Pupillages and vacation schemes are the ideal way to gain experience relevant for a career in law, whether you want to become a barrister or solicitor.
But, there are other ways to gain relevant experience.
Smaller firms may not advertise vacation placements, but you might be able to proactively organise your own. Search the Law Society's database of solicitors| to find a list of firms near your vacation address in the UK. Governments, international organisations, courts and charities also frequently offer internships and traineeships related directly or indirectly to law. There are also lots of ways you can get relevant experience outside the legal sector; see these links for suggestions:
You may not want to work for a commercial or private firm, find out more about routes into practicing law elsewhere: