Few things are more soul-stirring than sunlight dappled through trees. The bewitching dance of dark shadows and luminous freckles; the deliciousness of experiencing a gloriously hot, bright day safely shaded from its ferocity.
The Japanese – inventors of shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing” – have a word for it, of course: komorebi, the magic of light leaking between trees.
Last year, the UK clocked up its hottest ever June – and though this year hasn’t been so toasty so far, heatwaves have nevertheless been spreading across the planet, and weather experts reckon this year could match 2023 in terms of blistering temperatures. Britain is certainly predicted to heat up before the summer ends, and even if it isn’t an absolute scorcher, we may all need a little komorebi in our lives.
Fortunately, this country has some beautiful shady bits. While the natural inclination of most holidaymakers is to head for the sea, there are plenty of other places that offer both natural charm and grandeur, and a chance to cool off – without the coastal crowds.
Look into our island nation instead of out of it and you’ll find fabulous forests, woodlands and nature reserves, winding rivers, flower-fringed canals, refreshing lakes, tumbling cascades, even deep caverns where there’s no sun at all.
To help you plan a refreshing, revitalising escape from the heat and humidity, we’ve rounded up the 20 best of them below.
- Cool places
- Shady sleeps
- Sun-free fun
Cool places
1.Holiday solved: Norfolk Broads
The River Bure burbles gently beneath Norfolk’s enormous skies, fringed by weeping willows, pretty villages and expansive marshes. Hire a day-cruiser from Wroxham, complete with sun canopy and kitchen, to navigate the Broads (£265 per day; broadstours.co.uk). Or tackle the Mystery of the River Bure, a waterborne “escape room” via paddleboard from nearby Horning – you have two hours to solve the puzzle and lift the curse (£35pp; gopaddle.co.uk/escapeadventure).
Stay: Riverside Rentals specialises in cottages by the water. Try the Willows (sleeping four), a thatched bungalow on the Bure in Horning. From £1,695pw (01493 368300; riverside-rentals.co.uk).
2. Urban cool: Bristol
Even when it’s hot, Bristol is cool – culturally and climatically. Because hip water fun abounds. You can SUP past the sights in the Floating Harbour (from £30; supbristol.com) or swim in the restored Victorian lido, one of the most beautiful pools around (swim and spa from £25; lidobristol.com).
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Or go for a surf. The Wave inland lake, only a few miles away, provides the UK’s most consistent break, with lessons and sessions for all levels (from £60pp).
Stay: The Wave’s onsite camp has airy safari-style tents (sleeping two-eight), perfectly placed for surfing dusk until dawn. From £185pn (0333 016 4133; thewave.com).
3. Making a splash: North Pennines
The North Pennines AONB is a place to feel fully refreshed, a landscape of wild moors, gurgling rivers, rich woods, plunging dales and boisterous waterfalls. Not least England’s biggest, High Force, which you can get up close to via a woodland trail (£7 for two; raby.co.uk/high-force).
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For greater refreshment, gorge walking: wetsuit-up to clamber in shady gorges, slide down rock chutes, leap from waterfalls and jump into cool pools (£60pp; northeastadventures.co.uk).
Stay: The High Force Hotel is right by the waterfall. Doubles from £162pn B&B (01833 622336; raby.co.uk).
4. Where the wild things are: Kent
West Blean, near Canterbury, is one of the largest areas of ancient woodland in the UK. It’s also one of the wildest. In 2022, the Wilder Blean project released a herd of bison here. Take a walk in the woods, and you may spot the bison through the fences. Or join Kent Wildlife Trust for a range of events, from a beaver safari (21 July; from £28pp) to chalkland butterfly-spotting (31 July; £35) to Wilder Holiday Club days for kids (various dates; £40pp).
Stay: The Enchanted Faraway Tree, near Blean, is a glass-domed treehouse (sleeping two), up in the canopy. From £325pn (07739 850 975; kent-cottage-holidays.co.uk).
5. Woods and water: Lake District
Seek respite in the Lakes. Wonderful Whinlatter, England’s only true mountain forest, has launched a WOW trail, featuring a nature hide (look for red squirrels) and a wellbeing area for forest-bathing (forestryengland.uk/whinlatter).
Then cool off with a dip: join local pro Suzanna Cruickshank for an invigorating immersion (suzannaswims.co.uk).
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Suzanna’s trips range from an Eskdale Full Moon Dusk Swim (19 August; £40pp) to an adventurous North West Lakes Lucky Dip (22 August, £45pp).
Stay: The award-winning Quiet Site, above Ullswater, has Glamping Burrows (sleeping two-six) that are dug into the hillside and cool year-round. From £100pn (01768 486337; thequietsite.co.uk).
6. Refined refuge: Cambridge
For high-class cool, try Cambridge. There’s the sanctuary of the college quads, the abundance of fine parks, the soothing sounds of punts swishing through the Cam – maybe book a Champagne Tour (£195 for six; rutherfordspunting.com). But for deeper shade, join an atmospheric evening Bat Punt (from £60 for two; wildlifebcn.org/bat-punts).
