The UK and Ireland’s latest attractions
From literary-inspired walks and scenic rail journeys to sea kayaking in Scotland, the UK is bursting with new ideas for clients to discover this year. Abra Dunsby reports.
Take to the water
Active types can soak up the scenery of Scotland’s west coast from the water on a sea kayaking tour of the Scottish Highlands. The trip is open to beginners and intermediates, who will kayak through sheltered lochs, remote bays and uninhabited islands, while looking out for rare wildlife such as sea eagles, otters and porpoises. Mid-trip, clients can opt for a day of rest, or join a guided hike through the mountains. Accommodation comes in the form of a Highland inn on the shores of Loch Torridon.
Book it: The Wilderness Collective offers Sea Kayaking – The Scottish Highlands from £1,195pp based on two sharing, including five nights’ B&B accommodation, five lunches, two dinners, guiding, and transport to and from Inverness. Departures are for June 10, July 15 or August 19.
Train like a ninja
Little ninjas will love practising their moves at Legoland Windsor’s Lego Ninjago World, opening in May. The attraction takes guests through a training camp where they can put their skills to the test with a range of activities, from rock climbing to temple building. The star attraction is Ninjago The Ride, the UK’s first 4D, hand gesture-enabled ride, which uses 3D images alongside heat, smoke and wind, and allows riders to virtually throw fire balls, shock waves, ice and lightning.
Graham Balmforth, national sales manager at SuperBreak, says: “The opening of a new ride or area at a theme park always drives demand as it gives customers a new reason to visit. Ninjago characters are hugely popular and I have no doubt customers will want to experience all that this new world has to offer.”
Book it: A SuperBreak package costs from £204 per family of four, including one night at the Holiday Inn Express in Slough and a one-day family ticket to the park in early June.
Playing fair
Families can enjoy all the fun of the fair at Butlin’s Skegness, which opens 93 new Fairground Apartments this spring. The modern family apartments include fairground touches such as a wobbly mirror in the lounge and star-shaped lights in the children’s room. The two bedroom apartments feature open-plan living areas, a separate dining area and modern kitchens. The apartments are a short walk from facilities including the fairground, adventure golf, the spa, a go-kart area and the Skyline Pavilion.
Louise Tansey, national sales manager at Bourne Leisure, says: “Billy Butlin started out in life running a hoopla stall and since then, the traditional seaside fairground has held a special place in our hearts. It’s important for Butlin’s to continue to evolve within the current marketplace and we strive to keep abreast of the wants and needs of our guests. Quality accommodation is top of the list for many families who require a home from home experience and our Fairground Apartments certainly offer that.”
Book it: A four-night break at Butlin’s Skegness costs from £69pp, based on a family of four sharing a Fairground Apartment, arriving May 8.
Take to the track
Shearings has added a new four-day tour to its UK & Ireland programme, featuring a journey onboard the iconic Flying Scotsman steam train. Clients taking the Ilfracombe & Flying Scotsman trip will take a ride on the oldest mainline working locomotive, which has undergone a £4.2 million restoration, and will journey through the Somerset countryside. The trip includes accommodation at the Dilkhusa Grand Hotel, located on the North Devon seafront.
Book it: Shearings is offering a four-day Ilfracombe & Flying Scotsman holiday from £209pp, based on two sharing and including daily breakfast, three evening meals and one included excursion.
Far from the madding crowds
This year is Visit England’s Year of Literary Heroes, with various anniversaries taking place throughout 2017, including 200 years since Jane Austen’s death and 20 years since JK Rowling penned Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
To celebrate 150 years since Thomas Hardy’s first novel, The Poor Man and the Lady, Inntravel has launched a new walking holiday along the Hardy Way through Dorset. The self-guided trip will take clients along Britain’s first literature-themed long-distance path, which acts as the backdrop to many of Hardy’s tales. Highlights include following in Tess of the d’Ubervilles’ footsteps to Win Green, and spending the night at the Inn at Cranborne, where Hardy once stayed.
“There is a great deal of interest in this new trip, with growing demand for self-guided walking holidays staying in characterful country accommodations,” says Simon Wrench, head of marketing at Inntravel.
“The strong literary theme provides an interesting narrative – you don’t have to be an avid Hardy fan to enjoy this walking holiday, set in an area of outstanding natural beauty. It is a hidden gem full of history and charm, with an emphasis on great local gastronomy.”
Book it: Inntravel offers The Hardy Way from £598pp including six nights’ B&B accommodation, one dinner and two picnics. Available April 1 to October 31, 2017.
