Plan a homegrown adventure
looking to upgrade your staycation? book one of these experiences and you’re guaranteed an unforgettable time
ISLAND HOPPING
Take to the water and explore the rugged coastlines, deserted white sandy beaches and rocky coves of the Isles of Scilly. In a crewed boat, set sail for the five populated islands, as well as the many uninhabited isles that are a haven for wildlife. Anchor up in a secluded cove for lunch and swimming or to explore a town before returning to the boat on which dinner, rustled up by the ship’s cook, is served. There’s also the option of a private charter where, besides the crew, you have the boat to yourself for family or friends. Craft range from classic boats to tall ships and modern luxury yachts, while other sailing itineraries include Cornwall, Devon and Scotland.
THE LOWDOWN From £925pp for seven days, including all food and soft drinks. Private charter from £2,400 (sleeps four for three nights) to £14,000 (sleeps 12 for six nights); venturesailholidays.com
BRIDGERTON BREAK
If you’re after an indulgent city getaway, No.15 Great Pulteney Street will fit the bill. The hotel, in one of Bath’s beautiful Georgian townhouses, is re-opening this month after a total refurb by new British hospitality brand Guesthouse. The interiors, by award-winning designer Martin Hulbert, are gorgeous and clever, Martin riffing on the city’s Bridgerton-era past. Some of the 37 rooms have four-poster beds, others trompe l’oeil bed canopies or sparkling chandeliers; the cosier attic rooms have views across the city’s rooftops. Enjoy a cocktail in the bar before tucking into chef Matt Gillard’s delicious ‘wild British’ cuisine, such as line-caught sea bass and spring greens with hedgerow oil.
THE LOWDOWN Rooms from £162pn (room only); opening special packages including a Bridgerton-based one, from £762pp (two nights); guesthousehotels.co.uk
GROUP GLAMPING
Grab a group of friends and book in at one of the beautiful sites around the country run by Kymani. The company specialises in group glamping holidays, so you can either book out an entire site or just a private area of it, and everything is organised in advance so all you need do is turn up. Accommodation is in luxe sixmetre bell tents, each with one double and two single beds with proper mattresses, as well as a sofa and soft furnishings and a wood-burning stove. Each member of your group can tailor-make their own trip, from their meal choice (cooked by on-site caterers) to activities (eg, yoga, foraging). There’s also an on-site guest relations team to help your holiday go swimmingly.
THE LOWDOWN Minimum two nights from £98.75pppn (including breakfast and dinner; four to a tent); £50 extra adult, £25 extra child per night; kymanigetaways.com
WILD WALKING
Pull on your hiking boots and discover the English wilderness with an eight-day walk in Northumberland that takes in empty beaches, spectacular waterfalls, Hadrian’s Wall and breathtaking views from the Pennines. Stay in lovely boutique hotels where you can soak your tired feet before relaxing over dinner and drinks. A minibus takes your luggage so you walk light.
THE LOWDOWN From
£1,945 for two; includes accommodation, meals, transport and any entrance fees. Private tours also available; wild frontierstravel.com
WINE AND DINE
Tucked away in the rolling hills of Cornwall, just a stone’s throw from Padstow, is the award-winning vineyard and orchard Trevibban Mill, where everything from pressing to bottling the awardwinning wines is done on site. Planted by Engin and Liz Mumcuoglu in 2008, the vineyards are combined with fields of wildflowers to encourage biodiversity; no herbicides are used. Take a tour, followed by a mouthwatering lunch with wine tastings. From July onwards, enjoy dinner, staying overnight in one of the two new lodges.
THE LOWDOWN From £275pn for two people; trevibbanmill.com
FOODIE RETREAT
Nestled in the rolling hills of the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Glebe House is a spanking new guesthouse and restaurant set in a 15-acre smallholding. The five bedrooms and self-contained annexe are beautifully decorated by Studio Alexandra, each one a chic combination of colour and pattern with plenty of pretty touches. In the restaurant, co-owner Hugo Guest, a chef, serves a fixed menu using produce locally sourced or from the smallholding’s own garden – think Musquee de Provence pumpkin, ewe’s curd and pumpkin seed, followed by strawberry and elderflower custard tart. This summer, the on-site bakery and charcuterie room will host workshops and cookery classes. Play tennis and swim in the pool. Three miles away is the South West Coast Path National Trail and the World Heritage Jurassic coast.
THE LOWDOWN Rates start at £129pn. glebehousedevon.co.uk
JOY RIDING
Imagine an exhilarating canter across the moors, splashing through streams and around the tors of Dartmoor… Sara Cox is among the fans of Liberty Trails, which organises bespoke horse-riding holidays that combine hacking with hand-picked accommodation (from five-star hotels to boutique farm B&BS) and picnic lunches at beauty spots. Take your own horse, or be paired with a local one. As well as bespoke itineraries, they also run a number of special group events, such as the Dartmoor Derby, a three-day, 50-mile guided ride.
THE LOWDOWN from £895pp (own horse) or £995pp (horse supplied) for three nights and two days of guided riding with lunch and ground support crew. liberty-trails.com
DIGITAL DETOX
Escape with a stay on the Blackbird, a canal boat that’s been refitted to create a bijoux retreat with open-plan living space, ensuite shower, plus a ‘boudoir bathhouse’ with roll-top bath and water views. Moored on a secluded freshwater lake in North Devon and fringed by mature trees, clouds of butterflies and wildflowers, breathe in the tranquillity and enjoy complete privacy. Explore the woodland, go off-road cycling or walking on the nearby moors or drive 20 minutes to one of three beautiful beaches for surfing, body boarding or to just soak up the sun. There’s also a weekly farmers’ market at nearby Holsworthy.
