Bucks named among top 30 experiences as a 'must-do' for UK travel

VISITING Bucks has been listed among the top must-do UK staycation experiences, according to research.

A study, of 2,000 adults, has resulted in a list of the top 30 things to see and do within the UK and Bucks features at number 29.

Just clinching the top 30 spot for Bucks was the historic Ridgeway National Trail. The Ridgeway National Trail follows a route used for at least 5,000 years by travellers, herdsmen and soldiers. It starts in the World Heritage Site of Avebury and crosses the chalk ridges of the North Wessex Downs and Chilterns AONBs, passing Iron Age hillforts, chalk figures, ancient burial mounds until it finishes at Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire.

Walking or Cycling the historic national trail was touted as a must-do for UK staycation experiences.

The must-do activities that should be on the nation’s bucket list was compiled by UK travel expert, Richard Madden, and Sykes Holiday Cottages, which commissioned the research.

It found more than eight in 10 (81 per cent) feel you don’t have to travel to far-flung destinations abroad to expand your horizons.

Graham Donoghue, chief executive of the holiday let agency, said: “There is so much on our doorstep when it comes to holidays and activities, with the UK boasting a whole host of exciting things to see and do.

“Our research has shown that Brits have a strong desire to tick off a wide range of experiences in this country, including must-visit museums, natural phenomena, and popular nature spots.

“While the UK might be smaller in size in comparison to other countries, there is still plenty to pack into a staycation.

"Sometimes it’s just knowing where to start, but this jam-packed list should provide some inspiration.”

The research also found 78 per cent of Brits are determined to explore more of the UK, with a quarter having a dedicated bucket list of UK experiences they want to tick off.

It also emerged that 45 per cent are still yet to explore interesting places within an hour’s drive of where they live, despite the average adult typically venturing as far as 216 miles from home to holiday somewhere else within the UK.

Award-winning travel writer and author Richard Madden, added: “It’s great to see that travellers’ sense of adventure is just as strong while on a staycation as it is when abroad.

“During my time as a travel writer, I’ve discovered that the UK is not short of unforgettable locations, historic landmarks, unique experiences, and impressive wildlife.

"Hopefully this new research will spark ideas for trips closer to home this year.”

EXPERT'S TOP 30 UK EXPERIENCES BRITS WOULD MOST LIKE TO TRY: 

1. Seeing the Northern Lights from the Isle of Skye, Scotland
2. Visiting the Eden Project in Cornwall
3. Visiting the Titanic Museum in Belfast, Northern Ireland
4. Visiting Stonehenge in Wiltshire
5. Driving along the Isle of Arran’s coast in Scotland
6. Visiting Cheddar Gorge in Somerset
7. Spend the day at Portmeirion Village in North Wales
8. A round trip on The Jacobite Steam Train from Fort William to Mallaig
9. Fossil hunting along the Jurassic Coast in Dorset
10. Watch otters play in the Avalon Marches in Somerset
11. Seal spotting at Blakeney Point, Norfolk
12. Visiting Lindisfarne & the Farne Islands in Northumbria
13. Hiring a canal boat along the Kennet and Avon canal (Reading to Bristol)
14. Visiting Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes
15. Visiting Brownsea Island in Dorset to spot its red squirrels
16. Watching a play at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall
17. Watching starling murmurations at the River Exe Estuary (Devon), in Dungeness (Kent), in Leighton Moss (Lancashire), or from Aberystwyth Pier (Ceredigion)
18. Visiting Fountains Abbey a World Heritage site in Yorkshire
19. Visiting Housesteads Fort on Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland
20. Visiting the Gower Peninsular in Glamorgan, Wales
21. Riding the SteamLights at The Bluebell Railway in East Sussex
22. Hiking up the Glastonbury Tor, a hill rising 518 feet, in Somerset
23. Visiting the family home of Sir Winston Churchill in Kent
24. Attending the Dark Skies Festival in February in Yorkshire
25. Surfing in Newquay, Cornwall
26. Visiting the burial site of Raedwald, King of East Anglia, at Sutton Hoo Ship Burial in Suffolk
27. Visiting WWT Slimbridge, a wetland nature reserve, in Somerset
28. Bird watching at St Abb’s Head National Nature Reserve in Berwickshire, Scotland
29. Cycling or walking The Ridgeway in Wiltshire/Buckinghamshire
30. Watching the Cooper’s Hill annual Cheese Rolling contest in Gloucestershire