside one dome—called a biome—is a full rainforest, interestingly, the largest “indoor” rainforest in the world! The other houses a Mediterranean environment. There’s also a *real* outdoor botanical garden.
At the core of their work are education and sustainability. If you’re keen to teach your kids the value of our planet and why they should take an active part in preserving it, this “indoor-outdoor” attraction is absolutely worth a visit.
Aside from being an educational experience, it’s the only one of its kind in the country, and it also makes for super photo opportunities!
Take a Day Tour from London
If you’d like to be taken on a guided tour and experience local culture, food, drink, and iconic landmarks up close and personal, this is for you and the family! And if the outdoors is your thing, you’ll be pleased to know that plenty of outdoor tours are available.
One of the most interesting and popular outdoor day tours is Stonehenge. It’s one of the biggest mysteries in the country, and you can walk in amongst the giant monoliths yourself on a guided tour.
Another lovely day outing is to the Cotswolds. You can tour it yourself, but you’ll get much more with a tour guide. It’s the largest designated ‘Area of Natural Beauty’ in the country, and it’s dotted with markets, stunning churches, and unbeatable scenery.
For something a bit different, a River Thames cruise is a different kind of outdoor activity. You’ll get a different view of London, but it’s a unique and comfortable way to tour the big city!
Conclusion
The UK is loaded with spectacular outdoor activities—weather permitting! But when the weather is right, and you’ve got a few days to spare, it’s well worth heading out with the family and ticking a few of these activities off the local bucket list.
These activities are just a few of our favourites. They’re by no means the only ones worth doing—the UK is packed with amazing activities of all types. It would take years to fully experience all of them, but you and your family will build incredible memories!
About the Author
Jordan Fuller is a retired golfer and businessman. When he’s not on the course working on his own game or mentoring young golfers, he writes in-depth articles for his website, Golf Influence.
