17 Of The Best Weekend Breaks & Getaways In The UK
One of the surprise blessings of the pandemic has been a renewed appreciation for the best weekend breaks in the UK, from the Isles of Scilly to the Isle of Skye, and with sustainability at the forefront of everyone’s minds right now, trading holidays in far-flung destinations for escapes to lesser-known regions in Britain seems increasingly like a win-win. Fortunately, sumptuous destination hotels have opened everywhere from Kent to Aberdeen over the last few years, and all of them are a delight to visit in any season.
Art lovers should head north to Braemar, where the founders of Hauser & Wirth opened the Fife Arms just nine miles down the road from Balmoral, while serious gourmands will be enamoured with The Newt in Somerset, the sister property to the Eden-like Babylonstoren in South Africa’s Stellenbosch. As for the best UK breaks for couples? The Pig at Harlyn Bay offers romantic seclusion, while Hampshire’s Heckfield Place is hard to beat when it comes to pampering. Read on for the best weekend breaks in the UK.
Read more: The Most Charming British Holiday Rentals For A Post-Lockdown Escape
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1/17Edinburgh
Best weekend break in the UK for: a European-style city break.
Where to stay: You’re spoiled for choice in terms of Edinburgh hotels, but the soon-to-open Gleneagles Townhouse is at the top of our must-visit list this year. Set within the old Bank of Scotland headquarters on St Andrew’s Square, the first city outpost from the much-loved Perthshire estate features 33 distinctive rooms in the Scots Baronial style, featuring decorative mouldings, original fireplaces, and canopy beds. As you would expect from the founders of Gleneagles, there’s also a world-class spa – with the former bank vault now housing an infrared sauna. You can even indulge in some cryotherapy, if the nippy Scottish weather isn’t cold enough for you.
Where to eat: Hidden away in industrial Leith, Roberta Hall-McCarron’s The Little Chartroom is the most exciting restaurant in Edinburgh, with a menu inspired by her childhood sailing along the Scottish coastline. Reserve a table well in advance for the chance to try the likes of curried mussel sauce with finger lime near the waterfront. The same team recently launched a sister establishment, Eleanore, nearby, too, which is an ideal pit-stop for a glass of wine and some fresh oysters.
Where to go: All of the major national galleries in Edinburgh are top-notch (the Gallery of Modern Art just acquired Salvador Dalí’s infamous lobster telephone), but you should also make a beeline for the Fruitmarket Gallery, which has hosted thought-provoking exhibitions by everyone from Louise Bourgeois to Jean-Michel Basquiat through the years.
2/17The Peak District
Best weekend break in the UK for… Stately homes, ancient villages and rugged landscapes.
Where to stay… Historically, the best places to stay in the Peak District have been cosy pubs with roaring log fires (ideal for drying off after being caught in the rain while tramping around the National Park). As of 2021, however, the converted Victorian pile Callow Hall is the most elegant place to lay your head after a day of rambling. Guests can choose between understated rooms in the main house – which feature standalone copper baths – or fully immerse themselves in the landscape in either a “treehouse” or “hive” room designed by the team behind Chewton Glen. But, the grounds are so beautiful, you would be hard pressed to stay in your room for more than a few hours, lovely as it is: Callow Hall’s 35 acres include ancient forests, wild streams, and fruit orchards – not to mention rolling lawns where guests can play croquet.
Where to eat… While the tempting menu at Callow Hall’s on-site restaurant is based around seasonal British produce (including grouse from the 12th of August), you cannot visit the Peak District without having a picnic atop a limestone cliff. Combine a visit to Chatsworth with a trip to its Estate Farm Shop, where you can stock up on local meats, cheeses, and breads.
Where to go… Follow the Lathkill Dale, a narrow, rocky gorge, to the 900-year-old Haddon Hall, one of the finest surviving medieval homes in Britain, complete with a rose-filled Elizabethan garden.
Adam Lynk3/17Northumberland
Best weekend break in the UK for… Breathtaking Roman and medieval ruins.
