Indholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2023 i British Travel Journal

Blossom by blossom the spring begins, prompting an array of floral masterclasses (page 78), and other wonderful courses, including cooking, surfing and beekeeping (page 38). Once you have learned a new skill, why not celebrate with a wellness break from our restorative assortment of Holistic Highs (page 52) or hide away in a romantic bolthole for two (page 90). If you’re ready for a pawsome adventure with your beloved four-legged friend, you’ll be pleased to discover that almost all the hotels and self-catering properties featured in our Travel News (page 9) are either entirely dog-friendly or have designated bedrooms for ‘pawfect’ stays. One such pooch-welcoming retreat is Whatley Manor in the Cotswolds. Here, we meet executive chef Ricki Weston to learn more about his life as a rising star in…

It’s all very rustic at this little restaurant with rooms in 7.5 acres of rolling Kent countryside. Everything is cooked in the outdoor kitchen, with its baker’s oven built into the stable wall and wood-fired grill; guests eat in a covered outdoor space. The short menu might be Italian leaning but it’s strong on local produce. Typical dishes include tagliolini with chilli and crab and braised short rib with pickled walnut. Within the 17th-century farmhouse are five block-coloured rooms, while another is set within the gardener’s cottage outside. ◆ Rooms cost from £250, with breakfast, updownfarmhouse.com…

An exclusive-hire venue with its own barbers for a spot of pre-dinner grooming? Yes, and a dressing room kitted out with hair-washing sinks, hairdryers and tongs. They’ve done everything possible to make this Georgian manor the ultimate in private hire, whether you want to hold a big birthday, a wellness retreat or a wedding. A team of inhouse chefs can please the most particular of palates, while in the bar the staff love to whip up their signature burnt orange negronis. As for the 12 bedrooms, they have rolltop baths and minibars. ◆ From £12,500 for 24-hour hire, kinhouse.co.uk…

For a side serving of theatre with your food, you can’t go wrong here. One of London’s hottest new restaurants, Bacchanalia in Mayfair was curated by flamboyant interior architect Martin Brudnizki and it’s breathtaking from the moment you walk through the gilded door. Damien Hirst's equine statues gallop across a ceiling painted with scenes from classical myths. A floor-toceiling mural on the back wall depicts the Last Supper, albeit one where iPhones and the Golden Gate Bridge existed. The Greek- and Italian-inspired food, served by toga-clad staff, is part of the show – it’s finished at the tables for that extra wow factor. ◆ bacchanalia.co.uk…

It’s springtime in Royal Victoria Park and there is a strange puffing sound overhead. For those unfamiliar with Bath, the historic park spreads like a picnic blanket beneath the city’s famous Royal Crescent. When daffodils raise their heads and the magnolias are studded with fresh buds, the park lawns are used to launch the year’s first hot-air balloons. The magnificent balloons fire up – weather permitting – with an emphatic puffing noise and rise majestically above the trees for an aerial view of the Crescent’s sweep of perfectly aligned townhouses. A hot-air balloon flight is a great way to fully appreciate this graceful street and the Georgian architecture within this UNESCO World Heritage city. From April 2023 onwards, the Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, which sits at the very centre…

Ricki Weston stands at the pass of the expansive and gleaming kitchen of The Dining Room, casting a masterful eye over his showstopping dishes. His kitchen is a flurry of hushed activity – there is no shouting nor clamouring – just a confident, quickfooted buzz honed by the cool, calm executive chef. “I don’t like combative kitchens. You don’t need to shout and holler. I like my team to be focused and creative,” Ricki says. A rising star of modern British gastronomy, Ricki was appointed executive chef of Whatley Manor Hotel & Spa’s Michelin-star restaurant The Dining Room in 2022, having been part of the team at Whatley Manor for over three years prior to that. Young, ambitious, and experimental, Ricki continues to elevate Whatley Manor’s multicourse menu at The…

Floristry workshops at Armathwaite Hall Hotel Few venues can rival Armathwaite Hall Hotel when it comes to location. This Lake District jewel is set in 400 restful acres of deer park and woodland, bordered by the mesmeric waters of Bassenthwaite Lake and framed by the magnificent Skiddaw Mountain and Lake District Fells. Throughout 2023, Armathwaite – a proud member of Pride of Britain Hotels – is offering a range of floral workshops in collaboration with Cumberland Flower Farm. Guests can enjoy a range of seasonal courses throughout the year – crafting fresh spring wreaths made from Cumbrian foliage, plants, bulbs and flowers using sustainable techniques or creating sumptuous midsummer bouquets bursting with seasonal blooms. As autumn draws in, the expert florists will guide guests as they create a stunning fall table…

1The Great Arch at Fonthill, in Wiltshire Gracefully framing the entrance to the Fonthill Estate, The Victory Arch was built in 1755. Last year, its intimate rooms were refurbished in Farrow & Ball’s newest shades and The Great Arch was transformed into striking accommodation for anyone wanting to hang their hats inside a Grade-I-listed landmark. Patterned fabrics blend harmoniously with antique furniture over three floors, and every space feels stylishly snug. The bedroom has a roll-top bath that looks towards Fonthill’s lake, there’s a log burner in the sitting room and a quaint, eat-in kitchen. Not far from the well-to-do village of Tisbury, Fonthill offers lakeside walks past stone grottos and it’s only 20 minutes to The Beckford Arms, where hearty food and log fires await. One night from £295…

