The UK can be as wondrous a destination as anywhere else – and if you are thinking of keeping it British in the coming months, you will find plentiful options to ease your wanderlust. In fact, you don’t even have to abandon the continental holiday you were dreaming of in dreary January. Sort of. With a little lateral thinking, you can still have that Greek-island jaunt, that wine-tasting tour, that mountain escape, without having to go through customs. Here are 15 substitutes for classic European breaks. You will need your sun cream, your camera and your floatiest dress. Just not your passport…
Côte d’AzurInstead of Nice, try Hayle Estuary
It can never be an exact replica. For one thing, France’s south coast revels in average temperatures touching 30C in July; the north coast of Cornwall some ten degrees lower. But the trick to a glorious beach break is a fine stretch of shoreline, and a place to stay which pushes all your right buttons. Gaze at the River Hayle where it reaches the sea – the grand arc of Carbis Bay to the west, the epic sands of Hayle Beach and Mexico Towans Beach to the east – and you won’t think that you are in Cannes. But you won’t care either.
How to do it: Stay at the five-star Carbis Bay Hotel (01736 795 311; carbisbayhotel.co.uk), with rooms from £250 a night. Plan a trip to Cornwall with our guide.
‘Ancient’ RomeInstead of The Colosseum, try Hadrian’s Wall
There is, of course, an endless historic glory to the Eternal City – and there is no point in pretending that, if you dream of Roman history in giant statement buildings, Britain has anything to echo the greatest amphitheatre ever built. And yet, in terms of travels in the Europe of two millennia ago, the formidable dividing line between conquered Britannia and unruly Caledonia offers much more to savour – 73 miles of sturdy stonework, laid down in 122AD, which stretches across the peaks and troughs of Northumberland and Cumbria. Cause enough for a holiday of several days, not just an afternoon’s sightseeing.
How to do it: Headwater (01606 369 882; headwater.com) offers “Walking the Best of Hadrian’s Wall”, a six-day, self-guided tour of a central section of the route. From £869 per person.
Source link : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/who-needs-europe-best-british-alternatives-holiday-visit-summer/
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Publish date : 2024-04-11 03:00:00
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