Looking for holiday inspiration? Staying at home can still mean an amazing summer holiday – check our our top UK holiday picks, and find out how Autoparts can help make your ‘staycation’ happen.
With less than two weeks till the summer solstice, the evenings are full of sunlight, and the mornings are alive with birdsong. This time of year might have you thinking about booking time off to enjoy the sunshine and some time to yourself.
For those put off going abroad by the thought of busy airports and potentially cancelled flights we've put together a list of the great things you can do around the UK. We've even added some tools and accessories Autoparts can provide to help you create the perfect getaway, whether you’re solo camping on a mountain range or going city days out with the family.
Hit the beach
There are more than 7,000 miles of coastline around the UK and many of those miles are lined by golden beaches.
From the stunning shingled coastline of Chesil Beach in Dorset to the magnificent golden sands of Luskentyre beach on the isle of Harris in the Scottish Hebrides, a beach is a fantastic way to spend a day on holiday.
But if the coastal conditions start wreaking havoc where you’ve laid down your tartan blanket for the day, a wind break, like this 5-metre long one from Streetwize, will prove invaluable, giving you the protection from wind, granules of sand, or sea spray – things you might not want on your beach picnic.
Thinking of staying the night, and watching the never-quite-set June and July sun rise again in the wee small hours? Then don't forget to pack a tent - this four man inflatable tent is designed to stand up to even the stiffest beach breeze. Erecting in only a few minutes, making it convenient to both inflate and deflate, and comes with an air pump and plugs for sealing in the air.
And if you want an idea of the time without looking at your phone, the windows with their blinds can be left uncovered, allowing natural light to stream in and bring you round from your outdoor slumber.
It’s important to stay hydrated, too, and sometimes a cooling wind can disguise just how much the sun’s heat – and that fun shoreside activity like building sandcastles and climbing dunes – can dehydrate you, and especially, young people and children.
Make sure you keep some high quality H2O at arm’s length by filling up this 15-litre water carrier, another great Streetwize product in the Autoparts inventory.
More from the Autoparts blog, Camping essentials from Autoparts.
Outdoor holidays
Whether it’s the Scottish highlands or the flat rolling fields of East Anglia you and the family are heading away to this summer, it’s important to have the right equipment to be able to enjoy yourself when you’re there. Practise safe outdoor cooking of all sorts of barbecue food, and recreate the taste of sunny summers past, with the Yoga barbecue and camping grill.
With a versatile power source, housing a USB power socket for connecting to your vehicle or mains power source, or a 4 x AA battery slot, its an ideal cooking companion, especially when away from home.
This is a device you can trust to deliver thoroughly-cooked food with that unmistakable barbecue flavour.
Cook up a storm on staycation!
Pet care
Bringing your four-legged friend with you? Keep your dog cool – and protected from any wee biting beasties on the woodland floor – with a Pet Cool Mat from Leisurewize.
Designed to absorb your pet’s body heat, the groundsheet will dissipate this heat into the open air through evaporation. Pretty clever stuff. Not quite as clever as a paw and then the other paw at the first scent of a sizzling BBQ burger, but almost.
If you are taking your pet away with you, why not read our blog for more top tips on how to get your car pet ready?
Hiking in hills and mountains
What could be better when spending a day’s holiday in the hills of the Peak District in Derbyshire, or rollercoasting the Pentlands just south of Edinburgh, than enjoying a hot mug of soup on a chilly mountain top?
The best way to do this is through some fine-tuned German engineering, with the Volkswagen thermos style mug.
Its 400ml capacity has room for your tin of tomato soup, or hot tea or coffee, to give you that warming gift at the end of a hard uphill effort - perfect for your walking holiday.
For more useful tools and accessories, check out our full travel and touring collection.
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Image credit: Header image by Ellis Garvey via Unsplash.com
