The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
WEEKEND CHILLOUTS
STAY AT A STELLAR RETREAT
FOCUS ON YOU
Yorkshire
On the North Yorkshire coast, tranquillity and solitude are so valued they’re protected by legislation – making this officially a great place to chill out alone. Valley View, near Whitby, runs group wellness breaks and, in these socially distanced times, is offering Personalised Retreats for solos/friends – these include cabin stay, private yoga and vegan or veggie meals.
A three-night Personalised Retreat costs from £450pp/ £600 for two including half-board accommodation (07962 505906; yogandspice.com).
SWIM AND STRETCH
Anglesey
For a full body refresh, head for the Plas Cadnant Estate. This historic pile, set within acres of parkland, woodland and meadows, is the base for a luxe retreat: daily yoga and meditation in the estate’s garden studio will leave you rebalanced; sea swims off Anglesey’s hidden coves and beaches will leave you revived; tasty veggie meals will leave you replete.
A four-night Yoga & Wild Swimming trip costs from £710pp including full-board accommodation; MaySeptember 2021 (0203 048 3044; notintheguidebooks.com).
SPA PLUS Cornwall
Simply admiring the views from the Scarlet’s big windows, across the wild North Cornwall coast, is probably rejuvenation enough. But this clifftop hotel in Mawgan Porth excels in more sophisticated wellness, too. Combine the signature Scarlet Journey (a tailored treatment) with good food, daily yoga, well-being classes, spa steams and dips in indoor and outdoor pools.
A three-night Spa Break costs from £1,269 for two, including B&B accommodation (01637 861800; scarlethotel.co.uk).
DO A LOT OF A LITTLE
Perthshire
Sumptuous Dun Aluinn house in Aberfeldy is usually for exclusive-use only. But for two special weekends, it’s opening for individual-room bookings, and jam-packing the menu of included activities, too. Options include morning yoga, wildflower arranging, Munro hiking, four-wheel drive safaris, baking, kayaking, letterpressing, art-admiring, canoeing, storytelling and tastings with a Highland chocolatier. Do as much or as little as you like. h And stretch: unwind your mind with a restorative getaway at a Valley View retreat on the tranquil North Yorkshire coast i Dive right in: take a dip in the refreshing waters of Anglesey’s beaches
j Stay in the sumptuous Dun Aluinn house
HAVE A LOCK-IN
Devon
Overnight stays, big gatherings, heading down the pub – all have been off-limits for far too long. So when they are allowed again, book the Old Church House near Totnes. This Grade II listed Devon inn is now an 11-bed self-catering retreat – but still has a proper bar (with local ale on tap), snooker room, darts alley and pub tables, so you can make up for lost time.
A three-night stay costs from £1,447 excluding alcohol (01244 356666; sykescottages.co.uk).
BECOME A MASTER
Isle of Wight
Take a weekend to gather your thoughts at The Grange by the Sea, a Georgian country house that hosts a range of creative workshops yearround. Over the May Bank Holiday, choose between masterclasses on fiction writing or life-coaching; and join drop-in sessions with the other tutor, too.
A three-night Multi-Activity Masterclass costs from £475pp including full-board accommodation; May 28 2021 (01983 865566; skyros.com).
THE ULTIMATE ROOM SERVICE
North Wales
Offering wellness well-suited to these Covid-19 times, the adults-only Coes Faen Spa Lodge doesn’t have a spa per se – instead, each individually designed room has its own facilities so you can have private, personalised treatments right there. If you do leave your suite, there are light-filled communal spaces and 30 acres of beautiful woodland gardens, with views across the Mawddach estuary.
A three-night stay costs from £585
B&B (01570 470785; rarebits.co.uk).
At the end of the Llanthony Valley, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons, Llwyn Celyn is a medieval house that was remodelled in the 17th century and painstakingly restored in the 21st – as seen on Channel 4’s television show £4million Restoration: Historic House Rescue. It’s a rare survivor, with exquisite features such as carved doorheads and wooden beams – a great choice for a grand post-Covid escape.
A three-night stay at Llwyn Celyn (sleeps eight) costs from £964 (01628 825925; landmarktrust.org.uk).
DRIVE LIKE A DUKE
Cotswolds
There are road trips. Then there’s Untold Story Travel’s Ultimate Drive. This money-almost-can’t-buy break includes getting behind the wheel of a McLaren Spider supercar and a driveand-dinner experience with The Grand Tour’s Abbie Eaton. You’ll also enjoy an exclusive tour of the Duke of Marlborough’s private Blenheim Palace apartments followed by lunch overseen by the Duke’s butler himself.
A four-night Ultimate Drive trip costs from £5,000pp including B&B accommodation (0207 523 5858; untoldstorytravel.com).
GLORIOUS GLAMPING
The Hebrides
Are you finding that every decent campsite is already fully booked? Create your own. Black Tomato’s Blink bespoke glamping service is setting up back-to-nature-luxe retreats on the Isle of Jura this summer. Combine two nights at luxury Glenapp Castle with two at the private hideaway; you get to choose everything from the activities and food to the fairy lights.
A four-night Blink in Jura trip costs from £5,000pp including full-board accommodation (0207 426 9888; blacktomato.com).