THE LOWDOWN Three-night weekends from £504; seven-night peak week stay from £1,200; tregullandandco.co.uk
SECRET GARDEN
Wrest Park in Bedfordshire is a magnificent 1830s mansion, built in the style of a 19thcentury French chateau with stunning gardens, including dazzling parterres, fragrant borders and woodland – and if you stay in its new three-bedroom, two-bathroom holiday cottage (the Grade Ii-listed former head gardener’s home), you get the gardens all to yourself once the gates close at 5pm. An English heritage property, the house has its own private garden so you can eat al fresco.
THE LOWDOWN Three-night weekends from £595; seven nights from £1,200; english-heritage.org.uk
FAMILY FUN
Woolley Grange Hotel near Bradfordupon-avon is known as a fabulous familyfriendly place to stay and this summer its offering has been extended with the addition of a Luxury Family Hotels Pop-up Hotel within the grounds. Your suite is a plush two-bedroom tent with private bathroom, including flushing toilet, shower and wash basin and a selection of Bramley botanical toiletries and fresh, fluffy towels. The spacious living area includes a sofa and rugs on the wood-effect floor, and there are power points too. Each tent also features an undercover private terrace with outdoor seating. Have a Continental breakfast delivered to your tent or eat in the hotel restaurant. Use all the hotel facilities including the pools, spa, Ofsted-accredited den for children, activities such as family yoga and treasure hunts, and the 90 minutes of complimentary childcare daily.
THE LOWDOWN From £375pn B&B; two-night minimum stay in peak periods; luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk ▶
BACK TO NATURE
Forage for ingredients to make your own wild gin or head for the coast for a beach barbecue. Wild river trek in a canoe or stand-up paddleboard through a gorge. Gaze at the night sky with the Dark Ski Safari, learn bushcraft skills or relax with yoga. Top of the Woods is an eco luxury camping and glamping site in Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay, with lots of activities for all the family and a variety of accommodation options, from camping to nature domes and safari lodges.
THE LOWDOWN Camping (tent included) £16 adults, £8 children; nature dome from £100pn (sleeps four); safari lodge from £115pn (sleeps six). Weekend activity and accommodation packages from £245pp; topofthewoods.co.uk
CATCH A WAVE
Book the Surf, Yoga and Wild Camp Weekend in Cornwall for some expert-led surf lessons tailored for both beginners and avid surfers, then unwind and recharge with some restorative outdoor yoga at a woodland retreat. Cook around a campfire and then sleep beneath the stars in canvas bell tents surrounded by a peaceful, natural setting. All surfing and camping equipment is provided but bring your own dinner ingredients to cook (and snacks!).
THE LOWDOWN £159pp; muchbetteradventures.com
PICK ‘N’ EAT
Abbey Home Farm is a 1,600-acre mixed organic farm in the Cotswolds with lots of activities for adults and children, from family egg collecting to farm diversity walks and cookery courses. With Harvest, Cook, Eat! you go on a farm tour to pick ingredients from the veg garden before taking a break for lunch in the café. Next you’re off to the teaching kitchen to create a late afternoon feast that you can then enjoy; themes include modern British and Middle Eastern. On the Café Salad Course, learn how the café’s famous salads are created. The on-site accommodation ranges from camping to yurts, shepherd huts and holiday cottages.
THE LOWDOWN Camping £8pn (adults), £4pn (children under 12); two-bedroom cottage £100pn. Harvest, Cook, Eat! costs £95pp; Café Salad Course, £65; theorganicfarmshop.co.uk
SLOW PATROL
For a holiday that will take you back to when the pace of life was slower, spend a few days on a traditional narrowboat. Float gently down a canal, the peace only broken by the excitement of navigating locks. Cook in your galley kitchen or moor up by a waterside eaterie for a drink and a meal. It’s great for all ages – and the family dog! The UK canal network offers over 3,000 miles of historic waterways that span beautiful countryside, plus there are the Norfolk Broads with their market town and villages.
THE LOWDOWN From £1,300 for a boat that sleeps four; waterwaysholidays.com
GET ARTY
If your idea of heaven is spending hours with a canvas and paintbrush, then a residential art holiday with Big Sky Art Courses is the holiday for you. Paint en plein air under the wide open skies of north Norfolk or in the roomy on-site studio, both run by well-known and experienced art tutors in watercolours, pastels, oils and more. Stay at The White House, an elegant but super-comfy Georgian country house, located in rolling farmland but just a short drive away from the chi-chi town of Burnham Market. At the end of the day, relax with a drink before being served a delicious dinner.
THE LOWDOWN Four-night course from £768pp; five nights from £875pp; both include accommodation and meals. Bring your own art materials. bigskyartcourses.com
HIGHLAND FLING
Pack your weekend – and IG – with unforgettable memories with the new Experience Weekends at Dun Aluinn, a stunning estate in the highlands of Perthshire. Arrive on a Friday afternoon and relax with a G&T on the terrace with its panoramic views, followed by a fabulous three-course dinner and chocolate tasting with the Highland Chocolatier. Over the weekend, start the day with an instructorled yoga session or walk/run from the house and create your own bespoke programme from a smorgasbord of activities, such as electric mountain biking, a foraging and chocolate walk, wild flower arranging, a cooking masterclass and canoeing on Loch Faskally. On Sunday night, all 26 guests come together for an evening of music, storytelling and whisky tasting with a barbecue on Dun Aluinn’s stunning terrace.
THE LOWDOWN The weekends run 11-14 June and 3-6 September; £2,500pp (two sharing) including all catering, events and activities; dunaluinn.com