How to maximise your annual leave in 2027 for more adventure
That trek you keep thinking about. The cycling journey you’ve been saving for later. Sometimes, the hardest part of an adventure is finding the time to go.
Your 2027 calendar could give you more room than you think. With a little planning, 8 days of annual leave can become a 16-day Easter break, while just 3 days can give you 10 days off over Christmas. Enough time to settle into a journey, spend a few extra days exploring or enjoy a slower return home.
Below, you’ll find the dates to request in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, alongside Adventurous Ewe trips that fit those windows.
And if you need help matching your time off to the right adventure, you can speak directly with our small, family-run team in Eryri, North Wales. You’ll be talking with the people who help design and run the trips, all of which we know first-hand.
Before you request your leave
The calculations assume you work Monday to Friday, have weekends off and receive the relevant bank holidays as days off without using the annual leave days shown. All break dates are inclusive.
Check your workplace calendar first. Bank holidays can form part of your annual leave entitlement, and your employer does not have to give you them as additional paid days off. Scottish workplaces may also follow local arrangements. The totals below describe separate breaks spread across the year, including weekends and bank holidays; they are not one continuous holiday.
Holiday dates were checked against GOV.UK on 4 October 2026. You can also check the official holiday entitlement guidance.
England and Wales: 23 days of leave for 53 days off
Easter gives you the longest continuous break in this selection. The May and August bank holidays each offer a nine-day window, while Christmas stretches into January 2028.
| Break | Annual leave to request in 2027 | Your full break | Leave days | Consecutive days off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easter | 22–25 March and 30 March–2 April | 20 March–4 April | 8 | 16 |
| Early May | 4–7 May | 1–9 May | 4 | 9 |
| Spring bank holiday | 1–4 June | 29 May–6 June | 4 | 9 |
| Summer bank holiday | 31 August–3 September | 28 August–5 September | 4 | 9 |
| Christmas and New Year | 29–31 December | 25 December–3 January 2028 | 3 | 10 |
| Total across these five breaks | 23 | 53 |
Give your Easter adventure room to breathe
Sixteen days opens up more possibilities than a week away. You can consider a longer journey without squeezing your flights, arrival and return into the edges of the itinerary.
Start with the trip itself, though. Its season, departure dates and preparation requirements matter more than a neat calendar calculation. For a trek at altitude, acclimatisation belongs in the plan; it is not spare time to trim so you can get back to work sooner.
Make something of a nine-day break
Four leave days can give you enough time for a week-long adventure with travel days either side, depending on your route and connections. It is a useful window when you want several days of walking or cycling rather than a hurried weekend.
If you prefer to stay closer to home, you can also keep some of that time for a UK mountain challenge, preparation walks or a few quieter days after the event. You do not have to fill every available day to make your leave worthwhile.
Scotland: 23 days of leave for 57 days off
Scotland’s New Year holidays create useful breaks at both ends of 2027. The summer bank holiday falls earlier than in England and Wales, and Easter Monday is not a nationwide Scottish bank holiday.
| Break | Annual leave to request in 2027 | Your full break | Leave days | Consecutive days off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year | 5–8 January | 1–10 January | 4 | 10 |
| Good Friday | 22–25 March | 20–28 March | 4 | 9 |
| Early May | 4–7 May | 1–9 May | 4 | 9 |
| Spring bank holiday | 1–4 June | 29 May–6 June | 4 | 9 |
| Summer bank holiday | 3–6 August | 31 July–8 August | 4 | 9 |
| Christmas and New Year | 29–31 December | 25 December–4 January 2028 | 3 | 11 |
| Total across these six breaks | 23 | 57 |
The 11-day festive break uses the substitute New Year holidays on 3 and 4 January 2028. Confirm that your workplace observes both.
You have another option around St Andrew’s Day: request 29 November and 1–3 December for nine days off from 27 November to 5 December, using four leave days. You can swap this for another four-day block if it better suits the adventure you have in mind.
