Advertisement

Britain's best attractions for a rainy day

Don't let the clouds ruin your fun - oversnap
Don't let the clouds ruin your fun - oversnap

There’s little worse than being on holiday in the UK summertime when the heavens open. We’re mentally prepared for it in the wintry months but, save for a few bizarrely sunny days we had in February, it very much feels like all we’ve done this year is wade through puddles.

So what is there to do on a rainy day in Britain? Here are some of the best indoor attractions, according to our experts.

Oxford

Follow in Alice's footsteps at Oxford's largest college

Aristocratic Christ Church is the largest and most impressive of all the Oxford colleges. It was founded in 1525 and counts 13 British prime ministers among its alumni. Charles Dodgson (also known as Lewis Carroll), the author of Alice in Wonderland, taught mathematics here and was inspired by many of the college's quirks. If you can, come for evensong in the college cathedral.

Contact: 01865 276150; chch.ox.ac.uk
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm; Sun, 2pm-5pm
Price: £

Christ Church College - Credit: getty
Christ Church College was founded by King Henry VIII in 1546 Credit: getty

Explore an art gallery with one of the head curators

Modern Art Oxford, which opened in 1965 and is hidden behind one of Oxford's prime shopping streets, has developed an international reputation for its displays of contemporary visual arts. Painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, installations, design, crafts and performance are all represented in a changing programme of exhibitions that features local as well as international artists. There is also a café and small shop.

Contact: 01865 722733; modernartoxford.org.uk
Opening times: Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm; Sun, 12pm–5pm
Price: Free

Enjoy a classical music concert

The Holywell Music Room has been hosting recitals for more than 250 years – it is said to be the oldest custom-built concert hall in Europe. The acoustics are excellent for chamber music, with events throughout the year performed by individuals and ensembles from around the world. Particularly delightful are the Oxford Coffee Concerts, held at 11.15am every Sunday.

Contact: 01295 810683; coffeeconcerts.com
Opening times: See website
Price: £

Telegraph Travel Expert: Etain O'Carroll

See our full guide to the best things to do in Oxford complete with insider tips

Pembrokeshire

Discover the huge medieval cathedral in a tiny city

A place of pilgrimage ever since Welsh hero St David was born at the sea-facing Chapel of St Non in the 6th century, St Davids, the UK’s smallest city, has a huge medieval cathedral disproportionate to its size. The cathedral is a riot of soaring, purple-stoned pillars and intricate coffered ceilings. Within its walls, you’ll find a shrine that allegedly contains the saint’s bones.

Contact: 01437 720202; stdavidscathedral.org.uk
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 9.30am-5.30pm; Sun, 12.30pm-5.30pm
Price: £

Telegraph Travel Expert: Kerry Walker

See our full guide to the best things to do in Pembrokeshire complete with insider tips

St Davids Cathedral - Credit: getty
Inside, St Davids Cathedral is a riot of soaring, purple-stoned pillars and intricate coffered ceilings Credit: getty

Lake District

Visit Beatrix Potter's perfectly preserved house

The 17th-century farmhouse Hill Top is where children's author Beatrix Potter created some of her best-known stories. It's still furnished as she left it when she died in 1943: in the entrance hall are her straw hat and clogs, in the bedroom are the bed hangings that she embroidered. Most fun is to be had by spotting the scenes illustrated in her books: the grandfather clock from The Tale of Samuel Whiskers, the chimney stack that Tom Kitten failed to escape from and Mr MacGregor’s cottage garden.

