July is National Picnic Month, so we got together with our friends at Forest Holidays and put together a collection of our favourite picnicking spots for you to enjoy, from Snowdonia and Norfolk to the Trossachs. Carry on reading for our 'Top UK Places for a Picnic', and get thinking about what you'll pack. Some of our fave food items are scotch eggs, mini quiches and pesto pasta salads. How about you?
Cornwall
One of our top places for a picnic is Golitha Falls on the banks of the River Fowey, not from Forest Holidays Deerpark. There are places to paddle and hidden corners to explore before sitting down to eat within sight of the tumbling waterfall.
Gloucestershire
The Forest of Dean site has plenty of countryside to explore – why not rent a bike and enjoy a leisurely ride to Cannop? The manmade ponds are home to lots of bird life and there are seating areas along the trail – perfect for a family picnic.Hampshire
Close to Forest Holidays Blackwood Forest, Barton Meadows Nature Reserve is a nature reserve that's relatively undiscovered by tourists. You'll find plenty of footpaths and benches, making it a lovely spot for a picnic with beautiful countryside views.
Norfolk
Thetford Forest on the Suffolk-Norfolk borders is a short drive from Forest Holidays Thorpe Forest. Head there and you'll find almost unlimited places for a picnic, including the magnificent Lynford Stag, where you can eat in a flower-filled dell.
North Yorkshire
We love the Hole of Horcum, a vast cauldron with amazing views across the North York Moors. The surrounding area has numerous spots for picnickers to pull up a pew, and it's easily reached from Forest Holidays Cropton.
North Yorkshire
The Forest Holidays Keldy location is on the edge of the North York Moors National Park, and you don’t need to go far to find the perfect picnic spot – there are multiple glades and flower-filled meadows, so it's no wonder it made our 'Top UK Places for a Picnic' list.
Nottinghamshire
Forest Holidays Sherwood Forest is just a short drive from the ancestral home of Lord Byron at Newstead Abbey, where you can choose the ideal picnic spot in the parkland, walled garden or sunken ornamental Japanese oasis.
Snowdonia
Close to Forest Holidays Beddgelert, a lovely walk along the River Glaslyn, takes you onto the island of Ynys Dol-leian and the spectacular Aberglaslyn Pass. There, you’ll find amazing views and lovely spots for a picnic, with the sound of tumbling water as a backdrop.
Strathyre
Forest Holidays Strathyre is simply one huge picnic spot, with any number of places to sit down with your blanket and food by the loch and in the forest – just ask the 'picnic butler' to recommend a spot.
Highlands
Choosing the best view in Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park isn't easy, but the one overlooking Loch Long is a special spot – and where better to stay than Forest Holidays Ardgartan Argyll, on the lake's shore?
With that, our 'Top UK Places for a Picnic' post draws to a close. Check out our Forest Holidays page for information on their family holiday cabins. And for more top retreats dotted around the UK, browse our cabins guide.
