A guide to the character and romantic charm of the British Isles, featuring stories by leading travel writers and a directory of our luxury hotel collection
Welcome Welcome to our Directory, a discerning collection of more than 180 premium places to stay throughout the British Isles. Within these pages you will find inspiration for refreshing and relaxing breaks across these beautiful isles, whether you are seeking the exhilarating bustle of a city, the gentle pace of a market town, or the quiet peace of a rural retreat. For more than 20 years, Best Loved has offered an eclectic selection to suit all tastes. As the new owners, we will build on its formidable reputation, carefully developing the collection with even more hand-picked recommendations over the coming years. From glamorous urban hideaways to elegant country estates, cosy guesthouses to revered restaurants with rooms, we have it covered. You might be seeking a romantic escape with your beloved, an active break with the family, or perhaps you want to stride out along leafy lanes with your ‘best friend’ at your side – we’ve got it covered. To add a little more inspiration, we asked some top travel writers to tell us entertaining stories from the regions they know well and recommend what to do in the area, whether you are a new or returning visitor. All you have to do is decide where next to explore... ... and enjoy.
Julian Ebbutt, Managing Director, Best Loved Hotels
I s s u e N u m b e r 22
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Contents The North of England Get the Abbey Habit by James Ellis
Page 5
Wales On the Trail of Alice by David Atkinson
17
The Heart of England The Industrious Cotswolds by Harriet O'Brien
25
The East of England The Only Way to Travel by Sophie Butler
37
The West Country Take me to the Ria by Mark Rowe
45
The South of England & Channel Islands Hot Nights Out by Norman Miller
57
London The Orbit Plunge by Sarah Barrell
69
Scotland Taming the Cairngorms by Robin McKelvie
77
Ireland A Seashore Feast by Emma Cullinan
89
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You only have one life.....
make sure it's a #bestlovedlife
#autumnleaves
Share memories and win prizes with our #bestlovedlife Twitter competitions. Above are a selection of finalists for #bestlovedlife/ autumnleaves and now we want to see yours! You might even walk away with an overnight stay at the hotel of your choice. Follow us @BestLovedHotels for more details.
Rambling through the leaves ablaze in a spectacular display of colour is one autumn’s joys .... as is cosying up afterwards by the log fire at your Best Loved hotel. Visit www.bestloved. com and search our selection of the finest locations.
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The North of England
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Above: Walking in Cumbria. Right: Fountains Abbey © National Trust/Chris Lacey
Get the Abbey Habit by James Ellis Gracie, one of our five-year-old twins, screws her nose up. “Is this what onesies were like in the olden days?” she asks as she pulls the scratchy, woollen monk’s habit over her head. Despite it being child size, she’s still small and swimming in it. Yet she gamely pulls it tight around her waist as I don an adult version from a neighbouring peg. We are at the magnificent ruins of Fountains Abbey – the largest and best-preserved Cistercian monastery in the country, as well as one of the National Trust’s North Yorkshire treasures. It dates back to 1132 and became one of the richest abbeys in the land before Henry VIII began his campaign to dissolve the monasteries some 400 years later. We had seen some of that magnificence earlier in the morning as we walked around its vast crumbling walls, beneath cloistered archways and through hidden passageways, before our girls attempted to make echo sounds in the jaw-dropping 49 metre-high bell tower, despite it having no roof. Following a run around the gardens, Martha and Gracie would normally be pining for a playground by this time. Instead, a summer shower sent us scurrying for refuge in the Porter’s Lodge interpretation centre, where we were offered the chance to try on the monks’ robes and to take a look at a replica model of what the abbey would have been like in its Gloria days. These interactive, if basic, elements are enough to leave our two bewitched by the abbey’s rich history and questions arrive at a thousand miles per hour: Where did the monks sleep? Where was their dinner hall? Did they
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–8– ever leave the house? Could they all ring the bell? Did they really wear onesies? Interpretation is a recurring theme here at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, to give the estate its full name. For the 800-acre plot also contains a Jacobean mansion, a Victorian church, a deer park, and 18th-Century landscaped gardens packed with ornamental lakes, canals and follies. Wherever we venture, there’s more to hold our kids’ interest: hidden walks around the water features, a folly arts trail where each has been dressed by a local artist, and even the chance to grind corn in an old mill. There’s also, of course, the obligatory playground, but the girls make short work of it before asking to "go back and find out more". And so we head to Fountains Hall, the 17th-Century mansion house where there’s another chance to try period costume. This time both girls and mum have a go, pulling on bonnets and heavy black dresses with frilled collars before taking a seat in front of the fire to mimic one of the family portraits on the walls. “I liked that other thing,” Gracie says of the monk’s habit she’d tried on earlier, as she settles into an antique chair. “But I think I’m more suited to life here in the manor. It’s even got a roof.” James Ellis is an award-winning travel writer, consultant and editor, and owner of www.your-hols.com
Above: Yorkshire countryside. Above Right: Victoria Quarter, Leeds. Below: Blackpool Tower Ballroom © The Blackpool Tower
The facts
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ fountains-abbey
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Tick off the And for major sights... something different... York Minster, the 12th-Century cathedral rivals Canterbury as Britain’s most iconic. www.yorkminster.org Ferry across the Mersey, see if you can cross, to or from Birkenhead, without humming the Gerry and the Pacemakers hit. www.merseyferries.co.uk Victoria Quarter, max the credit card in the shopping arcade and discover why Leeds is known as the ‘London of the North’. www.v-q.co.uk Blackpool Tower Ballroom, show off your twinkle toes or take afternoon tea and watch the pros strut their stuff. www.theblackpooltower.com Football stadium tours, Old Trafford, Anfield, Goodison Park, Elland Road, the Etihad… some of England’s premier grounds are within a 50-mile radius. Plus Manchester’s National Football Museum’s here. www.nationalfootballmuseum.com Windermere, England’s largest natural lake, offers everything from watersports to picturesque shoreline villages. www.visitcumbria.com
Whitby Ghost Walk, inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this seaside town is haunted by spooky legends. www.whitbywalks.com Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the open-air museum outside Wakefield was ArtFund’s 2014 museum of the year. www.ysp.co.uk Beamish, The Living Museum of the North, is the place to find out more about 19th- and 20thCentury life at this sprawling Chester-le-Street live-action exhibit. www.beamish.org.uk Salts Mill, once a thriving cotton mill, surrounded by a Victorian model village, is now home to arts spaces, bookstores and cafes. www.saltairevillage.info Leeds & Liverpool Canal, where hikers, cyclists and canoeists can celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2016. www.canalrivertrust.org.uk Manchester Music Tours, from The Smiths to Oasis, are odes to the city’s music scene, led by Inspiral Carpets drummer Craig Gill. www.manchestermusictours.com
– 10 – 1. 1 Park Road, Bowness-onWindemere, Cumbria An elegant boutique B&B near the shores of Lake Windemere.
4. The Black Swan Hotel, Helmsley, Yorkshire A classic North Yorkshire coaching inn turned 4-star boutique hideaway.
2. Appleby Manor Country House Hotel, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria Total relaxation in the hidden beauty of Cumbria’s Eden Valley.
5. The Black Swan at Oldstead, Yorkshire Family run gourmet hideaway with Michelin-starred cuisine in the Yorkshire Moors.
3. Armathwaite Hall & Spa, Keswick, Cumbria A majestic 17th century Lake District stately home with award-winning spa.
6. The Blue Lion, East Witton, Yorkshire An 18th century coaching inn located in the heart of Wensleydale.
– 11 – 7. Bridge Street Townhouse, Chester, Cheshire A stylish and sophisticated townhouse escape in the historic heart of Chester. 8. The Burgoyne Hotel, Richmond, Yorkshire Stay, relax and explore in the Yorkshire Dales’ stunning Swaledale.
Visit www.bestloved.com and search under the hotel name for full details and prices.
9. The Chester Grosvenor, Chester, Cheshire A stylish, contemporary hotel with Michelin-starred dining in the heart of Chester. 10. Cleveland Tontine, Northallerton, Yorkshire Fantastic food and high style at this classic Yorkshire boutique inn.
11. Dale Head Hall Lakeside Hotel, Keswick, Cumbria Blissful solitude on the lush, green shores of Thirlmere. 12. The Devonshire Arms, Skipton, Yorkshire Lovely country estate hotel - a relaxing, unstuffy and luxurious retreat.
– 12 – 13. The Devonshire Fell, Skipton, Yorkshire Rooms with a stunning view & simply delicious food.
16. Headlam Hall Hotel, Teesdale, Durham Charming 17th century country house amid the beauty of Teesdale.
14. Estbek House, Whitby, Yorkshire Exquisite bolt-hole on the North Yorkshire Moors coast.
17. Hillthwaite, Windermere, Cumbria Panoramic views at this lovely hotel perched in three acres above Windermere.
15. The Feversham Arms & Verbena Spa, Helmsley, Yorkshire A cosy yet contemporary North Yorkshire hotel, restaurant and spa.
