From stargazing to slushy-making: 50 fresh ideas for a super summer on the cheap (some are even free)

The Guardian

3 days ago

Organised by wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation, the Big Butterfly Count is an annual citizen science programme that asks the public to help build up a picture of the UK's butterfly population. Running from 18 July to 10 August, it's open to anyone in the UK. Pick a spot and spend 15 minutes looking for butterflies and moths, then log your findings on the website or the Big Butterfly Count app.
Fancy stargazing? Then 17 July to 24 August is a great time to do it. As Earth passes through the debris trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseid meteor shower – one of the brightest and most impressive of the year – means you will be able to see dozens of shooting stars. Peaking in the UK on the night of 12 August, the best time to spot them is between midnight and 5.30am, in a place away from light pollution. Get more tips on the Royal Observatory website.
This year marks 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen. With that in mind, it's the perfect time to get stuck into her back catalogue, which you can download for free on websites such as Project Gutenberg, as the books are out of copyright and in the public domain. Alternatively, follow in the author's footsteps and explore one of the newly launched Overton Jane Austen Trails in Hampshire, a selection of walking and cycle routes around the areas where Austen grew up.
A night at the theatre can be eye‑wateringly expensive, but many in the UK offer cheap tickets for young people. This July, at the Chichester Festival theatre, those aged 16-30 can get £5 tickets to see Beverley Knight in Marie and Rosetta, while at Sheffield Theatres, there are £5 tickets for 16- to 26-year-olds for shows such as Shrek the Musical and The Vagina Monologues. Even more of a bargain, Edinburgh's Traverse theatre offers £1 for the under 25s, or those on low-income benefits.
Why not take inspiration from the UK Athletics Championships being held in Birmingham (2-3 August), and gather your friends for an adult sports day? Depending on how seriously you want to take it, you could do a 100-metre sprint, or try a tug of war, or an egg-and-spoon or three-legged race. Providing some toy medals for the winners is optional, but it's a nice touch.
There's no need for a fancy machine to make ice-cream. In fact, you only need one ingredient, and – spoiler – it's not cream. According to the Guardian's Feast editors, the best cheat's ice-cream is made with overripe brown bananas. Stick them unpeeled in the freezer and, once frozen, pare off the skin, blitz in a blender, and voilà, you have banana ice-cream.
The UK is full of well-trodden paths that are steeped in history. The British Pilgrimage Trust is a great resource, with maps of more than 250 ancient routes across Britain. While many pilgrimages require multiple days of walking, there are some you can do in a day. The Avebury route is an 11-mile loop that starts and ends at the Neolithic stone circles, and takes in sights including the mysterious Silbury Hill, a 130ft prehistoric mound, and the West Kennet long barrow, a chambered tomb.
Club together to buy a load of different crisps flavours and brands (this summer's Women's Rugby World Cup will feature 16 teams, if you want to take that number as inspiration). Organise the contenders into groups of four and follow the format of a World Cup, but for taste-testing rather than sport. In the group stages, pit packets against each other, sampling them as you go and voting on your favourites to find the top two from each group that will progress to the knockouts. From there on, it's a crisp-eat-crisp battle to the end, as you move through the quarters, semis and final, before crowning one the ultimate summer 2025 snack.
In the Norfolk village of Congham, there's the annual Snail Racing World Championships on 19 July, which is free to attend, or £1 if you want to enter a snail (the cost covers renting one if you don't have your own). There's no need to book, and the top prize is a trophy, plus a big head of lettuce for the triumphant gastropod. Llanwrtyd Wells in Powys hosts the World Bog Snorkelling Championships on 24 August, which is as bonkers as it sounds – competitors snorkel through a muddy bog, often in fancy dress, while crowds of spectators cheer people on from the (less boggy) sidelines.
For a romantic way to enjoy a nearby green space, even on a workday, pick somewhere with great east-facing views – the top of a hill, say, or overlooking a lake or river – and head there at dawn with some breakfast fare such as pastries, fruit and yoghurt. Given that sunrise in July and August is usually before 6am, a flask of coffee is a good idea, too.
The first rule of drawing trees? There are no rules. 'If you want to jump around and draw different bits, that's just as fine as being more methodical,' says Ben MacGregor, winner of Landscape Artist of the Year 2025. Start by getting outside and finding a tree to draw. 'Look carefully – take note of the details and textures, notice the bark and how the leaves move,' he says. 'Don't worry about proportions or trying to get the perfect representation.' MacGregor suggests using charcoal and a rubber. 'You can draw, smudge and rub bits out, and create texture and contrast. The important thing is to enjoy it. Don't worry about whether it's going to be good.'
Everyone is welcome at the Barclays Free Park Tennis sessions, which run weekly on Saturdays and Sundays at 10am at parks around the UK. You don't need any experience, a partner to play with, or even a racket: all equipment is provided and coaches will also be on hand to help. Sessions are an hour long – you can find your nearest one and sign up on the Lawn Tennis Association website.
It's easy to fashion your own slip'n'slide. All you need is a hose, some washing-up liquid and a long piece of tarpaulin, which you can pick up for under £5 online. Squirt the washing-up liquid on the tarp, cover it in water and take it in turns to whiz down it. Make sure you keep topping up the water if you want to pick up speed.
There are plenty in the UK – and lots are free. Folkestone is home to the UK's largest urban outdoor exhibition of contemporary art, with more than 70 works by the likes of Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley and Yoko Ono. Elsewhere, the atmospheric Forest of Dean provides an impressive backdrop for its 18 contemporary sculptures. The Line, running from the Olympic Park to the O2 Arena in London, features pieces by Yinka Ilori and Anish Kapoor.
You don't have to be in the south of France to enjoy the spectacle of a lavender field in summer bloom. At Somerset Lavender, entry is donation-based, while Hitchin Lavender has a free display field with 60 different varieties. At Welsh Lavender in the picturesque Bannau Brycheiniog, £5 entry gets you access to the lavender fields, picnic area and wild swimming – and kids go free.
For an incredibly low-effort (and now TikTok-viral) picnic dessert that's like a fondue except a lot less faff, grab a punnet of strawberries and your favourite chocolate bar, then leave the chocolate to melt in the sun. Once it's ready, dip your strawberries in and bask in the glory of your delicious creation.
For perfect icy treats, 'blend frozen strawberries, lime juice and a dash of honey, and top up with a splash of water (or coconut water if you're feeling flush), then blend again until thick and icy,' says cook and author Elly Curshen AKA Elly Pear. She also recommends frozen peaches, fresh basil leaves, lemon juice and honey, blended and topped with fizzy water; or frozen mango with coconut milk and lime juice. 'There are no specific ratios – just add more fruit or liquid depending on your preferred texture.'
'Most people know what dandelions and nettles are. Start with those, they're completely safe and there are loads of things you can do with them,' says forager James Wood from Totally Wild UK. 'Nettles can be transformed into soup, beer and crisps, while dandelions can be used to make salads, coffee and vegan honey.' As well as parks and woodlands, the coast is a great spot for foraging, says Wood. 'In summer, you can find marsh samphire and sea arrowgrass, which tastes like coriander. It looks like grass, so most people just walk over it, but it's an incredible herb that grows in abundance on the coast in the UK.'
Whether you're a bona fide yogi or a total novice, the people behind Park Yoga believe the practice should be for everyone. The charity runs free classes in parks on Sunday mornings from May to September – you can find your nearest class on the Park Yoga website. You need something to practise on – a mat, a towel or a blanket – but there's no need to book, just turn up and enjoy stretching your body in the fresh air.
For a more energetic way to enjoy the great outdoors, channel your inner child and embrace the pure joy of a massive water fight with your mates. Get everyone to chip in for water pistols and water bombs (or try reusable water balls), and you're all set. Best done on a really hot day when you'll welcome getting very wet.
Nick Bramham, head chef at Quality Wines, suggests letting in-season blackberries shine in this assembly-job dessert. Buy some blackberries, or spend a morning picking your own, as they grow in abundance at this time of year in hedgerows, woodlands and parks. 'Then, buy a small pot of the best-quality double cream you can afford, give the berries a wash, macerate them in a bowl with a pinch of sugar, and pour over the cream. If you've got a lemon, add a light grating of zest.'
The aptly named Big Pit National Coal Museum in the Welsh town of Blaenavon has a free museum exploring the history of coalmining in the area, as well as an actual big pit – a former mine that's 300ft underground (tours cost £5 for on-the-day tickets). In Devon, keep kids entertained at the House of Marbles, which is free and showcases different varieties through the ages made from clay, stone, glass and even marble, as well as some impressive marble runs made especially for the museum. For something even more left field, visit the Fan Museum in London, which delves into the rich history and artistry involved in fan-making (£5 entry).
'Pick your flowers on a dry day and press them as soon as possible,' says Maddy Taylor from Flower and Press. 'Choose colourful flowers – white flowers and rose petals go brown during the pressing process. Wilder varieties with smaller heads and thinner stems are best, and leaves press just as well as flowers.' When it comes to actually doing it, 'use heavy books, and layer the flowers in paper or newspaper', says Taylor. Put the flowers on the paper, making sure it's not overcrowded, and leave them to press for four weeks.
The annual Bristol International Balloon Fiesta brings a spectacular sight to the city's skies. The free event sees more than 100 hot-air balloons ascend into the sky from Ashton Court Estate on the outskirts of Bristol. This year, it's running from 8 to 10 August, and you can see the balloons take off twice each day, at around 6am and 6pm. Obviously, they're at the mercy of the weather, but waiting to see if they make it to the sky is all part of the fun.
For Jessica Stanley, author of this summer's big read, Consider Yourself Kissed, there's one book she always returns to. 'The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst is my most loved, most reread,' she says. 'I could read it every year and never be bored.' Set in 1983 after Margaret Thatcher's re-election, it follows protagonist Nick, who comes of age against the backdrop of the Aids crisis. 'Even as Nick's life becomes dark, he never loses touch with the beauty and sensuous decadence of summer. We see him drinking in crowds spilling out on to the pavements, lazing on Hampstead Heath and going to summer fetes.'
Make a list of things to take photos of that you might see out and about: it can be as simple or as creative as you like – a tiny dog, an ice-cream van, a discarded vape, perhaps. Gather some friends, split into teams and see who can tick the most off the list in a set amount of time.
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Is there anything better than sipping a tiny beer and eating paprika crisps on a European beach holiday? Recreate that feeling by picking up some French-style 25cl beers from the supermarket (Tesco has 10 Biere d'or des Flandres for £3.60), a bag of Lorenz Crunchips and a charity shop paperback novel. Once you've secured the goods, head to your nearest body of water, and relax …
There are all kinds of benefits to volunteering at a community garden: fresh air, meeting new people, as well as doing something positive for your local area. You don't have to be Monty Don to get involved – all help is appreciated and you'll pick up new skills along the way. A good place to find your nearest one is on the RHS and Good to Grow online databases.
'Personalising a pocket is super easy,' says Daisy Harvey, founder of upcycling app Loom. You need a needle, some thread, a pair of scissors and a fabric scrap or two. 'Hand-embroider your initials or a simple motif like a flower. Or add a patch – a pop of gingham or denim works well,' she says. For worn‑out clothes, try sashiko stitching – a Japanese mending technique that uses visible stitches in geometric patterns. 'It's simple to learn and looks beautiful. Using a needle and thick thread, sew rows of small, even running stitches to strengthen or decorate worn areas. It's a great way to revive denim or summer shirts.'
Already sick of your summer wardrobe? If you've got friends who feel equally unenthused about wearing the same old shorts and midi dresses, there's an easy fix. Organise a clothes swap – get everyone to dig out some items that they no longer wear but are in good condition, make sure they're washed (no one wants musty-smelling hand-me-downs), and gather your pals together to exchange threads.
Swap the stuffy multiplex for a film showing in the great outdoors this summer. There are open-air cinemas all over the UK and some of them are free. Newcastle's Screen on the Green in Old Eldon Square will be showing two or three films a day from 21 July to the end of August, as well as some big sporting events. In Manchester, catch classics including Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel and Damien Chazelle's La La Land at Screen on the Square in Deansgate (to 14 September, free), while the programme at Queen's Park Arena in Glasgow is packed with cult favourites including Gladiator, Forrest Gump and Mean Girls (until 1 August, two free tickets per person, plus booking fee).
When personal trainer Tara Gallagher founded Croissant Run Club, which now has 30 branches worldwide and organises free group jogs that finish at a brilliant bakery, it was as a 'fun, no-pressure way to move your body, connect people and enjoy a delicious pastry'. She says planning a route and inviting friends to join you on a 5km quest for a cinnamon bun is a pretty sweet way to spend a summer morning. 'You won't regret it.'
If you've got all the gear (or at the very least, a tent) and some outside space at home, there's no reason to schlep all your stuff to a campsite to experience the great outdoors. Break up the endless summer holidays with the kids by camping at home. Your little ones will love the novelty of sleeping outside, and you'll love the fact that your own kitchen and bathroom are moments away.