Where to stay… Nestled within the honey-stoned village of Blanchland, the Lord Crewe Arms started out life as a 12th-century priory before becoming one of the most stylish hotels in Northumberland. Relics of its past are still everywhere, including the stained-glass windows and giant fireplaces. Spread across the main building, a former pub across the way, and several miners’ cottages, the rooms themselves are wonderfully cosy – filled with worn paperbacks, hot-water bottles, and novelty fudge. Guests are able to borrow everything needed to take advantage of the surrounding countryside, including Wellington boots and fishing gear for use on the hotel’s stretch of the River Derwent. Make a point of having Sunday lunch at the on-site restaurant, including a glass of the Crewe Brew Ale.
Where to eat… Head to King Edward’s Bay, where Riley’s Fish Shack has enamoured foodies since it first launched as a portable stall in 2012. Set directly on the beach, its specialty is (of course) the catch of the day, which varies from lobster to monkfish, with crispy potatoes so good you might just break into song. Oh, and there’s hot buttered rum made on site.
Where to go… Catch a boat to the Farne Islands to watch seals, puffins, and dolphins in their natural habitat, or make a pilgrimage to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne.
Simon Brown4/17Cambridge
Best weekend break in the UK for… Reliving your halcyon student days.
Where to stay: Set on the corner of Parker’s Piece (where the rules of football were first established), former coaching inn The University Arms has been whimsically refurbished by interior designer Martin Brudnizki – perhaps best known as the man behind Annabel’s latest revamp. The Edwardian-style rooms (many of which are painted in Cambridge blue) are cosy and filled with sweet details (each one has a copy of The Wind in the Willows, for example). Fittingly, there’s also an on-site library filled with books chosen by the Heywood Hill team, and hotel bicycles to rent in order to cruise around this most beautiful of university towns.
Where to eat: Parker’s Tavern within The University Arms is always a good choice. Built to recall a student dining hall, its menu is all about British produce: saltwater crust meat pies with homemade chutneys; Dover sole with coastal herbs; and classic roast dinners with all the trimmings. You’re also morally obligated to try one of the Chelsea buns at Fitzbillies.
Where to go: Browse the wonderfully eclectic collection in Kettle’s Yard, which was carefully restored in 2018. Originally a private house belonging to Tate curator Jim Ede and his wife Helen, the gallery features works by everyone from Joan Miró to Barbara Hepworth.
Owen Howells5/17Pembrokeshire
Best weekend break in the UK for… Great British beaches without the Cornwall crowds.
Where to stay: Surrounded by 26 acres of woodlands and meadows, with the Preseli Hills just visible in the distance on clear days, The Grove in Narbeth is without doubt one of Wales’s most charming hotels. Its Arts & Crafts-inflected rooms are cosy yet luxurious, with deep roll-top baths in many of the suites. Also deeply charming: the upstairs sitting room with a roaring log fire (and plenty of novels to work your way through if it rains), and the fragrant walled gardens on the property.
Where to eat: The menu at the Grove’s much-lauded restaurant The Fernery utilises hyper-local produce to showcase Welsh cuisine at its best: Per Las; fermented leeks in onion broth; Eccles cake… For a much less formal but still distinctly special meal, head to the delightfully quirky Cafe Môr, which dishes out lobster rolls with Welsh Sea butter and Welshman’s caviar.
Where to go: Pembrokeshire has a strong claim to the most glorious beaches in the UK, from Prescipe Bay, with its fossil-studded sandstone cliffs, to Church Doors Cove, formerly the province of smugglers. For a taste of the local wildlife, catch a boat to Ramsey Islands, home to peregrines, seals and more.
6/17Kent
Best weekend break in the UK for… Quirky, retro design.
