Destination Overview
Time difference: GMT
Capital: London
Currency: British Pounds
Flight time: None!
We often like to escape our fair and pleasant land for warmer climes, (Great British ‘summer’, anyone?) but sometimes there’s nothing better than a short break in the UK to make you feel like you’ve had a rest. No lengthy flights, no oversized baggage to contend with: just pack up the car, board a train (or let us arrange a luxury transfer) and away you go. You don’t always need an overwater villa or a turquoise lagoon to recharge your batteries.
The United Kingdom’s lure is in its countryside retreats, industrial cities and beautiful landscapes that bask in the sunlight and take on an ethereal glow when the inevitable rains fall. In almost every corner of the land you’ll find historic intrigue, from tumbledown villages to grand castles and cathedrals. Lush pastureland is home to endless herds of farm livestock, chalk carvings and stone circles, with world-famous heritage sites appearing seemingly out of nowhere. There’s nothing quite like the view from the A303 as you crest the top of the hill and Stonehenge comes into view, rolling countryside splaying out from all sides as far as the eye can see. This is England’s most charming triumph: downplaying its wonderful sights so you can happen on them like an explorer in your own land.
Because of the size of the United Kingdom, you’re never very far from the next town or village. Settlements that have grown organically, over time, pepper the hills and fresco the moors, so if you strike out on your own to explore you’ll like come across a pub at some time or another. And here we have another British classic: the pub. From inner city watering holes with 50 varieties of gin, trendy gastropubs possessing a Michelin star or the traditional ‘local’, where the ale is good and the conversation even better; if there’s one thing our country does well it’s a place to gather, enjoy a tipple (or two) and put the world to rights over a plate of something hearty and locally grown.
For your next short break, consider a stay-at-home holiday to one of our fantastic British hotels.