HOW TO ENTER SIMPLY SEND YOUR COMPLETED CROSSWORD (OR THE ANSWERS) AND YOUR POSTAL ADDRESS BY POST TO BRITISH TRAVEL JOURNAL, CROSSWORD@BRITISHTRAVELJOURNAL.COM UNIT 6, BASEPOINT, ANDERSONS ROAD, SOUTHAMPTON, SO14 5FE, OR EMAIL THE ANSWERS TO Great Walks on the England Coast Path: This guide will encourage you to explore both well-loved and less well-known parts of the English shoreline, £20, cicerone.co.uk| Just Add Water: Over 100 ways to recharge and relax on the UK's rivers, lakes and canals, £18.99, bloomsbury.com| The Hebridean Baker: Baking sensation, Coinneach MacLeod, known as @hebrideanbaker to his 251,000 TikTok followers and 107,000 Instagram followers is serving up a fresh selection of exciting new recipes and charming stories, £26, blackandwhitepublishing.com ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN! AN ETTINGER CAPRA PASSPORT COVER & LUGGAGE TAG WORTH £165…

Celebrating a special event? You can now take over a whole Cotswolds village. The 15 stone cottages at Daylesford village, on a 2,500- acre estate, were recently launched by Carole Bamford. Her farm shop is just down the road, offering cookery classes, floristry workshops, winetastings and the use of the Bamford Wellness Spa. And if you don’t want to cook, it’s just a short walk to the two pubs in Bamford’s empire: The Fox at Oddington and The Wild Rabbit. It's price on application, which means it’s expensive, but you can rent the cottages individually from £375 a night for two. ◆ daylesford.com…

Sometimes restaurants with rooms are more about the food than the furnishings. Not so at this Jacobean manor house, with its seven super-smart bedrooms – think rolltop baths, four posters and window seats. The enormous, beamed restaurant makes a great backdrop, too, for chef Shane Pearson’s gourmet version of home-cooked favourites. Just a 35-minute train ride from London, Boys Hall is the passion project of husband-and-wife team Bradley and Kristie Lomas. There’s more to come, with new rooms and cabins due to open later this year, along with treatment rooms and an outdoor pizza oven plus garden-room bar. ◆ Rooms from £160, with breakfast, boys-hall.com Editor loves…

For a change from tents, why not stay in a German fire truck, an American school bus, or even a helicopter? The vehicles form part of comedian and TV star Johnny Vegas’ new glampsite. Moving from his original Yorkshire pitch in search of something bigger, the eponymous star of Channel 4’s Johnny Vegas: Carry on Glamping picked the Derbyshire home of Lord and Lady Kerr to host his Field of Dreams campsite, opening in April. Combine a stay with one of the boutique events held at the hall. ◆ Two nights from £330, melbournehall.com …

It's easy to become wrapped up in the hottest hotel openings and exciting refurbishments, often overlooking the quieter, more unassuming establishments – ones that have been hosting guests for centuries, not merely decades – and yet, just like their newer rivals, are continually evolving without complacency. One such five-star hideaway is St. James’s Hotel & Club in Mayfair – with such a long tradition of impeccable service, it's no wonder Sir Winston Churchill, Henry James and Ian Fleming have been previous members. Today’s high-profile guests are no less impressive (Elle Macpherson, Sir Sean Connery and Sir Elton John, to name but a few), perhaps attracted by the privacy of this historic boutique club, subtly located in a peaceful hidden cul-de-sac, protected from London’s usual hustle and bustle. As a guest…

Learn to catch a wave Surf Sanctuary, Cornwall Directly overlooking the world-famous Fistral Beach, Surf Sanctuary is the on-site surf school at the fivestar Headland Hotel in Newquay. Set up by a small collective of lifelong surfers and friends that enjoy sharing everything that the beautiful Cornish coast has to offer, the school caters for families, individuals and small groups, and offers bespoke and group sessions in surfing, coasteering, stand-up-paddleboarding, snorkel tours, ocean confidence training and more. The Headland Hotel’s Surf & Stay package includes three nights' accommodation, spa access and a session of your choice at Surf Sanctuary. surfsanctuary.co.uk Also try... Outer Reef, Wales Established in 1999, this friendly surf, stand-uppaddleboarding and kayaking centre in Pembrokeshire offers classes for all ages and abilities. It also offers adventures such as…

PADDLEBOARDING WITH WILBUR It’s three-something in the morning and a thousand crickets are dancing on the fibreglass roof by the banks of Derwentwater. We’re in our home on wheels where we have spent seven sweet days of spring marvelling at the moonlit dash to the shower block and the unspoken communion that happens between us campers as we compare awnings and what’s being cooked at breakfast. There are three of us. Me, my partner and the goodest boy: Wilbur a vizsla, who is five years old. Each morning, we ready ourselves for the day’s expedition on deckchairs strategically placed in front of an electric heater and wear sherpa-lined dry robes. Each night, we sup on yellow rice poured unceremoniously from a packet, play rock-paper-scissors and smear more butter on the…