Innehållsförteckning för Spring 2025 från British Travel Journal

Over the past 13 years, Robin and Judy Hutson’s hugely successful PIG hotels have multiplied. There’s now a total of nine in the litter, dotted across every county in the south of England. With sprawling kitchen gardens, friendly service, delicious food and cosy, eclectic interiors that are unmistakably PIG, each one is unique, but collectively they all offer the same laid back yet deeply luxurious experience. As a longstanding PIG fan, I was delighted to hear of a new opening, but as I packed my bags I felt a flicker of apprehension: would yet another addition manage to capture that same sense of playful Piggy personality and irresistible charm that so many of us have come to love? I hopped in the car and headed off to find out. The…

“We can have the lakeside sauna ready to go for 9am tomorrow,” cheerfully explains Avington’s Estate Manager, Natalie, when I arrive. The idea is to alternate between said sauna and a lake, I am told. The Scandis have been making this hot-to-cold ritual chic for centuries, and it seems that we are finally catching on. I’d like to point out that I visited Avington in January, so said lake was almost frozen over. Feeling slightly frazzled having left London less than two hours previously, I wasn’t remotely ready to even consider taking my clothes off let alone plunge into icy water. I shuddered at the thought and shoved it to the back of my mind. Perhaps this wilder approach to wellness was a step too far for me… Spanning 175…

Best for Georgian Grandeur The Gainsborough Hotel, Bath Fit for a heroine of one of Jane Austen’s esteemed novels anytime of the year, The Gainsborough’s five-night Jane Austen Celebrations & Merriment is a party Jane Austen aficionados do not want to miss. Held over six days are a series of talks from esteemed professors and writers, guided tours of Regency Bath with Strictly Jane Austen, entry to No.1 Royal Crescent Museum, visits to Steventon and Lacock, guided countryside walking tours, a Regency dance workshop, an embroidery workshop, high tea, a celebratory dinner dinner, and several glasses of fizz with the opportunity to raise a glass to love, friendship and the enduring allure of Jane Austen’s timeless stories! → 13–18 October, five nights including breakfast and a full itinerary programme from £2,200…

Situated in one of the country’s most sought-after waterfront locations, Rock – a charming scenic location for exploring Rock, Polzeath and Daymer Bay – is a picturesque village nestled along the banks of North Cornwall’s Camel Estuary, opposite Padstow. For a home-from-home in the heart of the village, 11 Slipway is an immaculate four bedroom, four storey townhouse, perched gracefully above the estuary with views of Britain’s Saint-Tropez. The property features a reverse-level, sun-soaked open-plan kitchen and living area, a cosy log burner and corner sofas, while folding glass doors seamlessly connect the interior to the outdoor terrace, embodying the true essence of coastal living with a minimalist touch. Throughout the space are delightful nods to artisan Cornwall, from hand-crafted Kernow soap bars to sumptuous woollen Atlantic blankets. It’s easy…

HOTELS EVENTS & EXPERIENCES GLAMPING SELF-CATERING HOTELS THE SOUTH DOWNS The Alfriston If you love the contemporary cool design and reasonable rates of The Signet Collection, take a look at its fourth property. In a pretty village of the same name surrounded by great walking country and near Rathfinny wine estate, The Alfriston opens later this month with 38 rooms, a brasserie featuring local produce, and a boutique spa with outdoor pool. → Rooms from £150, with breakfast; signet.ltd NORTHUMBERLAND The Bailiffgate Hotel With views over Alnwick Castle or the Northumberland countryside, this hotel in a Georgian house adjoining a five-storey modern building is set to open in June. Modern British cuisine will feature in the restaurant, while the 48 rooms will be contemporary in style. The hotel makes a great…

Prepped with rolled up trousers, sandals in hand and bare feet, I’m splashing my way through receding shallow and clear sea waters with a cohort of hundreds of other people in front and behind, walking towards an emerging sandbar between two islands as the tide rolls out. We’re all meeting in the middle of two islands, Tresco and Bryher in the Isles of Scilly, for a good old fashioned knees-up. But what’s unusual here is that a mere few hours ago, the sandbar we’re just about to reach was 20 feet (six metres) under the sea. I’m here for the bi-annual Low Tide Festival, celebrating the low spring tides where in April and September, the tides are so low that it reveals the ocean floor for just a few hours…

1 BEST FOR FORAGING FINDS THE PIG - at Bridge Place, Kent Thanks to its bountiful kitchen gardens, THE PIG has long championed simple, fresh and local ingredients. This year, the luxurious, B-Corp certified hotel group has teamed up with internationally renowned wild foods teacher, author and expert Miles Irving to create a ‘Keep it Wild’ break. Taking place at its lovely Kentish outpost, THE PIG - at Bridge Place, this food-filled one-night stay includes a hands-on foraging experience where guests will learn how to identify what’s in season and how to find delicious, hidden gems that can be enjoyed straight from forest to fork. A freshly foraged lunch will be served in the great outdoors followed by a three-course dinner later that evening cooked by head chef Andy and…