Glide off around dusk with a Wildlife Trust guide, who’ll use a hand-held detector to identify the animals by their echolocation.
Stay: The Orchard at Fen End Farm, near Cambridge, has lovely camping and glamping. Pitches from £52 for two nights (07950 561787; fenendfarm.co.uk).
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7. Literary escapes: Perthshire
“Now Simmer blinks on flowery braes/And o’er the crystal streamlets plays/Come let us spend the lightsome days/In the Birks of Aberfeldy”… Summer in Perthshire’s forests moved Robert Burns to rhyme, which seems a good enough recommendation. Follow a trail from Aberfeldy to weave amid the woods and cascades. Then go river-wading, rock-scrambling and waterfall-splashing in the natural water park that is Calvine Gorge (£55pp; naelimits.co.uk).
Stay: The five Glen Gack cabins (sleeping two-four) sit on the Atholl Estate. Each has views over Cally Loch, where you can dive off private pontoons. From £540 for two nights (atholl-estates.co.uk).
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Shady sleeps
8. Rewilded retreat: Gloucestershire
Seek shade by a bend of the River Severn amid re-nurtured nature. Elmore Court has a handful of contemporary, cedar-clad treehouses, high in its woodland canopy. They’re luxurious, and perfect for surveying the estate, where the land is being rewilded and regenerative farming practices employed – guests can order food to their treehouse up to 3 days prior to their stay.
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Book a swim session in the spring-fed lake, take nature walks and go foraging. Also, stay chilled by visiting the nearby Forest of Dean, Gloucester cathedral’s cool cloisters and mouthwatering Wholly Gelato, in Elmore village.
Stay: Treehouses (sleeping two-four) from £250pn (01452 720293; rewildthings.com).
9. Forest fun: Cheshire
The clue’s in the name: Forest Holidays – which has earned B Corp certification – specialises in holidays in forests, with batches of family-friendly, hottub-toting cabins sequestered in woodlands from Cornwall to Argyll. Delamere Forest is an excellent choice.
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This large swathe of broadleafs and evergreens amid the Cheshire Plain has its own train station, Go Ape course and miles of hiking and cycling trails. And the Forest Holidays retreat has a great Ranger programme: book kids onto activities such as Nature Tots, Forest Survival and Nocturnal Adventures, where they’ll seek wildlife with night-vision gear.
Stay: Cabins (sleeping two-10) from around £1,470pw in August (03330 110495; forestholidays.co.uk).
10. Private wilderness: Aberdeenshire
Tucked into 15,000 acres of private moorland, forest and Highlands drama along the River Dye, Glen Dye is ideal for those seeking shade and space. Accommodation options include cute cottages, a reimagined bothy and the Campsite, perfect for small groups: with a 1950s showman’s caravan, a wooden hut, two tent pitches and a shed with a kitchenette and pizza oven, it feels like its own mini-glampsite amid the pines.
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Sign up for some wild wellness too: there are regular bushcraft, foraging and cold-water therapy classes to immerse you deeper in nature.
Stay: Hire all or part of the Garden Camp: Showman’s Caravan (sleeping two) costs from £165pn, Keeper’s Hut (sleeping two) from £185pn, four-person tent pitches from £49pn (01330 850689; glendyecabinsandcottages.com).
11. River sleeps: Wye Valley
The wandering Wye, with its tree-flanked banks and mountain-fed waters, is wonderful for keeping cool. Sleep right on the river at By the Wye in Hay (where the bookshops also provide ample shade). The stilted safari tents all have panoramic decks; one also has a cedar barrel sauna, one an outdoor bath. You can also learn about everything from plants to firelighting on the Ultimate Woodland Survival adventure with the site’s own ranger (£30pp). Or navigate the river by canoe (£35pp; celticcanoes.co.uk).
Stay: Tents (sleeping two-six) from £370 for two nights (01497 828166; bythewye.uk).
12. Super swims: Essex
Want award-winning cool? Piglets, an adults-only boutique stay near Saffron Walden, was named B&B of the Year in the 2023 Visit England Awards. It offers comfortable rooms and delectable breakfasts. But it also has a natural, chemical-free swimming pond that’s kept fresh and clear by plants and is a haven for wildlife.
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The water reaches a balmy 25°C in summertime, and is surrounded by a parasol-dotted deck, where you can lounge with a G&T – there are 50 gins to choose from in the extensive honesty bar.
Stay: Doubles from £420 for two nights B&B (01799 599800; piglets.co.uk).
13. Under the oaks: Snowdonia
Cefn Coed means “back of the woods”. Which tells you all you need to know about the shadiness of this campsite, hidden near the Mawddach Estuary, within Eryri/Snowdonia National Park. There are secluded woodland pitches for tents and campervans, tucked beneath the 17th-century estate’s ancient oaks and hooting owls. Bathe under the trees, or head out on a refreshing walk: a 14km circular, via the estuary, Abergwynant Woods and the Cregennan mountain lakes, runs right past the site, or tackle the cool 893m summit of nearby Cader Idris.
