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The Sun
25-06-2025
- The Sun
10 days out in the UK that cost less than a pint from free-to-visit lidos to cheap cinema mornings
WITH the average cost of a pint in the UK setting you back more than a fiver, some days out with the family are now cheaper than necking your favourite IPA. According to a recent survey, the price of a pint of beer in the UK has risen to £5.17, reports The Drinks Business. 7 And that price is even up from just a few months ago, when the average price of a pint in England, Wales and Scotland cost 34p less. The research, which was collected by The Morning Advertiser, also unsurprisingly revealed that London has the priciest pint - costing on average £6.10. Whilst some beers are more affordable than others, like Foster's at £3.80, there is no lying that a trip to the pub is no longer a cheap outing. In fact, an entire day out can be cheaper - here are some things to do that are cheaper than a pint. Museums and galleries Museums and galleries can often be overlooked when thinking of somewhere to go for a day out. But they are great places for families to explore, with kids able to learn and often partake in seasonal activities. For example, in London, pretty much all the major museums and galleries are free, such as Tate Modern, Tate Britain, the V&A, the Natural History Museum, the British Museum, the Science Museum, the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. Other cities also have free museums and galleries like the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, for example. Beaches The UK is home to hundreds of incredible beaches which are free to visit. Whether wanting a swim in the water or to build sandcastles, the beach provides the perfect free day out for the family. And you can pick a beach specific to your needs. For example, if you want to build sand castles then long stretches of sand like Pendine Sands Beach in Wales, are ideal. On the other hand, if you want to see breathtaking scenery or history as well as the beach, then head to Elberry Cove in Devon or one of the many beaches on the Jurassic coastline. Gardens and parks Whilst often stately homes charge an admission fee, a lot also have gardens which families can wander around for free. And in addition to all the gardens across the UK, there are also hundreds of parks to explore - both man-made and natural. For example, Betteshanger Country Park is spread across 250 acres in Kent and is home to a forest school, fossil quarry and many bike trails. 7 There is also Moors Valley Country Park & Forest in Dorset, which boasts over 800 acres including a children's play area and an abundance of wildlife. Lidos Many lidos across the UK are really affordable, including in London. For example, Hampstead Heath's Bathing Ponds cost £4.80 for an adult and £2.90 for a child and Parliament Hill Lido costs the same, for morning sessions. Other lidos are completely free of charge, like Shoalstone tidal lido in Devon. The 53-metre 'free to use' sea water swimming pool is one of only a handful of its kind still left in the country. Vue Cinemas Vue Cinemas are across the entire country and whilst many think the cinema can be an expensive day out, the reality is it can be a lot cheaper than you think. For example, Vue Cinema's Mighty Morning sessions allow adults and children to enjoy the latest films for a cheaper price. The Mighty Morning sessions run every Saturday and Sunday morning from 10am and cost from £2.49 when booked online. And even better, they run every day during the school holidays. Vue also offers 'Big Shorts', which are screenings aimed at one to four-year-old's, from only £3.99 when booked online. Crazy Golf If you live near a seaside town, you will almost certainly have a crazy golf near to you. Most of these courses offer a fun and different activity to do as a family, without breaking the bank. Local crazy golf courses range in price depending where you are, but often can be found as low as £2 per player. Animal sanctuaries and animal activities Animal sanctuaries are great places for children to see animals up close, whilst they are being cared for. Often, sanctuaries are home to animals that can no longer live in the wild or are in the wait for a new home, but need somewhere to be their home in the meantime. 7 Two examples of this are The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth and the Mare and Foal Sanctuary. Both are free to visit, with the Mare and Foal Sanctuary offering free private tours if you book in advance. Some charitable farms are free to visit as well, like Surrey Docks Farm in London. Pets at Home also offers free activities throughout the summer season where children can get up close to small animals, such as rabbits. Arcades Arcades aren't exclusive to the pier at your local beach, cities and towns also have them. Families can collect up their pennies, 2ps, 5ps and 10ps and head to their nearest arcade and spend some time trying to win some small prizes. 7 Some arcades have games too that allow multiple players allowing family members to get competitive with one another. For example, at Funland Games Arcade in London, visitors can explore the arcade on a pay-as-you-go basis with some games costing around £1 each. School holidays programmes Known as the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, kids can partake in activities across the summer holidays. The programme is aimed at school children from reception to year 11 who received benefits related free school meals. However, in previous years local authorities have had discretion to use up to 15 per cent of their funding to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of benefits related FSMs but who the local authority believe could benefit from HAF. The programme includes activities such as free play, football, swimming, junk modelling, nature walks and drumming workshops. 