Where to go in April: weather, events and holidays

Best for April: regions that pass every outdoor check

A region is listed when, in April, average highs reach 10°C, there are fewer than 12 days with 1 mm of rain, rainfall is under 80 mm and daylight lasts at least 9 hours. These are the same thresholds we use for packing advice on When to go.

Suit April on the numbers

Cambridge (outdoor-leaning): highs 14.1°C, 38 mm of rain on 8.0 days, 13 h 54 of daylight.

Cambridge in April · Theatre

St Andrews and Fife (outdoor-leaning): highs 11.8°C, 44 mm of rain on 8.3 days, 14 h 13 of daylight.

St Andrews and Fife in April

The Jurassic Coast (outdoor-leaning): highs 12.9°C, 52 mm of rain on 8.5 days, 13 h 48 of daylight.

The Jurassic Coast in April · Theatre

York (outdoor-leaning): highs 13.3°C, 43 mm of rain on 8.5 days, 14 h 01 of daylight.

York in April · Theatre

Windsor (outdoor-leaning): highs 15.0°C, 42 mm of rain on 8.8 days, 13 h 51 of daylight.

Windsor in April

Devon (outdoor-leaning): highs 13.4°C, 61 mm of rain on 9.9 days, 13 h 48 of daylight.

Devon in April

Bath (outdoor-leaning): highs 14.0°C, 58 mm of rain on 10.0 days, 13 h 51 of daylight.

Bath in April · Theatre

Liverpool (outdoor-leaning): highs 12.8°C, 50 mm of rain on 10.0 days, 13 h 59 of daylight.

Liverpool in April · Theatre

Sheffield (outdoor-leaning): highs 13.1°C, 59 mm of rain on 10.1 days, 13 h 59 of daylight.

Sheffield in April

Stirling and the Trossachs (outdoor-leaning): highs 12.3°C, 51 mm of rain on 10.6 days, 14 h 12 of daylight.

Stirling and the Trossachs in April

Manchester (outdoor-leaning): highs 13.0°C, 56 mm of rain on 11.0 days, 13 h 59 of daylight.

Manchester in April · Theatre

Northern Ireland (outdoor-leaning): highs 12.8°C, 60 mm of rain on 11.3 days, 14 h 05 of daylight.

Northern Ireland in April · Theatre

Cornwall (outdoor-leaning): highs 12.1°C, 73 mm of rain on 11.6 days, 13 h 47 of daylight.

Cornwall in April · Theatre

North Coast 500 (outdoor-leaning): highs 10.0°C, 47 mm of rain on 11.8 days, 14 h 23 of daylight.

North Coast 500 in April

Newcastle and Gateshead (mixed): highs 10.9°C, 43 mm of rain on 8.2 days, 14 h 06 of daylight.

Newcastle and Gateshead in April

Canterbury & Kent (mixed): highs 14.2°C, 45 mm of rain on 8.4 days, 13 h 50 of daylight.

Canterbury & Kent in April

Leeds (mixed): highs 13.3°C, 43 mm of rain on 8.5 days, 14 h 01 of daylight.

Leeds in April

Edinburgh (mixed): highs 12.2°C, 41 mm of rain on 8.6 days, 14 h 11 of daylight.

Edinburgh in April · Theatre

Norfolk and the Broads (mixed): highs 13.2°C, 39 mm of rain on 8.8 days, 13 h 57 of daylight.

Norfolk and the Broads in April

Oxford (mixed): highs 14.4°C, 49 mm of rain on 8.9 days, 13 h 52 of daylight.

Oxford in April · Theatre

Brighton & Hove (mixed): highs 13.1°C, 45 mm of rain on 9.1 days, 13 h 49 of daylight.

Brighton & Hove in April

Stratford & Warwickshire (mixed): highs 14.1°C, 46 mm of rain on 9.4 days, 13 h 54 of daylight.

Stratford & Warwickshire in April

Bristol (mixed): highs 13.8°C, 48 mm of rain on 9.8 days, 13 h 51 of daylight.

Bristol in April · Theatre

The Scottish Highlands (mixed): highs 12.1°C, 41 mm of rain on 10.1 days, 14 h 17 of daylight.

The Scottish Highlands in April · Theatre

The Cotswolds (mixed): highs 13.7°C, 56 mm of rain on 10.3 days, 13 h 53 of daylight.

The Cotswolds in April · Theatre

Cardiff (mixed): highs 14.3°C, 72 mm of rain on 10.7 days, 13 h 51 of daylight.