18. Holbeck Ghyll Hotel & Spa, Windermere, Cumbria A connoisseur’s luxury hotel with sensational views of Lake Windermere.
– 13 – 19. Hotel Gotham, Manchester Magnificent architecture, timeless décor & retro opulence at this Manchester urban hideaway. 20. Linthwaite House, Windermere, Cumbria Enjoy a relaxing unstuffy break among the fells and valleys of the Lake District.
Visit www.bestloved.com and search under the hotel name for full details and prices.
21. Monk Fryston Hall Hotel, York, Yorkshire A historic Grade I listed country house escape in the Vale of York. 22. The Old Coach House, Ripon, Yorkshire A fabulous hidden jewel of a luxury Yorkshire B&B.
23. The Pheasant Hotel at Harome, Helmsley, Yorkshire A Yorkshire village country hotel with great food. 24. Rockcliffe Hall, Hurworth, County Durham Luxury 5-star resort on the banks of the River Tees with three restaurants, championship golf and state-of-the-art spa.
– 14 – 25. The Rose and Crown at Romaldkirk, Barnard Castle, Durham 18th century coaching inn deep in unspoilt Teesdale. 26. Rothay Manor, Ambleside, Cumbria A Regency country house on the edge of beautiful Ambleside. 27. Rudding Park, Harrogate, Yorkshire Award-winning luxury hotel, spa and golf near the spa town of Harrogate.
28. Seaham Hall, Seaham, County Durham Stylish & ultra-luxurious 5-star boutique country house & spa on the Durham coast. 29. Stonecross Manor Hotel, Kendal, Cumbria Charming retreat near Kendal and the best of the Lake District. 30. The Talbot Hotel, York, Yorkshire A beautifully restored Yorkshire country hotel with cookery school in a gourmet destination.
– 15 – 31. Temple Sowerby Hotel, Penrith, Cumbria Timeless hospitality and fantastic food between the Lakes and the Pennines. Visit www.bestloved.com and search under the 32. The Traddock, Settle, Yorkshire Relax hotel name for full details and prices. and recharge in a truly majestic Dales setting. 33. The White Swan Inn, Pickering, Yorkshire A charming 16th century coaching inn next to the spectacular Yorkshire Moors. 34. Whitley Hall, Sheffield, Yorkshire A graceful mansion and wooded estate in the heart of historic Yorkshire.
35. The Windermere Suites, Windermere, Cumbria Luxury boutique guest house near the shores of Windermere. 36. The Wordsworth Hotel & Spa, Grasmere, Cumbria Historic Grasmere riverside hotel with spa and great food.
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luxury, character and romantic charm
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Wales
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Above: Great Orme Tramway. Right: The White Rabbit on the Alice trail in Llandudno © Conwy County Borough Council
On the Trail of Alice by David Atkinson I am following the footprints of a White Rabbit around Llandudno. The tiny pairs of paws are leading me, map in hand, through this popular seaside resort on the North Wales coast on the trail of Alice Liddell. All the well-loved characters are here, as statues. The Mad Hatter is busily inspecting the salty-aired promenade, while a giant Alice, pinafore dress flapping in the sea breeze, towers over the train station. Wherever I look, the characters from my favourite childhood story are coming alive around me. Llandudno recently marked the 150th anniversary of the publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by the Cheshire-born author Lewis Carroll. I’m trying out a new walking trail around the town to find out more about the little girl behind the classic children’s story. Carroll was a family friend of the Liddell family and regularly visited them at their holiday home, Penmorfa, on Llandudno's West Shore in the 1860s. He delighted in the company of the then eight-year-old Alice Liddell and, soon afterwards, completed his manuscript for the story that would go on to be translated into 97 languages. The ‘Follow the White Rabbit Trail’ links 55 bronzecast pawprints along the promenade, past the kiss-mequick pier with its historic Punch and Judy show, and up towards the manicured gardens of the Happy Valley.
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– 20 – There’s a carved throne fit for the Queen of Hearts and a grinning Cheshire Cat for kids to clamber over. After lunch at a local cafe, I pick up the trail back into town. For this I've downloaded the two new ‘Alice Town Trail’ audio-visual apps to my tablet. The White Rabbit app documents places around town associated with the story of Alice while the Looking Glass app presents clues in a game-style format. They each use the tablet’s builtin camera to bring a street scene to life with animated characters. Llandudno sees itself as the natural home to the Alice story. Alice Day, including the election of a Miss Alice, is now staged every May and there are plans to resurrect the Alice museum and develop more events around the Alice theme. “We want to make Llandudno Alice’s permanent home,” says Barry Mortlock, co-director Alice in Wonderland Ltd. “It will be a focal point for Alice enthusiasts from all over the world.” For me, however, a day on the Alice trail is simply a way to see Llandudno in a new way — a bit like going through the looking glass.
The facts
David Atkinson (www.atkinsondavid.com) is a Chesterbased, award-winning travel writer and blogger.
Below: Tenby Above Right: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Below Right: Portmeirion © Visit Wales
Alice Town Trails’ White Rabbit and Looking Glass apps, £2.99 each. www.alicetowntrails.co.uk Visit Llandudno. www.visitllandudno.org.uk Visit Wales. www.visitwales.com
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Tick off the major sights... Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, the home of Welsh sporting pride, where tours go behind the scenes of international fixtures. www.millenniumstadium.com The castles of Beaumaris and Conwy, built around North Wales by Edward I in the 13th Century, for living testaments to Wales’s rich history. www.cadw.gov.wales The Snowdonia National Park for lush, widescreen scenery and mountain vistas. www.eryri-npa.gov.uk Swansea’s National Waterfront Museum, one of the newgeneration museums that is great for hands-on history and a sense of cultural identity. www.museumwales.ac.uk Wales Coast Path, walk a section, such as the stretch through rural Ceredigion, for fresh coastal air and closeness to nature. www.walescoastpath.gov.uk Sample some local delicacies, such as bara brith (fruit bread) or a bowl of cawl (lamb stew), from one of the many farmers’ markets. www.visitwales.com/things-to-do/attractions/food-and-drink
And for something different... Wales-born Roald Dahl celebrates his centenary in 2016. Take a walking tour in his childhood footsteps around Cardiff Bay. www.roalddahl.com The village at Portmeirion, home to cult TV series The Prisoner and, latterly, the hip Festival No. 6, brings a frisson of Italianate architecture to Wales. www.portmeirion-village.com Take a pilgrimage to the remote island of Bardsey off the Llyn Peninsula, a site of ancient worship, to commune with the spirits of the saints. www.bardsey.org Get back to nature exploring the Gower Peninsula on the South Wales coast, Britain’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), established in 1956. www.visitswanseabay.com/destinations/gower-peninsula Discover how to live more sustainably with a visit, or a day course, at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in Mid Wales. www.cat.org.uk Sup local ales at one of Wales’s burgeoning microbreweries, such as The Purple Moose Brewery in Porthmadog. www.purplemoose.co.uk
– 22 – 1. Caer Beris Manor, Builth Wells, Powys An authentic country retreat offering relaxation, outdoor pursuits and wonderful food.
4. Milebrook House Hotel, Knighton, Powys Relaxation, excellent cooking and natural beauty in the Welsh Marches. 5. Nanteos Mansion, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion History, elegance and romance at this stunning Welsh country house.
2. The Imperial Hotel, Llandudno, Conwy Stunning seafront location, traditional with a contemporary twist. 3. Lake Vyrnwy Hotel & Spa, Llanwddyn, Powys 4-star country house with undoubtedly one of the finest views in Mid Wales.
6. The Penrallt Country House Hotel, Cardigan Bay, Pembrokeshire The tranquil beauty of coastal West Wales.
– 23 – 7. The Quay Hotel & Spa, Conwy Contemporary waterside luxury in the shadow of medieval Conwy Castle. 8. St Brides Spa Hotel, Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire Beautiful Pembrokeshire sea views and highly acclaimed spa.
Visit www.bestloved.com and search under the hotel name for full details and prices.
9. Trefeddian Hotel, Aberdovey, Gwynedd A traditional beachfront hotel on the edge of Snowdonia. 10. Warpool Court Hotel, St Davids, Pembrokeshire Beautiful sea views on the stunning Pembrokeshire Coast.
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You only have one life.....
make sure it's a #bestlovedlife
#pets
Share memories and win prizes with our #bestlovedlife Twitter competitions. Above are a selection of finalists for #bestlovedlife/pets and now we want to see yours! You might even walk away with an overnight stay at the hotel of your choice. Follow us @BestLovedHotels for more details.
No need to ring up the kennel when going away - plenty of our hotels positively go out of their way to welcome both pets (and their well-behaved owners!) Visit www.bestloved.com and search our selection of the finest locations.
