Take three staycations: UK boltholes for Bank Holiday bliss

Updated

Forget trying to fight the city crowds or battling your way through an airport this coming bank holiday: take a staycation instead! You can away from it all and relax instead with these late summer short breaks in the UK.

From seaside escapes to hidden country cottages and your own private canal boat, we've got bank holiday boltholes covered this August.

The Lugger Hotel, Cornwall

The Lugger Hotel is built into a postcard-perfect cove in the impossibly pretty harbour of Portloe on the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall. Surrounded by rugged cliffs, windswept headland and encircled by the Cornish Coastal Footpath, the Lugger combines impressive outdoor pursuits with unpretentious luxury.

Wander the coastal paths, visit the nearby Eden Project and tuck into some fresh, locally-sourced seafood in the Lugger Restaurant overlooking the sea before collapsing in one of The Lugger's 22 pristine bedrooms, all decked out in crisp white linen and bleached, Portuguese wood furniture.

Classic rooms start from £150 per night and a Deluxe room with bed and breakfast over the August bank holiday will set you back £205 per night. Book online or call 01872 501322.

The Old Smithy, Breacon Beacons


Step back in time in this romantic, medieval cottage with its thick, stone walls, beams and flagstone floors. Hidden among the Black Mountains of the Brecon Beacons National Park, covered in ivy and set in a beautiful cottage garden next to the River Honduu, The Old Smithy combines the great outdoors with the comfort of a luxury cottage.

The wilds of the Black Mountains and Sugar Loaf Mountain might be just on the doorstep, but back inside you'll find open fires, grand pianos and traditional antiques likes cast iron bathtubs. Explore the 12th century Priory two minutes away or take a trip to the market town of Abergavenny, which is just down the road.

The Old Smithy sleeps between two and six in three bedrooms and starts from £675 for three nights over the August bank holiday. Visit sugarandloaf.com for more details on booking and availability.

Narrowboating, Bradford-on Avon

Escape the bank hoilday crowds and take to some of the UK's prettiest waterways and canals in your very own narrowboat with oxfordshire-narrowboats.co.uk. Test out your sailing skills and hire a boat for the day, the weekend, a full week or, if the spirit of the high streams takes you, even longer.

Wend your way along the peaceful waterways of Bath and Bradford-on-Avon on the K&A Canal, which stretches from Bristol to Reading through some of the areas most rural and charming countryside. Take in the charming market town of Devizes or head to the White Horse in Wilshire before joining the River Thames at Reading.

All of the boats on offer are individually designed and range from two berths up to 12 and come with bathrooms, linen and all kitchen paraphernalia. Visit the website for quotes, booking and boat details.

Hit the beach this bank holiday and make the most of what's left of the summer with these best of British beaches, which one tops your list?

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