7 Similarly, lots of local leisure centres and councils offer their own programmes for multi-sport camps, swimming sessions and clubs. For example, Better - a charity that manages leisure centres across the UK - offers various holiday activities for kids including 'Kids Swim for £1' before 10am on weekdays during school holidays and weekends. Nature walks As the sun shines, what better way to make the most of it than getting out into nature and enjoying a nice walk. The UK is home to many amazing National Parks, such as Dartmoor, that can be explored. Sites like AllTrails and Forestry England can help you to find a trail or walking area near you, as well as sharing details about the difficulty of the trail. One woman also found the cheapest annual passes for top attractions across UK – from just £6 a year. Plus, the 15 attractions in the UK that have £1 per person tickets from huge castles to kid-friendly museums. 7
The Herald Scotland
23-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Sauchiehall Street pub crawl in search of a prized pint under £6
Read more by Kevin McKenna: The classic components of this impish compound consists of vodka, Southern Comfort, a 275m bottle of Blue WKD topped off with orange juice, but really you can customise it with a variety of appropriate infusions from the same genus. It's one of the signature drinks of Campus which offers it in £6 pints along with their £26 Jugs of Joy, a formidable, but delightful combination of Vodka, Malibu, Peach schnapps and orange juice that promise to provide you with your five-a-week in one pitcher. Like the Venom cocktail though, it possesses an in-built versatility which lends itself to mixing and matching. Writer Kevin McKenna on the pub trail in Glasgow (Image: Robert Perry) I was first introduced to these sepulchral concoctions – along with Dragon Soop and Leccy Melon - by my lively nieces, Niamh and Anna who are always eager to update me on what's happnin' with the young dudes on the streets of Glasgow in the witching hours. It's the middle of a Saturday afternoon though, and thus far too early for tasting belligerent cocktails. And besides, my desiccated innards are long past the point where they can easily ingest such dyspeptic substances without irreversible damage. And anyway, I'm really here for the beer as the first stop on a mini-pub crawl to overlook the pricing arrangements on Glasgow's edgiest boulevard. According to a recent industry survey conducted by The Morning Advertiser, the average price of a pint of beer across the UK has risen to around £5.17. The figures showed that a pint of beer in Scotland, England and Wales has risen 34p in the last three months. Brewers and publicans commonly point to the drinks and hospitality sector's perfect storm of higher taxes, steeper utility bills and increased staffing costs. And rarely a week passes when you haven't heard one of your ask you to 'guess what they're charging for a pint of lager in the city centre'. Read more: According to the data, London – as you would expect – is home to the steepest prices, coming in at an average of £6.10, with Guinness reaching £6.45 and Birra Moretti at £7.17. Not surprisingly, Tennent's remains the number one, stalwart, all-weather pint throughout Britain at an average of £3.50 a pint. I was always wary around those characters who claimed to discern vast fluctuations in quality between one lager brand and another. How could they tell after the fifth or sixth pint? And what was the point anyway in only having one or two? You're not walking out of a pub just because the lager is scraping your thorax on its way down. Campus is the sort of place where once you might happily have got wasted in that guiltiest of pleasures: the unplanned sesh. Here is where you could sink whiskies and pints perusing the sports pages and occasionally falling in with strangers with whom you could release your store of pent-up, delinquent locutions after weeks of observing correctness. Writer Kevin McKenna at Campus (Image: Robert Perry) Sam behind the bar tells me that Campus gets busy between 10pm and 11pm on the weekend nights when it shuts at 3am. 'We don't do pitchers of lager unless it's for a major television sporting occasion like the Champions League when we'll do a meat-feast platter and can choose Carling or Moretti or Coors.' The beer prices are fair, coming in at £3.70 for a pint of Moretti. If you're keeping below four quid a pint in the city centre then you're doing well. 'The venoms and the cocktails haven't really gone up,' he says, 'and the beer prices only modestly.' Just up the street is The Variety Bar, perhaps the most steadfast and familiar pub name on Sauchiehall Street. Its faded yellow Art Deco frontage promises elegance and a measure of jaded sophistication on your bibulous caprice. It's been on the corner of Sauchiehall Street and Elmbank Street since the 1960s and was saved from the threat of closure five years ago by current proprietor, Gayle. 'We've done some fixing here and there and some re-cladding plus the electrics and the upholstery,' she says. 'But what we wanted to avoid was altering the character of it too much.' I order a Guinness at a hefty £6.25, followed by a lager at a more reasonable £4.85. If I'm being honest though, I'd have paid a tenner for the black stuff. It's been too long since I last had a pint in a proper tavern such as this and they clearly know what they're doing with it … which is not often the case. Gayle makes no apologies though, for adding a small premium to her drinks. 