Best Things to Do in the United Kingdom (2026 Guide)

Aberconwy House on Castle Street in Conwy is the oldest surviving merchant’s house in Wales, its timber-framed walls and overhanging upper storeys having stood since the late 14th century. Now cared for by the National Trust, the building offers a remarkably intimate glimpse into the domestic lives of the merchants and townspeople who lived within Conwy’s medieval walls across eight centuries of history.

Each room of the house has been furnished to reflect a different period in its long life, from the medieval era through the Georgian and Victorian periods to the early 20th century. This clever approach allows visitors to witness how the same intimate spaces were adapted and reused across the generations, underscoring the building’s extraordinary continuity. A short audiovisual presentation in the ground-floor room brings the merchant’s world vividly to life.

The house stands at a strategic corner of the town, immediately adjacent to Conwy Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built by Edward I in the 1280s and considered one of the greatest medieval fortresses in Europe. Together, the castle and Aberconwy House form the heart of a remarkably well-preserved medieval townscape. The house is modest in scale but rich in atmosphere — its creaking floors, low beams, and leaded windows creating an authentically medieval sense of place that larger heritage attractions sometimes struggle to replicate. An essential stop on any visit to Conwy.

The Albert Memorial Clock is one of Belfast’s most cherished Victorian landmarks, rising 34 metres above Queen’s Square at the edge of the Cathedral Quarter. Erected between 1865 and 1869 to commemorate Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s beloved consort, the sandstone tower was funded by public subscription and quickly became a symbol of Belfast’s civic pride and Victorian ambition.

The clock is famous — affectionately so — for its pronounced lean, the result of its foundations settling into the reclaimed land on which it stands. Locals joke that it is Belfast’s answer to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the tilt, while modest, is clearly visible to the attentive eye. Four relief panels around the base depict scenes from Prince Albert’s life, including his patronage of the arts, science, and the Great Exhibition of 1851.

Beautifully restored in 2002, the Albert Memorial Clock now stands clean and proud at the gateway to Belfast’s historic docklands. The square around it has been pedestrianised and landscaped, creating a pleasant gathering space that connects the Cathedral Quarter to the waterfront. A short walk brings visitors to the Lagan Weir, the Big Fish mosaic sculpture, and the wider regenerated riverfront. The clock serves as an ideal navigational anchor when exploring central Belfast on foot, and its Victorian Gothic silhouette makes it instantly recognisable in any panoramic photograph of the city.

Tucked within the medieval walls of Conwy in North Wales, the Albion Ale House on Upper Gate Street is a traditionally styled pub that has become something of a pilgrimage destination for lovers of real ale and unspoiled pub culture. Its location inside one of Europe’s finest surviving medieval town walls gives any visit an immediate sense of history even before you push open the door.

The Albion is celebrated across Wales and beyond for its extraordinary commitment to preserving an authentic Victorian pub interior. Original fittings — including Edwardian wallpaper, period furniture, open fires, and vintage brewery mirrors — have been meticulously maintained, earning the pub a listing on CAMRA’s National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors. No fruit machines, no piped music, and no keg lagers intrude on the atmosphere; the Albion is defiantly, delightfully old-fashioned.

A rotating selection of cask ales sourced from independent Welsh and British breweries is the main draw, complemented by a short menu of honest pub food. The garden offers views of the castle walls and the wooded hills beyond the town. Conwy itself is an essential destination in North Wales, with its UNESCO World Heritage castle, the narrowest house in Britain, and the tidal estuary all within walking distance. The Albion Ale House provides the perfect base camp for exploring this remarkable town — preferably with a pint of cask ale in hand.

Ballintoy Harbour is a hauntingly beautiful fishing harbour tucked beneath towering white limestone cliffs on the North Antrim coast, accessible via a narrow winding road from the village of Ballintoy. The harbour’s dramatic natural setting — where weather-bleached stone, turquoise water, and jagged sea stacks converge — has made it one of the most photographed locations in Northern Ireland.

Many visitors arrive with one destination in mind: the nearby Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, a National Trust attraction that spans a 30-metre chasm above the crashing sea just a short coastal walk away. Ballintoy Harbour served as the rope bridge’s traditional supply point for local salmon fishermen, and the remains of old fishing huts and winches still dot the shoreline.

The location also earned international fame as a filming location for the television series Game of Thrones, standing in for the Iron Islands’ Lordsport Harbour in multiple episodes. A small café in the old limestone harbour building offers welcome refreshments and local information. At low tide, rockpooling is irresistible, and the pools teem with anemones, crabs, and small fish. The surrounding coastal path connects Ballintoy to the wider Causeway Coastal Route, and on clear days the Scottish coastline is distinctly visible across the North Channel. Ballintoy Harbour is a place of raw, elemental beauty that lingers long in the memory.

Ballycastle is a picturesque market town nestled where the glens meet the sea on the North Antrim coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Combining a sheltered sandy beach, a charming town centre, and easy access to some of the region’s most spectacular coastal scenery, Ballycastle has been a favourite seaside retreat for generations of visitors.

The town’s Blue Flag beach stretches along a sheltered bay with views across to Rathlin Island, Ireland’s only inhabited offshore island, which is accessible by ferry from Ballycastle Harbour. Rathlin is famous for its seabird colony — one of the largest in Ireland — and its association with Robert the Bruce, who reputedly watched a spider’s perseverance in a cave there before returning to reclaim the Scottish throne.

Ballycastle itself rewards exploration on foot. The Diamond, the town’s central square, is flanked by independent shops, traditional pubs serving locally caught seafood, and a lively café culture. The town is perhaps best known for the Ould Lammas Fair, held every August and billed as Ireland’s oldest fair, drawing tens of thousands of visitors with its livestock sales, street entertainment, and the iconic local treats of dulse and yellowman. Well positioned near the Giant’s Causeway and the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Ballycastle makes an excellent base for exploring the Causeway Coast.

Barry Island — Ynys y Barri in Welsh — is a beloved seaside destination on the Vale of Glamorgan coast, just 16 kilometres southwest of Cardiff. Despite its name, Barry Island is no longer technically an island; a causeway long ago connected it to the mainland, but its seaside character and nostalgic charm remain gloriously intact, drawing generations of South Welsh families back year after year.

The centrepiece of any visit is Whitmore Bay, a sweeping sandy beach protected by low headlands and backed by a promenade lined with ice cream parlours, amusement arcades, and fish-and-chip shops. The beach holds Blue Flag status for water quality, and calm conditions make it ideal for swimming, paddleboarding, and building sandcastles. A funfair operates seasonally along the seafront, and the nostalgic rides and candyfloss stands give the island an endearing old-fashioned holiday atmosphere.

Barry Island gained a new wave of international recognition as the principal filming location for the BBC comedy series Gavin and Stacey, and fans of the show regularly make the pilgrimage to recognise landmarks from the series. The island’s Heritage Railway station is served by steam trains on special occasion days, adding to the timeless appeal. Beyond the beach, quieter walks around Nell’s Point headland reward with wide views across the Bristol Channel toward the Somerset and Devon coasts. Barry Island is unpretentious, welcoming, and genuinely fun.