...and staycations too
Laidback Trip has a guide to the Diamond nd Circle and Visit Iceland offers information on on flights, car hire and places to stay ay ( laidbacktrip.com, visiticeland.com).
ONCE travel restrictions lift, there’s also plenty to enjoy around the UK in 2021. With the vaccine being rolled out nationwide, surely we’ll be allowed to get out and about soon.
CELEBRATE NATIONAL PARKS
2021 marks the 70th anniversary of Britain’s first four national parks, established in the Peak District, Lake District, Dartmoor and Snowdonia. Royal Mail will be issuing commemorative stamps on January 14, so why not explore these glorious landscapes? OUR TIP: Try the six-mile, circular Postbridge walk in Dartmoor, which has an audioguide, or the 20-mile Ullswater Way in the Lake District ( nationalparks.uk).
ADVENTURE IN WALES
RIDING on the success of TV I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! from Gwrych Castle, North Wales is the place for an outdoor challenge. Try the world’s fastest zipline at Penrhyn Quarry, learn to eFoil — an electric surfboard — on the Menai Strait or camp on a ‘ portaledge’ suspended from a cliff in Anglesey. OUR TIP: Don’t share your partner’s love of adrenaline? Château Rhianfa is a pampering hotel in Anglesey. From £144, B&B ( chateaurhianfa. co.uk, visitwales.com).
BRISTOL GETS SMART
SELF-GUIDED tours look set to become the Covid- safe way to explore cities — and Bristol is leading the way. Download the Hidden Bristol app to follow audio walks for £5.99, while the new A Piece of Banksy web app from Where The Wall will lead you to 13 street art locations (£10 for two devices). OUR TIP: Launching this month, The Big Fix Up is a free Wallace & Gromit augmented reality adventure set in Bristol ( thebig fixup.co.uk, visitbristol.co.uk).
WALK IN GUERNSEY
LAUNCHING in spring, The Islands Of Guernsey Way is a new walking trail across Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, Herm and Lihou. Linked by ferries or a short flight, the full route covers 50 miles. OUR TIP: Visit between May and October when there is a seasonal ferry service ( visitguernsey.com).
REGENCY HAMPSHIRE
FANS of Netflix drama Bridgerton can get another fix of the Regency lifestyle at a nine- day festival devoted to Jane Austen in Alton and nearby village of Chawton.
OUR TIP: The festival runs June 19 to 27. Tickets on sale in February ( janeaustenregencyweek.co.uk).
LIVINGSTONE STORY
THE relaunched David Livingstone Birthplace in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, will tell the story of how a poor millworker became a famous explorer. OUR TIP: Take in nearby sights such as Bothwell Castle and Chatelherault Country Park ( david-livingstone-birthplace. org, visitlanarkshire.com).