Plan a break to bounce away the winter blues
WITH the festive season now a distant memory, what’s next on the agenda — a few months of rattling around at home, waiting for the weather to warm up a bit more? How drab!
Once this cold snap is over, why not don woollies and explore frost-tipped countryside under open skies, marvel at seas of snowdrops, see the early lambs and experience the Great British seaside without the crowds?
Turn up, fresh-faced, at cosy gastro-pubs for quiet fireside meals, and explore near-empty historic houses, which will soon re-open at weekends. Or head off to explore a deliciously quaint British city, dining in its best restaurants.
It will be uplifting, refreshing and fun, bar the odd gust!
Just now, prices are at their best, with special spring offers for those who book early, often saving hundreds of pounds.
So it is an ideal time to plan a romantic Valentine’s Day break or an enjoyable Easter egg-scape.
Having something special pencilled in the diary will stop these winter months from dragging by — and fill them full of quiet promise. Wight royal break AN indulgent break at Warner Leisure Hotels will bounce away the winter blues — especially when there are early bird discounts of up to 50 per cent.
On these breaks, you can do as much or as little as you like. It’s all grown-up, with no children allowed — but lots of favourite childhood games.
Take part in daytime activities and enjoy live shows and delicious half-board dining in welcoming, country house surroundings with warming log fires and lovely walks in the grounds.
Hop over, perhaps, to one of its two captivating Isle of Wight hotels, where IsleWalk17 is a guided walking festival starting in late April.
Be sure to visit magnificent Osborne House, the seaside love nest of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, which takes a starring role in a new film, due for release in September.
Victoria And Abdul, starring Judi Dench, charts the story of an unexpected friendship between the queen and a young clerk, Abdul Karim, who travels from India to participate in the Golden Jubilee. Victoria — and the Vikings YORK has a Queen Victoria connection, too, this year — as ITV’s hit drama series Victoria is filmed nearby. The second series, which airs in the autumn, will stay in the 1840s, so Albert is safe, reveals writer Daisy Goodwin.
Buckingham Palace’s gilded rooms are filmed inside the large-scale studios at Church Fenton Yorkshire Studios, between York and Leeds, a former RAF base. The Queen’s residence is also ‘played’ by magnificent Castle Howard, a historic house which certainly isn’t camera shy.
Coming up fast on York’s calendar is the annual Jorvik Viking Festival, from February 20 to 26. It’s Europe’s largest, with living history encampments and dramatic combat performances.
The infamous Eric Bloodaxe will fight his final battle during the spectacular festival finale, which culminates in a flaming funeral pyre as his spirit rises to take its place in Valhalla.
But you’ll have to be more patient to explore the new Jorvik Viking Centre, which reopens on April 8, following a devastating flood in December 2015. The multi-million-pound reimagining will set it in the post-Bloodaxe era. Romance of the West THE wonderful West Country is a quiet delight before the crowds of summer descend, so now is the time to plan an early break, especially if you have Valentine’s Day in mind.
With hundreds of beautiful beaches to wander on, fantastic restaurants for dreamy dinners and many gorgeous places to stay, it is arguably the most romantic corner of Britain.
Climb to the top of St Michael’s Mount to pop the question, watch a stunning South Devon sunset together, recreate a steamy scene from Poldark, or snuggle in a blanket while watching a play under the stars at the Minack Theatre, near Land’s End, from late March.
If you are thinking ahead to summer and the chance to tuck into a cream tea, or take your family on a paddling, rock-pooling and sandcastle-building adventure, this is also the right time to secure a West Country bolthole.
With the great British staycation trend as hot as ever, coastal holiday properties are always snapped up fast.