Britain's Best Picnic Spot Is Revealed...and It's Stunning

A new survey has found the 20 best picnic spots in Britain, is there one near you?

With its stunning sand dunes and majestic limestone cliffs on three sides, the aptly named Three Cliffs Bay in Gower, Wales, has been crowned the best location for a family picnic, and you can see why.

This will come as no surprise to those that live around the Welsh coastline, which boasts some of the best beaches and coastal walks in the UK. The result came after a panel of travel experts and parents drew up a nationwide shortlist which was then put to a public vote, with over 2,000 people taking part. Padley Gorge in the Peak District came a close second, while Wales again took third place with Aperporth Beach in Cardigan Bay.

Three Cliffs Bay Castle River Swansea Beach Wales

According to the survey, 85% of us enjoy a picnic during the summer months, and nearly two thirds (60%) of us choose a different outside destination to dine at each time. What’s more, we’re prepared to travel for a good picnic too, with 36% of British picnic fans prepared to drive over an hour to find the perfect spot.

While a beach picnic potentially runs the risk of sand in your sandwich, often the amount of space, the opportunity for beachcombing and walking to work up an appetite, make a picnic in the dunes worth it.

The Top 10 family picnic spots in the UK are:
1.
Three Cliffs Bay, Gower, Wales (22%)
2.
Padley Gorge, Derbyshire (21%)
3.
Aperporth Beach, Cardigan Bay, Wales (20%)
4.
Roundhay Park, Leeds (19.6%)
5.
Kyoto Gardens in Holland Park, London (19%)
6.
Jubilee Gardens, Beer, Devon (18%)
7.
Richmond Park, London (17%)
8.
Whiterocks Beach, Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland (17%)
9.
Studland Beach, Dorset (17%)
10.
Dolbadarn Castle, Snowdonia, Wales (16%)
11.
Tarn Hows, Lake District (15%)
12.
Stone Circles at Avebury, Wiltshire (15%)
13.
Ashridge Estate, Hertfordshire (15%)
14.
Flint Castle, Flintshire, Wales (15%)
15.
Dovedale, Peak District (13%)
16.
Birches Valley Forest Centre at Cannock Chase Forest, Staffordshire (13%)
17.
Christ Church Meadow, Oxford (11%)
18.
Boden Boo woodland, edge of the River Clyde by the Erskine Bridge, Erskine, Scotland (10%)
19.
Bewl Water, Lamberhurts, Kent (10%)
20.
Galloway Forest Park, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland (9%)
The survey of 2,000 British adults was conducted in July 2017, on behalf of DisneyLife.

About the author

Andrew Webb

Food & Drink Editor

Born in the Midlands and raised in the North West of England, Andrew came to London to attend St Martin's College of Art. After ten years working for the BBC and Channel 4, he set off on an eight month food tour of Britain, which led him to write his award-winning book, Food Britannia. He was previously the Editor of Lovefood.com and also produced and hosted delicious magazine's podcast. Responsible for the Culture Trip's food and drink content, he is interested in hearing about food events, product launches and potential interviews with chefs and food producers. He's also judged the British Pie Awards, reviewed restaurants, and spoken at food festivals, and so knows a good plate of food when he sees it. He can be found tweeting here @foodjournalist