Cultural activities in the great outdoors

Outdoor summer events with Pride of Britain Hotels

Summer is the perfect time of year to enjoy a range of cultural activities in the great outdoors. Here are a few options:

Musicals al fresco at Kilworth House, Leicestershire

Kilworth House is a beautiful Grade II-listed country house in South Leicestershire and is the only UK hotel to have built its own outdoor theatre. Celebrating its 10^th anniversary this year, the theatre is set in a beautiful wooded glade with canopies that protect against the elements, so performances are never cancelled. This summer’s West-End-standard productions include Cole Porter’s Kiss Me Kate (running until 16 July) and Top Hat (16 August – 17 September) – one of the greatest dance musicals of all time.
Theatre breaks start from £299 per room/ £150 pp (two sharing), including a night’s B&B, pre-theatre dinner and theatre tickets.

Candlelit circus in Gloucestershire – stay at Ellenborough Park

Gifford’s Circus is a magical, traditional-style circus that tours the UK’s village greens and country houses every summer. This season’s performance, ‘Any port in a storm’, will take place towards the start of the summer holidays at The Fox Inn, Barrington (20-31 July). Expect a thrilling candlelit gymnastic show with dancing horses, a live band and a starring role from Tweedy the clown. Tickets from £10 pp. Base yourself at family-friendly Ellenborough Park, beside Cheltenham Racecourse. The award-winning historic five-star Cotswold manor house hotel has an outdoor pool, ideal for children.
A one-night stay costs from £230 per room (two sharing), including full English breakfast.

Outdoor theatre in Constable Country – stay at Maison Talbooth

Overlooking Dedham Vale in Essex, 12-bedroom Maison Talbooth is situated in the heart of Constable Country and has a heated outdoor pool and hot tub (open year-round), plus a tennis court and riverside fine-dining restaurant.  Just a few minutes’ drive from the hotel, National Trust-owned Flatford Mill will be putting on outdoor theatre productions of Midsummer Night’s Dream (28^th July) and The Wind in the Willows (26^th August).
Prices for Midsummer Night’s Dream are £249.50 per person, including B&B at Maison Talbooth, a luxury picnic, a bottle of Taittinger Champagne and two show tickets. The Wind in the Willows is £598 per family (two adults, two children), including B&B at Maison Talbooth, the picnic for four, a bottle of rosé, softs drinks and four show tickets. Both packages include transfers to/from the event in the hotel’s Range Rover.

Festival at Rockingham Castle – stay at Hambleton Hall, Rutland

Dance to hits from the ’70s’, ’80s and ’90s at Rockingham Castle’s Flashpoint Music Festival in Market Harborough (14-16 July). Headline acts include Deacon Blue, Marc Almond, Gabrielle, OMD, ABC, The Lightning Seeds and The Christians. Adult weekend tickets are £85 pp; day tickets from £46 pp.  Stay nearby at Hambleton Hall, an impressive Victorian country house hotel overlooking Rutland Water with 17 individually-designed bedrooms and a Michelin-starred restaurant.
An overnight stay costs from £300 per room (two sharing), including use of the outdoor pool (open until September) and a morning newspaper with a full Hambleton breakfast.

Oban’s Highland Games (24 August) – stay at The Airds, Argyll

Quirky and entertaining, the Oban Games take place annually on the fourth Thursday of August (24^th August 2017).  This entertaining clash of kilts comprises track, field and hill events plus piping and Scottish dancing competitions. Stay nearby at The Airds – an intimate 11-bedroom luxury boutique hotel with two self-catering cottages overlooking Loch Linnhe in Port Appin on Scotland’s unspoilt west coast.  The restaurant serves delectable fresh seafood such as Ravioli of Crab, Shellfish Sauce, Wild Garlic & Lemon Gel followed by West Coast Halibut, Smokes Mussel, Oyster, Chard & Gnocchi and Coffee Soufflé with Cinnamon Doughnut & Milk Ice Cream.
Prices start from £295 per room per night (two sharing), including full Scottish breakfast and five-course dinner.

Open air cinema on a country estate – stay at Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa, Bedfordshire

Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire is a grand, five-star mansion with Capability Brown-designed grounds and a 50-acre lake. The hotel has featured in many box office blockbusters including Four Weddings and a Funeral and James Bond’s The World is Not Enough. This year’s outdoor cinema line-up includes classics such as Mamma Mia (25^th August), Grease (28^th August), Footloose (31^st August) and La La Land (9^th September). Cinema tickets are priced £13 pp.
Stay overnight from £87.50 pp (two sharing), including B&B, or book a pre-cinema BBQ in the courtyard of Adam’s Brasserie for £27.50 pp.

To book any of the above summer breaks please call Pride of Britain Hotels on 0800 089 3929 (www.prideofbritainhotels.com).