Outdoor theatre, violin recitals, bog snorkelling and book fairs with Pride of Britain Hotels

May 28, 2013 - PRLog -- Literature in York – Middlethorpe Hall and Spa from £99 pp
The historic city of York is home to the UK’s largest antiquarian book fair.  From modest beginnings, the York National Book Fair (20 & 21 September) now welcomes over 200 sellers offering rare and antiquarian out-of-print books.  Stay nearby at the award-winning Middlethorpe Hall and Spa, a beautifully restored William III country house, one of the Historic House Hotels of the National Trust, furnished with antiques and fine paintings, overlooking 20 acres of manicured gardens. The hotel has just been named York’s Hotel and Restaurant of the Year at the prestigious Visit York Tourism Awards 2013.  Entry to the book fair is £2 pp.  A one-night stay costs from £99 pp (two sharing) including three-course dinner (allowance of £43 pp), early morning tea delivered to your room, full Yorkshire Breakfast and use of the spa facilities.

Cookery and painting – from £30 pp at Lewtrenchard Manor
Lewtrenchard Manor, an idyllic and luxurious Jacobean manor house set deep in a secluded Devonshire valley, is holding a half-day cookery course to help you get the most out of your allotment and home-grown produce.  Join Martin Spice, author of ‘Spade, Seed & Supper’ for a morning cookery demonstration and two-course lunch on Friday 28th June and pick up some delicious recipe ideas and top tips.  The cost to attend is £30 pp with a night’s accommodation an additional £122.50 pp.  Alternatively, brush up on your painting skills with a two-day residential painting course in this inspirational setting on 8 & 9 September with renowned wildlife artist Jennie Hale. The two-day course costs £400 pp including two nights’ full board accommodation and painting tuition.

Violin recital in Fingal’s Cave – from £4,535 pp with Hebridean Princess
A firm favourite of the Royal Family, the Hebridean Princess is a small-scale cruise ship operating a range of itineraries annually between March and November.  The new Classical Cruise of the Hebrides (2-9 July) will include a beautiful violin recital of Mendelssohn’s Hebridean Overture played inside Fingal’s Cave on the Isle of Staffa (the cave was the inspiration for Mendelssohn’s piece). Another music recital will take place on the water’s edge at Laphroaig Distillery, on the Isle of Islay.

Carrying just 50 guests, the cruise ship is renowned for its exceptional service, fine food and celebrated wines as well as its highly-experienced crew.  The Classical Cruise of the Hebrides, an all-inclusive seven-night stay, costs from £4,535 pp based on two sharing an en-suite cabin including all meals, teas, coffees and other hot drinks, alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, excursions, free parking or transfers between Glasgow and the ship, gratuities and port fees. Departs/finishes in Oban.

Dormy House re-opens its doors in August – from £115 pp
Following a complete refurbishment, Dormy House in the Cotswolds will be re-opening its doors in August.  The former 17th century farmhouse in Broadway is being painstakingly renovated with Emily Todhunter-designed interiors that include hand-painted wallpaper, textured fabrics, rustic materials and earthy tones.  A modern British menu will be served in the new restaurant and the stylish public areas will incorporate wood burning stoves and exposed timber flooring.  The landscaped gardens are also undergoing a makeover - from the BBC’s gardening guru Chris Beardshaw no less - and a luxury spa is due to open in 2014.  A one-night break costs from £115 pp (two sharing) including breakfast.

Bog Snorkelling and Antiques in mid-Wales – from £97.50 pp at Lake Country House Hotel
Mid-Wales is home to a number of the UK’s quirkiest events, from a Man versus Horse Marathon in June to a Real Ale Wobble (cycling and local ale race) every November. However, perhaps the most celebrated is the World Bog Snorkelling Championships that take place on the August Bank Holiday weekend (Sunday 25th August) and which attracts participants from as far away as Australia. Alternatively, the Builth Wells Antique Fair (7 & 8 September) has over 1,000 stand holders from around the country selling anything from Persian rugs to Royal Worcester porcelain with a day’s entry costing £5 pp.  Stay a short drive away at Lake Country House Hotel and Spa, a charming country hotel that’s set in 50 acres of grounds complete with resident badgers and a trout lake.  A one-night stay costs from £97.50 pp (two sharing) including a full Welsh breakfast and use of the spa facilities.

Outdoor theatre even in a storm - Kilworth House from £135 pp
Kilworth House, a beautiful Grade II-listed property in the Leicestershire countryside, is the only hotel in the UK with its own outdoor theatre.  Located in a wooded glade with magnificent sail-like canopies to protect it from the elements (no performance has ever been cancelled), this summer’s productions include My Fair Lady (5 June – 14 July) and Anything Goes (6 August – 1 September). Guests can dine pre-theatre in the hotel’s magnificent light-filled orangery and enjoy interval drinks in The Staging Post - a rustic log cabin in the grounds.  A Kilworth House Theatre Break costs from £135 pp (two sharing) including B&B, pre-theatre dinner and tickets to the show.

Pride of Britain Hotels is a consortium of 45 privately-owned independent British hotels and spas and is also the official hotel partner to the National Trust, with many of the hotels located near to one or more National Trust properties. Admission to the group is subject to each hotel successfully passing an anonymous overnight inspection and a ballot of the membership.  The consortium is limited to a maximum of 50 hotels to guarantee quality and exclusiveness.  

Pride of Britain Hotels’ website provides a constantly updated list of late booking availability and special offers. To book an overnight stay, and for the best available rate, call Pride of Britain Hotels on 0800 089 3929 (http://www.prideofbritainhotels.com).

Ends – 28 May 2013

PRESS:  Photography of all properties is available to download - www.prideofbritainhotels.com/press.

For media enquiries and press visits, please contact Julia Farish, Helena Hamlyn or Sue Ockwell,
Travel PR, tel: 020 8891 4440, email: j.farish@travelpr.co.uk, h.hamlyn@travelpr.co.uk or s.ockwell@travelpr.co.uk.