Cardiff in April

Wales (mixed): highs 14.3°C, 72 mm of rain on 10.7 days, 13 h 54 of daylight.

Wales in April · Theatre

Nottingham (city-leaning): highs 13.2°C, 48 mm of rain on 9.4 days, 13 h 57 of daylight.

Nottingham in April

Portsmouth and Southampton (city-leaning): highs 14.7°C, 52 mm of rain on 9.5 days, 13 h 49 of daylight.

Portsmouth and Southampton in April

Salisbury & Stonehenge (city-leaning): highs 13.7°C, 55 mm of rain on 9.5 days, 13 h 50 of daylight.

Salisbury & Stonehenge in April

Birmingham (city-leaning): highs 13.4°C, 56 mm of rain on 10.6 days, 13 h 55 of daylight.

Birmingham in April

Anglesey: highs 12.1°C, 54 mm of rain on 10.9 days, 13 h 58 of daylight.

Anglesey in April

Close: one or two checks tripped

Fewer than 2 of the three weather checks (cold, rain days, rainfall) tripped.

Glasgow (mixed): 12.3 days with 1 mm or more of rain.

highs 13.0°C, 66 mm of rain on 12.3 days, 14 h 10 of daylight

The Outer Hebrides (outdoor-leaning): 15.5 days with 1 mm or more of rain.

highs 10.4°C, 74 mm of rain on 15.5 days, 14 h 20 of daylight

Islay and Jura: 13.1 days with 1 mm or more of rain.

highs 11.4°C, 76 mm of rain on 13.1 days, 14 h 10 of daylight

Think twice about, in April

Outdoor-leaning and mixed regions (more than 30% of the sights we tag are outdoors) that trip 2 or more of the three weather checks this month. “Think twice” means plan around the weather, not “do not go”.

Plan around the weather

Isle of Arran (character unknown, 50% of tagged sights outdoors): 13.5 days with 1 mm or more of rain; 86 mm of rain.

Rainy-day ideas in Isle of Arran All April figures

Isle of Bute (character unknown, 83% of tagged sights outdoors): 13.5 days with 1 mm or more of rain; 86 mm of rain.

Rainy-day ideas in Isle of Bute All April figures

Mull and Iona (character unknown, 33% of tagged sights outdoors): 13.8 days with 1 mm or more of rain; 92 mm of rain.

Rainy-day ideas in Mull and Iona All April figures

The Lake District (mixed, 41% of tagged sights outdoors): 12.5 days with 1 mm or more of rain; 83 mm of rain.

Rainy-day ideas in the Lake District All April figures

The Peak District (outdoor-leaning, 74% of tagged sights outdoors): 12.2 days with 1 mm or more of rain; 87 mm of rain.

Rainy-day ideas in the Peak District All April figures

City-led places with plenty indoors when the weather turns

These trip the weather checks in April, but most of the sights we tag are indoors, so the day depends less on the forecast.

Orkney: highs average 9.9°C; 14.1 days with 1 mm or more of rain. 71% of 14 tagged sights are indoors.

April in numbers

Warmest highs: Windsor 15.0°C, Portsmouth and Southampton 14.7°C, Oxford 14.4°C. Coolest: Orkney (9.9°C).
Lowest rainfall: Cambridge 38 mm, Norfolk and the Broads 39 mm, Edinburgh 41 mm.
Most sunshine hours: The Jurassic Coast 202 h, Cornwall 187 h, Devon 186 h.
Longest days (calculated from latitude): Orkney 14 h 27, North Coast 500 14 h 23, The Outer Hebrides 14 h 20.