Where to stay: A short distance from Deal’s pebbled seafront, the former design editor of Wallpaper* gutted and revamped former Victorian pub The Rose, transforming it into an eight-bedroom haven, complete with a Tracey Emin painting hanging above the bar. Room 4, with its roll-top bath, is a favourite, but whichever room you choose, expect sweet touches, like Austin Austin products and vintage record players. Also of note: Nuno Mendez – best known for overseeing the kitchen at Chiltern Firehouse – now leads the culinary offering here.
Where to eat: It would be a mistake to spend a weekend in Kent without making a reservation at The Sportsman in Seasalter. The menu is a paean to the Southeast coast of the UK, with the team taking their cues from the sea and the marshlands around it in the same way that the monks who farmed the area for Canterbury’s religious elite in the 12th century did. The house-made seaweed butter alone more than justifies the trip.
Where to go: When it comes to art in Kent, you cannot beat the Turner Contemporary, due to reopen after a major facelift in the summer.
7/17Hampshire
Best weekend break in the UK for… Anyone with a period drama obsession.
Where to stay: There’s no question that Heckfield Place is the most spectacular hotel in Hampshire. The only difficulty with staying there is that you may be tempted never to leave its 400 acres of grounds, complete with a biodynamic farm; an ornamental lake for wild swimming; a walled garden; and seemingly endless woodlands and meadows to tramp through. The former Georgian home owes its refreshingly modern interiors to designer Ben Thompson, a protégé of Ilse Crawford, who filled its rooms with a mix of delicate antiques and contemporary pieces by the likes of Rose Uniacke. Heavenly flower arrangements by Kitten Grayson only add to the charm. Make sure to pay a visit to the Little Bothy Spa, where treatments feature products derived from Heckfield Place’s own apothecary garden.
Where to eat: The food offering at Heckfield Place is built around the produce from its biodynamic farm, and includes two separate restaurants: Hearth, where all of the dishes are prepared over an open fire, and Marle, where the food is, quite simply, a joy. Think sharing platters of baby vegetables with herb crème fraîche; scallops with fennel puree and beurre blanc; and roasted quail with soubise and poached red wine figs.
Where to go: It is a truth universally acknowledged that any trip to Hampshire should include a detour to Jane Austen’s Grade I-listed cottage in Chawton, where she wrote the majority of her classic novels, including Pride & Prejudice.
Jonathan Stone8/17Somerset
Best weekend break in the UK for… Losing yourself among the hedgerows.
Where to stay: There’s only one Somerset hotel worth visiting right now, and that’s The Newt, named after its resident colony of great crested newts – naturally. Designed by the couple behind the legendary Babylonstoren in Stellenbosch, the sprawling 17th-century estate features luxurious Georgian-inspired rooms in the main building, Hadspen House, and cosy, more rustic accommodation in the former stable yard. The primary reason to visit, however, are the spectacular grounds, which include a Baroque-style maze, ancient woodlands, and wild swimming ponds.
Where to eat: For a break from country rambles, pay a visit to Hauser & Wirth Somerset, which hosts world-class exhibitions throughout the year – then go for dinner at the on-site Roth Bar & Grill, whose menu is informed by the produce from the nearby Durslade Farm and its kitchen garden. Their free-range pork chops, dry aged in their own Salt Room, are stand out.
Where to go: Visit Wells Cathedral, featuring more than 300 Gothic sculptures, dramatic scissor arches, and one of the oldest clock mechanisms in the world.
Courtney Louise Photography9/17The Cotswolds
Best weekend break in the UK for… Antiquing as a competitive sport.
Where to stay: The Cotswolds is one of the most picturesque areas in Britain, so it’s hardly surprising that there are dozens of excellent hotels here. For sheer tranquility, however, there’s nowhere better than Lucknam Park. A short drive from the much-photographed cobblestone streets of Castle Combe, this 18th-century Palladian mansion is accessed via a mile-long driveway lined with beech trees, with each of its 42 rooms decorated in the traditional country-house style (floral wallpaper, velvet drapes, four-poster beds). The vibe is gloriously low-key. Curl up in an armchair by the fireplace in the library with a great novel; take advantage of the world-class equestrian centre and do some horseback riding; or indulge in a pampering massage at the light-filled ESPA Centre.