Contact: 01539 436269; nationaltrust.org.uk
Opening times: End of May-Aug, daily, 10am-5pm; mid-Feb to end of May and Sep-Oct, Sat-Thur (plus Fri in school holidays), 10am-4.30pm. Garden only also open Nov-Dec, daily, 10.30am-3.30pm
Price: ££

Beatrix Potter's House - Credit: getty
Discover the magic of Beatrix Potter's house Credit: getty

Explore a grand Victorian-era holiday home

Blackwell House is a gem of an Arts and Crafts house overlooking Windermere, which was designed in 1898 by leading architect M H Baillie Scott as a holiday home for a wealthy Manchester brewer. It’s a delight of original handmade details from William De Morgan tiled fireplaces to carved oak panelling, jewel-coloured stained glass windows and a sweeping peacock frieze. But it’s the space, the light, the attention to detail – window latches are individually carved – that staggers.

Contact: 01539 446139; blackwell.org.uk
Opening times: Mar-Oct, daily, 10.30am-5pm; Nov-Feb, daily, 10.30am-4pm
Price: ££

Telegraph Travel Expert: Helen Pickles

See our full guide to the best things to do in the Lake District complete with insider tips

The modern-looking White Drawing Room is one of Blackwell House's highlights - Credit: STEVEN BARBER PHOTOGRAPHY LIMITED
The modern-looking White Drawing Room is one of Blackwell House's highlights Credit: STEVEN BARBER PHOTOGRAPHY LIMITED

Devon

Indulge in a traditional cream tea

Don’t even think about leaving Devon without indulging in this tea-time tradition. With so many offerings, it’s hard to choose a favourite place, but the Guardhouse Café, housed in an 1802 Napoleonic fortress at the Berry Head Nature Reserve, near the pastel-painted fishing town of Brixham, regularly tops our list for its delicious offerings and dramatic clifftop location.

Contact: 01803 855 778; guardhousecafe.com
Opening times: Daily, 9am-5pm
Prices: £

Visit Agatha Christie’s holiday home

Agatha Christie’s private holiday home, Greenway, on the River Dart is much as it was when the crime writer stayed here when seeking inspiration for her books. First editions line the shelves, along with family photos and collections of botanical china and archaeological finds. Even if you’re not a Christie fan, the house is worth a visit for its beautiful setting on the River Dart and gardens. Don’t miss the peach house, winery and fernery.

Contact: 01083 842382; nationaltrust.org.uk
Opening times: Apr-Oct, daily, 10.30am-5pm
Prices: ££

Greenway - Credit: getty
Greenway was where Agatha Christie stayed when she wanted inspiration for her books Credit: getty

See how the other half live

Powderham Castle is one of the oldest family seats in Devon, belonging to the Earl of Devon. Set in its own deer park, it has been added to and altered repeatedly over its 600-year history. Tours take in the medieval core, neo-classical areas and the Victorian kitchen. There are beautiful rose beds and a walled garden with a Victorian glasshouse.

Contact: 01626 890243; powderham.co.uk
Opening times: Mar-Nov, Sun-Fri, 10am-5pm
Prices: ££

Telegraph Travel Expert: Suzy Bennett

See our full guide to the best things to do in Devon complete with insider tips

Cotswolds

Visit an ancient church with compelling historical background

Many of the famous Mitford sisters are buried at St Mary’s Church, which might be reason enough to visit. Yet there are other compelling sights in this ancient church (dating from the 12th century), especially the amazing tombs of the landowning Fettiplace family, whose effigies are stacked one above the other as if on shelves. From here you can also follow a path through fields to see 11th-century St Oswald’s church.

Contact: 01993 823788; burfordchurch.org
Opening times: Daily, 10am-5pm
Price: Free

Cotswold Distillery - Credit: getty
Learn all about craft gins and whiskies at the Cotswold Distillery Credit: getty

Get to know your spirits at a distillery tour

Founded in 2014, The Cotswolds Distillery has become one of the Cotswolds’ most popular attractions. Tours of the stills and warehouses (adults-only) finish with generous tastings; you’ll learn about the botanicals from which the craft gin here is made, and about the single malt whisky first released in 2017.