If Jane Austen were alive today, she would be the ideal Ambassador for the Great West Way® – England’s enchanting 125-mile touring route between London and Bristol. As one of the most renowned and quintessentially English novelists, Jane Austen’s captivating stories can be explored, enjoyed and experienced firsthand along the Great West Way. With Jane’s connections to Bath, Winchester, Chawton and Reading, it is no surprise that her novels have been inspired by the quaint towns, villages and picturesque countryside of the Great West Way – and this is the reason behind the widespread celebration of 2025’s momentous milestone 250 years since her birth. The Great West Way invites you to experience the singular charm of everyday life as it unfolded in Jane’s time. Yet, wait! There’s another celebration in…

It’s no secret that Edinburgh has an awful lot to offer. One could spend days simply wandering its winding streets, soaking up the palpable sense of history at every turn. My reason for visiting however, was an entirely gluttonous one. With a long weekend to discover just some of the city’s diverse culinary delights, I began with brunch. I made my way to Leith – Edinburgh’s cool, creative district, home to a plethora of laid-back bars and independent restaurants. One of which is Ardfern; a cosy all-day cafe, bar and bottle shop, owned by acclaimed Scottish chef, Roberta Hall-McCarron. Here, amongst simple wooden tables and shelves of tempting wine bottles, I tucked into perfectly crisp hash browns with BBQ king oyster mushroom and Spenwood cheese, a heavenly crumpet topped with…

From silent retreats to nature-led adventures, wellness-related travel is now at the top of everyone’s list. While trends come and go, treating yourself to a peaceful getaway complete with unique experiences, impeccable design and pampering spas is always a good idea. PoB Hotels knows that wellness is deeply personal. They believe in the importance of nurturing every aspect of one’s soul, from spiritual serenity and cognitive clarity to environmental harmony and physical vitality. That’s why they’re proud to introduce the Nurture Your Soul collection – bringing together a variety of unforgettable wellness breaks. Whether you’re longing for tranquil walks in nature, rejuvenating spa time or uplifting yoga flows, there’s something for every traveller to discover. Each property embodies holistic wellbeing, offering different ways to explore wellness and helping you find…

I’m sitting on the sofa swooning over Mr Darcy, aka Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Viewing the arrogant aristocrat turned tame hero’s scathing glances, wet clinging shirt and eventual passion for Elizabeth Bennet makes the perfect end to a day exploring beautiful Bath. This spa city where Georgian society came to mingle was the author’s home for six years. It also forms the elegant backdrop to parts of two of her six great novels – Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. My visit is particularly special, and not just because it falls in a celebratory year, marking 250 years since Jane’s birth on 16 December, 1775. It’s because I’m staying at 4 Sydney Place, where Jane lived with her parents and older sister, Cassandra, from…

“Look for sunlight on the mossy areas, that’s where mushrooms are most likely to grow,” Calum Montgomery, chef proprietor at Edinbane Lodge and a keen forager, tells me. I’m carefully treading through the woodlands of Dunvegan Castle Gardens on the north west of the Isle of Skye. Underfoot is undulating spongy moss, while I also hear the familiar crunch of brown leaves as they’re just starting to fall to the woodland floor. The early October sun is streaming through the forest’s tree canopy and we’re enjoying some of the best weather the island has had all year, Calum says. There’s an earthy damp scent in the air and our small group are all bent double, eyes glued to the forest floor, scanning for the right type of mushrooms – winter…

CROSSWORD COMPETITION ACROSS 1 Low Tide Festival islands (6)4 Where to find St. Michael’s Resort (8)10 Frying aid particularly common in the East (6,3)11 Hiker’s path (5)12 One who attributes souls to objects and plants (7)13 Fred ran off, finding somewhere to dine in Leith (7)14 High-class Bruton eatery (4)15 Ways to see almost any country (4,5)18 According to regulations (2,3,4)20 Green project in a Cornish pit (4)23 Tropical breakfast fruit (7)25 Devise (5,2)26 One can get 100 kobo for it (5)27 Got more intense (9)28 Gives for safekeeping (8)29 Seizes power by force (6) DOWN 1 Some divas (8)2 Ineptitude (9)3 Bonnie Annie --- (6)5 “Everybody help!” (3,5,2,4)6 Performer with cape and sword (7)7 Long-continued practice (5)8 Sainted South Atlantic isle (6)9 Wiltshire town made royal in 2011 (7,7)16…