Immerse yourself in all the high-octane action of the Tour de France (until 27 July) and the Tour de France Femme (26 July to 3 August) at Velo Edge, a cycling shop and cafe in the pretty Cheshire village of Alderley Edge, and a favourite spot of road and track cyclist and Olympic medallist Elinor Barker. 'It's the dream pit stop – there's delicious coffee and cake, a great collection of signed jerseys, and lots of friendly people who want to chat about the racing, which is on 24/7,' she says. As well as showing the men's and women's races, the cafe will be organising themed rides, and serving coffee and cake for £5. There are plenty of cycling cafes around the UK, so there's likely to be one near you.
If you love hearing birds chirping in summertime, a feeder is a great way to encourage them to gather nearby. You can make one with a plastic bottle or juice carton – pierce a few tiny holes in it for water drainage, then make two holes on either side that are big enough to hold a twig or stick for use as a perch. Finally, cut a few flaps above the perch, so birds can get to the seed, which you can buy for a few quid from supermarkets (Wild Bird Everyday Seed Mix from Sainsbury's is £1.50 for 1kg). Put the bottle lid on, tie a piece of string to hang it and wait for your feathered friends to tuck in.
Intrepid kids (and adults) will love going in search of fossils. 'The UK is rich in places you can look for them, such as south Wales and the Jurassic Coast. I'd encourage people to go to rocky beaches,' says Philip Donoghue, president of the Paleontological Association. You don't need permission to collect fossils on beaches, but you will anywhere else. 'The easiest and cheapest way is to look at the loose rocks on the foreshore and see what you can find. They're turned over by the waves and broken up. I've found lots of exciting fossils that way.' For more guidance, Donoghue recommends the Rockd app, which uses GPS to give you information about the rocks under your feet. You can also email the Natural History Museum's fossil identification service with pictures of your findings and they'll tell you what they are.
After bringing football home in 2022, all eyes will have been on the Lionesses at the Women's Euro 2025 in Switzerland. As the tournament heads towards the quarter-finals on 16 July, immerse yourself in the action with the Big Football Day, an initiative by the FA and the National Lottery, where grassroots clubs around the country are hosting free footie-themed taster sessions, including tournaments, watch parties and training for all ages. It's running until 27 July: find out what's happening near you on the England Football website.
A fridge-raid sandwich can be more than the sum of its parts, says Max Halley, who runs Max's Sandwich Shop in London. 'Spend £5 on a decent loaf of bread and a pot of mayonnaise, and root about in the fridge,' he says. 'Anything can be repurposed into a sandwich: leftover curry, Chinese takeaway, Sunday roast bits.' Halley suggests having different elements that are hot, cold, sweet, sour, crunchy and soft. 'If your leftovers are all soft, find something crunchy in the cupboards, too, like crisps, crushed nuts, or breadcrumbs fried in olive oil. If all your leftovers are sweet, deep and bassy, like a curry, add something acidic – a squeeze of lemon, say, or anything pickled.'
'On the edge of the Peak District, there's a natural reservoir called Barbrook,' says Amber Keegan, a long-distance swimmer who has represented Great Britain and was the fastest person to swim the Channel in 2024. 'It's a beautiful swimming spot surrounded by trees,' she says. 'It's a great place to sit, be in nature and have a picnic.' If you want to find somewhere in your area, Keegan recommends getting tips from a local wild-swimming Facebook group. Check out the Outdoor Swimming Society Facebook group for advice on where to go, and find safety tips (such as looking out for which way the current is going and how clean the water is) on its website.
Don't waste time pulling out weeds only to chuck them in the compost bin. 'Dig weeds from your lawn, paths and paving and make a weed arboretum,' says Guy Barter, chief horticulturist at the Royal Horticultural Society. 'You can grow them in pots or a bed of soil. Weeds, dandelions, daisies and sow thistle all flower freely, are good for insects, and are surprisingly interesting plants.'
Add 100g coffee grounds to a large cafetiere or one-litre container, with half a litre of cold water. Stir and leave in the fridge overnight for about 14 hours, says Ash Eastwood-Quinn, head of coffee at Rave Coffee. 'In the morning, pour the cold brew through a coffee filter paper or a cheese-cloth. The cafetiere filter may work at a push, but it might be a bit bitty,' he says. 'Then serve over ice, and dilute to taste.' Eastwood-Quinn says iced coffee can be a bit bitter, whereas cold brewing 'creates a rounded, sweet and vibrant flavour that is great to drink black over ice', making it ideal for summer. And brewing your own will save you money.
Not to be confused with a colour run where you get pelted with paint, a colour walk is much more relaxing. Pick a colour, and then look out for things in that hue as you wander. It's a nice way to immerse yourself in your surroundings and quiet a racing mind. It keeps kids entertained, too.