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The Heart of England
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Above: Spitfire Gallery at Thinktank © Birmingham Museums Trust Right: Hart Gold and Silversmiths
The Industrious Cotswolds by Harriet O’Brien Historical re-enactment has nothing on this, I’ve timewarped into the genuine article. Stepping through an open doorway on the first floor of an old silk mill in Chipping Campden, I’m suddenly in a 1902 silversmiths’ workshop. The beams are darkened with soot and almost every inch of wall space is fabulously cluttered with hammers, mallets, anvils and more. Other than a clock and an anachronistic radio (a large, 1950s model), there’s not a machine in sight. Two men are pummelling and shaping pieces of silver at wonderfully worn work benches, a third stands in a canopied section (they call it the forge, I’m later told) where he fires a gas torch at a delicatelooking bowl-in-the-making. David Hart finishes manipulating the heated metal, wipes his hands and ushers me further into the studio – which is freely open to all visitors. “Our filing system,” he laughs as I peer quizzically at bundles of curled papers on skewers hanging from the ceiling. He shows me a photograph, taken in about 1904 and revealing the workshop much as it is today, only tidier and featuring 12 silversmiths. David is the third generation of the family line of silversmiths here – with his son William and nephew Julian working alongside. They continue quite some legacy. In 1902, architect, designer and socialist Charles Robert Ashbee brought his branch of the Arts and Crafts
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– 28 – Movement to the old silk mill, setting up the silver section in this room. Ashbee relocated from industrial London to offer his workers a better life in the country. Among them was David’s grandfather, George Hart. David tells me that sadly Ashbee’s enterprise, The Guild and School of Handicrafts, failed by 1908. But George subsequently made a great go of the silversmith workshop. So Ashbee’s vision was by no means lost. Today, the silk mill remains very much an arts and crafts centre, with stone carver, woodturner, jeweller and others. What might appear as just a pleasant place to pick up an unusual souvenir to the many visitors who are drawn to the Cotswolds’ quintessential rural idyll, is, in fact, continuing a little-known artisan tradition at the heart of the English countryside. I stroll through Chipping Campden’s honeystone streets to find out more. At Court Barn, once a threshing centre and now home to an Arts and Crafts museum, I learn about bookbinder Katharine Adams, woodcarver Alec Miller, stained-glass artist Paul Woodroffe and others who also came to this handsome town. They may be part of its history, but this postcard-pretty place retains its integrity as a proper, working town complete with butcher, baker and at Hart’s, a candlestick maker. Harriet O’Brien is an award-winning journalist and author, and writes regularly on the Cotswolds for the Daily Telegraph.
The facts
Hart Gold and Silversmiths: www.hartsilversmiths.co.uk Court Barn: www.courtbarn.org.uk
Below: The Market Hall, Chipping Campden © Loose Chippings Above Right: Anne Hathaway's Cottage, Stratford-upon-Avon Below Right: Ironbridge © Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust
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Tick off the major sights... Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire, is a brilliant, Baroque extravaganza built for the Duke of Marlborough – and the birthplace of Winston Churchill. www.blenheimpalace.com Ironbridge Gorge, the Shropshire home of the Industrial Revolution, now a tranquil gorge of the River Severn, is a great centre for walks and home to no less than 10 absorbing museums. www.visitironbridge.co.uk Chatsworth, the Derbyshire seat of the Duke of Devonshire, is one of England’s most Arcadian stately homes. www.chatsworth.org Take a walk in the southern hills of the Peak District. Try the Limestone Way from Middleton, or south of Warslow Ecton Hill and Thor’s Cave. www.peakdistrict.gov.uk Watch a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, the Warwickshire town where the Bard was born. www.rsc.org.uk Browse the new state-of-the-art visitor centre at World of Wedgwood. You can tour the Staffordshire works and view exquisite pieces from the 18th Century, too. www.worldofwedgwood.com
And for something different... Take a hawk for a walk at Shrewsbury’s Battlefield Falconry Centre, or get to know a barn owl. www.battlefieldfalconrycentre.co.uk Develop your archery skills and become a latter-day Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest. www.haywoodoaksactivitycentre.co.uk Go punting in Oxford. www.cherwellboathouse.co.uk Meet Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, Soay sheep with curling horns and other rare breeds at the Cotswold Farm Park. www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk Ride the Evesham Vale Light Railway – steam trains run from Twyford station through Evesham Country Park. www.evlr.co.uk Get interactive at Thinktank, Birmingham science museum, then enjoy some retail therapy at the Bullring’s 160 shops. www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/thinktank; www.bullring.co.uk
– 30 – 1. The Bay Tree Hotel, Burford, Oxfordshire Charming Burford inn welcoming visitors since 1565.
4. The Castle Hotel, Bishop's Castle, Shropshire Open fires, real ales and good food in the beautiful South Shropshire Hills.
2. The Broadway Hotel, Broadway, Worcestershire A delightful & historic escape in Broadway, “Jewel of the Cotswolds”.
5. Castle House, Hereford, Herefordshire Elegant boutique townhouse hotel in Hereford.
3. Calcot Manor, Tetbury, Gloucestershire Luxurious country house spa hotel set in over 220 acres of classic Cotswolds meadowland.
6. Cavendish Hotel, Peak District, Derbyshire One of the treasures of the Chatsworth Estate in the heart of the Peak District.
– 31 – 7. Chase Hotel, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire A charming Georgian manor & 11 acre estate in the Wye Valley. 8. Colwall Park Hotel, Malvern, Worcestershire Inspirational surroundings on the sunny side of the Malvern Hills.
Visit www.bestloved.com and search under the hotel name for full details and prices.
9. Cotswold House Hotel & Spa, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire Tranquillity, comfort, exceptional food & a stunning spa in the Cotswolds. 10. The Devonshire Arms at Beeley, Matlock, Derbyshire A picturesque country inn a short walk from Chatsworth House.
11. The Devonshire Arms at Pilsley, Derbyshire Traditional inn with great food and cask ales on the Chatsworth Estate. 12. Dial House Hotel & Restaurant, Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire A delightful hideaway in one of the Cotswold's prettiest villages.
– 32 – 13. The Feathers, Woodstock, Oxfordshire Stylish & luxurious townhouse at the doorstep of Blenheim Palace.
16. Lion Quays Hotel, Oswestry, Shropshire Contemporary hotel and award-winning spa with a scenic waterside setting along the Llangollen Canal.
14. The Five Arrows, Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire Victorian character, 17. Lords of the Manor, Cheltenham, charm, fantastic food and modern comfort Gloucestershire An effortlessly luxurious at the gates of Waddesdon Manor. Cotswolds country manor with Michelinstarred cuisine. 15. Fishmore Hall, Ludlow, Shropshire Beautifully restored Georgian house 18. The Manor at Weston-on-thewith stunning views over Ludlow & the Green, Oxfordshire Beautifully appointed country house hotel in a delightful Shropshire countryside. Oxfordshire village.
– 33 – 19. Manor House Hotel, Moreton-inMarsh, Gloucestershire Enchanting escape in the heart of the Cotswolds. 20. The Maynard, Derbyshire Chic Victorian country hotel in the heart of the Peak District.
Visit www.bestloved.com and search under the hotel name for full details and prices.
21. Mill House Hotel, Kingham, Oxfordshire Elegant retreat in one of the Cotswolds' prettiest villages. 22. Old Swan & Minster Mill, Witney, Oxfordshire Fabulous boutique inn with gastro-pub on the Cotswolds' River Windrush.
23. The Pear Tree at Purton, Swindon, Wiltshire A peaceful retreat in the lovely Vale of the White Horse. 24. Pen-Y-Dyffryn Country Hotel, Oswestry, Shropshire A spectacular setting at this idyllic country retreat between Shrewsbury and Chester.
– 34 – 25. The Raven Hotel & Restaurant, Much Wenlock, Shropshire Much praised in Much Wenlock – an idyllic Shropshire gourmet destination.
28. Stonehouse Court Hotel, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire 17th century manor house in stunning grounds overlooking the Stroud Valley.
26. Redesdale Arms, Moreton-in-Marsh, 29. Wood Norton, Evesham, Gloucestershire A haven of quaint charm Worcestershire A luxurious hotel with in the magical Cotswolds. Stratford, the Cotswolds and the Malvern Hills on the doorstep. 27. Soulton Hall, Shrewsbury, Shropshire A stately bolt-hole amidst the rolling Shropshire Hills.
Visit www.bestloved.com and search under the hotel name for full details and prices.
– 35 –
Give the
GIFT OF TRAVEL Looking for the perfect gift? Best Loved gift vouchers are flexible so you decide when and where to travel. The vouchers work just like money - use them at the Best Loved hotel of your choice.
www.bestloved.com
– 36 –
We'd like to reward you bestlovedrewards To make your stay even more rewarding join Best Loved Rewards. Just pick up a card on your next visit, choose one of three membership packages available and register your card using your preferred payment method at bestlovedrewards.com.
Earn points or get 10% off your room rate from only £30 a year.
www.bestlovedrewards.com
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The East of England
– 38 –
Above: Swans at Welney Wetland Centre Right: Vintage Morgan car © Simon Stirrup/WWT; Open Top Touring Classic & Sports Car Hire
The Only Way to Travel by Sophie Butler Ratty and Mole might not approve, but I’ve always secretly sided with Toad of Toad Hall in his fascination with the shiny motorcar. “The poetry of motion! The real way to travel! ... that swan, that sunbeam, that thunderbolt.” So, as I lower myself into the creamy, leather seat of the ivory-coloured Morgan, mine for just a day to tour the Suffolk lanes, I give the walnut dashboard a little stroke as if the car were alive. And it almost is. Its mood changes as it revs down from throaty roar to low purr and so does mine as the warm, end-of-summer air fans my face and flicks up my hair. Just as Toad imagines, a flowery track spreads before me, dust-clouds spring up behind, as I speed along on my reckless way – or as reckless as the thought of a £1,000 pre-authorisation on my credit card will allow. Onward, onward, along the narrow, gritty lanes of the Sandlings, stopping here and there, but only for a moment because the point is the journey not the destination. A drink at the Ramsholt Arms on the shores of the Deben estuary; a quick tour of the ancient, thatched church at Iken; an unplanned pause to admire a sudden, breathtaking glimpse of the River Alde. There are envious sidelong glances at the car as I pull up in the little square at Orford for a lunch of locally smoked fish, freshly shucked oysters and a fruity, white Burgundy at the Butley Orford Oysterage. Then, a stroll around the 13th-Century castle tower, a glimpse of the sea.
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– 40 – People say it and, you know what, it’s true. Driving along country lanes in a vintage sports car makes modern life pull back. Farmers really do lean on gates and smile; passing motorists honk in a hail-fellow way; hikers wave and nod; hedgerows are frothier and more flower-filled; wild hollyhocks reach out to greet you. What stands out are the thatched cottages, the halftimbered pubs, the age-old woodland, the mellow-brick walls and the purple-flushed heathland. Wildly exhilarating, a chance to pose, a day out like no other. As Toad would put it: “Poop poop!” Sophie Butler is a travel writer who specialises in consumer affairs and is a regular contributor to Telegraph Travel. She has lived in East Anglia for more than two decades.
Tick off the major sights... Tour the East Anglia coast from Southwold to Aldeburgh in Suffolk to Cromer and Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk. www.visiteastofengland.com Holkham and Sandringham, Norfolk’s grand country estate houses, each with lavish interiors and vast deer parks. www.holkham.co.uk, www.sandringhamestate.co.uk Get a head for heights on a tour of the roof and tower at Lincoln Cathedral of St Mary. www.lincolncathedral.com Sutton Hoo, the spot in Suffolk where a 7th-Century Anglo-Saxon burial site was discovered in the 1930s. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/suttonhoo See Cambridge by punt. Drift along the “backs” for the best views of the colleges. www.visitcambridge.org In Constable Country, pick out the scenes made famous by the 18th Century landscape painter on the Suffolk and Essex border. www.visitessex.com/discover/rural/constable-country
The facts
Open Top Touring Classic & Sports Car Hire. www.open-top-touring.co.uk
– 41 –
Above: Rutland Water Below Left: Lincoln Cathedral Below Rght: Punting on the River Cam by King's College, Cambridge
And for something different... Spot grey seals lolling around on the water’s edge at Blakeney Point in Norfolk. www.beansboattrips.co.uk Gin-making is explained at the Adnams Brewery tour in Suffolk, plus you can taste the local brew. www.tours.adnams.co.uk Nostalgia is alive and well at the Bubblecar Museum in Lincolnshire, showcasing microcars from the 1950s and 1960s. www.bubblecarmuseum.co.uk At Kelvedon Hatch in Essex a huge nuclear bunker lies deep below the ground, waiting to be explored. www.secretnuclearbunker.com Mess about in a boat on the Meare at the fantasy village of Thorpeness in Suffolk. www.thorpenessmeare.co.uk Learn all about swans at the Welney Wetland Centre in the Cambridgeshire Fenlands. www.wwt.org.uk
– 42 – 1. Branston Hall Hotel, Branston, Lincolnshire An ideal country house escape in Lincolnshire.
4. Linden House, Stansted, Essex Five star restaurant with rooms in a historic Essex village.
2. Congham Hall, Kings Lynn, Norfolk A fantastic Norfolk country house hotel with a fabulous spa.
5. Maison Talbooth, Colchester, Essex Luxurious country house overlooking Dedham Vale with an impressive day spa.
3. The Cross Keys, Saffron Walden, 6. Milsoms Kesgrave Hall, Ipswich, Essex History meets contemporary design Suffolk A chic and stylish 4-star country at this charming boutique inn. house in 38 acres of woodland.
– 43 – 7. Petwood Hotel, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire A quintessentially English historic country house in Lincolnshire. 8. The Pier at Harwich, Harwich, Essex A stylish retreat with fine seafood & fabulous harbour views.
Visit www.bestloved.com and search under the hotel name for full details and prices.
9. Roslin Beach Hotel, Southend-onSea, Essex Coastal chic in a quintessential English seaside resort. 10. Washingborough Hall, Lincoln, Lincolnshire Beautiful Georgian manor in a village near the centre of historic Lincoln. 11. Wivenhoe House, Colchester, Essex A 4-star luxurious 18th century house in a lovely parkland near Colchester.
– 44 –
You only have one life.....
make sure it's a #bestlovedlife
#weddings
Share memories and win prizes with our #bestlovedlife Twitter competitions. Above are a selection of finalists for #bestlovedlife/ weddings and now we want to see yours!. You might even walk away with an overnight stay at the hotel of your choice. Follow us @BestLovedHotels for more details.
Turn your dream wedding into a reality with Best Loved Hotel’s selection of ultra-romantic wedding venues - visit www.bestloved.com and search our selection of the finest locations.
– 45 –
The West Country
– 46 –
Above: Stonehenge Right: Salcombe Estuary © FootTrails.co.uk/VisitDevon.com
Take me to the Ria by Mark Rowe I learn something new from my walk around the Salcombe-Kingsbridge Estuary in the South Hams: the body of water I'm gazing down on is not an estuary, even though every piece of tourist literature says it is. No major river flows into it; instead it is a ria, a deep-cut harbour or drowned river, a geological hangover from the last Ice Age. And so, I take the Portlemouth ferry across the ria/ estuary from Salcombe. The journey is barely 250 yards, but the alternative land route, via Kingsbridge, is 15 miles. Ferry, though, is a rather grand title, as this is little more than a motorised rowing boat, more Swallows and Amazons than Sydney Harbour. The fare is small change – £1.50 – but the ferry runs all year round and in high summer the queues back up the steep steps from the jetty. I calculate that this must be a stealthily lucrative service. We slosh up by Portlemouth pier. The tide is out, I unlace my boots and barefoot my way across sand, splattering the edge of rock pools to reach Mill Bay. The beach here reaches deep inland before collapsing into a collage of river and woodland. There, a delightful path pulls away uphill and the landscape quickly sheds the aura of the sea, instead embracing the scents of honeysuckle, damp foliage and kicked-up soil. I greet a steady stream of walkers. Among them are those who I conclude are taking a constitutional
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– 48 – on doctor’s orders, for they give the impression, by walking in fits and starts, that the gentle ascent through woodland requires their last ounce of strength. In truth, this is not a particularly challenging walk. Exhilarating, yes: suddenly, the path springs me into the open air of Rickham Common, an age-old area of shared grazing land that represents another world from that of the jumble of Breton shirts and just-landed sailors of Salcombe. Then, like a biff on the nose, the wind of the open sea breaks over me, almost visibly scurrying over the crumpled folds of Deckler's Cliff. I turn west, gazing at the vastness of Bolt Head that stands guard across the estuary – sorry, ria – and pass preposterously windpummelled trees as I loop back to the ferry. I sit on the sands by the jetty and survey the waterscape. Cormorants skim the surface. There is our doughty ferry, cresting the waves, at times playing dodgems, chicken even, with the larger, more showy yachts. And yet on it chugs, shifting back and forward between Salcombe and Portlemouth, as if rebounding like a pinball off invisible flippers. Mark Rowe is a travel and environmental journalist and walking expert who writes for several national publications. He is also news editor of BBC Countryfile magazine.
Below: St Mawes, Cornwall Above Right: St Michael's Mount, Cornwall
The Facts
Distance: three miles; Time: two hours. From Portlemouth Ferry, turn right to Mill Bay, take the uphill inland path to Gara Rock, then turn west along the coast to return to the jetty. www.southdevonaonb. org.uk/coast-countryside/ estuaries/salcombekingsbridge-estuary.