Where to eat: It’s impossible to pull yourself away from Lucknam Park, so make dinner reservations at Restaurant Hywel Jones. You should also make a point of ordering one of the kitchen’s luxurious hampers, filled with champagne, lobster rolls, and summer fruit trifle, for a picnic in the gardens.
Where to go: There are more than 500 acres of protected grounds surrounding Lucknam Park. Take a break from driving and explore them on foot. The hotel will even provide you with Wellington boots if you forget your own.
Jonathan Stone10/17Norfolk
Best weekend break in the UK for… Strolling around the magnificent Broads.
Where to stay: You would be hard pressed to find a lovelier place to stay in Norfolk than Hales Hall. Set across five different buildings – the oldest of which was built in 1478 – each room in the medieval estate has its own style, but expect four-poster beds and open fireplaces. Vogue’s favourite spot? The rose-covered Cottage, with a private walled garden. Tear yourself away from its lovely interiors to ramble across the Norfolk Broads National Park, featuring hundreds of miles of waterways, rare bird species, and wildflowers.
Where to eat: Norfolk pub The Gunton Arms boasts art by the likes of Damien Hirst, Lucian Freud, and Tracey Emin on its walls, but its moreish food offering will still dominate the conversation. Order the venison, sourced from the nearby Gunton Hall’s 18th-century deer park, and a range of traditional British puddings, from blackberry jelly with ice cream to buttermilk pudding with honeyed figs.
Where to go: Wander around Norwich’s Cathedral Quarter, a labyrinth of cobblestoned streets lined with medieval buildings, before dropping into the city’s traditional open-air market – one of the oldest in all of Britain.
11/17Aberdeenshire
Best weekend break in the UK for… Figuring out if you would pass the Balmoral test.
Where to stay: Located in Braemar, a stone’s throw from the Queen’s Scottish residence, the Fife Arms is the cosiest Highland retreat imaginable, down to the hotel’s bespoke tartan furnishings designed by Edinburgh-based weaver Araminta Campbell. Hauser & Wirth co-founders Iwan and Manuela Wirth are behind the 19th-century coaching inn’s revamp, so the art collection on display is truly breathtaking – from a Louise Bourgeois spider in the courtyard to a range of watercolours by Queen Victoria herself dotted around the premises. Check into one of the Culture Rooms, inspired by great Scots such as suffragist Elsie Inglis, to be fully immersed in Scottish history and kitschy Victoriana. Just make sure to tear yourself away from the hotel long enough to take advantage of some of the Fife Arms’s nature excursions: tramp through the Cairngorms National Park; head out on a foraging trip with in-house specialist Natasha Floyd; or make like the Windsors and fish for rainbow trout in the River Dee.
Where to eat: Part of the joy of being at the Fife Arms is the sense of isolation – and its restaurant offering makes dining in-house a joy. Reserve a table in The Clunie Dining Room for dishes built around seasonal Scottish produce and cooked over an open fire, with much of the meat sourced from the Duke of Rothesay’s nearby organic farm. Also of note: the Elsa Bar, a tribute to Schiaparelli – who frequently visited Braemar during her lifetime.
Where to go: Make a pilgrimage to the spectacularly beautiful Dunnottar Castle, a ruined medieval fortress set dramatically above the sea.
Adam Lynk12/17Berkshire
Best weekend break in the UK for… Pretending you’re royalty.