'The pricing isn't really a huge deal for our customers any more. Our customer base is a bit older and a bit more varied than what you would normally see on this part of Sauchiehall Street. 'You pay for your surroundings. We keep it a bit more expensive than the rest of the street on purpose. This is not a place where you'll find shots and venoms. You're paying for the quality of service and the surroundings; a smile behind the bar and a better quality pint, expertly stored and poured. It's a proper pub. We're not hiding the fact that we're a bit pricier than some other places. 'We don't really need teams of teenage lads who have maybe not yet learned how to handle their drink properly.' The Variety is one of Glasgow's most charismatic and photogenic shops. It could serve as the set for a gritty crime drama where two tired detectives are being cynical about 'the force' or discussing their suspicions that a colleague is a gangland plant. It's where doomed office affairs get conducted in thrilling hopelessness. You'd pay whatever they asked for a drink in here. Later, I'll set foot inside the Hengler's Circus, one of those Wetherspoons establishments which middle-class flag-wavers believe to be nests of Brexiteers and Reform supporters. Today it's hoaching and mainly with multi-generational families spending an afternoon with budget lagers and no-nonsense pub food. In here it's £1.99 for your Worthington's and £2.49 for your Bud Light and £2.99 for your Coors and Carling. The swanky continental brands range from £3.89 to £4.49. Traditional cooked breakfasts are £3.99. Who's worrying about the utilitarian surroundings with prices like that? In the early evening I return to this street as it begins to throng with Glasgow's young demi-monde in all their fleshy finery. They arrive here mainly from the city's working-class neighbourhoods. They can cut about in these palaces at the wrong end of Sauchiehall Street in their finery like royalty after a week in which they've been treated like serfs. They're not really paying for the drink, but for the fleeting feeling of being loved and appreciated. And you say your prayers that these stunning wee princesses all get home safely.
Scottish Sun
19-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Price of popular pints rises AGAIN as some big brands hit £6 for first time ever – how much will YOU pay?
Find out which brands are the cheapest and the most expensive PRICEY PINT Price of popular pints rises AGAIN as some big brands hit £6 for first time ever – how much will YOU pay? Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) PINTS of some of the UK's best-loved craft beers have soared in price over the last few months, new data shows. Drinkers may have noticed the cost of Camden Hells, BrewDog IPA and Camden Pale Ale rising. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 BrewDog's popular Punk IPA is among the beers that have risen in price Credit: PA:Press Association 2 The price of a Camden Hells is also up by a huge 10.8% on average Credit: Camden Hells The average cost of a BrewDog IPA has increased by a whopping 12.5% since the start of the year, according to analysis by The Morning Advertiser. At the start of the year, a pint would have set you back an average of £5.64. Now it's increased to beyond the £6 mark, hitting £6.34. Camden Hells is up by a huge 10.8% on average, rising from £5.72 at the start of the year to £6.34 now. Read more on beer FOOD AWAKENING Astonishing Club World Cup prices revealed with beer costing £12.30 a CAN That makes Camden Hells and BrewDog the most expensive pints in the UK now. Camden Pale Ales have also increased in price, but by a more subtle 1.7%. They cost £5.69 on average, up from £5.59 in January. There is one brand that has actually decreased in price, though. Fury as cost of 12-pack of beer set to soar by £1 thanks to sinister new tax brought in by Labour Beavertown's Neck Oil had cost an average of £6.36 but that's gone down to £6.24. Average price of a pint rises The Morning Advertiser previously found the average price of a pint had risen from £5.08 at the start of the year to £5.17 now. The trade magazine regularly examines the average cost of a pint across London, the Midlands, the North East, the North West, the South East, the South West, Scotland, and Wales. Beer prices have been rising sharply thanks to higher alcohol taxes, soaring utility bills and increased staffing costs. It's probably no surprise that the priciest pints are found in London, where the average pub charges £6.10. The latest research found pints of Guinness have reached £6.45 and Birra Moretti is £7.17 in the capital. If you're looking for the cheapest pint in the UK, the Midlands is the place to go. There an average pint will set you back £4.68. Tennent's lager is the most affordable option there at £3.50, followed by Carlsberg at £3.72. Foster's and Greene King IPA are a little more expensive - but still very affordable - at £3.80 and £3.85 respectively. But even in the Midlands, pint prices increased by 5.15% between January and April. They rose by 3.87% in Wales and 2.54% in the South East. During the same period, prices in London actually fell by 1.22%. Which brands are the cheapest and most expensive? The survey also looked at the average prices of over 30 beer brands. As we mentioned, Camden Hells and BrewDog Punk IPA are the most expensive pints at £6.34. But Beavertown Neck Oil follows closely behind at £6.24. A pint of Peroni costs an average of £6.12. Only slightly cheaper is Asahi at £6.11. On the more affordable end of the scale, Tennent's and Carlsberg emerged as the cheapest options. Drinkers will pay an average of £4.23 a pint for these. Greene King IPA, Budweiser, and Foster's, come with an average price of £4.36, £4.38, and £4.47 respectively.