Contact: 01608 238 533; cotswoldsdistillery.com
Opening times: Tours: Daily, 11am, 1pm and 3pm
Price: ££

Collect design inspiration from a Grade I-listed home

It’s an inspiration to visit Kelmscott Manor, a 16th-century manor house that was home to seminal designer William Morris from 1871 until his death in 1896. The furnishings are remarkable, with, of course, wallpaper by Morris and also tapestries by Janey and May Morris as well as 17th and 18th-century furniture owned by the family, and paintings by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Contact: 01367 252486; sal.org.uk
Opening times: April to October, Wed and Sat, 11am-5pm
Price: ££

Telegraph Travel expert: Harriet O'Brien

See our full guide to the best things to do in the Cotswolds complete with insider tips

Cornwall

Discover the artistic legacy of St Ives

The special quality of the light here has drawn artists to St Ives for over a century, particularly in the post-war years when its avant-garde abstract works were acclaimed worldwide. To celebrate this legacy, an extension to Tate St Ives opened in late 2017 enabling the gallery to show a permanent collection of works by Hepworth, Nicholson, Gabo and Frost as well as seasonal exhibitions.

Contact: 01736 796226; tate.org.uk
Opening times: Daily, 10am-5.20pm
Price: ££

Tate St Ives - Credit: MATT CARDY
Modern British artists with links to the west of Cornwall are exhibited at Tate St Ives Credit: MATT CARDY

Disappear down a tin mine

Geevor, one of Cornwall’s last working tin mines, closed in 1990 but the interior remains as if the miners have just finished their shift. Knowledgeable, enthusiastic guides – some are former workers – bring the buildings to life with anecdotes of the miners’ lives as they take visitors through the ore processing works and into one of the underground tunnels. The café serves an excellent pasty.

Contact: 01736 788662; geevor.com
Opening times: April-September: Sun-Fri, 9am-5pm; October-March: Sun-Fri, 10am-4pm

Find Eden in a transformed clay pit

The world’s largest rainforest in captivity is inside the Eden Project; there’s even a waterfall inside one of the massive ‘Biomes’ which are architectural wonders in themselves. The crowds can be tiresome on a dull summer’s day so visit in sunshine. It’s not all about the plants, though. Eden has Britain’s longest zipwire, the SkyWire, which is the nearest you’ll get to flying.

Contact: 01726 811911; edenproject.com
Opening times: Daily, 10am-6pm (check website for maintenance closures)
Price: £££

Telegraph Travel expert: Gill Charlton

See our full guide to the best things to do in Cornwall complete with insider tips

Eden Project - Credit: istock
Explore the UK's largest greenhouse Credit: istock

York

Venture back to York's Viking past

The Jorvik Viking Centre's olfactory experiences (some more pleasant than others) have always brought to life what was an important and thriving ninth-century Viking city. Now, after a multi-million pound refurbishment, the interactive Jorvik exhibition is back, with even more insight into one of Britain’s most exciting archaeological discoveries, unearthed 30 years ago when construction of the adjoining shopping centre began.

Contact: 01904 615505, jorvikvikingcentre.co.uk
Opening times: Daily, 10am-5pm (April to October); 10-4pm (November to March)
Price: £

A sweet story for chocolate lovers

Covering the journey of chocolate from raw jungle cocoa bean to the treasure that became York’s most profitable export, Chocolate Story uses impressive, immersive set pieces to unwrap the making of York’s famous confectionary families – Terry’s and Rowntree’s – and give a fascinating flavour of the city’s rich social history too.

Contact: 01904 527725, yorkschocolatestory.com
Opening times: Daily, 10am-4pm
Price: ££

Jorvik Viking Centre
Mannequins bring York's heritage to life at the Jorvik Viking Centre

Dine out a Masterchef's home

York is full of great restaurants but what better way to enjoy top notch cuisine – “Modern European with a very Italian and Yorkshire twist” – than by eating it among new friends in the home of an expert cook? Sara Danesin Medio, chef, food consultant and MasterChef finalist 2011, runs York’s oldest supper club Sara@St John’s in her gorgeous Victorian townhouse near the city centre. Meet like-minded people while enjoying four-course feasts of partridge filled ravioli with truffle oil, wood pigeon risotto and other mouthwatering dishes. They happen two to three nights a month. Email Sara for dates and times.