Northern Ireland: 23 days of leave for 53 days off
You can use the same Easter and Christmas combinations as England and Wales, with an additional midsummer opportunity around the Battle of the Boyne holiday.
| Break | Annual leave to request in 2027 | Your full break | Leave days | Consecutive days off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easter | 22–25 March and 30 March–2 April | 20 March–4 April | 8 | 16 |
| Early May | 4–7 May | 1–9 May | 4 | 9 |
| Spring bank holiday | 1–4 June | 29 May–6 June | 4 | 9 |
| Battle of the Boyne | 13–16 July | 10–18 July | 4 | 9 |
| Christmas and New Year | 29–31 December | 25 December–3 January 2028 | 3 | 10 |
| Total across these five breaks | 23 | 53 |
Two alternatives give you flexibility. Around St Patrick’s Day, request 15–16 and 18–19 March for nine days off from 13–21 March. Around the summer bank holiday, request 31 August–3 September for nine days off from 28 August–5 September. Each uses four leave days and is additional to the selection above.
Adventures that fit your 2027 leave windows
Your calendar is a starting point. The following published trip dates sit within the breaks above, giving you some specific journeys to explore. Check the recommended flights and joining arrangements with us before requesting leave: dates fitting on paper do not always mean your whole journey fits too.
| Your full break | Adventure and published 2027 trip dates | Planning your journey |
|---|---|---|
| 1–10 January, Scotland | Costa Rica Journey to the Sea, 2–9 January | The itinerary fits; check whether your flights fit the days either side. |
| 20 March–4 April, England, Wales and Northern Ireland | Top to Tail Sri Lanka Cycling, 20–29 March | The longer Easter window leaves time after the cycling journey. Your outbound flight may require travel before 20 March. |
| 20 March–4 April, England, Wales and Northern Ireland | Costa Rica Journey to the Sea, 20–27 March | Also fits Scotland’s 20–28 March break on itinerary dates, with less room for flights. |
| 26 March–4 April, shorter Easter option in England, Wales and Northern Ireland | Welsh 3 Peaks Challenge, 2–3 April | Fits both this four-leave-day option and the longer Easter break. |
| 1–9 May, all UK nations | Kumano Kodō Japan Self-Guided Trek, 2–8 May | Allow for international flights and reaching your joining point in Japan. |
| 1–9 May, all UK nations | Via Francigena Lucca to Siena, 2–9 May | Check return connections on the final day. |
| 1–9 May, all UK nations | Snowdon Challenge, 8–9 May; Lake District Challenge, 1 May; Lake District 24 Peaks, 1 May | Shorter challenges within your break. You may not need the whole four-day leave block. Confirm the full arrival and accommodation schedule, particularly for 24 Peaks. |
| 29 May–6 June, all UK nations | Mount M’Goun Berber Trade Routes and Kasbahs Trek, 29 May–5 June | An eight-day Moroccan trek within the nine-day spring bank holiday window. |
| 29 May–6 June, all UK nations | Kumano Kodō Japan Self-Guided Trek, 30 May–5 June | The itinerary fits, subject to flight timings and joining arrangements. |
| 29 May–6 June, all UK nations | Via Francigena Lucca to Siena, 30 May–6 June | Leaves a day before the itinerary; check the journey home on 6 June. |
| 29 May–6 June, all UK nations | National 3 Peaks Challenge, 29–30 May or 5–6 June; Snowdon Challenge, 5–6 June; Lake District Challenge, 29 May | Time for a UK challenge, with space around it for travel and recovery. |
| 10–18 July, Northern Ireland | Nordic Hut-to-Hut Expedition, 11–17 July; Snowdon Challenge, 17–18 July; Lake District Challenge, 10 July | The Nordic itinerary leaves a day either side for travel, subject to connections. |
| 31 July–8 August, Scotland | Solar Eclipse Trek in Northern Morocco, 31 July–5 August; Snowdon Challenge, 7–8 August | The Eclipse trip is sold out. Email us if you would like to join its waiting list. |
| 28 August–5 September, England, Wales and Northern Ireland | Svaneti Highlands Trek Georgia, 27 August-5 September. Snowdon Challenge, 4–5 September | A mountain weekend within the late-summer break. For a longer trek, consider Svaneti with additional leave below. |
A spring bank holiday on the M’Goun trails
The M’Goun trek runs from 29 May–5 June 2027, within your nine-day spring bank holiday break. If Morocco’s mountain trails are calling, this is a useful place to begin: four annual leave days creates the window for the eight-day itinerary, with flight timings still to check.