Where to stay: A short drive from London, Berkshire has long been associated with royalty thanks to Windsor Castle, Eton College, and Cliveden House. The Duchess of Sussex famously stayed at the Grade I-listed property the night before her wedding, but monarchs have been frequenting the Chiltern Hills property since the 17th century. First built by the Duke of Buckingham for his mistress in 1666, this stately home perched on the Thames is surrounded by more than 350 acre of grounds featuring water gardens, a maze, and quite possibly the most infamous swimming pool in Britain, where John Profumo first laid eyes on Christine Keeler. (Read current owner Natalie Livingstone’s gripping The Mistresses of Cliveden before you go to get a true sense of its absolutely mind-blowing history.) As sumptuous as each of the 47 rooms are, nothing quite compares with the main rooms. The dining room was transported piece by piece from France’s Château d’Asnières in 1897, are there are still 18th-century tapestries, suits of armour, and portraits lining the walls of the historic Great Hall.
Where to eat: Berkshire is, of course, home to Heston Blumenthal’s three-Michelin-starred The Fat Duck, where dishes are akin to magic tricks: foiegras parfait shaped to resemble a hyper-realistic mandarin orange; mixed sashimi on tapioca “sand”, eaten while listening to the sound of waves; a recreation of Alice in Wonderland’s mock turtle soup… Those who are less than keen on molecular gastronomy, however, should visit Blumenthal’s incredibly pretty gastropub, The Hind’s Head, instead. Set within a 15th-century hunting lodge, its menu is an homage to classic British dishes, from Scotch eggs to kidney puddings.
Where to go: At more than 1,000 years old, Windsor Castle is one of the most impressive structures in Britain, and reportedly the Queen’s favourite of her residences. Explore the treasures of the State Rooms – including Queen Mary’s exquisite Doll’s House from the 1920s – before strolling through the rose-filled grounds.
James McDonald13/17Bath
Best weekend break in the UK for… Taking the waters.
Where to stay: The thermal baths at the Gainsborough Bath Spa & Hotel are fed by the same springs that the Romans bathed in from 43 AD, and while soaking in the hotel’s restorative waters is definitely the main attraction here, it’s also just a generally beautiful place to lay your head. Named after famous Bath resident Thomas Gainsborough and located in the heart of the ancient, honey-coloured city, the revamped 18th-century mansion is a light-filled, high-ceilinged oasis in which every room comes filled with Egyptian linens and Asprey products. Note: if you opt for a suite, you may even have your own bathtub that pulls water directly from the thermal streams underneath the hotel.
Where to eat: Bath has more than its fair share of good restaurants, but for a truly special dining experience, make the hour-long drive to the 14th-century town of Somerton, where Soho House alumnus Ben Crofton has opened 28 Market Place. Featuring a restaurant, wine shop, and bakery housed in a collection of Grade II-listed buildings, the food is either sourced from local producers or grown on site. A typical dinner might see you begin with Cornish mackerel topped with sorrel yoghurt before digging into Gloucester Old Spot pork with roasted apricots and fennel followed by caramelised peach tart with lavender ice cream.
Where to go: The Crescent; the Roman Baths; the Abbey… There are plenty of well-known classic sights to visit. For something a little different, drop into 8 Holland Street’s Bath gallery, housed within a former 19th-century greengrocers. Boasting a truly dizzying variety of antiques, crafts and remarkable designer pieces, it feels like a stylish 21st-century take on a cabinet of curiosities.
14/17Oxford
Best weekend break in the UK for… An afternoon of classic punting.
Where to stay: Rather than reserving a hotel in Oxford proper, check into the irresistible Belmond Le Manoir, a 20-minute drive from the city. Raymond Blanc’s honey-stoned 15th-century manor is paradise for food lovers. Each room is inspired by Blanc’s travels (Bluebell is especially pretty), but you will inevitably be tempted to spend most of your visit in the kitchen at the on-site cookery school, where guests can learn how to make a “garden to plate” dinner or master the art of the perfect scone. Then there’s the two-Michelin-starred restaurant on site, not to mention the lavender-filled grounds, which feature medieval ponds and a botanical glasshouse.
Where to eat: Within Oxford proper, the Magdalen Arms is the best spot for lunch, with a daily-changing menu built around gastropub favourites: fennel and Berkswell tart; venison and ale pie; slow-roasted lamb chops…
What to do: You can, and should, take advantage of the opportunity to punt along the river, as well as exploring Blenheim Palace, one of Britain’s most remarkable stately homes.