The Sun
19-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Price of popular pints rises AGAIN as some big brands hit £6 for first time ever – how much will YOU pay?
PINTS of some of the UK's best-loved craft beers have soared in price over the last few months, new data shows. Drinkers may have noticed the cost of Camden Hells, BrewDog IPA and Camden Pale Ale rising. The average cost of a BrewDog IPA has increased by a whopping 12.5% since the start of the year, according to analysis by The Morning Advertiser. At the start of the year, a pint would have set you back an average of £5.64. Now it's increased to beyond the £6 mark, hitting £6.34. Camden Hells is up by a huge 10.8% on average, rising from £5.72 at the start of the year to £6.34 now. That makes Camden Hells and BrewDog the most expensive pints in the UK now. Camden Pale Ales have also increased in price, but by a more subtle 1.7%. They cost £5.69 on average, up from £5.59 in January. There is one brand that has actually decreased in price, though. Beavertown's Neck Oil had cost an average of £6.36 but that's gone down to £6.24. The Morning Advertiser previously found the average price of a pint had risen from £5.08 at the start of the year to £5.17 now. Fury as cost of 12-pack of beer set to soar by £1 thanks to sinister new tax brought in by Labour The trade magazine regularly examines the average cost of a pint across London, the Midlands, the North East, the North West, the South East, the South West, Scotland, and Wales. Beer prices have been rising sharply thanks to higher alcohol taxes, soaring utility bills and increased staffing costs. It's probably no surprise that the priciest pints are found in London, where the average pub charges £6.10. The latest research found pints of Guinness have reached £6.45 and Birra Moretti is £7.17 in the capital. If you're looking for the cheapest pint in the UK, the Midlands is the place to go. There an average pint will set you back £4.68. Tennent's lager is the most affordable option there at £3.50, followed by Carlsberg at £3.72. Foster's and Greene King IPA are a little more expensive - but still very affordable - at £3.80 and £3.85 respectively. But even in the Midlands, pint prices increased by 5.15% between January and April. They rose by 3.87% in Wales and 2.54% in the South East. During the same period, prices in London actually fell by 1.22%. Which brands are the cheapest and most expensive? The survey also looked at the average prices of over 30 beer brands. As we mentioned, Camden Hells and BrewDog Punk IPA are the most expensive pints at £6.34. But Beavertown Neck Oil follows closely behind at £6.24. A pint of Peroni costs an average of £6.12. Only slightly cheaper is Asahi at £6.11. On the more affordable end of the scale, Tennent's and Carlsberg emerged as the cheapest options. Drinkers will pay an average of £4.23 a pint for these. Greene King IPA, Budweiser, and Foster's, come with an average price of £4.36, £4.38, and £4.47 respectively.
Scottish Sun
31-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
The average price of a pint rises AGAIN across UK – how much more are Scots paying?
Scots will have to cough up more than a hangover for a trip to the pub as prices increase again. OH BEER The average price of a pint rises AGAIN across UK – how much more are Scots paying? A TRIP to the pub will cost Scots more than a just hangover as punters are being forced to cough up more than ever. The average price of a pint has now soared to £5.17 across the UK, leaving a bitter taste in punters' mouths. 1 Pint of beer next to a map of the UK highlighting a region. In February we reported how Scotland saw the biggest percentage price increase across the whole of Britain. Now it has gone up again with the cost increasing by 34p compared to figures reported by the Office for National Statistics at the start of the year. Beer prices have risen sharply as manufacturers and pubs grapple with higher alcohol taxes, soaring utility bills and increased staffing costs. Trade magazine The Morning Advertiser regularly examines the average cost of a pint across London, the Midlands, the North East, the North West, the South East, the South West, Scotland, and Wales. According to its latest research, London tops the list for the priciest pints, with pub owners charging an average of £6.10. On the more affordable end of the scale, Tennent's and Carlsberg emerged as the cheapest options, with drinkers paying an average of £4.23 per pint across England, Wales, and Scotland. UK pub numbers have now plunged by more than 2,000 since the start of 2020. A number of breweries are facing trouble too, including the Fourpure brewing company which appointed administrators in October and the Magic Rock Brewery which said it would bring in administrators at the start of the year. Meanwhile, Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company (CMBC) said in November it would stop making eight classic British cask beers following a review. A number of pubs also warned they would have to hike prices for customers this year after the Government's Autumn Budget. Stunning beer prices at Miami GP revealed as F1 fans face staggering cost for drinks, steak sandwiches and pizza Employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and the national minimum wage both rose in April. But businesses cautioned this would force them into upping the price of drinks as they try and absorb the extra costs.
