It’s almost September, the heatwaves are over (for now) and kids are preparing to go back to school. But according to lastminute.com, we’re not ready to say goodbye to summer just yet – bookings for departures in the week leading up to the August bank holiday are up 18.2% from last year. Plus many parents wait until GCSE results are released today before booking a celebratory short break.
And with the long-weekend looming, we’ve got plenty of ideas for making the most of it so you end summer with even more memories. As Zoe Fidler from lastminute.com says: ‘The August bank holiday often arrives quicker than people expect and, for many families, it represents one final opportunity to spend quality time together before school and work routines return. We’re seeing travellers embrace a last-minute approach, choosing holidays that fit their needs closer to departure rather than planning months in advance, proving that it really can be a smart, better choice to leave it to the last minute’.
So, whether you’d like to treat the kids to a night sleeping next to lions in London Zoo or enjoy your own great-value break at a country house hotel, here are seven ideas for the three-day weekend.
1. Go wild on a zoo sleepover
Imagine waking up next to a family of sleeping white rhinos or hearing the roar of Asiatic lions during the night. The good news is you don’t have to go on an expensive safari in Kenya to have such a magical experience.
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) offers unique overnight stays at London Zoo, which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year, as well as at Whipsnade Zoo near Dunstable in Bedfordshire plus both still have limited availability over the bank holiday.
The best thing about these stays (and I’ve done both!) is you get to experience the zoo after hours, when crowds have left and many of the animals – especially nocturnal ones – are more active. You get full access to the zoo on two days, behind-the-scenes talks, dinner and breakfast but, best of all, can make friends with some of the incredible animals – my favourites were the Madagascan ring-tailed lemurs, Asian short clawed otters and red Pandas at Whipsnade.
Zoo sleepovers start from £220pp at London Zoo Lodges (which have an en-suite toilet and shower) and £199.50pp at Whipsnade’s cosy Lookout Lodges (where there’s a shower block and toilets nearby).
Chester Zoo is celebrating the first birthday of The Reserve this year – a collection of 51 safari-style lodges with many overlooking the giraffe paddock. Guests can take part in exclusive experiences including Campfire Stories and an after-hours Heart of Africa Safari, designed to bring them closer to the zoo’s wildlife and conservation work. There’s availability over the bank holiday, too, with prices from £834 for two adults sharing for one night. On other dates Lakeside Lodges start from £249 a night (that’s just £124.50pp) and includes a two-day Chester Zoo pass. Staying in each of the three zoos will also help fund important conservation work.
My other two favourite UK wildlife centres (where you can’t stay overnight but do get to see some incredible birds and creatures on a day out) are the British Wildlife Centre near Lingfield in Surrey and the Hawk Conservancy Trust near Andover in Hampshire.
2. Book a great-value staycation
Earlier this summer, I stayed at Thoresby Hall, an elegant 19th-century Grade I listed country house in Nottinghamshire, near ancient Sherwood Forest. And although it still looks like the stately home it once was – with a grand turreted roof, vaulted Great Hall, huge library, carved fireplaces and 50 acres of gardens – it’s now part of the Reserve by Warner Hotels (other properties include The Runnymede on Thames, near Windsor, and Heythrop Park in the Cotswolds), which means the 221 rooms in the old and new wings are great value (from around £165pp per night all inclusive). Plus there’s still availability over the August bank holiday weekend for a last-minute staycation.
Warner Hotels has spent £15.5m transforming it into a luxury, all-inclusive destination hotel, adding a serene spa with a hidden outdoor sauna and hot tubs, an indoor heated pool, the Manvers Bar (named after Lady Manvers, the last owner of Thoresby), and the custom-built Live Lounge where nightly shows are included (we saw the original cast of SIX The Musical perform when we stayed).
As well as a world-food inspired breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet in the Market Kitchen, you can pay a supplement of just £6.95pp for breakfast and £19.95pp for dinner and have a refined tasting menu served to you à la carte in the grand surroundings of the Blue Room, with its gilded ceilings, blue silk damask wall coverings, fireplaces and wood panelling.
There’s still some availability over the August bank holiday and Warner Hotels Great British Break Sale is on until August 24, offering up to 20% off selected two- to four-night escapes across its 16 unique adult-only destinations; including breakfast, a three-course dinner and entertainment. At Thoresby, you can also learn how to do axe throwing, enjoy Big Green Egg cookery experiences, gin tastings and cheese and wine masterclasses.
5. Stay in a multi-gen big group house
A group staycation may seem like a lot to organise last minute, but if you’re from a big family and are planning to spend the Bank Holiday together anyway, why not take the whole brood to a beach house? Our senior beauty writer, Florence Reeves-White, is a big fan of getting a group together and staying in a big house, rather than a hotel – she claims it’s almost always far cheaper, too. She told me about this amazing north Norfolk bolthole, which sleeps 20 and is just a 30-minute stroll from the shore at Wells-next-the-Sea, where you’ll find a working fishing port, bustling harbour and families with children crabbing on the quay. Curious seals punctuate verges a short boat ride away and pinewood forests lining the sand provide the perfect natural play park – that’s if you can drag yourself away from the pool back at the house!
There’s a sun deck for the languid afternoon aficionados among you, plus a pétanque court, wood-fired hot tub and fire pit for people to gather around for those long-overdue catch-ups you’ve all been promising, but rarely act upon. Although it’s booked over the bank holiday weekend, ARC Next-the-Sea has some rare free dates from bank holiday Monday for the next few days, so snap up your stay before another savvy spontaneous crew do. If another time suits you better, each of this brand’s houses is deliciously designed and perfectly positioned in close proximity to the best of the UK’s natural beauty. Try The Peaks, Suffolk, The Cotswolds and Cornwall if Norfolk’s not right for you.