Address: on application
Contact: saradanesinmedio.com
Price: £££

Telegraph Travel expert: Tina Walsh

See our full guide to the best things to do in York complete with insider tips

London

Feel the buzz of contemporary art

Sitting on the river face to face with St Paul’s, the former power station has somehow, magically, held onto the special buzz that accompanied its arrival in 2000. Prepare to be awed by the cavernous Tate Modern's Turbine Hall. And the incredible permanent collection of international modern art is free, as are the vast basement Tanks (for live art), and the new tower, Switch House, which has great views from the top.

Contact: 020 7887 8888; tate.org.uk
Opening times: Sun-Thurs, 10.00am–6pm; Fri-Sat, 10am-10pm
Nearest Tube: Southwark
Price: Free

National Theatre South Bank - Credit: KOMARGALLERY
The Brutalist National Theatre cuts a distinct silhouette on the South Bank Credit: KOMARGALLERY

Learn about 900 years of royal – and bloody – history

Throughout its 900-year history, the Tower of London has served as a royal palace and fortress, prison and place of execution, an arsenal, royal mint, menagerie and jewel house. Today, it’s home to some of the most potent symbols of British history: the Yeoman Warders, ravens and the Crown Jewels. It’s also really rather pretty for a cobbled-street wander around.

Contact: 020 3166 6000; hrp.org.uk
Opening times: Tues-Sat, 9am-5.30pm; Sun-Mon, 10am-5.30pm
Nearest Tube: Tower Hill
Price: ££

Go back to nature

Every day is a school day at South Kensington’s Natural History Museum. As well as the permanent dinosaur exhibition, the museum itself houses a collection of the biggest, tallest and rarest animals in the world. It feels likes walking into David Attenborough’s brain. See a life-sized blue whale, a 40-million-year-old spider, and the breathtakingly beautiful Central Hall (be sure to look upwards!).

Contact: 020 7942 5000; nhm.ac.uk
Opening times: 10am-5.50pm
Nearest Tube: South Kensington
Price: Free

Telegraph Travel expert: Alison Taylor

See our full guide to the best things to do in London complete with insider tips

The Natural History Museum - Credit: MIKE KEMP
The Natural History Museum feels like you're walking into the brain of David Attenborough Credit: MIKE KEMP

Edinburgh

Take a whisky masterclass

You may not be sure about the plastic barrel ride at the start, but there are worse ways to learn how whisky is made. The tour leaders at The Scotch Whisky Experience are brilliant and the Gold Tour upgrade is a revelation. Aficionados should opt for the Morning Masterclass, and gourmands should consider the Taste of Scotland Whisky and Food Tour, which includes a three-course meal in the Amber Restaurant.

Contact: 0131 220 0441; scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk
Opening times: Daily, 10am-6pm
Price: ££

Learn to cook Scottish fare

Gourmands can get to grip with local ingredients on a full-day cookery course. The well-regarded Edinburgh New Town Cookery School runs small one-day courses that are both professional and fun. Use the best Scottish ingredients in the Fish and Shellfish Workshop, or learn how to cook with game in a masterclass of meat. Those with a sweet tooth will enjoy the indulgent creations in a Delicious Desserts class.

Contact: 0131 226 4314; entcs.co.uk
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 9.45am-4pm
Price: ££

A day at Edinburgh New Town Cookery School is a great way to learn more about Scottish food - Credit: getty
A day at Edinburgh New Town Cookery School is a great way to learn more about Scottish food Credit: getty

Climb aboard a floating royal residence

The Royal Yacht Britannia was apparently frozen in time long before she was decommissioned. Look out for the various props found inside – there's everything from well-used board games in the sun lounge to toothbrushes in tumblers in the crew quarters. Together, the items bring Britannia, and the Queen’s fascinating frugality, to chintz-upholstered, brass-polished life. The comprehensive tour proceeds at a leisurely pace set by handheld recorded information delivered in suitably plummy tones.

Contact: 0131 555 5566; royalyachtbritannia.co.uk
Opening times: See website
Price: ££

Explore underground coves

Many locals don’t know about Gilmerton Cove, and it is certainly one of the city's more obscure attractions. Even archaeologists can’t explain the 300-year-old underground passages and rock-furnished rooms, hand carved from sandstone and hidden underneath the streets of this quiet suburb; but there are plenty of theories, as the enthusiastic guides will tell you. Maybe it was a meeting place for the Hellfire Club, a hiding place for Covenanters, or a drinkers’ den? Make up your own mind when you visit.

Contact: 0131 666 2035; gilmertoncove.org.uk
Opening times: Daily, from midday (11am, Apr-Sep); last tour 3pm (2pm, Oct-Mar)
Price: £

Telegraph Travel expert: Linda Macdonald

See our full guide to the best things to do in Edinburgh complete with insider tips

 Gilmerton Cove - Credit: getty
No one knows the real reason why the underground passages at Gilmerton Cove were built Credit: getty

Brighton

Step inside Brighton's most distinctive icon

Prince Regent’s farmhouse turned pleasure palace – the Royal Pavilion – is Brighton’s most distinctive icon. Built between 1787-1823, this dinky mock-Mughal extravaganza is a riot of jelly-mould domes and twiddly minarets. The best, most excessive bits though, are inside: the Music Room’s flying dragons and swirly carpets, and its much-gilded Banqueting Room.

Contact: 03000 290900; brightonmuseums.org.uk
Opening times: See website
Prices: ££

Discover this timeline of toys

Vintage penny arcades, stuffed bears, antique model trains – what’s not to love about the Brighton Toy and Model Museum? For bored children on rainy days it’s perfect. Don’t be put off by the unprepossessing exterior hidden away beneath the Victorian arches just below Brighton Station. Once inside you’ll find a Tardis world of mechanical toys, vintage Meccano, model ships and wooden puppets.

Contact: 01273 749494; brightontoymuseum.co.uk
Opening times: Tues-Fri: 10am-5pm. Sat: 11am-5pm
Prices: £

Telegraph Travel expert: Louise Roddon

See our full guide to the best things to do in Brighton complete with insider tips

The Royal Pavilion is easily Brighton's most distinctive icon - Credit: dave timms - Fotolia
The Royal Pavilion is easily Brighton's most distinctive icon Credit: dave timms - Fotolia

Bath

Tour a public bath from Roman times

The Roman Baths are fascinating for visitors of all ages, with not only the Great Bath to take in (the surrounding statues are Victorian additions), but also the remains of the Temple to Sulis Minerva, hypocaust (underfloor heating) systems, and more hot and cold baths. The audio guides are excellent – particularly the commentary for children. Screens show bathers going about their business, and live actors play out the lives of merchants and stonemasons.

Contact:01225 477785; romanbaths.co.uk
Opening times: See website
Price: ££

Soak in Britain’s only natural thermal waters

A session at the Thermae Bath Spa's New Royal Bath grants you access to the 33 degree Celsius waters of an open-air rooftop pool and the larger indoor Minerva Bath. It also gives you use of steam rooms, an infrared sauna and an ice chamber. Spa treatments are available too. On Saturday afternoons and evenings, the main bath can be very busy, with queues to get in.

