Last Bank Holiday before Christmas!
COMING up is the last hurrah of the summer — and the final official long weekend before Christmas. So don’t let August Bank Holiday slip by without exploiting it to the full!
Weather forecasts predict balmy temperatures in later August, perfect for spending days exploring — and even dining al fresco while the longer evenings last.
Before the temperatures cool and the leaves start to crinkle, it’s an important opportunity to make the most of the lingering warmth with an end-of-summer splurge at a plush hotel, self-catering cottage, contemporary lodge or holiday park.
Enjoy rising at your own pace instead of waking to an alarm, and being able to throw back the curtain on a beautiful morning with endless possibilities.
HOP ON A BROOMSTICK
FROM Bournemouth Air Festival to Harry Potter-style broomstick training at Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, there’s loads going on to provide Bank Holiday quality time for couples, friends and families alike.
In Devon, the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta includes air displays where the Red Arrows and the RAF Typhoon will slice through the skies, plus competitions on the water and a shimmering firework display above it.
Coast & Country Cottages can help you find a perfectly situated waterfront apartment here, just a walk into town from all the regatta entertainment and Dartmouth’s award-winning restaurants.
TROPICAL IN CORNWALL
THE August Bank Holiday is a good time to visit Cornwall. The height-of-summer crowds have started to melt away, but the balmy micro-climate remains, with subtropical gardens giving a Mediterranean feel. There’s much going on, including Dinosaur Uproar at the Eden Project, St Ives Lifeboat Day (29th), Newlyn Fish Festival (31st) and Tudortastic August fun at the National Trust’s Elizabethan manor, Trerice, which was Winston Graham’s inspiration when writing Poldark.
Richardson Hotels has a Summertime Special deal at its five award-winning establishments in Devon and Cornwall. Expect fine food and accommodation in fabulous coastal locations at Fowey, Falmouth, Padstow and Torquay.
CAPTURE THE CASTLE
HISTORY fans will also be in their element at Muncaster Castle’s Living History Week (August 23 to 31) when an army of the country’s best re-enactors will bring the story of England’s past to life.
Meet quirky Vikings, Normans, Tudors, Victorians and other time travellers in their Cumbrian encampments and watch spectacular battles and shows.
Stay in style nearby at the Pennington Hotel, Ravenglass, the only coastal village in the Lake District National Park. Or enjoy free run of a characterful property closer to the central lakes, booked through The Coppermines Lakes Cottages, English Country Cottages or cottages4you.
Go boating on Coniston, just like the Swallows and Amazons the lake inspired, and call in on Beatrix Potter at Hill Top.
A LOVED-UP WEEKEND
AUGUST is National Romance Month, so why not use the Bank Holiday to find a dreamy romantic cottage for two?
Letting agency holidaycottages.co.uk has seen a 920 per cent jump on last year in searches for romantic holidays. Essential features sought by loved-up couples include a hot tub, log fire and sea view.
Benedict Cumberbatch is the celebrity most women would like to take a romantic break with, while Taylor Swift is the men’s favourite, reveals the company’s poll.
And the West Country comes out as the most romantic destination, with its strong supply of beach strolls.
Find a heavenly holiday home and have a blissful August Bank Holiday break before the long stint to Christmas begins.