April averages by region. Rain days count days with 1 mm or more.
Region	High °C	Low °C	Rain mm	Rain days	Sun hours	Daylight
Anglesey	12.1	6.1	54	10.9	182	13 h 58
Bath	14.0	5.1	58	10.0	161	13 h 51
Birmingham	13.4	4.6	56	10.6	157	13 h 55
Brighton & Hove	13.1	5.2	45	9.1	n/a	13 h 49
Bristol	13.8	5.5	48	9.8	174	13 h 51
Cambridge	14.1	4.6	38	8.0	157	13 h 54
Canterbury & Kent	14.2	5.2	45	8.4	184	13 h 50
Cardiff	14.3	5.7	72	10.7	177	13 h 51
Cornwall	12.1	6.6	73	11.6	187	13 h 47
Devon	13.4	6.5	61	9.9	186	13 h 48
Edinburgh	12.2	4.7	41	8.6	157	14 h 11
Glasgow	13.0	5.1	66	12.3	141	14 h 10
Islay and Jura	11.4	4.6	76	13.1	n/a	14 h 10
Isle of Arran	12.0	4.8	86	13.5	151	14 h 09
Isle of Bute	12.0	4.8	86	13.5	151	14 h 10
Leeds	13.3	4.1	43	8.5	162	14 h 01
Liverpool	12.8	5.6	50	10.0	n/a	13 h 59
Manchester	13.0	4.1	56	11.0	151	13 h 59
Mull and Iona	11.9	5.0	92	13.8	147	14 h 13
Newcastle and Gateshead	10.9	5.1	43	8.2	161	14 h 06
Norfolk and the Broads	13.2	4.8	39	8.8	175	13 h 57
North Coast 500	10.0	3.9	47	11.8	146	14 h 23
Northern Ireland	12.8	4.7	60	11.3	157	14 h 05
Nottingham	13.2	4.8	48	9.4	152	13 h 57
Orkney	9.9	4.1	59	14.1	144	14 h 27
Oxford	14.4	5.3	49	8.9	166	13 h 52
Portsmouth and Southampton	14.7	6.1	52	9.5	182	13 h 49
Salisbury & Stonehenge	13.7	4.5	55	9.5	179	13 h 50
Sheffield	13.1	5.2	59	10.1	153	13 h 59
St Andrews and Fife	11.8	3.8	44	8.3	169	14 h 13
Stirling and the Trossachs	12.3	4.3	51	10.6	138	14 h 12
Stratford & Warwickshire	14.1	4.3	46	9.4	158	13 h 54
The Cotswolds	13.7	4.2	56	10.3	163	13 h 53
The Jurassic Coast	12.9	6.6	52	8.5	202	13 h 48
The Lake District	12.4	4.4	83	12.5	n/a	14 h 04
The Outer Hebrides	10.4	4.6	74	15.5	156	14 h 20
The Peak District	11.2	3.5	87	12.2	151	13 h 58
The Scottish Highlands	12.1	4.1	41	10.1	144	14 h 17
Wales	14.3	5.7	72	10.7	177	13 h 54
Windsor	15.0	6.0	42	8.8	177	13 h 51
York	13.3	4.1	43	8.5	162	14 h 01

Met Office 1991-2020 averages, one station per region (see sources). Daylight is calculated for the 15th at the region’s latitude.

Dated events in April

Only events with dates confirmed on the organiser’s page, up to 4 per place. Always check the organiser before you travel.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh Science Festival3 Apr 2027 – 18 Apr 2027 · Venues across Edinburgh · source: Edinburgh Science (official site)

London

Wildlife Photographer of the Year16 Oct 2026 – 11 Jul 2027 · Natural History Museum · source: Natural History Museum (official site)
Vanessa Bell & Duncan Grant: Inside Bloomsbury12 Nov 2026 – 11 Apr 2027 · Tate Britain · source: Tate (official What's on page)
Monet: Painting Time25 Feb 2027 – 27 Jun 2027 · Tate Modern · source: Tate (official What's on page)
The Boat Race11 Apr 2027 · River Thames · source: The Boat Race (official site)

2 more in London

Manchester

adidas Manchester Marathon18 Apr 2027 · Manchester · source: Manchester Marathon (official site)

The Scottish Highlands

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival28 Apr 2027 – 3 May 2027 · Distilleries and venues across Speyside · source: Spirit of Speyside (official site)

Bank holidays in April

England and Wales

Fri, 14 Apr 2028: Good Friday
Mon, 17 Apr 2028: Easter Monday

Scotland

Fri, 14 Apr 2028: Good Friday

Northern Ireland

Fri, 14 Apr 2028: Good Friday
Mon, 17 Apr 2028: Easter Monday

From GOV.UK, next two years from this build. Many people travel on bank holiday weekends; we hold no sourced figure for how that changes crowds or prices, so check transport and rooms early.

More for April

UK in spring: festivals, blossom and bank holidays (March to May)
Easter and bank holiday weekends (March to August)
Rainy-day ideas by region
Month-by-month weather and packing for every region
When to visit London
Compare two destinations

← March All months May →

Editorial note. We do not rank destinations or claim a month is “best” overall. We state no crowd or price levels because no source we fetched gives them. London has no Met Office station in our data yet.

Sources

Station notes: some stations sit near, not in, the town (for example Church Fenton for York, Woodford for Manchester). Daylight is calculated, not a Met Office figure.