Summer: it’s been a haze of sky high temperatures, air conditioning wars and sweat-soaked public transport. But, you’re on your way out, as the September ‘back-to-school’ vibe beckons and the open-toed sandals start to feel more frostbite than fashion.
If you’ve taken this last hurrah as annual leave, then make sure you get some entertaining, interesting, or just downright delicious things locked in the diary.
Here’s our pick of the best stuff to see the sunny season out with a bang.
Have a carnivorous time in the capital
From Friday 31st August until Sunday 2nd September, London’s annual artisan meat fest returns to Tobacco Dock. They’ll be demos from the likes of Middle Eastern food trend-bringer Yotam Ottolenghi and acclaimed Anglo-Indian chef Romy Hardeep Gill, plus street eats and live music.
Ticket; £22.50, Tobacco Dock, Wapping Ln, St Katharine’s & Wapping, London E1W 2SF, meatopia.seetickets.com
See Chantal Joffe’s unique work in Salford
The British artist’s latest exhibition, ‘Personal Feeling Is The Main Thing’, shows her unflinching and candid exploration of physicality at its finest. Check out her fearless paintings on show at The Lowry, until the start of September.
Admission: free, The Lowry Galleries, Pier 8, The Quays, Salford M50 3AZ, until 2nd September, 2018, thelowry.com
Go on a sunset sail in Brighton
See out the last of the summer with a mini voyage on a sailing yacht. A three hour trip departs from Brighton Marina and takes you away underneath the sun’s setting embers. Sit back and enjoy, or get involved with skippering.
2 x places on sailing trip, £180, selected weekdays or weekends until September, Brighton Marina, intotheblue.co.uk
See some seals in their natural habitat
Head to Ramsgate for a day trip and book in on a seal and wildlife watching trip. Hop aboard a boat and paddle down to a national nature reserve, where you’ll be able to wave to a see a wild seal colony doing their thing.
Admission: £20 per person, Tuesday 28th August, 11.30am, Friday 31st August, 1pm and 2.30pm, Pier Yard, Royal Harbour, Ramsgate, CT11 8LS seasearcher.co.uk
See how our attitudes towards our bodies have changed
York Castle Museum’s ‘Shaping The Body’ exhibition shows how we’ve deliberately altered, contorted and pummelled our bodies over the past hundreds of years. With iron corsets, Jane Austen-era crotchless pantaloons and painful-looking wigs on display, it’s a fascinating - if troubling - look at how figures have been manipulated for fashion, for centuries.
Adult ticket, £10, access ticket, £5, children under 16, free with a paying adult, until January 2019, York Castle Museum, Eye of York, Tower St, York YO1 9RY, yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk
Go on a summer night safari
Catch the final few late night safari drive-throughs at the West Midland Safari Park, where you can see cheetahs, zebra and elephants roaming around under the dusky sky. Each night of the summer lates will have activities focused on various conservation themes, such as saving the bees.
Tickets: adult, £24, kids, £19, under 3s, free, daily until 9pm until 2nd September, West Midland Safari Park, Spring Grove, Bewdley, DY12 1LF, wmsp.co.uk
Take the kids on a bike tour of Edinburgh
Geared up (sorry) for littler people, this tour takes gentle, safe routes to showcase the less explored parts of the Scottish city. Meet at the the Port of Leith - Edinburgh’s harbour area - before peddling to see a lighthouse, an old railway line and on to Victoria Park. Tours last two hours, but include breaks.
Ticket: £30 per adult, under 16′s, £15, child seat, free, tours available daily, meet at Port of Leith, edinburghbiketours.co.uk