Maximise your trip to the UK with this essential guide to the best in the region, recommended by the experts themselves.
For anyone wondering what to do in the UK, the newly launched greatest hits of the must-see, must-do UK cultural experiences and activities should provide some inspiration. In a bid to challenge the perception of arts and culture in the UK and Ireland, Sky Arts invited performers, film directors, media, curators and other cultural thought-leaders the length and breadth of the country to each contribute one unmissable, life-affirming experience.
The result of such crowdsourcing is a rich tapestry highlighting how varied, exciting, subjective and sometimes unexpected arts and culture can be. Entries on the list range from candle-lit museum tours, operatic performances and immersive theatre experiences to night swimming and visiting dark sky discovery sites for incredible star gazing opportunities.
Some of the personalities that lent their suggestions include Melvyn Bragg, Katherine Jenkins, OBE, Michael Attenborough, CBE and Rankin. The brainchild of Sky Arts, the curators of the list, the idea of UK’s greatest experiences was mooted to challenge the nation to discover their culturally curious side, try something new and perhaps even discover an unexpected passion during Sky Arts Culturally Curious Week.
If you’re visiting UK in the coming months, and want to treat yourself to a quintessential UK experience then take heed of these suggestions below…
1. See the nerve centre of the Allied war effort at The Churchill War Rooms.
2. Pick up a piece of artwork from The Secret Postcard Sale at the Royal College of Art
3. Visit The Globe Theatre, a precise replica of the theatre in which the greatest plays written were performed.
4. Visit the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, an annual event over two weeks in August.
5. See the Paleolithic Cave paintings in Lascaux.
6. Visit darkskydiscovery.org.uk to find locations that give you a the best view of the stars.
7. See a play in Minack Open Air Theatre, Cornwall.
8. Visit an Opera House to hear either Puccini’s Tosca or Verdi’s Othello.
9. Go for a walk along Southbank to see a wealth of heritage.
10. Visit The Rothko Room at TATE Modern.
11. Watch people glide through the air on a flying trapeze at The National Centre for Circus Arts.
12. Enjoy an interactive urban play experience, at The Playable City Project, Bristol.
13. Swim at night at Seapoint, Monkstown.
14. Watch Feurzabruta, a combination of performance theatre and choreographed dance at The Round House, London.
15. Stay overnight at Grayson Perry’s House for Essex.
.jpg)
16. Take a Candlelit tour of Sir John Soane’s Museum, London.
17. Visit the oldest cinema in the UK, the Picture House in Campbeltown, Argll, Scotland.
18. See an inspirational play at Arcola Theatre.
19. Visit the Village of Haworth, home to the Bronte Sisters and the Bronte Parsonage Museum and Haworth Moor.
20. See a performance at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