Tick off the major sights… Clifton Suspension Bridge is Isambard Kingdom Brunel's signature masterpiece, cutting across the dizzying Avon Gorge at Bristol. www.cliftonbridge.org.uk Tate St Ives has been the catalyst for this Cornish seaside town’s revival and, with the Barbara Hepworth Museum, offers an introduction to its role as an important art colony. www.stives-cornwall.co.uk Marvel at the industry of ancient man at Stonehenge on the downs of Wiltshire. www.english-heritage.org.uk/ visit/places/stonehenge Eden Project, in Cornwall, is the largest indoor rainforest in the world. www.edenproject.com On Plymouth Hoe, in Devon, take the air in the footsteps of the bowls-playing Sir Francis Drake. Pick out the Eddystone Lighthouse on the horizon, 13 miles offshore. www.visitplymouth.co.uk In Bath, visit one of the best-preserved remains of a Roman bathhouse and take a dip in the open-air thermal waters at the nearby Thermae Spa. www.visitbath.co.uk
And for something different… Walk along the Cob, at Lyme Regis in Dorset, the heart-rending cornerstone of John Fowles’ The French Lieutenant's Woman, picturesquely jutting out into the sea. www.lymeregis.org Alton Barnes White Horse is the least visited of the eight chalk white horses of Wiltshire. Ascend from Milk Hill where the whole of the south of England seems laid out below. www.wiltshirewhitehorses.org.uk Enter another era at Killerton, near Exeter in Devon, a graceful estate with a serene arboretum, glorious in spring and autumn, perched on an extinct volcano. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/killerton Try some remote geo-caching in deepest Dartmoor in Devon. www.dartmoorgeocaching.co.uk Find out more about the dinosaurs of Dorset's Jurassic coast at The Dinosaur Museum. www.thedinosaurmuseum.com Explore the cocktail of history and holiness in Glastonbury, Somerset, from its breathtaking tor to Tibetan trinkets. www.glastonbury.co.uk
– 50 – 1. The Abbey Hotel, Bath, Somerset A superb independently owned hotel & restaurant in the heart of Bath. 2. Alexandra Hotel & Restaurant, Lyme Regis, Dorset An English classic on the Jurassic Coast. 3. Atlantic Hotel, Newquay, Cornwall Classic glamour and modern luxury at this 4-star hotel with sensational coastal views.
4. Atlantic House, Lizard, Cornwall Superb B&B with fabulous sea views, set amid the coastal beauty of the Lizard Peninsula. 5. Bayards Cove Inn, Dartmouth, Devon Stylishly appointed bedrooms at this intimate, quirky and charming historic townhouse in the heart of Dartmouth. 6. Berwick Lodge, Bristol Set in 18 acres of parkland with fine dining and opulent bedrooms, this is one of the Bristol area’s best kept secrets.
– 51 – 7. The Bournemouth Carlton Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset Relaxing escape set high above Bournemouth’s East Cliff with superb sea views. 8. Bovey Castle, North Bovey, Devon A stunning country house with golf and spa in the heart of Dartmoor National Park.
Visit www.bestloved.com and search under the hotel name for full details and prices.
9. BridgeHouse, Beaminster, Dorset Cosy country comforts and luxury chic near the stunning Jurassic Coast. 10. Budock Vean, Falmouth, Cornwall Country hotel with spa and golf course, gardens, dog-friendly, by the Helford River.
11. The Captain’s Club Hotel, Christchurch, Dorset Contemporary hotel with a nautical-inspired design and panoramic views of the River Stour. 12. Carlyon Bay, St Austell, Cornwall 4-star luxury with golf and spa overlooking breath-taking St Austell Bay.
– 52 – 13. Cary Arms, Babbacombe Beach, Devon Chic beachside living on beautiful Babbacombe Bay.
16. The Cottage Hotel, Salcombe, Devon A delightfully traditional seaside hotel in a spectacular and secluded location.
14. The Castle Hotel, Taunton, Somerset Historic family run 4-star hotel and foodie 17. Dart Marina Hotel & Spa, favourite in the Gateway to the South West. Dartmouth, Devon Relaxed chic at this elegant Dartmouth spa hotel. 15. Cliff House Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset A picture perfect Victorian 18. Farthings Hotel and Restaurant, boutique hotel near Bournemouth. Taunton, Somerset West Country hospitality in elegant Georgian surroundings.
– 53 – 19. Fox and Hounds Country Hotel, Chulmleigh, Devon A country hotel set on the banks of the River Taw & the scenic Tarka Trail. 20. Grasmere House, Salisbury, Wiltshire A riverside country house hotel with stunning views of Salisbury Cathedral.
Visit www.bestloved.com and search under the hotel name for full details and prices.
21. Howard's House, Salisbury, Wiltshire 400 year old splendidly secluded Wiltshire country house. 22. Ilsington Country House Hotel, Ilsington Village, Devon Peace, tranquillity and unspoilt vistas within Dartmoor's National Park.
23. The Imperial Hotel Barnstaple, Devon Elegance & classic style at this Devon riverside retreat. 24. The Lugger Hotel, Portloe, Cornwall Sublimely romantic seaside getaway in the timeless Cornish village of Portloe.
– 54 – 25. Mill End Hotel, Chagford, Devon Country house heaven in the heart of Dartmoor.
28. Pentillie Castle & Estate, Saltash, Cornwall A romantic and magical family run boutique B&B in a Cornish castle.
26. Mortons House Hotel, Corfe Castle, Dorset Graceful Elizabethan manor perfect for exploring the Jurassic Coast.
29. Percy's Country Hotel, Virginstow, Devon Amazing gourmet food at this fine Devon country hotel.
27. Orestone Manor, Maidencombe, Devon A magnificent family-run Georgian country house on the South Devon coast with spectacular sea views over Lyme Bay.
30. Royal Duchy Hotel, Falmouth, Cornwall A luxury hotel with glorious views over Falmouth Bay.
– 55 – 31. The Royal Oak, Winsford, Somerset Charming 12th century inn surrounded by Visit www.bestloved.com the dramatic scenery of Exmoor. and search under the hotel name for full details 32. Saunton Sands Hotel, Braunton, and prices. Devon A spectacular family friendly seaside Devon getaway. 33. St Michael's Hotel & Spa, Falmouth, Cornwall A chic contemporary beachside escape overlooking Falmouth Bay. 34. Treglos Hotel, Padstow, Cornwall Exceptional hospitality overlooking the dramatic Cornish coast. 35. Trereife House, Penzance, Cornwall A lovely family run country house B&B near Penzance.
36. Victoria Hotel, Sidmouth, Devon Effortless seaside luxury on the South Devon Coast.
– 56 –
You only have one life.....
make sure it's a #bestlovedlife
#view
Share memories and win prizes with our #bestlovedlife Twitter competitions. Above are a selection of finalists for #bestlovedlife/view and now we want to see yours! You might even walk away with an overnight stay at the hotel of your choice. Follow us @BestLovedHotels for more details.
Our hotels are located in some of the most breathtakingly scenic spots in the country, so beautiful views can be savoured aplenty – including many from the hotel bedroom windows. Visit www.bestloved.com and search our selection of the finest locations.
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The South of England & Channel Islands
– 58 –
Above: Brighton Pavillion Right: A bonfire celebration © Shutterstock
Hot Nights Out by Norman Miller The tall Native American looks at me impassively from beneath a fine, feathered head-dress. Though he’s been out-done by the skull-adorned effort worn by his mate, the Zulu Warrior. Standing by the war memorial on Lewes high street, the unlikely duo hold flaming torches in their hands, which spit heat and smoke into the autumn night. The medieval lanes of this Sussex town are filled with such fantastic figures. I've seen pirates and hooded monks, centurions and convicts, all marching beneath burning sceptres. Flaming barrels of tar rumble by, the whole shebang soundtracked by the hypnotic thud of drums from troupes with names such as “Forlorn Hope Renegade Corps”. This isn't a surreal fancy-dress street party that has got very out of hand. It’s Bonfire Sussex-style, which lights up more than 30 towns across the South Downs and along the Channel shore with crazy visions from early September to late November. Thank a host of historic Bonfire Societies, first formed in the 1850s, which gleefully spend months preparing flame-seared reincarnations of wilder pasts on ancient Sussex lanes. Rebelliousness underpins their costumes, which also handily hid the identities of marchers from authorities in case of mischief (which was frequent) in past times. Each of the societies has chosen links to specific characters:
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– 60 – Uckfield majors on Crusaders, Mayfield loves French Revolutionaries, while Vines Cross has a penchant for Shamen. The Native Americans, meanwhile, arose in the late 1800s, when locals returned from building the railroads across America and were keen to express solidarity with the indigenous people they had seen cruelly persecuted. Most years, I dodge the 30,000-strong crowds at the largest Bonfire gathering in Lewes in favour of more intimate nights elsewhere. Take Seaford. Its coastal setting and smuggling history makes Wreckers and Pirates its leading Bonfire lights – though in a local boozer, before things kick off, the mad miscellany of characters makes the place feel like the alien bar scene in Star Wars. Tumbling into the cool night air, I track the Seaford Soc’s huge ghostly pirate ship “sailing” along the town streets to join a giant skull and crossbones at a rendezvous lit by burning tar barrels. Marching onward, the narrowing streets intensify the heat and atmosphere as surreal visions unfold. Frockcoated Soldiers march with Saxons (King Alfred had a palace nearby) through the thick wood smoke from the torches – each hand-made with copsed kindling wound in hessian then doused in pitch. The strange, giant silhouette of a shag (a coastal bird) looms through the wood-scented haze – Seaford's distinctive emblem, tagged with the motto E ventis, vires (From the wind, strength). That’s what I call a hot night out.
