Looking for your new favorite destination across the pond? If you’re into wellness experiences with a view, love staying up late looking up at the night sky or can’t get enough of the latest TV shows and movies, Great Britain — the island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales — might be just the ticket. Home to world-class cities like London, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the region, which is also referred to as the United Kingdom, strikes the perfect balance between adventure and relaxation as jaw-dropping scenery is never too far from bustling metropolises, offering vacationers an easy escape if they feel the need to exchange the hubbub of urban crowds for the striking silence of nature.
As of late, Great Britian has been enjoying something of a tourism boom with recent data from Visit Britain, the DMO associated with Great Britain, showing travel to the UK is up 4% compared to this time last year. And while several factors can be attributed to the destination’s tourism growth, the central role it plays in fulfilling ongoing travel trends like wellness travel, noctourism and set-jetting certainly plays a part.
Wellness Experiences
Did you know Liverpool is home to the United Kingdom’s first floating sauna? That’s right, WYLD Sauna is a unique-to-the-region experience that encourages guests to partake in the classic Nordic-inspired ritual of alternating between a hot sauna and a cold plunge in the heart of the bustling British city. In addition to getting their hearts pumping with a traditional sauna session, WYLD Sauna also has an onsite cafe and offers a variety of yoga and Pilates classes for wellness-minded visitors to enjoy.
Travelers who prefer to take their wellness endeavors into the great outdoors will find Wales has the perfect remedy in the form of wild seaweed baths, a unique treatment where participants soak in a mixture of pure saltwater and seaweed from the comfort of an upcycled whisky barrel. While it might sound strange, seaweed is said to have a bevy of positive effects on the human body including relieving aches and pains and moisturizing dry, dull skin as, when combined with warm water, the plant releases mineral-dense oils similar to olive oil, giving bathers an indisputable glow and leaving every inch of skin feeling buttery-soft. Oh, and did we mention, this experience comes with a view? At Halen Môn, the spa famed for wild seaweed baths, each barrel is strategically perched so participants can gaze over the water to Eryri, a national park in Northern Wales.
For a historic twist on the wellness experience, vacationers need look no further than Bath, home of The Roman Baths, a grand bathing complex dating to 70AD. Holding 300,000+ gallons of steamy spring water heated to a toasty 114 degrees Fahrenheit, The Roman Baths are one of the best-preserved Roman architectural sites in the world, offering spa-goers a rare blend of culture and relaxation. When they’re done soaking, visitors won’t want to miss their chance to peruse The Roman Baths collection which houses thousands of artifacts from pre-Roman and Roman Britain.
Dark Skies and Noctourism
While thoughts of The Northern Lights and spectacular celestial events might conjure images of destinations like Iceland, Norway, Alaska and Sweden, Britain is a hot contender when it comes to sensational stargazing and having the once-in-a-lifetime experience of watching the Aurora dance across the pitch-black sky. In fact, several British destinations hold internationally recognized “Dark Skies” status including parts of Wales, Cumbria, York, Scotland and more, making this part of the world a must for vacationers who can’t get enough of Earth’s natural wonders.
In Wales
Wales has three International Dark Sky Reserves within its borders: Brecon Beacons National Park, Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park and Elan Valley Estate. Additionally, Wales is home to 30+ Dark Sky Discovery Sites — places Visit Wales says are locations favored for stargazing — with some of the most popular spots including Newgale Beach in Pembrokeshire, the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Carmarthenshire and the village of Llangaffo on the isle of Anglesey.
In Cumbria
Dark Skies are so abundant in Cumbria, an administrative county in the northwest of England, that the destination has an annual festival dedicated to celebrating them. Hosted in late October through mid-November each year, the event takes advantage of long nights by encouraging attendees to bundle up and participate in a variety of Dark Sky-themed activities including guided forest walks, bat walks, stargazing at the Alston Moor Observatory, night swimming, canoeing and more.
In York
In York travelers can make the trek to North York Moors National Park, a designated International Dark Sky Reserve where, in the darkest areas of the park, visitors can spot up to 2,000 stars at once. Tucked far from the light pollution of the city, Sutton Bank, Danby and the Dalby Observatories in Dalby Forest are renowned as some of the best spots to catch the most majestic views in North York Moor National Park — including views of the Milky Way galaxy!
In Scotland
Whether they’re on the hunt for The Northern Lights or want to see the stars as never before, Scotland is one of the best destinations in the UK for dark sky places. Among the best locations for noctourism in Scotland are Galloway Forest Park, Isle of Rum — Scotland’s first International Dark Sky Sanctuary — Moffat — Europe’s first “Dark Sky Town” — Cairngorms Dark Sky Park in the Tomintoul and Glenlivet area of the Cairngorms, North Ronaldsay, Coll and Shetland.
Unrivaled Set-jetting
Film and TV tourism is so prominent in the UK that Visit Britain created an entire marketing campaign based on the ever-popular trend. Titled “Starring GREAT Britain,” according to Visit Britain, the company decided to harness the power of pop culture after it found more than nine in 10 potential travelers to the region said they want to experience a film or TV location during their visit.
And with popular titles like “Harry Potter,” “Downton Abbey,” “Bridgerton,” “Peaky Blinders,” “Paddington,” “James Bond,” The Batman,” “Game of Thrones,” “Mission Impossible” and so many more having filmed at iconic attractions and locations across the UK, it's clear the region truly has something for everyone by way of opportunities for unforgettable set-jetting.
Of course, of these titles “Harry Potter” is one of the most universally appealing, and “Potterheads” — a self-given moniker for fans of the series — will find themselves in Hogwarts-inspired bliss as they explore iconic locations spotted on the silver screen like King’s Cross station’s Platform 9¾, the cloisters of Gloucestershire Cathedral, the famed Bodleian Library, Ashridge Estate in Hertfordshire, the Warner Bros. Studio tour in London and more.
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