Britain on the Cheap

Superbreak is offering some fall ticket/overnight packages for O2 Arena events in London, from the outrageous Ozzy Osborne to a 25th birthday bash for Les Miserables. Ozzfest, Sept. 18, £105/$163pp – Ozzy will be accompanied on the main stage by Korn, Murderdolls and Skindred and others. Ozzfest will take over the entire O2 complex, with [...]

Have you always wanted to see inside the great buildings and tiny houses of London? Maybe the Old Palace in Croydon where Elizabeth I visited the bishops, the Studios at Kensington Court Mews or Benjamin Franklin’s House in Westminster? Now’s your chance with the free Open House London, the capital’s great architectural showcase Sept. 18-19. [...]

If you’re looking for a late deal on a place to bunk after the Notting Hill Carnival, one of Europe’s biggest festivals, SACO serviced apartments are set to save you £110/$171 per night for the August Bank Holiday. The Carnival is Aug. 29-30. A one-bedroom apartment, sleeping two, in Holborn costs £139/$216 per night, down [...]

It’s not too early to think about Halloween in the UK. The Royal Oak Foundation, the U.S. affiliate to the National Trust, has scouted out scary happenings at medieval castles and venerable estates, and suggested nearby overnights at National Trust properties. Royal Oak members receive access to more than 300 historic houses without paying an [...]

The free Bournemouth Air Festival Aug. 19-22 will have non-stop action on the land and in the air. The Royal Marines will launch an amphibious beach assault and the Royal Air Force will fly overhead. The weekend includes trips to HMS Bangor, which will be moored in the bay, a Pilot ‘Meet & Greet’ tent, [...]

Get our your deerstalker to solve the mystery of the Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival Aug. 14-22. For just £1/$2 for adults and 50p/$1 for children, you’ll get a trail sheet that will lead you on a merry chase through this village in the Yorkshire Dales—this is “Calendar Girls” country. Solve the riddles along the way to [...]

Let them eat cake at the Bastille Day London Garden Party July 11 at Battersea Park. The free London festival celebrates the French-speaking community and all Francophiles in one of the largest Bastille Day celebrations outside of France. Join the large street fair and open-air picnic.

The sumptuous Hampton Court Palace Flower Show continues through July 11 at the royal palace on the Thames. This Royal Horticultural Society spectacle is the largest of its kind in the world. Day tickets start at £22/$33; less for evening hours.

Travelers to London can explore the dance, music, food and handicrafts of India’s Kerala region with a free carnival noon-8 p.m. July 7 and 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. July 8 at Riverside Walkway, Gabriel’s Wharf on the capital’s South Bank. You can also sample Ayurvedic health and beauty treatments and home spa massage oils. Kerala [...]

Wicked Campers is offering its quirky, spray-painted Toyota vans from £251/$374 for a four-day hire. The package includes the two-seater campervan, pick-up and drop-off in London, insurance in the UK for one driver aged 25 and over, unlimited mileage and 24-hour roadside assistance. You might want to check out: The World Worm-Charming Championships June 26 [...]