The Facts
Lewes Bonfire. www.lewesbonfirecelebrations.com Seaford Bonfire. www.seafordbonfire.co.uk
Norman Miller (www.normanmiller.net) is an awardwinning writer for a wide range of national and international titles.
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Tick off the major sights… Take a walk along the Thames from Hurley in Berkshire to Runnymede in Surrey, where the Magna Carta was signed in 1215. www.thames-path.org.uk See the Mary Rose and Nelson's HMS Victory at Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard. www.historicdockyard.co.uk The New Forest in Hampshire is a vast Above: Eastbourne shorefront natural wonderland, from wild horseBelow Left: The Needles, Isle of Wight roamed heath to wooded shores. www.newforestnpa.gov.uk Take in the view from the white cliffs of southern England at Dover in Kent, or Beachy Head and Seven Sisters in East Sussex. Windsor Castle, on the royal trail in Berkshire, is the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world. www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/windsorcastle Take the chairlift from the cliffs to Alum Bay for a stellar view of The Needles, the chalk stacks off the Isle of Wight. www.theneedles.co.uk
And for something different… The atmospheric Hellfire Caves beneath Berkshire’s Chiltern Hills were dug for an 18th Century baron – partly to host the notorious Hellfire Club. www.hellfirecaves.co.uk The Royal National Rose Society Gardens near St Albans, in Hertfordshire, include a 72-arch rose pergola and 15,000 rose bushes – floral wonders not to be sniffed at. www.rnrs.org.uk The vineyards of Kent and Sussex have put England’s winemakers on the global map. www.englishwineproducers.co.uk/vineyards/south-east Delve into the Jersey War Tunnels, which offer an unforgettable insight into life in the only part of Britain to fall under WW2 Nazi occupation. www.jerseywartunnels.com The Henry Moore Foundation at the great sculptor's long-time Buckinghamshire home is a world-class celebration of his work and international sculpture generally. www.henry-moore.org Bedfordshire's Shuttleworth Collection showcases an array of early 20th-Century aircraft and vehicles, including the 1909 Blériot XI – the world's oldest airworthy plane. www.shuttleworth.org
– 62 – 1. The Angel Inn, Midhurst, Sussex A fine 400 year old coaching inn in the South Downs National Park. 2. Ashdown Park Hotel, East Grinstead, Sussex A Victorian mansion with golf, spa & fine food in the Ashdown Forest. 3. The Bell Inn Bramshaw, Lyndhurst, Hampshire This New Forest gem is a paradise for gourmets & golfers.
4. Britannia House, Lymington, Hampshire A charming 4-star B&B with a homely atmosphere, quirky décor & superb service. 5. Careys Manor Hotel & SenSpa, Brockenhurst, Hampshire Luxury 4-star retreat with a state-of-the-art spa in the heart of the New Forest. 6. The Club Hotel & Spa, St Helier, Jersey Chic boutique luxury & renowned Michelin-starred cuisine in the heart of St. Helier.
– 63 – 7. Cobo Bay Hotel, Castel, Guernsey Boutique hotel overlooking one of Guernsey's most beautiful bays. 8. Crossways Hotel, Wilmington, Sussex A warm welcome and excellent food in the South Downs.
Visit www.bestloved.com and search under the hotel name for full details and prices.
9. Danesfield House Hotel, Henleyon-Thames, Buckinghamshire Country house splendour in 65 acres overlooking the River Thames. 10. d'Parys, Bedford, Bedfordshire A sleek & elegant boutique escape in the heart of Bedford.
11. The Farmhouse, Guernsey Country house charm meets contemporary design in the scenic Guernsey countryside. 12. Flitwick Manor, Flitwick, Bedfordshire 4-star Georgian country house retreat in Bedfordshire.
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16. Greenhills Country Hotel & Restaurant, Jersey A tranquil gem in the heart of rural Jersey. 17. Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa, Near Luton, Bedfordshire Grand stately home just north of London set in a 1065 acre estate.
13. Fredrick’s Hotel Restaurant & Spa, Maidenhead, Berkshire The perfect Thames Valley spa escape. 14. The George in Rye, Rye, Sussex Luxurious boutique hotel in the medieval town of Rye. 15. The Grand Hotel, Eastbourne, Sussex Majestic seaside Victorian palace on the Eastbourne promenade.
18. Mandolay Hotel, Guildford, Surrey A delightful independent hotel in the bustling centre of Guildford. 19. Montagu Arms Hotel, Beaulieu, Hampshire Charming 17th century New Forest country house with sublime Michelin-starred food.
– 65 – 20. The Old Drum Inn, Petersfield, Hampshire A lovingly refurbished 16th cenrury country pub with rooms in the South Downs. 21. The Old Government House & Spa, St Peter Port, Guernsey 5-star luxury at this exceptional hotel at the heart of St Peter Port.
Visit www.bestloved.com and search under the hotel name for full details and prices.
22. Priory Bay Hotel, Seaview, Isle of Wight Stunning seaside country house on the Isle of Wight perched above a private beach. 23. Royal Adelaide Hotel, Windsor, Berkshire Georgian elegance and modern comfort a short stroll from Windsor Castle.
24. Rye Lodge, Rye, Sussex Elegance, restful charm and a rare attention to detail in historic Rye. 25. The Southdown Hotel, Eastbourne, Sussex A luxury townhouse hotel & brasserie in Eastbourne.
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26. Stoke Place Hotel, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire A 17th century mansion in 26 acres only half an hour from London. 27. The Three Lions, Fordingbridge, Hampshire Wonderful gourmet home cooking in the New Forest. 28. Tylney Hall Hotel, Basingstoke, Hampshire A superb Victorian stately home in 66 acres of landscaped gardens. 29. Wallett's Court, Dover, Kent Elegant Jacobean country house near the White Cliffs of Dover. 30. The Wellington, Stevenage, Hertfordshire A handsome historic inn with traditional architecture & ultramodern facilities.
31. The White Cliffs, Dover, Kent A classic weather-boarded inn near St Margaret’s Bay on the White Cliffs coast. 32. The White House, Herm Island No cars, no crowds, no worries: luxury retreat on the magical, secluded island of Herm.
Give the
– 67 –
GIFT OF TRAVEL Looking for the perfect gift? Best Loved gift vouchers are flexible so you decide when and where to travel. The vouchers work just like money - use them at the Best Loved hotel of your choice.
www.bestloved.com
– 68 –
luxury, character and romantic charm
– 69 –
London
– 70 –
Above: Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery Right: ArcelorMittal Orbit
The Orbit Plunge by Sarah Barrell Art lover I may be, but I’ve never hugged a sculpture before. Yet, dangling 262 feet high above London’s skyline, I find myself leaning in for a koala-like clinch. Legs and arms wrapped tightly around one of the Orbit’s fire-engine red pipes, my thoughts aren’t necessarily of love for Anish Kapoor’s Olympic Park landmark but of self-preservation. Abseiling off the top of the UK’s tallest sculpture is proving more of a challenge than I anticipated. Not least, I can’t seem to get the “sailing” part going in any sense of the word. I’m stationary. I glance a few feet back up at the viewing platform, out of which, in a triumph of excitement over intelligence, I’ve just launched myself, backwards. Here, a chap in a hard hat issues some instructions on how to untangle myself, along with some more rope. Once I manage to get my weight the right side of the pipe, I swing free into the void, London spread below me, Kapoor’s structure my arty anchor. I wait for terror and instead find an immense sense of calm. London’s lofty heights may be one of the world’s most instantly recognisable skylines, but in many ways it remains a backdrop; largely impenetrable unless you’re a VIP or have big bucks to spend in gourmet Gherkin-top restaurants – or time to tolerate trailing tourist queues. It’s hard to have an intimate experience with the capital’s architectural icons, but since the Orbit offered up abseiling, it’s possible to do just that: have a one-on-one with a landmark that’s meditative, intimate, allowing a perspective on it and London that few are party to.
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– 72 – In fact, the closer you get to it, the more abstract this ultimate Meccano set becomes, the less it makes sense, which is surely what Kapoor had in mind. “It’s a series of discrete events tied together,” said the Mumbaiborn architect when revealing the initial design for his adopted city. I’d say there’s little discreet about the Orbit but “event” it always should have been – a design that screamed “helter-skelter!” with the fervour of a live Beatles gig, but instead delivered a viewing platform and safety ropes. But no longer. The Orbit now lives up to its skyrocketing posturing as something to launch yourself from with Olympian gusto or – when it finally gets its giant, figure-hugging slide – something to whizz down. This is architecture to get the heart racing, just like falling in love. Sarah Barrell is an award-winning travel writer and associate editor of National Geographic Traveller.