3. Walk a new coastal path
If you’re looking for something free to do over the bank holiday there’s nothing better for your mental and physical health than pulling on your hiking boots and going for a long walk in nature.
Earlier this year, King Charles inaugurated the King Charles III England Coast Path at Seven Sisters in East Sussex and although the entire 2,700-mile route is yet to fully open, when it does, it will be the longest managed coastal path in the world. Stretching all the way around the coast of England, this new National Trail connects coastal towns, cities and ports as well as some of the UK’s most beautiful crowd-free beaches.
While not part of it (although it does overlap at the start), the inland cross country North Cheshire Way is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Cheshire’s longest – and arguably least-known – footpath, spans 71-miles from Hooton train station in The Wirral at its most westerly, to Disley station on the edge of the Peak District in the east.
Waymarked entirely by volunteers, the varied route showcases two separate faces of Cheshire’s social history: from the ‘industrial west’ of chemical industries, quarries and salt mines, railways, canals and ship-building; contrasted with the landed estates of Arley, Styal, Adlington and Lyme in the rolling hills of the east. The varied landscape ranges from quiet canal towpaths, to open countryside, grand historic estates, hill farms, the engineering marvel of the Anderton Boat Lift, dramatic sandstone ridges and Great Budworth, widely-regarded as Cheshire’s prettiest village. Suitable for day-hikes, family rambles and long-distance walkers, there are 14 train stations along the route and car parks every seven miles.
If you want to encourage the kids to go for a walk why not take them on one of the 16 Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Trails at National Trust places? They’ll discover 10 Mega Evolution Pokémon and complete fun interactive challenges along the way so they won’t even realise they’re getting some exercise, too.
4. Recreate a childhood holiday
In the September issue of Good Housekeeping, we asked three writers to recreate one of their childhood holidays – a travel trend known as taking a ‘nostalgication’. I remember going camping in Scotland with my parents (inevitably in the rain!) and coming face to face with Highland cows as I peeked out of the tent each morning. I’d love to see if it gives me the same sense of freedom if I do it again so I’m thinking of booking a last-minute flight to Glasgow or Inverness next weekend.
I loved what our books director Joanne Finney said when she took her nine-year-old son back to Bournemouth, where she’d holidayed over 35 years ago, earlier this year. ‘When I was 11, my parents divorced and our holidays took a different shape. Money was tighter and instead of hotels in exotic locations, we packed up the family tent and headed for the British coast. Our favourite place was a wooded campsite just above Bournemouth. They might have been budget, yet to me and my brother, these holidays weren’t a compromise; they were an adventure. Seeing Bournemouth through my nine-year-old son’s eyes this summer brought it all back.’
This year, Joanne upgraded her camping holiday to stay in The Nici, a grand Edwardian hotel that sits on the town’s West Cliff, and fell in love with its jaunty striped pool umbrellas and palm-print décor. The good news is there’s still availability for next weekend, but if you spent your childhood summers in Skegness, Great Yarmouth or Blackpool, why not travel back in time and go there instead?
6. Look up at the night sky
Northumberland has the largest ‘gold-tier’ dark sky park in Europe (and third largest in the world), meaning an evening stargazing here will give you the clearest view in the whole of the UK to exclaim ‘That’s Orion’s belt!’. You’ll see it best from The Kielder Observatory, an astronomical facility in Kielder Forest, just half a mile from the Scottish border on Black Fell. The site was chosen because it has one of the lowest amount of intrusive light pollution in the UK, and guests who visit seem to enjoy themselves, too – the venue has more than 10,000 five-star reviews.
If Northumberland isn’t the easiest to get to for you, try camping in The Cairngorms National Park (or if you’re after a more boujee sleepover, Kinloch Lodge by WildLand still has space over the bank holiday weekend). The Brecon Beacons in Wales is well-known for its clear skies, and there are plenty of quirky rural Airbnbs in the area, too. For stargazing in the South West, try spending the weekend exploring Exmoor National Park, where you can camp at scenic sites such as Wimbleball Lake.
7. Enjoy a free festival
If you’re looking to dance, listen to music and enjoy some street food over the long weekend, head to one of the UK’s free bank holiday festivals. The biggest is of course the Notting Hill Carnival, a weekend-long celebration of Caribbean culture, heritage and art. Celebrations will be bigger than ever this year, as the festival marks its 60th. ‘Plan ahead!’ says our lifestyle writer Maddie, who goes every year. With an average of two million attendees, the crowds can be overwhelming, so ‘research the stages you’d like to attend and plot your route. Westbourne Park station is the nearest station to the start of the parade,’ advises Maddie. If you want to make a weekend of it, why not book a nearby hotel for an uninterrupted Carnival experience? Hotel Indigo K West is transforming its space to mark the occasion, with curated colourful designs by artist, Yinka Ilori MBE. There will be Caribbean food on offer, plus a curated map of the must-visit spots and sound systems along the route. There’s also an exclusive after-party if you don’t want to call it a night.
Festivals outside of London include the Edinburgh Art Festival with free exhibitions and installations as well as ticketed events such as the Art Walk, exploring outdoor sculptures and artwork at the Royal Botanic Garden. Manchester Village Pride has a family day on bank holiday Monday with face painting and bouncy castles while in Bristol, there’s the Old City Sounds, a free music festival spanning multiple genres, from live bands to DJs.