The great outdoors
Kids can channel their inner Bear Grylls with Haven’s Nature Rockz outdoor programme, which is adding two new activities across all its parks. After learning survival skills from rangers, children aged six and above can put their talents to use by making a survival bracelet from parachute cord. Also new is the chance for families with children of all ages to flex their creative muscles by making and decorating a dreamcatcher. Both activities cost £8.
Book it: Prices for a four-night Haven break start from £99, based on a family of four sharing a standard two-bedroom caravan at selected parks, departing April 24.
Stars of the silver screen
Back-Roads Touring has introduced a new holiday that takes in some of England’s most picturesque film and TV locations. The three-day Iconic England tour visits Oxford, Bath and Henley-on-Thames, making pit stops at West Wycombe Park, an 18th-century estate that starred in Labyrinth; and Lacock, which doubled as Meryton Village in a TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and was a location for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Next comes another Austen favourite, Bath, followed by a tour of Highclere Castle and Gardens, made famous as the Crawley family’s stately home in Downton Abbey.
Book it: Back-Roads Touring’s Iconic England trip starts from £850pp, including luxury coach transportation, two nights in boutique hotel accommodation, daily breakfast and two evening meals.
Fit for a princess
Diana: Her Fashion Story is a new dress exhibition at Kensington Palace celebrating the life and inimitable style of Diana, Princess of Wales. The exhibition traces the princess’s style evolution and features many of her most iconic dresses, including the velvet gown she wore at the White House when she danced with John Travolta. Diana: Her Fashion Story opened on February 24 and runs throughout 2017. Clients can view the exhibition as part of the Kensington Palace general admission ticket.
Book it: Attraction World is offering an exclusive, ongoing kids go free offer for entry to Kensington Palace, while adults (over 16 years) pay £15pp.
Luck of the Irish
Ireland is a new destination for operator Prestige Holidays, and clients can now discover the destination on its seven-night Irish Elegance tour. The trip showcases the best sights and scenery of the Emerald Isle including the Wild Atlantic Way and a night spent at Ashford Castle. Clients will also be taken on a guided walk through Dublin’s Trinity College, visit Galway’s cathedral and join a hike over cliffs and woodlands in Killarney. The brave will also get a chance to dangle from the ramparts of Blarney Castle to kiss the famous stone and acquire “the gift of the gab”.
Book it: Prestige’s seven-night Irish Elegance tour starts from £1,875pp including return flights, B&B accommodation, selected meals and all excursions.
Festival chic
Clients can don their wellies and wear glitter for Flashback Festival, which Warner Leisure Hotels is offering as a new outdoor break. The festival will take place in the grounds of stately home Thoresby Hall in Nottinghamshire from August 18-21. The festival line-up includes performances from The Human League, Village People, Kim Wilde, T’Pau and Trevor Nelson. After a day of partying, revellers can ditch the tent concept and rest their heads in the comfort of the hotel, or wander around its croquet lawns and parkland.
Book it: Warner Leisure Hotels offers a three-night festival break at Thoresby Hall starting from £389pp, arriving on August 18. Price is based on two adults sharing a standard room, including breakfast and three course lunches.
Island life
Airways Holidays has added new “unique experience” packages to its 2017 brochure.
Sales director, Gill McCarthy, says: “We have experienced a particularly high demand for Island Hopping, Battle of Flowers and Heritage packages in previous years, so we have extended the options for 2017 to include water sports breaks that are perfect for families and active couples.” The Jersey Water Sports Experience package includes a Rib trip to an off-island reef where guests can look out for dolphins, try a paddle-board lesson and embark on a kayak tour.
Book it: Airways Holidays is offering the five-night Jersey Water Sports Experience from £313pp, including accommodation at the Merton Hotel, sea travel and excursions.
The great escape
Families and groups of friends looking for an epic getaway should consider Hoseasons’ new property Stable House, on the outskirts of the Yorkshire Dales. The house sleeps 12 across six large bedrooms, and is set in the historic 1,000-acre Gisburn Park Estate in the heart of the Ribble Valley. Clients can walk the historic Ribblesdale loop and enjoy the area’s famous afternoon teas, spend an evening sipping champagne in their outdoor hot tub, or relax in front of the log burner.
Book it: Hoseasons is offering a four-night break for 12 people staying at Stable House from £841.
Recommended For You
Most read features
Competitions
TTG Luxury Journey
Place of registration: England and Wales.
Company number 08723341.
Registered address: 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU
