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We have teamed up with the quintessential English couple to help you get packing and find a crackin’ Great UK Adventure.

That’s right, Wallace & Gromit have loaded up their bike and sidecar, unfolded their map of the British Isle and are motoring from Loch Ness to the Jurassic Coast in search of the best experiences the UK has to offer.

The duo, whose past adventures have seen them escaping the clutches of a renegade penguin and tackling the dastardly deeds of a robotic bulldog, are in holiday mood and exploring the UK from coast to coast.

Want to see their adventure begin? Then watch the short film below.

We’re fully behind Wallace & Gromit’s great adventure and to help them on their way we’ve rounded up some of our favourite holiday ideas, which you can discover too.

For example, you can take a Great British road trip, head back to Medieval times or walk the only pathway that runs along an entire country’s coast. See our round up of Great UK Adventures.

If you want a holiday idea for May or June check out our events pages, to see the best of what’s taking place across the country. Activities range from the cultural to the absurd, ultra modern to ancient – you really are an eccentric lot!  Find May events here, and June events here.

We also have lots of smashing offers on holidays in the UK, including 50% off breaks with Park Resorts, and Pets Go Free with Haven. See our special offers for the full list of deals.

We’d love to hear about the crackin’ Great UK Adventures you are planning. Please tell us in the comments below, or join in the fun on our Facebook page.

 

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English summer camping tips

by Sarah on May 9, 2013

Are you planning an early summer camping holiday? If so, here’s everything you need to know – from the best events to tips for staying in a static, tourer or tent.

Tips when you’re staying in a static

If it’s wet and windy and a welly kind of holiday, keep your boots at the ready but outside of your nice clean holiday home, by slotting them sole up over cricket stumps banged into the ground outside your door. If the rain comes down, they’ll stay dry.

Camping during an English summer

Holidaying with your pets is great fun, but if you have a dog who loves splashing around in rivers your holiday home might suffer from the dreaded wet dog smell. A smart way to combat this is to take a pack of tumble dryer freshener sheets – after a quick rub over, your pet will smell much sweeter.

English summer camping tips

Scrambled eggs are caravan fast-food and an easy meal for your kids to make. Avoid the potential of mess by cracking eggs into a jam jar, sealing and shaking.

If you’re miffed by a misted mirror at shower time here’s an easy solution – simply wipe the mirror with a damp cloth and a spot of washing-up liquid and leave to dry. No more misted mirrors for the duration of your stay.

See our full list of tips for staying in a static caravan.

Tips if you’re camping in a tent

Location is everything, you don’t want to be too close to the buzz and hubbub of the entertainments area, but you also don’t want a half-mile hike for the night-time toilet trip. And yes, the riverside pitch looks pretty, but if it rains in the night you might find yourself stepping out into marshland. Choose your pitch carefully.

Camping tips in England

In the absence of hi-tech gizmos here’s a neat way to check the level of your gas bottle – pour hot water down the bottle and run your finger along the side. Where it feels warm the bottle is empty, and the point where it feels cooler is the gas level.

They may look daft, but keeping pairs of rubber shoes in your tent doorway, ready to slip on and off for late night loo trips, takes some of the stress out of a moon lit wander.

Sleeping kids roll around at night, so rather than leave them to work their way off their airbed and onto a cold tent floor, wedge them between something hefty, like adults or bags, to keep them in place.

We have many more camping tips, see them here.

Tips if you’re taking a tourer

Once your caravan is hitched up check your breakaway cable. If it’s trailing on the floor, secure it loosely with a plastic cable tie to save it wearing on the road.

For your journey, stop your clothes hangers falling off the rail by using foam pipe-insulation to keep them in place.

Use this simple trick to stop leaks in your awning – rub a candle on the teeth of the zip to create a waterproof seal.

An easy way to manage your waste is to buy a couple of suction-cup hooks for the outside of your caravan, then hang a plastic carrier between the hooks for an easy way to deal with your rubbish.

See more touring tips on our website.

Holiday ideas for May and June

There’s plenty taking place across the UK in May and June, so you can book a break to tie into one of these fabulous events. There really is something for everyone, from folk to fish festivals, men in kilts and women in frilly frocks, bird-watching to boat spotting.

See our round-ups of fantastic May events and splendid June events.

Morris Dancers on May Day

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The meaning of May Day

April 30, 2013

ShareHallelujah summer is here! Well at least we can start celebrating its impending arrival now that May Day has arrived. In pagan times May 1 was the first day of summer, which is one reason we still mark this day with time off from work and events across the country. For pagans May Day is [...]

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101 Things to Do in England Before You Go Abroad

April 28, 2013

ShareVisit England has published its list of 101 Things to Do in England, made up of ideas and suggestions from you, the great British public. We love the list, which covers a diverse mixture of activities, attraction and events, in categories such as Food and Drink, Wildlife and Nature, Heritage, Culture and general Awesomeness! To [...]

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Celebrating St George’s Day

April 23, 2013

ShareToday is St George’s Day – when the knight of the tale slayed a dragon to save a princess. Every year the people of England are encouraged to celebrate St George but, unlike other Saints’ Days, we don’t really have a clear idea how. To help your children take part we have created our top [...]

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Dog friendly caravan parks for National Pet Month

April 11, 2013

Share  Did you know that April is National Pet Month? Between 1 April and 6 May, we are all encouraged to find out more about responsible pet ownership and the benefits of pets for people and people for pets – studies show that the health benefits of pet ownership saves the NHS a whopping £1.5 [...]

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Outdoor Art Across The UK

March 21, 2013

ShareFancy a day out with a difference? The UK has numerous sites featuring amazing outdoor art, often from famous artists. Here’s a guide to some of the best.

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Summer holidays from £20 per person

March 15, 2013

ShareTomorrow (Saturday 16 March) we’re launching Summer Holidays from £20 per person with the Daily Mail! We have brand new summer dates in June, July and at the beginning of September at more than 250 holiday parks across the UK and Europe. UK, you could be… These exclusive accommodation deals are only available from BreakFree [...]

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Visit England… for an action-packed summer

March 15, 2013

ShareEnglish Tourism Week (16-24 March) is a great chance to remind ourselves of what a marvelously fabulous holiday destination England is. Okay, we don’t have guaranteed sunshine and thermometer-busting temperatures all summer long but get over it, and think about what we do have! Visit England has pulled together a fabulous events calendar of inspiring, exciting, [...]

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VisitEngland’s coastal recommendations

March 4, 2013

ShareNeed a holiday idea? England’s coastline is vibrant and ever changing, so we asked VisitEngland to give us their coastal highlights for 2013. The Jurassic Coast in Dorset and East Devon is perfect for fossil hunting – search along shell-studded beaches on the lookout for prehistoric finds. For years Cornwall has been the surf capital [...]

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