The UK countryside comes alive in spring and these breaks – everything from seal-spotting to cycling and even wine-tasting – make the most of it

Walking, North Yorkshire

The North York Moors come alive in spring, with heather creating a sweet-scented carpet of colour for walkers – and there are plenty of pubs and tearooms for refuelling. Join a three-night walking break with HF Holidays for guided moor and coast hikes from a base at Larpool Hall, Whitby. This year is also the 50th anniversary of the 109-mile Cleveland Way, celebrated with WalkFest, a programme of guided walks and children’s treasure hunts from 24-27 May

• Book it From £289 for three nights’ full board, hfholidays.co.uk

Farm stay, Essex

Nothing says spring like frolicking lambs – and a farm-stay is a great choice for families wanting a back-to-nature break. At Layer Marney Farm kids can bottle-feed the lambs, collect eggs, meet the horses and learn about sheep on a farm tour – and there are day courses in lambing for those who want to know more. Accommodation is in comfortable safari-style tents – some have outdoor hot-tubs. Set in beautiful rolling countryside, with fields of birch, ash and alder, it’s great for birdwatching, too.

• Book it A three-night stay for up to six from £379, featherdown.co.uk

Puffins, Northumberland

The wild Northumberland coast in spring is perfect for long walks, with its endless beaches and dramatic medieval castles. Amble’s new eponymous inn makes an ideal base for exploring nearby Bamburgh and Alnmouth. Family- and pet-friendly, its restaurant focuses on fresh local seafood. Just a mile off the coast is Coquet Island, an RSPB sanctuary and home to 20,000 puffins from March to July. Take a boat trip to see them, or visit in May for the Puffin Festival, with nature walks and events from theatre to beach art sessions (25-27 May).

• Book it Doubles from £99 B&B, theambleinnamble.co.uk

Wine stay, Surrey

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Denbies Wine Estate. Photograph: Alamy

Fans of the grape are in for a treat when the UK’s first vineyard hotel opens in May, on Denbies Wine Estate in the Surrey Hills. The 17-bedroom, carbon-neutral build will have walls of natural bark, furniture made from barrels, a stylish orangery restaurant and wine-dispensing machines (linked to room key-cards). Besides the vineyard, the North Downs Way and Box Hill are close by, offering walking and cycling options. Guests can stay on site at the seven-bedroom farmhouse B&B before the hotel itself opens.

• Book it Doubles from £110 B&B, denbies.co.uk

Highland safari

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Conic Hill, with views of Loch Lomond. Photograph: Alamy

Scotland’s weather is unpredictable, but April and May are often the driest months; gorse and wildflowers cover the Highlands and there are fewer crowds (and midges). Stay at Mhor 84, a restaurant-cum-hotel with a Scottish-Scandi vibe. Explore the wild landscape on foot or by bicycle, or join a Hidden Glen Safaris trip and look out for golden eagles and red deer. Stunning Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park are on the doorstep. Mhor 84 runs the Mhor Festival on Loch Voil (24-26 May): big on food and drink, there’s also comedy and great bands.

• Book it Doubles from £90 room only, mhor84.net

Nature stay, Monmouthshire

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sheep grazing at the foot of a hill in the Black Mountains. Photograph: Alamy

Old Lands, a sprawling country estate with self-catering accommodation in Monmouthshire, bursts to life in spring – Gwent Wildlife Trust manages some of the land and is returning it to flower-rich meadow. Children can sign up for forest school or join nature walks led by ecologist owner Sam Bosanquet. There’s a lake with rowing boats, maps for finding hidden treasure, and the walled garden’s organic produce is sold in the honesty-box farmshop. There are the Black Mountains, castles and many nature reserves to explore nearby, as well as pretty Monmouth and Abergavenny. Accommodation, in converted barns and stables, is beautifully appointed and relaxing.

• Book it From £260 for a weekend in Wood Barn, sleeping two adults and two children, old-lands.co.uk

Wildlife, Guernsey

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Belvoir bay and beach, Herm Island. Photograph: Getty Images

Spring turns Guernsey multi-hued, the cliffs yellow and purple, the woods blue – and the weather is mild. Local produce and seafood are in abundance, with the famous local crab showcased on restaurant menus. It’s a great time for wildlife; from mid-March, puffins come to breed and there are boat trips to see them, or visit Herm Island to spot Atlantic grey seal pups. The Guernsey Heritage Festival (19 April-10 May) has events from a foraging and gin tasting dinner at the Bella Luce hotel to a kayak tour of MV Prosperity, which sank in 1974, while the Spring Walking Festival follows routes across the island (25 May-9 June).

• Book it Doubles from £60 B&B at Moroccan-inspired Hotel Ziggurat in St Peter Port, hotelziggurat.com. For more information on all events go to visitguernsey.com

Eco break, Cornwall

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Cabin at Kudhva, near Tintagel

Hide away in the woods at this stylish new Danish cabin at Kudhva, a wild camping retreat in a reclaimed quarry near Tintagel. The wooden walls fold back so you can bring the outside in and make the most of the views (and there’s a private bar). Cornwall is a blissful place to visit in the spring, without the summer tourist crowds – and there’s plenty of hiking and surfing on the doorstep, as well as an on-site reservoir for wild swimming. Cook around the campfire and warm up in the alfresco hot tub with sea views. Tree tents and camping pods on stilts are other unusual accommodation options.

• Book it Danish cabin sleeps six, from £366 a night, canopyandstars.co.uk

Birdwatching, Norfolk

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Chaffinch, Pensthorpe natural park. Photograph: Graham Turner/The Guardian

North Norfolk is brilliant for bird-watching, and in spring, thousands of migrating birds pass through, including pink-footed geese. There are guided hikes or, for dedicated birders, Pensthorpe natural park (with woodlands, lakes and four gardens) has a brand new bird and wildlife fair with talks and walks (18-19 May). Besides beach strolls, the National Trust’s Sheringham Park is a must-visit for its colourful rhododendrons and azaleas. April in the park includes an adder adventure with a park ranger, a night hike and a Bear Grylls-style family survival school.

• Book it Two-bed Goose Cottage in Titchwell, overlooking the RSPB reserve, costs from £332 for a three-night break, norfolkcottages.co.uk

Cycling, Hadrian’s Wall

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Cyclist on Hadrian’s Wall route. Photograph: Mike McEnnerney/Alamy

Cross the width of England on a three-night, coast-to-coast, self-guided cycle ride along Hadrian’s Wall from Whitehaven to Tynemouth. Spring is the perfect time to tackle the 151-mile route, with flowers in bloom, the lambing season under way and migratory birds like skylarks and wheaters returning. Pass Carlisle Castle and Housesteads Roman fort along the way, and stay in pretty guesthouses, with luggage transferred each day. Electric bikes are an option, too.

• Book it A three-night/four-day trip, including B&B, costs £325, bike hire extra, various dates in April and May, cycleactive.com

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