Contact: 01225 331234; thermaebathspa.com
Opening times: Daily, 9am-9.30pm
Price: ££

Scope out fine and decorative art

Set on the edge of Sydney Gardens, The Holburne Museum also houses an attractive, but often busy, café in a glass atrium at the back. Its compact size makes it easy to combine a stroll around the gardens (which overlook a canal) with a good hour or so spent admiring the exhibits inside. The permanent collection features works from Gainsborough, as well as examples of fine and decorative art, including pottery and textiles. Temporary exhibitions are also shown.

Contact: holburne.org; 01225 388569
Opening times: See website
Price: Donation only

Telegraph Travel experts: Fred Mawer and Natalie Paris

See our full guide to the best things to do in Bath complete with insider tips

Suffolk

Try your hand at gin-making

These days it’s not often you come across a working brewery in a town centre but that’s exactly what you find in Southwold, which despite its genteel reputation is still wafted by beery fumes from the long-established local Adnams brewery every day. Tours are regular and very popular, and take about an hour to see the brewery’s main features and taste an ale or two. They have also started distilling gin so you can tour the distillery too.

Contact: 01502 727225; tours.adnams.co.uk
Opening times: Tours run every day, roughly 11am–2pm
Price: ££

Wander through the beer-fogged town of Southwold - Credit: JAMES BEDFORD/ADNAMS
Wander through the beer-fogged town of Southwold Credit: JAMES BEDFORD/ADNAMS

Discover one of England's most famous composers

Situated on the outskirts of town, the Red House was once the home of Benjamin Britten and is now home to a museum chock-full of artefacts relating to England’s most famous 20th-century composer. Among various outbuildings you can also see the library, still filled with Britten’s and Pears’ collection of furniture, books and paintings, and the studio where he composed 'War Requiem' and other late works.

Contact: 01728 451700; brittenpears.org
Opening times: March–October Tuesday–Sunday 1pm–5pm
Price: £

Telegraph Travel expert: Martin Dunford

See our full guide to the best things to do in Suffolk complete with insider tips

Blickling Estate - Credit: getty
Go hunting royal ghosts at the Blickling Estate in Norfolk Credit: getty

Norfolk

Go on a royal ghost hunt

Once owned by the Boleyn family, the Jacobean hall at Blickling Estate is said to be haunted by Anne Boleyn despite being rebuilt in 1616, 80 years after her execution. Its long gallery and library are impressive, but the gardens and park are the big draw here – so it’s best to visit on a sunny day to appreciate the surroundings.

Contact: 01263 738030; nationaltrust.org.uk/blickling-estate
Opening times: Mon-Sun, 10am-5.30pm (garden, café and shops); 12pm-5pm (house). Times vary in winter.
Price: ££

Get up close to the grand masters

An 18th-century Palladian mansion on a 3,000-acre estate and deer park, Holkham Hall's highlights include the Statue Gallery, paintings by Rubens and van Dyck, and the Marble Hall, with trompe l’oeil ceilings. Twelve state rooms are open for viewing and there’s also an interactive "Field to Fork" exhibition explaining the estate’s farming history, a large walled garden, wooden play area and café.

Contact: 01328 713111; holkham.co.uk
Opening times: Mon-Sun, 10am-5pm (gardens, exhibition, play area, café); Sun-Mon & Thurs, 12pm-4pm (house). Times vary in winter
Price: ££

Stride around a stately home

Once home to Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first Prime Minister, Houghton Hall has early 18th-century interiors sumptuously designed by William Kent. Other highlights include a superb five-acre walled garden and model-soldier collection. Don’t miss the compelling “Norfolk by Design” exhibition with artworks by Norfolk and East Anglian artists, located in the hall’s stables.

Contact: 01485 528569; houghtonhall.com
Opening times: Wed-Thurs & Sun, Bank Holiday Mon, 11am-4pm (gardens) 12-4pm (house). Sat, 11am-4pm (gardens) 12-4pm (house) after July 20th. Times vary in winter.
Price: ££

Telegraph Travel expert: Sophie Butler

See our full guide to the best things to do in Norfolk complete with insider tips