Jake Eastham15/17Cornwall
Best weekend break in the UK for… Sourcing artisanal homewares.
Where to stay: Set within a 15th-century manor outside of Padstow, The Pig’s first Cornwall property in Harlyn Bay boasts everything its hotels are known for – including a “25-mile” menu built around the likes of Newlyn turbot and Porthilly mussels, paired with organic vegetables and fresh herbs from the kitchen garden. For a sense of total immersion in nature, forgo a room in the Main House in favour of one of the Garden Wagons in the grounds. In the summer, the crashing waves of Constantine Bay can be reached via a footpath through a poppy field, but it’s just as tempting to spend an entire day getting treatments at the Potting Shed spa.
Where to eat: Located in Fowey, a frequent source of inspiration for Daphne du Maurier, Fitzroy is owned by the same team behind London favourites, Primeur and Westerns Laundry. In the summer, the menu changes daily, but is built around sharing plates – while in the winter, head chef Ethan Friskney-Bryer does supper clubs in addition to pop-ups at Fitzroy’s more casual sister venue, North Street Kitchen.
Where to go: Nothing quite compares with seeing Barbara Hepworth’s modernist sculptures in the garden of her St Ives home, where she lived and worked for more than 25 years, taking inspiration from the exquisite Cornish light.
Jake Eastham16/17The Lake District
Best weekend break in the UK for… Reciting Wordsworth and Coleridge aloud.
Where to stay: Check into Brownber Hall, a beautifully renovated Victorian manor nestled beside the Howgill Fells. Normally a hotel, it’s now available for private rental, and it’s more than worth taking the opportunity to have its charming rooms to yourself. The decor feels homespun in the best possible sense: reupholstered sofas are loaded with hand-stitched cushions; worn rugs are thrown over polished floorboards; stacks of books crowd antique tables… It’s the perfect spot to return to after a few hours of wild swimming at Catagill Scar or trekking around Ullswater.
Where to eat: If you’re renting out Brownber Hall, make sure to have current owners Amanda and Peter stock the fridge for you with their homemade sourdough and local preserves. Otherwise, make the drive to two-Michelin-starred L’Enclume in Cartmel, where the menu is built around ingredients from chef Simon Rogan’s 12-acre kitchen garden and local Cumbrian producers.
Where to go: It goes without saying that the majority of any trip to the Lake District should be spent tramping around the countryside, but it’s also worth taking a day to visit Wordworth’s home of Dove Cottage in Grasmere, where the Romantic poet lived for much of his adult life.
JACK HARDY17/17Yorkshire
Best weekend break in the UK for… Wandering around the Yorkshire moors.
Where to stay: In the past, Yorkshire may have been short on destination hotels, but the newly renovated Grantley Hall is here to change that fact. Nestled within dozens of acres of parkland on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, the grand Palladian-style hall includes 47 rooms filled with countless quaint amenities – from decanters of locally-made sloe gin to Wellington boots available for tramping around the exquisite grounds, complete with a traditional Japanese garden. It’s the sort of place where it’s tempting to spend the entire weekend going between the thermal bath complex in the Three Graces Spa and the Georgian parlour, where head pastry chef Stefan Rose serves an afternoon tea worthy of Downton Abbey.
Where to eat: There’s a range of fine dining options on site at Grantley Hall, with Shaun Rankin’s Chef’s Table being the standout. Take a seat in the Michelin-starred chef’s kitchen and feast on a tasting menu built around produce from the hotel’s kitchen gardens and Rankin’s childhood memories. Think homemade sourdough with beef tea; venison loin with wild blackcurrants and celeriac; and woodruff ice cream topped with raspberries and hazelnut.
Where to go: Just a 20-minute ramble through the countryside from Grantley Hall, Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden is one of the UK’s most breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage Sites, featuring a network of ruined Cistercian monasteries.