YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE ROYAL RETREATS

for a UK getaway that’s truly fit for a Queen, why not book a break at one of her palaces?

BOOK INTO BALMORAL

YOU can’t stay in the castle — but you can sleep within the grounds. Except when the Queen is staying, that is.

Decorated in traditional style — lots of tartan — Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge has commanding views over Loch Muick. No gas fires here: there are wonderful open fireplaces in the sitting room and drawing room.

INSIDER TIP: Brush up on your board game skills — there’s no TV.

DETAILS: A week’s stay in the Lodge, which sleeps 12, costs from £1,100.

balmoralcastle.com, 01339 742534.

HOLIDAY AT HAMPTON COURT

SLEEP in King George I’s former kitchen within the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, Surrey. The Georgian House has a private walled garden and there are views over the palace roofs from the attics.

INSIDER TIP: Admire the huge blocked arch, once a royal cooking hearth, in the kitchen.

DETAILS: The Georgian House sleeps eight and costs £856 for four nights,

landmarktrust.org.uk, 01628 825925.

SLEEP AT SANDRINGHAM

ON THE edge of the Queen’s country retreat is this Victorian water tower, built to supply the estate with clean water after Edward, Prince of Wales contracted typhoid there in 1871. The second-floor room, once a viewing gallery for the Royal Family, is now a bedroom with 360-degree views.

INSIDER TIP: Book dinner at the Dabbling Duck, a pub serving delicious food, in Great Massingham, which is about 15 minutes’ drive away,

thedabblingduck.co.uk.

DETAILS: A four-night stay costs from £486 and the property sleeps two adults and two children, landmark

trust.org.uk, 01628 825925.