Looking for some colourful places in the UK? Me, too, in fact, I’m craving colour at the moment.
What the year 2020 is turning out to be and I don’t know about you, but I really need a little colour in my life. However, I’m also not quite ready to travel to overseas shores just yet, so in an often grey and dingy UK, where can I find a bit of colour?
Sure, I could go to a flower field or walk about the streets of Notting Hill, but I get the feeling of seeing that a million times and crave something different. So what does the UK have to offer in the way of colour if we take out those colourful Notting Hill Houses?
12 Colourful places to visit in the U.K.
Portmeirion, Wales
Well, the first thing to spring to mind was Portmeirion, a place I love and adore. It’s a colourful Italian explosion in Wales. Eclectic, crazy and colourful Portmerion is bound to brighten up any day. One of the most colourful places in the UK it is well worth a visit.
Created by Welsh architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, Portmeirion Village was designed to show how a naturally beautiful site could be developed without spoiling it. Williams-Ellis acquired the site in 1925 and worked to complete his grand vision over the next 50 years, completing the Village as we know it today in 1976.
Clough hoped that his creation would inspire others.
Probably most famously, Portmeirion was the backdrop for the 1960’s cult classic series, The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan.
And if you don’t stay in Portmerion I can highly recommend the colourful town of Borth-y-Gest which is easy driving distance and has cute colourful houses aplenty.
Cobh, Ireland
So I know Cobh is in the Republic of Ireland and is not in the United Kingdom but I really wanted to include it and if I say the British Isles no one really understands that so forgive me and know I know it is not part of the U.K.. The town where the titanic set sail on its ill-fated voyage as well as bags of history, Cobh is also a colourful gem. The harbour is surrounded by row upon row of coloured houses and they look adorable from the pictures.
So if you like to mix your colour with some history then Cobh may be the place for you.
Tobermory, Isle of Mull
The location for the children’s TV series Balamory, towns don’t get much more colourful than this.
Known as one of the prettiest ports in Scotland, and one of the most colourful places in the U.k., it really is a colour explosion.
And there is more to see than just marvelling at the colourful houses. A fishing port of the late 18th century, the surrounding area is steeped in mysterious history, including a sunken ship nobody has yet found.
This place is also teeming with wildlife and you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the rare and unusual Golden and White-tailed Eagles.
Portree, Isle of Skye
A row of beautiful coloured houses line the port; is anyone recognising a pattern here? Portree also looks like a location in Iceland, with its mountains and cliffs rising behind it.
The largest town and the capital of Skye, it is a popular tourist destination. It’s a mixture of colourful and cute set against a rather majestic-looking prehistoric landscape. If you are looking for photographic locations you may be able to get two for the price of one here.
Lavenham, Suffolk
Colourful, but make it Tudor. A stunning combination of candy-colour painted houses, interwoven with wooden beams. It’s like Instagram meets medieval and I’m all for it. Lavenham is considered to be one of the best-preserved medieval villages in England.
With over 300 buildings listed as being of architectural and historic interest, this place really piles on the history. And it’s also located in the beautiful Suffolk countryside, so you can mix Instagram, history and walk in some of the most stunning scenery, all in one.
Bristol, Somerset
A city known for its art, hipsters and colour, it’s a hub for the younger generation. Also the birthplace of Banksy and the place where his street art took the world by storm in the 1980s. It doesn’t get much hipper than Bristol. When it comes to colourful places in the U.K. it doesn’t get much colourful than Banksy.
If you like your colour with a side of hip and trendy then this might be the place for you. The colourful houses, of which they are plenty, give way to vibrant street art.
It’s a place full of creativity and leaves an impression on all who visit.
Aberaeron, Wales
Another colourful town sitting on a harbour, again in Wales. Colourful seaside houses, fish and chips and a harbour where you can watch the comings and goings, sounds like bliss doesn’t it?
The colourful houses are said to adorn the town like jewels. This is a place to sit and while away an hour or two.
Staithes, Yorkshire
Staithes is a seaside village in the Scarborough Borough of North Yorkshire, England. I walked through this village once and still think about it often. When it comes to pretty villages Staithes really has to come up top. With its higgledy-piggledy cottages, some coloured, and winding streets, you get lost in time in Staithes and could almost imagine you were in another era.
It has a charm that is hard to find elsewhere and is a place many fall in love with, visiting again and again.
It’s a little gem that is really worth a visit. It’s also really close to Whitby, which is one of my favourite places in the UK.
Coverack, Cornwall
I couldn’t talk about colourful fishing villages without mentioning Cornwall. Coverack may not be the most colourful, but it is the one I have visited and known the most about. While a lot of the houses are white some are colourful but for me, the colour here comes from the flowers, plants and boats.
There is something about Cornwall that makes the most colourful amazing plants grow and when it’s sunny, the light really is something else. If you are looking for colourful places in the U.K., Cornwall has many.
I really fell in love with this place and its quirky streets, harbour and amazing ice cream!
Well worth a visit to banish away the blues.
Whitstable – England
I visited Whitstable once, only briefly, to visit the famous Wheelers Oyster Bar. It’s a super pretty (and busy) place. It’s also lively and colourful and decked with pastel beach huts. It is quaint and quintessentially English and a very posh seaside town; no arcades or kiss-me-quick hats insight.
It’s vibrant, full of life and very civilised.
Deal, Kent
While we are in Kent I also want to mention Deal, a place I adore, with colourful houses on the seafront, some art deco gems and flowers everywhere, Deal is well worth a visit.
Brighton, Sussex
I couldn’t mention colourful places in the UK without mentioning Brighton. As well as its colourful beach huts, a pier that lights up at night and the Pavilion, an explosion of colour when lit up at night, Brighton is one of those places that just has a colourful vibe about it. It’s no coincidence that companies like the colourful Luck and Yak made this their home.
A vibrant place full of life, Brighton is quirky, cultural and arty.
What colourful places have you visited in the UK? I’d love to know if you have found more. If you visit any of these colourful places in the U.K. please do let us know, we know you will have a great time and we can’t wait to hear about it.
