Looking ahead with Pride of Britain Hotels…

Whilst hotels currently remain closed, brighter times are ahead. Pride of Britain Hotels, a 50-strong collection of luxury hotels, has plenty of scintillating staycation ideas for springtime onwards…

 Hotel news

If you are missing top-notch Michelin-starred cuisine, Northcote in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley, is creating new Northcote At Home Gourmet Boxes (£105 for two people) courtesy of creative Executive Chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen and her team. Using the finest seasonal ingredients, each dish is lovingly prepared and packaged so that you can enjoy restaurant-quality creations at your own dinner table. The Gourmet Boxes can be delivered nationwide and feature four delicious courses. Sample dishes include English Onion ‘French Style Soup’ and Waterford Farm Salt-Aged Beef, plus a selection of handmade chocolates.

Located on Cornwall’s beautiful Roseland Peninsula, overlooking Carne beach, The Nare Hotel is a traditional family-run English country house hotel. In March 2021, the hotel will unveil four of the largest sea-view hotel suites in Britain. The Whittington Suites will each boast panoramic views of the coastline, and feature a master bedroom, sitting room, dressing room/second bedroom, two bathrooms and a spacious balcony or terrace. Each can be configured as one, two or three bedrooms – ideal for multi-generational family stays.

 Exploring the great outdoors

Due to be completed in 2021, the England Coast Path will span 2,800 miles and will be one of the longest walking trails in the world. Try bite-sized sections at Seaham Hall, on the Durham Heritage Coast, Bailiffscourt Hotel & Spa, by Climping Beach in Sussex and The Headland Hotel & Spa, on Newquay’s Fistral Beach in Cornwall. Thurlestone, in South Devon, is also just moments from the South West Coast Path; the hotel celebrates its 125^th anniversary in 2021. Owned by the Grose family since 1896, it is the oldest family-run hotel in the UK.

Founded in 1670, and still delivering world-leading plant science, conservation, and education, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is home to 13,500 plant species from 157 countries. These include the world’s richest collection of rhododendrons, a rock garden with 5,000 alpine plants and a fascinating collection of Chinese flora. Take one of the winding paths through the rhododendron forest and enjoy spectacular views across to Edinburgh Castle. Stay at The Dunstane Houses, in Edinburgh’s West End, or on board Fingal, a floating hotel in the city’s waterside area of Leith.

 British events

Starting on 11^th June 2021, and running into July, The Grange Festival in Hampshire is dedicated to performing world-class opera in the heart of the Hampshire countryside. This year’s line-up includes La Cenerentola, My Fair Lady, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and bookings will be taken from 10^th March.  Stay at Lainston House, just outside Winchester.

In Wales, the Man versus Horse Marathon is due to take place in Llanwrtyd Wells, Mid Wales, on Saturday 12^th June, 2021; it took 25 years before a man finally beat a horse on the 22-mile course.  The same town hosts the World Bog Snorkelling Championships on Sunday 29^th August, 2021, and the Real Ale Wobble on 20^th November – the latter a non-competitive cycling event which marks the start of the Mid Wales Beer Festival, with stop-offs en route for cider and beer tastings. Stay nearby at Lake Country House Hotel and Spa, set in 50 acres of grounds on the banks of the River Irfon.

Some much-needed culture…

Fingers crossed that many of the country’s cultural spaces will be up and running again during the second half of 2021. In London, The Royal Academy offers a new David Hockney exhibition (27^th March – 22^nd August), focusing on the artist’s new works created during the pandemic from his Normandy home. The RA will also host conceptual and performance artist Marina Abramović (25^th September – 12^th December), who will exhibit her life’s work.

 In the West End, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new adaptation of Cinderella is due to debut on 29^th April at The Gillian Lynne Theatre, Covent Garden, with Carrie Hope Fletcher taking the lead role. Fans of the 1980s will enjoy the stage adaptation of Back to The Future: The Musical (14^th May – 26^th September), at The Strand’s Adelphi Theatre. Stay in London at The Goring in Belgravia, The Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge or The Athenaeum Hotel & Residences on Piccadilly.

Twenty miles south of Leeds, Yorkshire Sculpture Park currently boasts an installation of four major sculptures by Damien Hurst (running until 1 April 2022), as well as up to 80 sculptures that can be viewed in the open air. Subject to coronavirus restrictions lifting, indoor exhibitions planned include  Breaking the Mould (13^th March – 6^th June), an epochal survey of women’s sculpture from Barbara Hepworth to Eva Rothschild, and Annie Morris (July), the artist’s first UK solo museum show of tapestry works and sculpture. Stay at Middlethorpe Hall and Spa in York.

In the Lake District, Wordsworth Grasmere is set to open The Museum in the Spring and will bring Wordsworth’s story into the 21st century, highlighting his relevance today and encouraging a greater sense of appreciation for his work than ever before. There will also be a new viewing platform overlooking Grasmere Vale, and plenty of activities for children. Stay in the Lake District at Armathwaite Hall Hotel and Spa or Gilpin Hotel & Lake House.

Built in 1068 under the orders of William The Conqueror, Nottingham Castle is due to re-open in Spring 2021 after a project costing in the region of £30 million has been completed. In addition to the restoration of many of the castle’s buildings, there will be brand-new digital installations featuring Robin Hood. Stay nearby at Stapleford Park Hotel & Spa or Kilworth House, in Leicestershire.

Filming locations

On 26^th March 2021, Ammonite, starring Kate Winslet as fossil collector Mary Anning, will be released. Winslet stars opposite on-screen lover Saoirse Ronan, and much of the film was shot on Dorset’s dramatic Jurassic Coast. Stay nearby, on the riverside, at The Priory in Wareham.

 Set in the UK and Europe between the two World Wars, The Pursuit of Love is a three-part adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s romantic novel about love and friendship, due out on BBC One in March. The story follows the adventures (and misadventures!) of the charismatic Linda Radlett, played by Lily James. The cast also includes Dominic West and Andrew Scott (the Priest in Fleabag). Directed by actress Emily Mortimer, some of the scenes were filmed near Green Street Station in Bath. Stay at one of Bath’s most prestigious addresses, at the Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa – right in the centre of the city, but boasting glorious one-acre gardens.

On 5^th March, the film Supernova launches, with Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci taking the leading roles. The road trip movie follows the couple on what may be their last holiday to the Lake District, and includes stunning locations such as Keswick, Crummock Water and Buttermere. Stay in the Lake District at Armathwaite Hall Hotel and Spa or Gilpin Hotel & Lake House.

Showcasing the English capital on the big screen, the long-awaited new James Bond film, No Time to Die, has been delayed again – until October 2021 – and will feature a car chase scene in which Bond (portrayed by Daniel Craig for the final time) speeds down Whitehall in an Aston Martin. Stay in London at The Goring in Belgravia, The Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge or The Athenaeum Hotel & Residences on Piccadilly.

To book a post-lockdown stay at the collection of 50 member properties, please call Pride of Britain Hotels on 0800 089 3929 (www.prideofbritainhotels.com).