Solo travel UK: where to go alone, and who with

You have been saying "I'd love to go somewhere on my own" for about two years. Every time, the idea grows into something enormous: a long-haul flight, a new language, a currency app, a fortnight of leave. And every time, it stays an idea. Meanwhile there is a train to York on Saturday morning that would take you there before lunch.

The easiest solo travel in the UK is a city you can walk around and a landscape you can follow without a map: York, Edinburgh and Bath for a first weekend, then the Lake District or Hadrian's Wall once you want more. Starting at home removes the language, the flights and the currency, so the only new thing is going alone. And if you would rather not be alone for all of it, you can post the trip on TravelMatch with your dates and let people who are free those days ask to join.

Why your first solo trip should probably be in the UK

There is a romantic idea that a solo trip only counts if it is far away. It is the reason a lot of people never take one.

A first trip on your own has one difficult part, and it is not the destination. It is the hours in between: arriving somewhere and not knowing what to do with yourself, the first dinner, the evening when the plan runs out. Doing that for the first time in a place where you understand everything, where you can get home in a few hours if it goes wrong, and where the trains are the ones you already know, makes it much smaller.

Nobody says this out loud, but it is worth saying: the people who enjoy solo travel most are usually the ones who started small. A weekend in a compact city teaches you more about how you like to travel alone than a fortnight on the other side of the world, because you can repeat it next month with what you learnt. If you want the wider picture first, first solo trip: where to go covers the decision in general.

York: the easiest first weekend

York is compact enough that you never need a plan. The centre fits inside the old walls, the Minster is the landmark you navigate by, and the narrow streets around the Shambles are the kind of place where wandering is the activity. That matters on a first solo trip: when you do not have to keep checking your phone, you stop feeling watched.

It works well as a day trip or a single night. And from mid-November it has a Christmas market, open from 12 November to 21 December and closed on Tuesdays, according to Visit York; the other markets are in Christmas markets in the UK.

Edinburgh: a city that is used to visitors on their own

Edinburgh is a city full of visitors, which helps when you are alone: walking tours, museums and day trips are easy to find in the centre, and joining one is the easiest way to have someone to talk to for a few hours without committing to anything. The Old Town and the New Town are walkable, and Arthur's Seat gives you a half-day walk with a view without leaving the city.

The one thing to plan around is August, when the festivals take over the city. For a quieter first trip, another month is easier.

Bath: slow, small and good for a first night away

Bath suits people who want calm rather than buzz. It is small, it is easy to walk, and its pace makes eating alone feel normal rather than conspicuous. If the idea of a full weekend alone feels like a lot, one night in Bath is a gentle way to find out how you feel about it.

The Lake District: for when you want landscape

According to the national park authority, the Lake District is England's largest national park, covering 2,362 square kilometres, with Scafell Pike, its highest peak at 978 metres, and UNESCO World Heritage status since 2017. You do not need to climb anything to enjoy it: lakeside walks and boat trips are enough for a first visit.

This is where solo travel changes a little. In a city, being alone is easy because there is always something to do. In the hills, company is worth more: for sharing a car, for a walk you would not do on your own, and for someone to talk to in the evening in a small village where the pub is the only thing open.

Hadrian's Wall: a walk with a beginning and an end

The Hadrian's Wall Path is a National Trail of 84 miles (135 km), from Wallsend in Tyne and Wear to Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria, according to National Trails. You can walk all of it or just a section.

Long-distance walks are good for solo travellers for the same reason as the Camino de Santiago: the route is marked, the stages are defined and you keep seeing the same faces at the end of each day. But on a quieter path, outside the summer, those faces may be few. If you want to walk it with someone, decide that before you go.

Solo travel UK over 50, and other questions people search

A lot of the searches for solo holidays in the UK come with an age attached: over 50, over 60, in your 30s. The places above do not change with age; what changes is the kind of company you want. That is why the age range you prefer to travel with is part of your TravelMatch profile and counts towards the affinity percentage. If that is your situation, solo travel over 50 goes into it properly.

The other common question is what to do in the evenings. That is the moment when solo trips feel longest, and it is solvable: book a room in a place with shared spaces, sign up for something that runs into the evening, or arrange to meet someone. There are more ideas in how to meet people while travelling solo.

Going alone, but not entirely alone

Somewhere between "everything on my own" and "waiting for my friends to be free" there is a middle option: going on your own terms, on your dates, to the place you chose, with people who travel like you.

That is what TravelMatch is for. You post a trip with a destination and dates, for example the Lake District from 6 to 8 November, and people who are free then ask to join. Or you join a trip someone else has posted. Before accepting anyone, you see their profile: their interests, pace, budget, preferred transport and accommodation, the age range they prefer to travel with, whether they would rather travel in a women-only group or a mixed one, and your affinity percentage. The reviews on a profile can only be written by people who have actually travelled with that person. Whoever created the trip decides who comes. After that, there is a group chat, an itinerary, polls and shared expenses in one place. It is free and it does not book anything: everyone sorts out their own train and room.

You can also use it for just part of a trip: alone in York on Saturday, a walk with two people from the app on Sunday. Once you have done the UK, the next step is in best places to travel solo in Europe.

Your first solo trip starts close to home

You do not need a long-haul flight to find out whether you like travelling alone. You need a Saturday, a train and a place small enough to walk around. Everything else, including who you go with next time, you can work out from there.

On TravelMatch you can post your UK trip, with the destination and dates, and let people who are free those days ask to join. You see how each person travels and what people who have travelled with them say before deciding anything. It is free.

→ Find who to go with · Free, in a minute.

Reviewed in October 2026. Lake District figures from the Lake District National Park Authority (lakedistrict.gov.uk), Hadrian's Wall Path length and route from National Trails (nationaltrail.co.uk) and York Christmas Market dates from Visit York, all read on 19 October 2026.