Tick off the major sights... Buckingham Palace, visit in summer for an inside view of the London home of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. www.royal.gov.uk The Tower of London for Beefeater tours of all four towers, the crown jewels and a dungeon. www.hrp.org.uk Nelson’s Column, for that iconic happy snap with the hero of Trafalgar and his coterie of pigeons. The Shard, the capital’s tallest building, with the sharpest views, inside and out, and the London Eye, to see that panorama on the move. www.the-shard.com and www.londoneye.com London’s world-beating museums, from the Tates to the V&A, the National Gallery to the Natural History Museum. www.visitlondon.com And ride the streets like a Londoner in an icon of the city, jump on a big red bus or in the back of black cab.
The Facts
The Arcelormittal Orbit www.arcelormittalorbit.com
– 73 –
Above: The Houses of Parliament and the London Eye Below Left: Theatreland, Shaftesbury Avenue Below Right: Berwick Street Market
And for something different... East London’s history and edgy contemporary culture on a walking tour. www.alternativeldn.co.uk Thames-side 17th-Century Ham House, with Hampton Court and Botanical Gardens, Kew, on the doorstep, too. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ham-house Broadway Market’s old East End served with a new hipster aesthetic. www.broadwaymarket.co.uk Stupendous seasonal blooms in a hidden corner of Richmond Park. www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmondpark/richmond-park-attractions/isabella-plantation Coram’s Fields, London’s city-centre farm and playground where adults are only allowed in with kids. www.coramsfields.org A cappuccino in the Attendant, an old Victorian loo, in ever-quirky Shoreditch. www.the-attendant.com
– 74 – Visit www.bestloved.com and search under the hotel name for full details and prices. 1. The Arch, London An ideal 5-star urban hideaway steps from Marylebone and Oxford Street.
4. The Milestone Hotel, London A milestone in elegance and luxury overlooking Kensington Palace Gardens.
2. The Beaufort, London Great value, service and much more await you in elegant Knightsbridge.
5. St Ermin’s, London Distinction & sophistication around the corner from St James’s Park.
3. The Chesterfield Mayfair, London Supreme comfort and luxury at this Regency style hotel near Berkeley Square.
6. The Stafford, London A superlative London retreat in an unrivalled St James’s location.
Give the
– 75 –
GIFT OF TRAVEL Looking for the perfect gift? Best Loved gift vouchers are flexible so you decide when and where to travel. The vouchers work just like money - use them at the Best Loved hotel of your choice.
www.bestloved.com
– 76 –
His palms shape fortune He knows American oak from European by touch. He’s not superman. But he has been reviving bourbon barrels and sherry butts for over half his life. This wood is what slowly breathes character into The Balvenie. That’s how important it is. So day after day is spent caring for the casks that control time. Hammering and punching to repair: charring and burning to rejuvenate. It took years working out how everything goes together. But now he knows what holds the future. R ichaRd a ndeRson , c oope R
foR
18
yeaRs.
handcRafting the futuRe
Ask for The Balvenie at the bar
– 77 –
Studio 20, Universal Marina, Crableck Lane, Sarisbury Green, Southampton SO31 7ZN t: 023 8098 3870 e: mark@mrb-creative.co.uk w: www.mrb-creative.co.uk Project:
Best Loved Hotels
Brand:
Balvenie
Job description:
DoubleWood12
Finished size:
246mm (h) 168mm (w)
Our ref:
6941
Approved by:
Date:
L. Hitzeroth
30/9/2015
Scotland
– 78 –
Above: Glencoe Right: Urquhart Castle
Taming the Cairngorms by Robin McKelvie As adventure playgrounds go, the Cairngorms National Park is a tough one. A daunting prospect for some, over the years I have done my fair share of bashing around its hills and forests on two feet, two wheels and even afloat. But at Rothiemurchus Estate, within one of the best-preserved patches of the ancient Caledonian Forest, in a country ravaged of many of its indigenous trees, there are tamer pursuits on offer beneath the mighty mountain, CairnGorm. I begin my gently active day in the UK’s largest national park in the saddle of a bike. “I’d recommend doing a big sweep of the forest and checking out Loch nan Eilean on the way,” says John at Mike’s Bikes, as he hands me the map on which he’s helpfully drawn a route. After half an hour following a well-maintained forest track – a cycle ride even a young family could enjoy – the shining water unfurls through swathes of pines, revealing the craggy ruins of a 13th-Century castle cast adrift on an island. It’s easy to see why these shores have been deemed the finest spot in Britain to spread out a rug for a picnic. I head onwards to Loch Morlich and its watersports centre. You can swim in this vast glacial lake in summer, but the waters can freeze solid in winter (we are more northerly than Moscow here). I plan to stay above water, switching from two wheels to a dinghy. I try to find some wind; a few gusts fluff the sails and spirit the
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– 80 – boat away from the beach. Out on the loch, I watch an osprey hunting for its lunch. These graceful piscatorian predators had been lost to the British Isles, but in 1954 a pair showed up in the Cairngorms and the park’s osprey population is now thriving. They are even helping to repopulate areas beyond the park’s borders, in England and as far away as Spain. Next I go rafting on Scotland’s fastest river, the Spey. My guide, Dave, from Full on Adventure. explains how he’ll take the tempo down a little. “This is a nice gentle stretch where you can just take it easy, enjoy the views and look out for animals,” he says. And so we ease along, discovering wildlife on the banks as we go. I spy a red squirrel, Dave sees a pine marten, but it escapes my gaze. But the best spot is of one of the UK’s largest land mammals, a somewhat startled red deer. For my final adventure amid the epic trees and heather scrub I pick up the pace with a sleddog ride on dry land. It’s somewhat surreal to hurtle through a Scottish wood pulled by huskies. We rattle along the tight trails, the air filled with the crisp scent of the Scots Pines that line our path. The panting sleddogs are the only sound in an eerily quiet landscape that has little changed in centuries. It’s a thrilling ride, the climax to a day that has revealed a softer side to the Cairngorms.
The Facts
Rothiemurchus Estate. www.rothiemurchus.net. Visit Cairngorms. www.visitcairngorms.com.
Robin McKelvie (www.robinmckelvie.com) is a travel writer, blogger and broadcaster specialising in his native Scotland, and also the author of National Geographic Traveler: Scotland.
Tick off the major sights... Edinburgh Castle, to learn about the country and its capital’s history, as well as appreciating cracking views of this ancient city. www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk Loch Ness, for a cruise in search of the infamous monster, Nessie. www.cruiselochness.com Eilean Donan Castle, the most iconic fortress in the land, sits on its own island amid views straight off a shortbread tin. www.eileandonancastle.com Speyside, where whisky devotees can taste some of the finest tots at the nation’s most famous distilleries. St Andrews, for a round at the Home of Golf. Test yourself against the world’s best on the Old Course or try Balgove, where anyone can play. www.standrews.com Alloway, to visit the home and museum dedicated to the Scottish bard, Robert Burns, who penned ‘Auld Lang Syne’. www.burnsmuseum.org.uk
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Above: Scottish Highlands Above Left: Edinburgh Castle
And for something different... Finnieston for a slice of Glasgow’s edgy bar and restaurant scene. Doune Castle may as well be officially renamed ‘Castle Leoch’ as fans of the historical TV romance Outlander now flock here to swish in the kiltsteps of Jamie Fraser. www.historic-scotland.gov.uk Land on an Atlantic beach, by flying from Glasgow in a tiny propeller plane out to Traigh Mhor on the remote Hebridean isle of Barra. www.loganair.co.uk Ride the recently reopened Borders Railway, which heads south from Edinburgh deep into the rolling hills so beloved of writer Sir Walter Scott. www.scotrail.co.uk The Italian Chapel on the Orkney Isles, an incredible sight fashioned out of an old military shelter by Italian Prisoners of War. www.orkneycommunities.co.uk/italianchapel The Isle of Arran, a compact yet diverse isle that earns its moniker of ‘Scotland in Miniature’ with many of the country’s best attractions in one place. www.visitarran.com
– 82 – 1. Balcary Bay Hotel, Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway Magnificent sea views from this romantic hotel on the Galloway coast.
4. Carnoustie Golf Hotel, Carnoustie, Angus Luxurious hotel & spa overlooking the famously challenging & historic golf course.
2. Blackaddie House Hotel, Dumfries, Dumfries & Galloway Delightful familyrun hotel with refined restaurant near the River Nith.
5. Channings, Edinburgh Country-style ambience at this delightful Edinburgh townhouse.
3. Boath House, Nairn, Highlands Majestic Regency mansion & Michelinstarred restaurant in a 20 acre Highlands estate.
6. Colonsay, Isle of Colonsay, Argyll A hidden treasure of the Southern Hebrides.
– 83 – 7. Corriegour Lodge Hotel, Fort William, Highlands A culinary retreat in one of the most beautiful locations in the Highlands. 8. Craigadam, Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway A taste of Scotland in the Galloway Hills.
Visit www.bestloved.com and search under the hotel name for full details and prices.
9. Fonab Castle Hotel, Pitlochry, Perthshire Luxurious 5-star castle in Perthshire. 10. Four Seasons Hotel, St Fillans, Perthshire An inspiring lochside setting with spectacular views and food to match. 11. Glenmorangie House, Tain, Highlands Legendary Scottish hospitality near the famous distillery.