Stay: Pitches from £62 for two nights (07398 630571; campsites.co.uk).
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Sun-free fun
14. Delve down: Dartmoor
Dartmoor has some super shady places, from the tree-lined walking trails around Tottiford and Trenchford reservoirs to the mossy-and-magical bowers of Wistman’s Wood. However, to escape the sun entirely, don a helmet for Crag 2 Mountain’s Caving Adventure, which delves into Pridhamsleigh Cavern, an undiscovered underbelly of gaping grottoes and twisting passages, suitable for spelunkers of all ages (£20pp; 30 July & 20 August; crag2mountain.co.uk).
Stay: Nymet Wood has two cool, contemporary treehouses (sleeping two, plus up to two children) hidden amid a pocket of woodland, orchards and meadows, with views south over Dartmoor. From £590 for two nights (07879 883939; nymetwoodtreehouses.com).
15. Canal cruise: Brecon Beacons
Drifting along the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal is like floating through another, more peaceful world. The waterway cuts into the heart of Bannau Brycheiniog and is leafy most of the way; it’s a haven for wildlife –look out for red kites, herons and dragonflies.
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In a week you can pootle from near Abergavenny to Brecon and back by narrowboat, via the wooded Usk Valley, canal-side cafes and the looming Black Mountains. Moor up to walk to Blaen y Glyn waterfalls, a perfect swim and picnic spot.
Stay: One-week Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal trip aboard Red Billed Finch (sleeping five) from £1,330 in August (0344 984 0322; drifters.co.uk).
16. Refreshing ride: Scotland
The rush of pine-fresh air in your face, the shadows of mighty trees, the ripple of brisk, peak-hugged waters… Even with a few wee climbs involved, a leisurely cycle around Scotland’s lochs and glens is a cool way to spend summer. Saddle Skedaddle’s trip links Balloch and Perth via Loch Lomond and Achray Forest, the rivers Tay and Tummel, country lanes and disused railways, folk heroes and leaping salmon, wooded hills and a whisky distillery or two.
Stay: Five-day Scotland Lochs & Glens self-guided cycle from £635pp including B&B accommodation (0191 265 1110; skedaddle.com).
17. Sacred streams: Northamptonshire
The Nene is a gentle, bucolic river, ideal for exploring by canoe. Canoe 2, based at bustling Rushden Lakes, offers a range of adventures. But coolest is its Canoeing & Champing short break, from Thrapston to Oundle, taking in a sylvan stretch of river and the quiet, shaded backwater of Harper’s Brook. Overnight you’ll sleep within the cool, stone walls of Aldwincle’s historic church, now a “champsite” run by the Churches Conservation Trust. Breakfast is delivered by local farmers.
Stay: Two-day Canoeing & Champing break from £198pp including accommodation; 31 August. B&B breaks also available, from £178pp (01933 522223; canoe2.co.uk).
18. Tree therapy: Derbyshire
The National Forest project, which has been re-greening a swathe of previously industrialised Midlands since 1995, is playing host to perhaps the ultimate shady experience. Within the straw-bale roundhouse and community-owned woodland at Whistlewood Common in south Derbyshire, you can learn to Think like a Tree. This enlightening three-day programme will explore the principles often associated with forests and nature – such as resilience and harmony – and help you learn to apply them to your own life, in inspiring surrounds.
Stay: Three-day course from £240pp including lunch; off-grid camping pitches £18pn, yurt £60pn; 9-11 August (thinklikeatree.co.uk).
19. Go below: North Wales
In north Wales it’s easy to escape the sun entirely – the region’s mining heritage has left a legacy of underground attractions. Follow in the boot-prints of Victorian slate miners on Corris Mine Explorers’ Adventurer expedition (£37pp; corrismineexplorers.co.uk).
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Award-winning guides will lead you into the old workings – ambient temperature 8°C – via broad tunnels, gaping caverns and abandoned machinery. Exploring by headlamp-light, using ropes, ladders and safety clips, you’ll delve into mining history.
Stay: Deep Sleep is a handful of cabins (sleeping two) down an abandoned mine, 400m below Snowdonia. From £375pn, including dinner and breakfast (01690 710108; go-below.co.uk).
20. Canopy capers: Isle of Wight
Despite being the UK’s sunniest spot – according to Met Office data, it gets 1,923 sunshine hours a year – the Isle of Wight still suits shade-seekers. Hook up with Goodleaf – its arboreal experts will help you climb one of Appley Park’s fine old oak trees and hang out in the canopy (from £34pp; goodleaf.co.uk). The two-hour experience is suitable for anyone aged eight and over. For the brave, there’s the chance to try branch-walking and swinging high above the ground.
Stay: Camp Wight is squirrelled away in the woods near Yarmouth. Pitches from £20pn, tentsile hammock tents, suspended between trees, from £35pn (07748 844242; campwight.co.uk).
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