While France and much of Europe are breaking heat records in the middle of May, the thought of spending a summer hunting for a patch of shade appeals to no one. So why not, this year, look squarely to the North?

Just over two hours away by Eurostar, a few hours by ferry if you're bringing the car — or a short flight if you're pressed for time —, the United Kingdom unfurls mild summers, endless days, hills of an unreal green and empty roads lapped by the Atlantic.

Here, the cool weather isn't a flaw — it's the whole point.

For this selection, we cross-referenced the 2026 picks of the New York Times, Lonely Planet, the Guardian, the Telegraph, the BBC, National Geographic and Rough Guides with our own perspective as map and travel enthusiasts. We've kept five destinations across the four nations of the United Kingdom — from the Scottish Highlands to Northern Ireland's Giant's Causeway Coast — and, for each, the best time to go. From the best known to the most secret, here's where to breathe this summer.

(As always, for the full list of our sources, head to our Our Sources: the Travel Trends Observatory page.)

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1. The Scottish Highlands: Europe's last great wilderness

This is one of the few regions on the continent where you can drive for miles without meeting a single car, and where the landscape seems not to have moved an inch while the rest of Europe filled up. Rough Guides ranks it among the world's best destinations for 2026 and calls it "Europe's last wilderness" — hard to put it better.

You come for the North Coast 500, that legendary driving loop around the north of Scotland strung with lochs, beaches and wind-battered passes; to watch the day break over the peaks of Glencoe; to paddle on Loch Shiel beneath the Glenfinnan Viaduct; or simply to sit beside dark water and listen to the silence. The distilleries, villages like Ullapool with their ceilidh nights, and lone peaks like Suilven complete the picture. Summer here is bright and cool — perfect for hiking.

When to go: from May to September, for the long days and the kindest weather (and pack midge repellent in summer).

→ All our maps of Scotland

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2. The Hebrides: island Scotland and its white-sand beaches

Off the west coast, some fifty inhabited islands make up the Inner and Outer Hebrides — and the surprise, for the uninitiated, is their white-sand beaches and turquoise waters (freezing, but turquoise). The BBC spotlights them for 2026: a whisky boom, ancient stone circles, warm-hearted communities.

On the Isle of Lewis, the Calanais standing stones are older than Stonehenge and now have a new visitor centre. Barra — whose airport literally lands on the beach at low tide — is opening its very first distillery. Islay remains the mecca for lovers of peaty single malt. Add Skye with its cinematic scenery, its main town Portree and the colourful houses lined up above the harbour, the machair in bloom in spring, and a northern light that photographers can't tear themselves away from. You reach the archipelago by ferry from the mainland port of Oban, "the gateway to the isles." This is Scotland in slow motion — the kind you earn, and that rewards you.

When to go: from late May to August, when the machair is in flower and ferry services are at their fullest.

→ All our maps of the Scottish Isles

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3. The Lake District: lakes, fells and Romantic poetry

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, England's Lake District is a land of fells (those grassy, rocky heights), glacial lakes and waterfalls that inspired Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. Here you'll find Scafell Pike, England's highest peak at 978 metres, the dizzying ridge of Helvellyn, and great Lake Windermere criss-crossed by boats.

In Grasmere, you can visit Dove Cottage, William Wordsworth's home, before tasting the village's famous gingerbread; at Hawkshead and Hill Top, you follow in the footsteps of Peter Rabbit. But above all, the Lake District is hiking country like no other: from family strolls around Ullswater and Aira Force waterfall to ridge scrambles for seasoned walkers, by way of the old Roman road over High Street. Ideal bases: Keswick, Ambleside, Grasmere. All in a temperate English climate where summer rarely climbs beyond pleasantly warm.

When to go: from June to September for the high trails; spring and early autumn to avoid the crowds.

→ All our maps of the Lake District

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4. Eryri (Snowdonia): the roof of Wales

The national park long known as Snowdonia has officially reclaimed its Welsh name, Eryri — a sign of the revival of a region proud of its language and its landscapes. Its summit, Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), rises to 1,085 metres: the highest point in Wales, which you can climb on foot by several routes or by rack railway from the charming village of Llanberis.

All around, it's wild Wales in miniature: the valley and stone village of Beddgelert, the Aber Falls tumbling 120 metres, and the old slate quarries of the north-west, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Further south, Wales holds another gem: the Pembrokeshire coast, Britain's only coastal national park, with its cliffs, its puffins and its coastal path. Green mountains, Celtic legends, Atlantic freshness: Eryri is a nature escape in its own right.

When to go: from May to September; aim for early morning to climb Yr Wyddfa, which gets very busy at the height of summer.

→ All our maps of Wales and all our hiking maps of Wales

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5. The Giant's Causeway Coast: basalt, legends and empty roads

Head to Northern Ireland and its Antrim coast, where nature, science and myth come together. The Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland's only World Heritage Site, lines up nearly 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns born of volcanic activity more than 60 million years ago. Legend, for its part, sees them as the work of the giant Finn McCool, building a path to Scotland — whose coast you can glimpse on a clear day.

Around it, the Causeway Coastal Route links Belfast to Derry, hugging cliffs, sandy bays and the famous Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. Further south, the Mourne Mountains "sweep down to the sea" near Newcastle, crowned by Slieve Donard (850 m) and the stony silence of the Silent Valley. Add Rathlin Island, the whiskey of Bushmills, and roads so empty that driving becomes a pleasure. Between spectacular geology and emerald countryside, this is the great cool getaway of the summer.

When to go: from May to September; arrive early at the Giant's Causeway to enjoy the site before the coaches.

→ All our maps of Northern Ireland

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And what if cool became your best destination?

Four nations, five escapes, one common thread: green landscapes, mild summers and space as far as the eye can see, just a few hours away by train, ferry or a short flight.

Whether you're planning a big hike, a coastal road trip or a family getaway, a good map changes everything — to read the terrain, find the trails and miss nothing along the way. This summer, you're not just escaping the heat: you're setting off to meet a North that has it all.

To understand what our selections are based on, our Travel Trends Observatory page lists all the publications and sources we consult throughout the year.