To build your fire, you need a box of matches or a lighter and something to use as tinder, such as cotton wool or birch tree bark, says John Boe, owner of Wildway Bushcraft. Next, gather your wood, which should be dry and dead. Your sticks should be about 30cm long and separated into three sizes: matchstick-thick, pencil-thick and thumb-thick. After lighting the tinder, place the thinnest sticks on it in one direction, and let them catch fire. Next, add pencil-thick sticks so that they make crosses with the other sticks. Then put the thickest sticks on top. From there, use wrist-thick wood to create the shape of your fire, which will vary depending on what it's for. 'For cooking, build a Jenga tower, about a foot high, over the flames. For a classic campfire shape, put your wood in a star shape.' If you're not in your own garden, you'll need the landowner's permission to light a fire. Wherever you light it, once you are done, pour lots of water on to extinguish the flames and leave no trace.
'Papier-mache is having a bit of a renaissance right now, because, when it comes to sustainable practices and repurposing things, it's a top-end material, and really cheap,' says Denise de Cordova, a tutor on the MA sculpture programme at the Royal College of Art. To make papier-mache, you mix shredded paper (newspaper and innards of packages work well) with some sort of glue to bind it. De Cordova recommends wallpaper paste, because it dries matt. You can make surprisingly chic, minimalist homeware from it. To create a plant pot, cover a pot you already have in clingfilm (a plastic one is ideal for this), then cut or rip up your paper, mix with glue, and layer it up over the clingfilm‑wrapped pot until it's completely covered. The more layers you add, the stronger it will be. Once you're done, leave it to dry for a few days before removing it from the mould. Line it with a carrier bag.
You don't need to go to the seaside for your children to have fun with sand. Get their creative juices flowing and make art with it at home. You'll need sand (you can't take it from the beach, so buy small bags of craft stuff), paper, a pencil and some PVA glue. Start by drawing a design on paper, then go over it in glue. Now comes the fun part: pour sand over the glue and leave it to dry, before shaking off the excess into a tray. Unlike a sandcastle, your kid's hard work won't get washed away by the sea. There's a full tutorial on the Tate website, as well as lots more ideas to keep kids entertained.
There are often reports of strange birds during July and August, says Jenny Shelton from The Wildlife Trusts. 'Rather than a new species or rare bird, these are probably juvenile birds. Many look odd and unfamiliar. Juvenile starlings undergo their first moult during this time, so look out for them caught between the soft grey-brown of youth and the familiar star-flecked glossiness of an adult bird. Watch, too, for young swifts – now airborne, these high-flying marvels won't touch down again for up to three years.' She says anything can be an opportunity for birdwatching, whether you're walking to the shop or doing the school run. 'It's far easier to hear birds than see them, especially when the trees are in full leaf.'
'Blueberries work particularly well,' says Curshen. 'Place a pan on your kitchen scales. Add your berries, then add 20% of their weight in sugar and a splash of water.' Combine everything and cook over a medium heat, undisturbed for four minutes, or until the berries collapse. 'While the berries cook, mix one heaped teaspoon of cornflour and two teaspoons of lemon juice into a smooth paste,' says Curshen. Add this to the pan and cook for two minutes, stirring until it thickens. Once it's ready, transfer it to a cleaned old jam jar. 'It will set further as it cools,' says Curshen. 'It keeps in the fridge for three days. Use it on toast or in a cake.'
A bug hotel might sound elaborate, but insects have simple needs when it comes to accommodation. Get a big plastic bottle and cut it into a cylinder, then fill it with a mix of different materials – twigs, branches, bits of pine cones and bamboo sticks are ideal. Use some string to hang it and wait to see what kind of creepy crawly guests check in.
Make the most of strawberries being in season and turn them into … more strawberries. 'The little dots on the outside of the fruit are the seeds. Scrape the outside of the fruit on to a kitchen towel, let them dry and then sow,' says Guy Barter from the Royal Horticultural Society. 'Strawberry seeds need light to germinate, so a light covering with fine potting compost on these tiny seeds will give the best results.' Your plants might not bear fruit until next year, but it'll be worth the wait.
Mark the end of your kids' summer holidays in a way they'll remember. Throughout July and August, encourage them to collect tokens to put in a time capsule – tickets, photos, souvenirs, shells from the beach, random pieces of Lego – anything goes. They could also write a list of their summer 2025 highlights. Place it all in a waterproof box and spend an afternoon ceremoniously burying it (or just putting it away), ready to open up in the dead of winter, or in years to come, for a hit of nostalgia.