Fancy a British weekend away doing lots hunting shooting and fishing? Then Bovey Castle is your place. Activities on offer here include archery, deer stalking and rifle shooting, as well as croquet and tennis. Oh, and you can make your own English cider well as well as try your hand at sloe gin making. The hotel puts on a daily falconry display where owls and hawks take their seat on the reception desk. A one night stay starts from £189,see boveycastle.com.
It’s as if the Goring was built simply for a truly British experience. For a start it boasts the largest private hotel garden in London, complete with croquet lawn - so it’d be rude not to practice your Queen of Hearts impression, right? The hotel itself comes with a very special recommendation after the Her Majesty the Queen awarded it a Royal Warrant. And the afternoon tea is also heralded as the best in the capital. But if that doesn’t convince you of how beautifully British it is, you can sign up to one of the cultural tours that mark British festivals including St George’s Day and Guy Fawkes night. Prices start from £740 a night, afternoon tea is priced at £37.50, see thegoring.com.
Delve deep into the English countryside with a stay at Lime Wood, a former Regency manor where you can forage in the New Forest for fresh and local ingredients. You then take your basket back to the hotel’s kitchen and allow the chefs to transform your findings into a tasty lunch. Or you could head to the River Test and River Avon for a spot of fly fishing. Eaves rooms cost from £245 per night, see limewoodhotel.co.uk.
Open fires and home-made cream teas aren’t the only charm of The Morritt, set in the North Pennine Hills. The beautiful setting has inspired paintings of by Turner, Cotman and Gilroy as well as the poetry of William Wordsworth. Food is firmly on the agenda at The Morritt: the award-winning British-themed menu from Lee Stainthorpe comes recommended. Prices start from £85, see themorritt.co.uk.
Sometimes it works to break with tradition and banish the myth that Brits don't do fine foods - and there’s nowhere better to do this than at Swinton Park Hotel’s Cookery School in the green Yorkshire Dales. The course offers a variety of short cooking courses run by chef Stephen Bulmer who will ensure that you can whip up a British dish or three with ease. Other activities include fishing, falconry, horse riding and rambling. Room rates from £160 per room per night, cooking lessons start from £85 see swintonpark.com.
Exposed wooden beams and tapestries adorn the walls and medieval outbuildings of the Bailiffscourt, which was originally built for the Guinness family in the 1920s using medieval timber and stone. The rooms offer open fire places, oak chests and many other charming furnishings. There's even a moat and the family of resident peacocks. Rooms start from from £210 per night, see hshotels.co.uk.
Be the lord or lady of your own manor at Silverholme, part of the 5,000 acre Graythwaite estate, where this grand house has been restored to reflect its former Georgian glory. Retrace William Wordsworth’s steps for a walk along England’s largest lake, Windermere, hop on a Segway and tour the extensive grounds or cast your line with some fly-fishing. Not enough? Arrange to have your own private butler to serve you and your guests. Exclusive hire of the property starts from £245 per person, based on 18 people sharing for a three-night stay, there are also cottages available to rent. See graythwaite.com.
One of Wales’ grandest establishments, The Angel is on the edge of the Brecon Beacons. The award-winning afternoon tea would be reason enough to lure you here, and while you're there, staff at the former coaching inn can arrange for you to take part in a bushcraft and falconry excursion (£120, gooddayout.co.uk) where experts will teach you some simple survival techniques such as how to forage for food and light a fire. In the afternoon you’ll delve deeper into the National Park to watch the Harris Hawks take to the sky before flying back to your group. Rooms start from £89 a night, see angelabergavenny.com.
If game and clay pigeon shooting aren’t your thing then there are more modern equivalents to entertain you at Shieldhall Castle Hotel, including paintballing. But if it’s traditional activities in tranquil surroundings you're after you're also at the right place: the castle dates back to 1199. Fishing, golf, riding and falconry are all on offer, and when you feel like putting your feet up, the hotel’s four-poster beds in a wood-panelled rooms should suffice. Room starts from £95 a night, see
What’s more British than a pint at a country inn, with the scent of woody smoke surrounded by locals and their labradors? The fact that Admiral Lord Nelson once stayed at this 17th century hideaway in Burnham Market village speaks volumes about The Hoste's rich history. Bask in the beauty of the English countryside with a walk on the nearby beaches of Brancaster and Holkham then head back for a comforting roast dinner or a traditional afternoon tea. B&B prices start at £190, see thehoste.com.