The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
The great weekender
From a camping adventure in the New Forest to a star-gazing escape to Northumberland, you can pack an awful lot into a short British getaway, says Sarah Baxter
Ah, the “mini break”. That must mean a 1950s headscarf and shades. An overpriced and impractical valise. A picnic hamper in the boot. And a drive to a country house retreat, where you shall waft around in floaty fabrics, and bathe in champagne, candlelight, sunsets and smugness. Or maybe not.
It’s been 25 years since Bridget Jones’s Diary hit the shelves, the mid-1990s heyday of the clichéd long weekend, when imaginations strayed no further than romance and room service in a fancy hotel. Thankfully, the British short break has come on a bit since then. Now, all manner of escapades can be packed into a few days, whether you travel with your significant other, your friends, your family or alone.
After all, why simply “waft” when you could run the length of a National Trail, board a quick wildlife-watching cruise, descend a whole river by canoe, let the kids go feral in the semi-wilderness, tick off a ton of castles, get your well-being realigned, learn to write a novel, or find out if you can survive the weekend on your wits alone? Even the indulgent end of the market has become a lot more original – a quick spin in a supercar with a famous female racing driver, anyone? Move over old-school mini-break, action-packed microadventures and chic coastal stays are in.
And now is the time to embrace the potential of this evolved breed of extended weekends. We’ve all been stuck at home for so long that most of us are desperate for the different; yearning to get away from our own four walls and local footpaths. But who knows what the future holds? Might we be able to plan a lengthier, more far-flung break later this year? And if a two or threeweek (or more) trip overseas might still be possible in 2021, do we want to use up our holiday allowance now?
If you’re stockpiling that annual leave, these short breaks can bridge the gap to your next big trip. They offer a lot of bang for only one or two days off work – refreshing, adventurous, unusual, diverse and indulgent escapes across Britain that will make you feel like you’ve had a much longer, more exotic holiday than you actually have. No headscarf required.
Devon
The new Salcombe Food & Drink Trail makes for a delicious mini-break: follow it for artisan chocolate and ice cream tastings, crab sheds and lobster shacks, cookery demonstrations and chilli farms, and a lesson at Salcombe Gin School (to craft your own tipple). Stay at Salcombe Shepherd Huts with its cosy new hideaways, which overlook the estuary and lie within easy reach of South Devon’s fine sands.
A three-night shepherd hut stay (sleeps up to four) costs from £200 (01548 843635; salcombeshepherdhuts.co.uk).
ESCAPE EVERYONE
North Yorkshire
Find your own space beside the seaside at Coast and Camplight. Its two camps are tucked into high woodland between Whitby and the smugglers’ cove of Robin Hood’s Bay. Each has safari-style tents with comfy beds, upcycled furniture, large verandas and inside-outside bathrooms. There’s also wildlife skittering outside, the North York Moors “dark skies” above and a sense of being far from the rest of the world that is hard to beat.
A three-night stay (sleeps four) costs from £400 (07415 655046; coastand camplight.co.uk).
BOLT ALONG THE BEACH
Suffolk
Galloping along an endless beach, sea breeze in your face, horse hooves pounding through the shallows, is a bucket list-ticker of an experience – and easily doable over a weekend on the Suffolk coast, even for novice riders. Stay at a seafront B&B, take a lesson, go for a woodland hack and then giddy-up for a canter along the shore.
A three-night Suffolk Beach Riding Holiday costs from £425pp including B&B accommodation and five rides (01829 781123; equestrian-escapes.com).
TAKE IT EASEL
Cornwall
Newlyn has attracted artists since the 1880s, thanks to its picturesque landscapes and delicate light. Take a Newlyn School of Art course to try capturing the coast on canvas yourself; a local painter will lead lessons en plein air. Nearby Chapel House PZ B&B is an inspiring base.
A three-day Sea & Coast course costs from £395pp; May-September 2021 (01736 365557; newlynartschool.co.uk). Doubles at Chapel House PZ cost from £150pn B&B (01736 362024; chapelhousepz.co.uk).
HIT THE HAWAII OF THE NORTH Inner Hebrides
Can’t make it to a distant island paradise this year? No matter. Try the Isle of Tiree, dubbed the “Hawaii of the North” on account of its good weather (it’s one of Britain’s sunniest spots) and surferfriendly Atlantic swell. Head to the new Reef Inn, Tiree’s first luxe bolt-hole, to explore the white sand, turquoise shallows and wild waves along the island’s 45-mile coast.
A three-night stay at the Reef Inn costs from £435 B&B (07990 633953; reef-tiree.com).
GET SAND BETWEEN YOUR TOES
East Sussex
Aptly named indeed, there’s an awful lot of beach at Camber Sands. Local family-run company Beside the Sea rents 45 properties here, from old fishermen’s cottages to contemporary surf shacks. All make atmospheric bases for exploring the nearby coast: you could hire kayaks and paddleboards, take a kitesurfing lesson, hop aboard the steam-pulled Kent & Sussex Railway or cycle to nearby cobblestoned Rye.
A three-night stay at Owlers Cottage (sleeps four) costs from £360 (01797 227308; besidetheseaholidays.com).
SECURE PRIME POSITION
Lancashire
St Annes Beach Apartments sit on the South Promenade, gazing over the town’s huge swathe of sand, close to its Victorian pier. There are 15 modern-fresh flats, some with balconies, some with decks, most with sea views. It’s also possible to hire a beach hut for the day (£85), so you don’t even need to leave your deckchair to make a cup of tea.
A three-night stay at the Bolthole Suite (sleeps two) costs from £240 (01253 789332; stannesbeachhuts.co.uk).