12. Holyrood ApartHotel, Edinburgh Stylish serviced apartments in the heart of Edinburgh.
– 84 – 13. The Howard, Edinburgh Elegant 5-star townhouse in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town.
16. Knockinaam Lodge, Stranraer, Dumfries & Galloway Romantic boutique hotel & gourmet escape on the Galloway Coast.
14. Kilcamb Lodge, Strontian, Highlands Breathtakingly situated on Loch Sunart, where otters and eagles are daily visitors. 15. Knight Residence by Mansley Serviced Apartments, Edinburgh Stylish private apartments in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle.
17. Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort, Glasgow A 5-star luxury Edwardian country house, golf and spa resort in 240 acres near Glasgow and the River Clyde. 18. Meldrum House & Golf Resort, Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire Authentic Baronial mansion house and world-class golf academy close to Aberdeen.
– 85 – 19. Old Waverley Hotel, Edinburgh Comfort and charm in the ideal Edinburgh location. 20. The Peat Inn, St Andrews, Fife A celebrated Michelin-starred restaurant just a short drive from St Andrews.
Visit www.bestloved.com and search under the hotel name for full details and prices.
21. Raemoir House, Aberdeen, Highlands Princely 4-star Aberdeenshire retreat on the doorstep of Balmoral. 22. Roman Camp Country House, Callander, Perthshire A wonderful family run country house in the Trossachs with great food.
23. Rufflets, St Andrews, Fife The best of country house living near the Home of Golf. 24. Sherbrooke Castle, Glasgow A 4-star Baronial castle hotel set in beautiful gardens in Glasgow's leafy Southside.
– 86 – 25. Taychreggan, Kilchrenan, Argyll Mountain grandeur, fascinating wildlife and Visit www.bestloved.com lochside beauty. and search under the hotel name for full details 26. Taynuilt Hotel, Taynuilt, Argyll A and prices. traditional coaching inn with wonderful food near Oban. 27. Trigony House, Dumfries, Dumfries & Galloway A rustic treasure hidden amid the serenity of Nithsdale valley. 28. Western House Hotel, Ayr, Ayrshire A delightful hotel located on the grounds of Ayr Racecourse in the heart of Burns Country.
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NEW MOON RISING THE NEW C9 MOONPHASE
Mankind has looked to the moon to tell the time for over 34,000 years and now, with the introduction of our in-house modification, Calibre JJ04, we are proud to join this tradition. With the continuous setting of this new complication the transformation of the moon is perpetually accurate with a tolerance of just one day in 128 years.
E XC LU S I V E LY AVA I L A B L E AT
christopherward.co.uk
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luxury, character and romantic charm
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Ireland
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Above: County Sligo Right: The Giant's Causeway
A Seashore Feast by Emma Cullinan I'm down by the sea eating seaweed straight off the rocks. The slimy algae that drapes the County Kerry foreshore is bringing out the primordial sea creature in me. I’ve just been hearing all about the stuff in a local bar, as one of a group attending a day’s forage led by Caherdaniel-based Atlantic Irish Seaweed. To me, seaweed has always been an eerie jellified substance that made walking on rocks treacherous and gave a creepy tickle when I swam in the sea. Now, I want to engage with it, to pluck it from barnacle-strewn rocks and savour its flavour and texture. Chewing the rubbery slime feels primitive – we came from this – but it is also curiously zeitgeist. “Last year it was kale, this year it's seaweed,” says John Fitzgerald, who runs Atlantic Irish Seaweed with his wife Kerryann (she cooks the delicious seaweed-laced food served up back in the bar after the forage), referring to its nutrient-rich status. It looks prehistoric, I reflect, as John holds up spaghetti seaweed. He clasps it hand-to-hand, like a wool winder of old, and then dangles a wide strip of flapping, rubbery amber kelp for the sun to shine through. He points out the spores dotted along the spaghetti ready to fly off and procreate. This is the stringy stuff that masses in swathes on top of the sea. And we know what he's talking about because we saw his slide-show back in the bar, where we
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– 92 – learned that there are three main types of seaweed. Serendipitously, a key player in the naming convention was the Irish botanist William Henry Harvey in the 1800s. The categories are simply green, red and brown – except some are sly. The brown colouring in the heady, oily type used in seaweed baths – serrated wrack – is water- soluble, so once dunked into hot water it turns green. We watched the colour change and then plunged our fingers into the oily deep of the jar, the gel sinking swiftly into our palms. None of the seaweed we encounter at the beach is poisonous – and lots of it has health-giving properties, hence our nibbling frenzy down at the shore. John slices the top off low-growing pepper dulse. “This costs £18 for a small jar in Harrods,” he says. It's like eating spicy sea. “Great in bubble-and-squeak,” pronounces a chef in our party. Raw shore-dining on the Ring of Kerry coastline. The peninsula spreads out into the Atlantic, with the dark, pointed hills of islands and neighbouring land brooding beneath a wide silver sky, across the water, giving hearthitting views. You could just devour the place – and, it turns out, you can.
The Facts
Emma Cullinan is a journalist and author who writes mainly about architecture and travel
Below: Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge Right: Seaweed Dishes © Atlantic Irish Seaweed
Atlantic Irish Seaweed. www.atlanticirishseaweed.com
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Tick off the major sights... At the Cliffs of Moher, in County Clare, enjoy a lofty view of the Atlantic and – on a clear day – Ireland's islands, mountains and coast, right down to Kerry. www.cliffsofmoher.ie Take a boat to one of the islands off the west coast, including Great Blasket and the old monastic settlement of Skellig Michael. www.marinetours.ie, www.skelligislands.com Tour Killarney National Park, in County Kerry, for its woods, lakes, waterfalls and mountains, including Macgillycuddy's Reeks, Ireland's highest range, and Carrauntoohil, the country’s highest mountain. www.killarneynationalpark.ie Visit Gaeltachts (pronounced "gailtucked"), the Irish languagespeaking areas, including parts of Donegal, Kerry, Mayo and Galway. www.gaelsaoire.ie Kiss the Blarney Stone in County Cork to be bestowed with eloquence. It's attached to a castle built nearly 600 years ago by the chieftain Cormac McCarthy. www.blarneycastle.ie Step out on the Giant’s Causeway on the County Antrim coast and see the curious basalt columns made of magma that oozed from the deep 60 million years ago. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/giants-causeway
And for something different... At Garnish Island in County Cork, the Gulf Stream that sweeps across Bantry Bay nurtures exotic plants from around the world. It’s reached by a ferry that calls into a seal island en route. www.garnishisland.com Enjoy a tot of Irish whiskey on a tour of the centuries-old distillery at Bushmills in County Antrim. www.bushmills.com Great Western Greenway, in Mayo, is Ireland's longest off-road cycle route running for 42km (26 miles) along a former railway track from Westport to Achill and passing Clew Bay. www.greenway.ie Fungie the dolphin moved into Dingle harbour in County Kerry more than 30 years ago and can be seen from land or, for a closer look, from a boat. www.dingledolphin.com The English Market in Cork City, opened in 1788. Browse the stalls of fish, meat, cheese, vegetables – and crafts. www.englishmarket.ie The Burren National Park, in Clare, is a lunar-like landscape of limestone rock that attracts exotic plants and insects. Find out more at the Burren Centre in Kilfenora village. www.burrennationalpark.ie
– 94 – 1. Bushmills Inn Hotel, Bushmills, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland Historic oakbeamed luxury Inn near the Bushmills Distillery & the Giant's Causeway.
4. Moy House, Lahinch, Co Clare The romantic Atlantic awaits at this idyllic retreat on Lahinch Bay.
5. Seaview House Hotel, Bantry, Co 2. Cahernane House Hotel, Killarney, Co Cork A delightful country house haven Kerry Stunning private estate on the edge with wonderful views of Bantry Bay. of Killarney National Park. 3. Carrig Country House & Restaurant, Killorglin, Co Kerry Enchanting lakeside country house hotel on the Ring of Kerry.
Visit www.bestloved.com and search under the hotel name for full details and prices.
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You only have one life.....
make sure it's a #bestlovedlife
#spa
Share memories and win prizes with our #bestlovedlife Twitter competitions. Above are a selection of finalists for #bestlovedlife/spa and now we want to see yours! You might even walk away with an overnight stay at the hotel of your choice. Follow us @BestLovedHotels for more details.
Nothing is more relaxing and rejuvenating than allowing yourself a bit of spa pampering. Our Best Loved spa hotels are the ultimate in well-being and serenity. Visit www.bestloved.com and search our selection of the finest locations.
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We'd like to reward you bestlovedrewards
To make your stay even more rewarding join Best Loved Rewards. Just pick up a card on your next visit, choose one of three membership packages available and register your card using your preferred payment method at bestlovedrewards.com. Earn points or get 10% off your room rate from only £30 a year.
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First Published 2015
Copyright Š The Great British Hotel Company Ltd t/a Best Loved Hotels. Julian Ebbutt has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the Author of this Work. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, by photocopying or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage or retrieval systems, without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
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