gap year or not

helloo!
for a while i’ve been thinking i wanted to take a gap year, just to live life a bit before going to uni. i’d like to do a sailing expedition, some hiking trips, possibly go abroad with a friend, do some work to get my money up, and maybe an internship/work experience.
HOWEVER, upon going to some university open days (bath, exeter so far) i’m really looking forward to student life and im not sure if there is much point in the gap year, as long as i make the most of my a-level summer.
furthermore, im considering taking a work placement year in university as i understand it can be tricky to get work for biology following graduation, so surely that would remove the need for getting career experience during a gap year?
i understand that ultimately it’s up to me to decide but id love to hear some opinions! did you take a gap year, or not, and how do you feel about it? if you did take a gap year how did you plan it to make the most of it and did you feel fomo when everyone else was at freshers week? anybody skip the gap year and regretting that?
TIA

I took a gap year before my degree and I don't regret it. I was admittedly sort of forced into it by life, but even if that hadn't been the case I probably would have done it. I was a care worker for most of the year, which was a good experience to have under my belt for my future aspirations, plus it made me grow up a lot, and made me save some money. Not crazy amounts of money, because of my ex, but enough to quit at the start of the summer right before uni and go travelling around the UK for a bit, and then have a little bit extra left for my year 1 at uni. I also picked up the guitar during my gap year, which was very nice too and since I didn't have any major commitments other than work, I had more time to learn.
So yeah, the gap year was good. It's true that if you want to do a year in industry the work experience aspect might not be so important but it's nice to do anyway, at least for a little money and to become more mature. You certainly learn a lot about people when you start working. Plus it's a nice year of freedom to do things that you would like to do. It's easier when you're relatively commitment free.
I didn't feel FOMO either. I knew that I was going into uni the year after and I would get to experience everything too! Oh and also, the application to uni was less stressful, because I had my achieved grades and so I wasn't worrying about passing any exams or anything, and any offers that came my way were unconditional.
As you say, it's up to you what to do. A gap year is definitely not essential, but if you've got plans for it, I say go for it. University will still be there waiting for you afterwards