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5 Christmas adventures in the UK

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! With Christmas lights twinkling, mulled wine brewing and the cheery atmosphere all around, a self catering holiday in the UK provides a wonderful opportunity to enjoy Christmas time. Play board games, enjoy a delicious roast dinner and make your Christmas holiday one to remember for years to come. Take the opportunity to begin the festivities and relax into the magic of Christmas with these five UK Christmas adventures… Christmas markets Christmas markets are all around and they’re a great opportunity to buy a locally made gift for your loved one. Hand crafted goods, delicious locally sourced food and drink and delightful Christmas decorations. Head to the world-famous Bath markets in Somerset, Padstow Christmas Festival in Cornwall or Osborne House on the Isle of Wight for their Victorian Christmas Market, among many others around the UK. And there’s plenty of other Christmas events for the whole family, including ice skating, Christmas concerts, Santa by Steam, plus the National Trust will be holding many festive celebrations countrywide. Christmas crafts and bake Christmas treats Spend the afternoon in your cosy cottage and get creative.  Make a Christmas wreath or go to a wreath making event at a local florist or make a gingerbread house or pinecone elves for a little bit of fun with friends and family. And if you’re feeling peckish, make use of the kitchen to bake mince pies and decorate Christmas biscuits. Serve up mulled wine or mulled cider and gather around the fire to enjoy your tasty treats and admire your crafts. Christmas lights Wander through cobbled streets illuminated by twinkling festive lights, hot chocolate in hand, and revel in the merry atmosphere.  Some of the best include the Mousehole lights in West Cornwall, Clovelly in Devon, Chichester in Sussex, Bath in Somerset and many more. Brave a Boxing Day dip in the sea Whether you’re holidaying in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Sussex or the Isle of Wight, head to the coast and take part in the traditional boxing day sea swim. It’s a truly unique festive experience (for the brave among us) arranged to raise money for charity – ‘tis the season for goodwill! Countryside or coastal walks Wrap up warm and blow the cobwebs away with a fresh winter’s walk in the open countryside, the coastal path or the beach during the festive season, before returning to your cosy cottage to relax by the fire. Heavenly. Our top picks for a winter walk include Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, Exmoor in Devon, the St Ives Bay coast path in Cornwall, the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, Ashdown Forest in Sussex and the breath taking Isle of Wight coastal path. What have you got planned for your Christmas break? Are you staying at home or enjoying a UK staycation? Simon Tregoning is the Chairman at Classic Cottages. Classic Cottages have an exclusive portfolio of places to stay, handpicked in the best locations from the tip of far west Cornwall across the south of England and over on the Isle of Wight. If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

Simon Tregoning

Simon Tregoning is the Chairman for Classic Cottages. Classic Cottages has an exclusive portfolio of places to stay, handpicked in the best locations from the tip of far west Cornwall across the south of England and over on the Isle of Wight. Classic Cottages find holiday cottages that make you say wow. From bijou fishermen’s cottages on a harbour’s edge, to sprawling country pads, we’re picky about what we offer so you can be sure you’re always getting the best. Holidays with hot tubs, properties that welcome four-legged friends and homes set up with babies in mind all feature in our eclectic mix of home-from-homes.

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5 Comments

  1. In answer to your question – staying at home or enjoying a UK staycation – I think that the answer for many people, if my friends are typical, is both.

    Most people like to do the traditional Christmas at home, after all hotels can be really, really expensive, even if you you just go out for Christmas lunch, then people like to get away for a break of a few days. Ideally a nice country cottage or by the sea.

    This year if you get yourself organised, you could have a long post-Christmas break, using up very few days of your precious annual leave and not go back to work until Monday 6th January 2020.

  2. It’s a “Yes” from me for 4 of the activities and a resounding “No” to the Boxing Day swimming. I don’t do cold water. I will happily donate money to those braving it to raise money for charity but I will not be putting a single toe into icy water on Boxing Day.

  3. It’s all too easy to waste the much-needed Christmas holidays. You can just sit on the sofa for day after day watching too much television, eating and drinking too much.

    By the time you have to go back to work you probably feel in worse condition than when you finished before Christmas.

    We’ve learnt our lesson and usually try to get away for at least a 5 day break after Christmas if we can. Staying in a cottage somewhere new encourages you to get out and about making the most of the 8 hours of daylight!

  4. I love seeing the Christmas lights in our town. Some nights I go for a little drive just to look at them, and go through the houses where the decorations are all lit up too. We always used to do a countryside walk up the Malverns years ago, but now we’ve moved we do a walk around a local park, usually on Christmas afternoon and again on Boxing day. I’d like to do a bit more in the way of crafts this year, something to get me feeling more festive because Christmas sneaks up before we know it.

  5. All very traditional Christmas season activities, I must say. I especially like, and always do baking Christmas treats for the family. I don’t know how many tins of crisps and biscuits I’ve given out to family and friends over the years. It gives me a wonderful feeling to be sharing something I made with love. We also always check out the local markets for artisanal goods that I also use in my baked goods.

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