Whether it is the carbon cost of air travel, a fear of foreign languages, or a nagging uncertainty as to the whereabouts of your passport, there are great reasons to holiday in the UK this summer. Anna Sheinman shares her top three destinations to suit all budgets:
Aran Fawddwy
After a busy term and an expensive May Week, you can be forgiven for wanting to keep things simple. The tiny village of Dinas Mawddwy in Snowdonia National Park is your chance to do just that. One of the many supposed sites of King Arthur’s death, there is now a post office, The Red Lion pub and as many rolling Welsh hills as you could want.
Cheap, no frills campsites abound. Once pitched, less experienced walkers can try routes from the excellent Snowdonia National Park website, but for the more adventurous there are plenty of Hewitts (mountains over 2,000 feet) to bag in the area. Aran Fawddwy, meaning ‘place of the spreading waters’, is Wales’s 2nd highest mountain, and the expansive, craggy views from the summit are particularly satisfying, as is the regaining of mobile phone signal half way up.
There are no shops, so bring food, but basics can be sourced from the local garage, and The Red Lion does decent pub meals and an excellent pint. To mix it up a bit, hit the road. To the north is Bala Lake and watersports, to the west is Barmouth and the Welsh seaside, and back on the border Powis Castle makes a rewarding final hill to climb before heading home.
££ - Party People in Newcastle
Martin Burns via Flickr/CreativeCommons - The Baltic
The seriously central new Eurohostel is getting rave reviews, but only ten minutes’ walk away The Cumberland Arms does £60 a night doubles, breakfast til 1pm, and the pub serves fish-finger sandwiches.
The Ouseburn Valley is packed with pubs that do a great pint, try The Cluny or The Tyne Bar. More upmarket, Alvino’s is sophisticated but not pretentious, and has continental beers and lovely roof terrace.
Once sozzled, on weekends downstairs at The Head of Steam Pub is free entry, has great DJs and a packed dance floor. World Headquarters is the last word on alternative music, if there is a big dubstep act in town that is where they will be.
Heaton’s cafés soothe any hangover, I suggest paninis at La Fiesta, which does the best coffee in town, or pots of tea and board games at Heaton Perk. For the perkier, The Baltic Museum and the newly refurbished Tyneside Cinema will not disappoint. Pick up The Crack for monthly listings.
£££ - Love Nest on the Suffolk Coast
The Beach Huts at Southwold
If there’s a little more cash to splash, and someone special to spend it with, the Suffolk Coast is where English charm goes upper-middle class. Southwold, otherwise known as Hampstead-on-Sea, is famed for its candy striped beach huts, and the surrounding countryside is peppered with luxury B&Bs like the oak-beamed Stables at Henham Park, and cottages to rent (try Acanthus Holidays or Suffolk Cottage Holidays).
After a bracing walk on Southwold beach (head south to Walberswick to spot celebrities like Richard Curtis and Jill Freud) seafood consumption is imperative. Home smoked salmon at the multi award winning Butley Orford Oysterage is sublime, as is the fish and chips by Halesworth library. Pop opposite to Gladrags Vintage and try on 20s fur coats and 30s trilbies whilst digesting. An afternoon tour of the Adnams brewery is the perfect excuse to pick up a bottle of Southwold Bitter.
For the culturally inclined, the August Snape Proms are world class and The Southwold Theatre is surprisingly professional, or you can snuggle up to a classic movie in the restored 1912 Electric Picture Palace in Southwold.
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