COMBINE TOWN AND COUNTRY
London & Oxfordshire
Can’t choose between city bustle and rural calm? Treat yourself to the best of both. Stay at the stylish Cadogan, in the heart of Chelsea, for some chic capital culture. Then take a limo to Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, a honeyhued manor in the Oxfordshire countryside. Here, a private tour of the glorious grounds and dinner at Raymond Blanc’s two Michelin-starred restaurant awaits.
A three-night Belmond Town & Country break costs from £2,305 for two including B&B accommodation (0845 077 2222; belmond.com).
GORGE ON GOLF
Birmingham
Spread across 550 acres of green space, but only 20 minutes from Birmingham city centre, The Belfry promises an easy, relaxed escape. It also offers a new package that crams in a bit of everything: breakfast, lunch, dinner, spa treatments and, as you’d expect from the home of a legendary PGA course, all things golf – including mini golf, disc golf, driving range access and an 18-hole round.
An Ultimate Staycation at The Belfry costs from £129pppn (01675 238600; thebelfry.com).
LAND IN LUXURY
The Highlands
Newhall Mains, a derelict farm tuned luxe retreat on Scotland’s Black Isle peninsula, has its own airfield – ideal for cutting travel time to make the most of a long weekend break. Fly in to stay at one of the newly restored cottages, explore the stunning countryside by Land Rover, enjoy a scenic flight over the Highlands and take a wildlife cruise on Cromarty Firth.
A four-night package at Newhall Mains costs from £1,330pp including half-board accommodation and activities (01381 632032; newhallmains.com).
SLUMBER AND SLURP
West Sussex
Ashling Park Estate produces award-winning fizz. And, from next month, it will also offer five new luxury lodges, so you can sleep right by the estate’s vines. Built to reflect the vineyard’s seasons, each lodge is designed by William Hardie, of the Channel 4 series George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces, and each one has huge handmade beds, roll-top baths and expansive terraces. Estate tours and fizz tastings are available, too.
A three-night stay in a one-bedroom lodge costs from £990 (07768 123678; ashlingpark.co.uk).
SLEEP AMONG SHEEP
Kent
There are two cosy rustic-chic shepherds’ huts on Romney Marsh Wools Farm, offering a special solitude: just you and
1,000-odd ewes.
Inside, you’ll find lanolin toiletries and wool blankets, of course. Outside, there’s lots to fill a long weekend: the owners can arrange jeep safaris (£45pp) and needle felting (£60pp) to photography (£25pp), so you can capture the big-sky views.
A three-night stay (sleeps two) costs from £326 (01233 721800; romneymarsh shepherdshuts.co.uk).
FEEL THE FORCE
County Durham
High Force, where the River Tees plummets 70ft over the Whin Sill, is one of England’s most impressive waterfalls. Stay at the High Force Hotel (a former 18th-century hunting lodge) to sleep within listening distance, and to further explore the surrounding North Pennines area of outstanding natural beauty – there’s great hiking, fishing and kayaking on the doorstep.
A one-night stay costs from £99 including breakfast (01833 622336; raby.co.uk).
HIKE WITH HORSE POWER
Cairngorms
Venture into the high peaks and Caledonian pine woods of the Cairngorms National Park with your own pack ponies for a more comfortable wild camping adventure. The horses can carry more gear, meaning you can trek unencumbered via lovely lochs and ancient forest; spend nights well off-grid in big Nordic tepees, warmed by portable woodburning stoves.
A four-day guided Highland Wilderness Glamping trip costs from £755/610 adult/child including full-board accommodation (01479 831331; scotmountainholidays.com).
SURVIVE
Sussex
Want a challenging staycation? Take a two-day Survival Weekend course, learning skills such as water sourcing, hobo fishing, bush cooking and survival psychology. Then follow that with two more days, putting those skills to the test: sleep in the shelters you just made, find all your own water and food (no extras given), and see if you really can live off the land.
A four-day Survival Challenge costs from £290pp; July 23 2021 (01687 470415; wildwoodbushcraft.com).
SPOT SUMMER SPECIES
Somerset
With the help of an expert guide, you can see a wealth of Somerset wildlife in just four days. Explore the Levels and the marshes, the Quantocks and the Mendips, the wild Steart Peninsula and precipitous Cheddar Gorge to look for a wide range of species, from bee orchids to grizzled skipper butterflies, and bats to bitterns.
A four-day guided Somerset’s Summer Wildlife trip costs from £495pp including half-board accommodation; June 6 & 17 2021 (01962 733051; naturetrek.co.uk).
RETREAT TO THE RIVER
Scottish Borders
Converted from an 18th-century mill, handsome Heiton House is an idyllic bolt-hole on the banks of the River Teviot. It feels far from anywhere – though Kelso’s pubs are only a 40-minute walk along an old railway. Spot otters, heron and salmon from the deck. Or cast a line – the house offers private fishing on the adjacent stretch of river and ample storage for waders and rods.
A three-night stay (sleeps ten) costs from £1,455 (01573 226711; crabtreeandcrab tree.com).
GO RE-WILD
Norfolk
Fritton Lake is at the forefront of WildEast, a movement aiming to return a fifth of East Anglia back to nature. Get a taste of this ethos by staying at one of the retreats, cottages or Clubhouse rooms spread across its 1,000 acres. Wild swim in the lake, explore by paddleboard or canoe, run the forest trails, and learn about the rewilding project on a tour by foot, jeep and boat.
A three-night stay costs from £480 including breakfast (01493 48400; frittonlake.co.uk).