Rich Winging it May 09 23/4/09 12:08 Page 1
WINGING IT
Sarah Tucker e-mail: madasatucker@aol.com
Home booking
With the pound through the floor, it could be the summer for an
English adventure. Sarah Tucker points the way
t was the late Peter Ustinov who told Wells next the Sea, Norfolk
I
me, many years ago, that the English do A lovely old-fashioned resort, Wells sits
Crummock Water, Lake District.
Copyright Michael Turner
not like to serve. We consider it servile, on the North Norfolk coast near the
he insisted back then. And to judge from miniature Chelsea of Burnham Market –
my own recent experiences of hotels and rather bling in parts, alas, but with an
restaurants in this country, we still do. excellent book shop and tea rooms – and
But if the UK travel and tourist industry the dramatic Holkham National Nature
can’t capitalize on the strength of the euro Reserve. The beaches around here are
this year, it simply doesn’t deserve to stunning, with strong coastal winds
succeed. A recent visit to EuroDisney excellent for kite flying, while the fish and
during which I was charged £15 for a bowl chips at Plattens on The Quay at Wells is
of soup – ok, it was room service, but it’s the freshest I’ve ever tasted.
not as if it was delivered by Mickey Mouse From the Victoria Hotel at Holkham,
– underlined the extent to which many
you can walk straight onto the beach and
European hotels are, er, taking the mickey.
along to Wells. Owned by the present Earl
So, in these stringent, penny-pinching
of Leicester, the hotel is designed around
days, UK alternatives have a real
Victorian, colonial and local themes, with
opportunity to cash in.
the Moroccan room the pick of the bunch.
But where to go? How does one tap into
Visit: www.holkham.co.uk/victoria and
the best of British heritage and landscape
www.wells-guide.co.uk
without falling prey to service levels
Cowley Manor, Gloucestershire
straight out of Fawlty Towers? Take heart:
Nestling in the hills, well placed for many
there are plenty of places worth giving a
pretty Cotswold villages, this lovely
The Shambles, York.
whirl. Here are six of the best...
statelyish hotel used to attract luxury- Copyright www
.visityork.o.visityork.orgrg
York
loving yuppies who brought their kids
The Lake District, Cumbria
The perfect city destination. Tom, my 10-
and dumped them in the crèche, treating
Whatever the weather, the Lake District
year-old son, has recently returned from a
them like an unwanted bout of measles.
shines through the grey and mist and is a
school trip here and says it was utterly
But the crèche has closed, to be replaced
wonderful place for ‘bimbling’ – ambling
brilliant. Given that kids usually find
by a sort of designer gift shop. There’s an
with no real aim, but discovering things of
culture about as interesting as watching
outdoor and indoor pool and spa, while
interest along the way.
paint dry, this is quite a result.
the rooms remind me of a Graham and
My favourite stay is The Samling Hotel
But then, York is quite a city.
Green showroom. Think cowhide
(www.thesamlinghotel.co.uk), where
Dominated by its towering Minster, it’s a
armchairs and oversized bowls of fruit
understated luxury comes with a hint of
layered place of Roman, Viking, Norman
salad, and you soon realize that this place
eccentricity – at a price. If your budget is
and many other influences, ringed by city
is wasted on families. Happily, now the
small, visit www.farmstay.co.uk, which
walls and soothed by the lovely flow of the
crèche has gone, so have many of them.
lists all UK farms that offer b & b. My tip
Ouse. The Shambles, a gorgeous network
Visit: www.cowleymanor.com
is Holmeshead Farm in Skelwith Fold,
of medieval and Elizabethan lanes, is one Retallack Resort and Spa, Cornwall
Ambleside: a 17th century affair near Lake
of the best preserved ancient street areas in A five-star resort and spa with weekend
Windermere yielding affordable views and
Europe. You can face down a Viking at the boot camps at selected times of the year.
charm. Visit: www.holmesheadfarm.co.uk
Jorvic Viking Centre, taste fear in the You stay in luxury chalets (think
and www.lake–district.gov.uk
haunted bowels of York Dungeon or Scandinavian starter homes) and work out
Butlins, Bognor Regis, West Sussex
whistle up some nostalgia at the National on the beach – absolutely stunning, but
No, seriously, for value and service this is
Railway Museum. you’re worked so hard that the beauty
probably the best in Britain right now.
For city stays, I usually recommend may pass you by. The trainers are brilliant,
Butlins has invested millions here, the
smaller boutique hotels or a b & b to get a while the reflexology here is a ‘must’. luxury Ocean Hotel is due to open this
real taste of the place. But the Hotel du Vin At nearby Padstow, domain of chef summer, and the Shoreline Hotel has more
York on The Mount, close to the historic Rick Stein, you can undo all the good for kids in the rooms (bunk beds, own
city centre (www.hotelduvin.com), is a work with cream teas and great fish and DVD and TVs) than many luxury retreats.
personable, Grade II listed, former private chips. And whether you’re on boot camp The nightly entertainment is fabulous,
home. Limited parking, but it’s well or not, the North Cornish coast will steal with the Redcoats eternally sunny and
located for the sites and reasonably priced. your breath all by itself. Visit: smiling. Even Peter Ustinov would be
Visit: www.visityork.org www.retallackresort.com impressed. Visit: www.butlins.com
www.richmondmagazine.co.uk 75
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