Choose your own rhythm in Japan or Tuscany
Your self-guided options offer more flexibility than a fixed group departure. The Nakasendō Trail and Kumano Kodō allow starts on any day of the week between April and October, subject to availability. The Lucca to Siena route also offers a choice of dates between April and December.
You can talk to us about arranging the itinerary around your leave window, allowing time to reach the trail and return home. Your accommodation and practical arrangements are organised for you, while you walk with your chosen companions at your own pace. Dates remain subject to accommodation availability and suitability for the season.
Svaneti Highlands Trek Georgia: extend your August bank holiday break
Trek between Svaneti’s highland villages, with medieval stone towers above the rooftops and the Caucasus mountains rising beyond them. Your route follows sections of the Transcaucasian Trail, crossing mountain passes and staying in simple family-run guesthouses. The people hosting you each evening are part of what gives this journey its character.
The Svaneti Highlands Trek is published for 27 August–5 September 2027. It starts one day before the 28 August–5 September bank holiday window for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, so it needs additional leave.
The flight calendar matters here. British Airways’ Heathrow departures to Tbilisi follow a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday pattern, with overnight flights arriving the following morning. Under that pattern, you fly out on Thursday 26 August, arrive on Friday 27 August for the itinerary’s first day, and return from Tbilisi on Sunday 5 September. The return service operates on different weekdays from the outbound service.
For a Monday-to-Friday working pattern with the Monday 30 August bank holiday off:
- Request Friday 27 August and Tuesday 31 August–Friday 3 September: five annual leave days.
- If you need Thursday 26 August off to reach Heathrow or prepare for the evening flight, request that too: six annual leave days in total.
That makes Svaneti a useful option when you can add a little more leave to the four-day bank holiday plan. Speak with us before booking flights so we can confirm the exact 2027 services, arrival arrangements and group transfers. The flight pattern above is the planning basis, not a guarantee of the final airline timetable.
Choose the adventure before you fill the calendar
The most useful question is what you want time for. A longer mountain journey? Your first supported trek? A cycling route where you spend your days travelling through a place under your own power?
Give yourself enough room for the practical parts too. Check the full itinerary, flight connections, fitness requirements and any preparation weekends before requesting leave. A departure may start overseas, so the published trip dates will not necessarily cover every day you need away from home.
You can also use a longer break to stay a little longer in one destination. That leaves room for a slower arrival or an extra night after the trek, rather than adding another flight and another place to rush through.
Questions you might be asking
Can you really get 53 days off with 23 days of annual leave?
Yes, using the five separate breaks shown for England and Wales or Northern Ireland, provided your working pattern and bank holiday arrangements match the assumptions. The 53 days include weekends and bank holidays, and the Christmas break finishes in January 2028.
Can you take a shorter Easter break?
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, request 30 March–2 April for ten consecutive days off from 26 March–4 April. That uses four leave days. It does not apply automatically in Scotland, where Easter Monday is not a nationwide bank holiday.
Put your extra days to good use
Send us the dates you can travel, the kind of adventure you are drawn to and any questions about taking part. You can speak directly with the team who help shape the journeys, so you can understand the route, support and preparation before deciding.
Take a look at Adventurous Ewe or ask us about your 2027 plans.
Give your days off a story worth telling.
Put that trek you keep thinking about on the calendar. Take the cycling journey you’ve been saving for “someday”. Your 2027 adventure starts with making time for it.
Find your 2027 adventure.
