May bank holiday days out

Make the most of the long weekend with one of the many events taking place around the UK

Day at the Lake

Salisbury Plain Safaris, Wiltshire

Salisbury Plain Safaris runs 4x4 tours of Wiltshire, taking in the area’s history and landscape, on- and off-road. Spot the white horses carved into the hillsides, and keep an eye out for military encampments. Over bank holiday weekend the company’s two-hour tours are half-price, at £25 per person (maximum group size six). salisburyplainsafaris.co.uk

Artists Open Houses, Brighton

The UK’s biggest free arts event returns on Saturday with more than 1,000 artists exhibiting in 200 houses and studios opened to the public around Brighton, Hove, Ditchling, Rottingdean and the Ouse Valley. The event runs every weekend in May, including bank holiday Monday. aoh.org.uk

Salisbury Plain Safaris

Capability Brown celebrations, Herefordshire

With 2016 marking the 300th anniversary of the birth of landscape architect Capability Brown, Berrington Hall is running a series of events to celebrate, including a guided walk around its Brown-designed parkland on Sunday (£3 plus normal admission) and a free Creating Capability exhibition (to 6 November). capabilitybrown.org

On your bike, Oxford

Cycle.land, a new peer-to-peer bike-sharing site, has just launched in Oxford. Take advantage and borrow one of the 70 bikes around the city, available from £1 a day. All you need is a smartphone; you will need to book in advance though. cycle.land

Inveraray Castle Bluebell Festival, Argyll & Bute

Throughout May, Inveraray Castle is celebrating the bluebells that grow in its private garden and woodland. Explore solo or take a free guided walk, before a Bluebell Tea at the Castle Tearoom. Garden Admission £4. inveraray-castle.com

Isle of Wight Walking Festival

Also kicking off on Saturday is the Isle of Wight Walking Festival, which features a programme of walks and events for all ages. From history hikes and bug walks to more unusual options involving alpacas or zombies, many routes take in scenic stretches of coast and countryside. To 15 May; walks vary in price from free to around £15. isleofwightwalkingfestival.co.uk

Isle of Wight Walking Festival

Dolphin Survey Boat Trips, Cardigan Bay

Now is the perfect season to spot dolphins in British waters, as well as seals, birds and porpoises. These trips around Cardigan Bay feature an on-board researcher and an underwater microphone, with proceeds going towards local marine research. From £20 for a two-hour trip; book by phone in advance (01545 560032). cbmwc.org/boat-trips

Vintage Train Weekend, North Yorkshire

The Midland Railway at Butterley will welcome a special locomotive hauling a vintage passenger train this weekend. The Metropolitan Railway 0–4–4 Tank engine number 1 was built in 1898 for use on London’s Metropolitan Railway and the coaches include an 1865 Midland Railway four-wheeled coach, an 1884 six-wheeled Midland Railway coach, an 1886 six-wheeled Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway coach, a 1949 British Railways horse box and the 1912 Midland Railway Royal Saloon, built for King George V. Adults £15.50, children £7.75. midlandrailway-butterley.co.uk

Day at the Lake, Staffordshire

Visit the lake whose name was given to Rudyard Kipling this weekend. Rudyard Lake is being transported back to the early 1800s, when it was creaed to supply water for the then expanding canal system of the West Midlands. Over the course of the bank holiday weekend, there will be vintage fairground rides, brass bands, tea dances, musical mermaids, synchronised swimmers, jugglers, tightrope-walkers and more. Adults £14, children £7. dayatthelake.org.uk

Canalway Cavalcade

Canalway Calvacade, London

The Grand Union Canal will be festooned with bunting around Paddington Basin and Little Venice this weekend, as around 130 canal boats converge on the West London section of the waterway for this annual event. Activities include morris dancers, real ale tents, live music, storytelling and craft stalls, with an illuminated procession on Sunday evening. waterways.org.uk