50 things everybody should do in an English summer

Looking for the best things to do in England in summer? This cheerful checklist brings together 50 classic English summer activities, from fish and chips by the sea and village fêtes to wildflower meadows, cathedral cities, pub gardens, lidos, ruined abbeys and sunset walks. Pick a few for a weekend, use it as a summer bucket list, or simply keep it nearby for those long bright days when England suddenly remembers how to do sunshine.

The English summer checklist

1. Eat fish and chips on a seafront bench
2. Swim in the sea, even if only briefly
3. Visit a village fête
4. Walk through a wildflower meadow
5. Have a picnic beside a river
6. Go crabbing from a harbour wall
7. Watch cricket on a village green
8. Visit a castle in golden evening light
9. Take a slow boat trip
10. Eat strawberries outdoors
11. Wander around a grand garden
12. Walk part of the South West Coast Path
13. Spend a day in the Lake District
14. Visit a lavender field
15. Go to an outdoor theatre performance
16. Have a cream tea in Devon or Cornwall
17. Browse a farmers’ market
18. Walk barefoot on a sandy beach
19. Visit a seaside pier
20. Take a train to a coastal town
21. Have a pub lunch in a beer garden
22. Watch the sunset from a hilltop
23. Visit an English vineyard
24. Go to a country show
25. Explore a cathedral city
26. Hire a rowing boat
27. Walk along a canal towpath
28. Spend an afternoon in a bookshop town
29. Visit an open-air museum
30. Eat ice cream before lunch
31. Go rock pooling
32. Visit the Yorkshire Dales
33. Walk through ancient woodland
34. See roses in full bloom
35. Spend a weekend in a market town
36. Visit a ruined abbey
37. Go to a music festival, large or tiny
38. Cycle a quiet country lane
39. Take a picnic to the New Forest
40. Watch boats in a harbour
41. Visit a stately home
42. Have a barbecue that starts too late
43. Walk the cliffs at sunset
44. Spend a day in the Cotswolds
45. Go fruit picking
46. Visit a lido
47. Explore a historic harbour town
48. Sit outside a pub after a long walk
49. Watch swifts over rooftops
50. End the day with chips, salt air and slightly sunburnt happiness

How to use the checklist

You do not need to finish all 50. That way lies overplanning, and summer is better when it wanders a little. Pick a few at a time that suit your mood.

For a classic seaside summer, start with fish and chips, a pier, rock pooling, crabbing and a train ride to the coast.

For a slower countryside escape, choose a meadow walk, a riverside picnic, a village fête, a farmers’ market and a pub garden lunch.

For a more historic summer, build a day around a castle, cathedral city, ruined abbey, stately home or open-air museum.

Quick takeaways

Best for families
Crabbing, rock pooling, fruit picking, lidos, open-air museums and seaside piers

Best for couples
Vineyards, hilltop sunsets, cathedral cities, gardens, harbour towns and long pub lunches

Best for slow travel
Canal towpaths, rowing boats, farmers’ markets, market towns and quiet country lanes

Best for proper English summer atmosphere
Village fêtes, cricket greens, cream teas, roses, meadows and mildly overambitious barbecues

Final thought

The best English summers are not usually perfect. They are patched together from blue skies, sudden showers, sandy sandwiches, warm stone, cold drinks, damp towels and one unexpectedly lovely evening that makes the whole season feel worthwhile.