What fun things can I do with my family in the UK in winter?
September 28, 2014 3:17 AM Subscribe
So, my brother and his wife are flying over from Australia, and my brother-in-law from India, in December. We're all Indian, and we generally get together (us and my parents) once a year or so for around a month. Usually the trips are in India and feature a few exciting things to look forward to: last time we stayed in a few resorts along beaches in South India, and stayed in a house in the country, a houseboat tour through backwater canals, that kind of thing.
I'm wondering: what kind of similar-ish things can we book and where?
I've lived in the UK for a long time, but I'm not so hot on suggestions for fun stuff/places to visit in winter. We're London-based and not too loaded. So, either suggestions for picturesque places to go in winter, or fun trips generally. We have a car and more than one person who can drive. Obviously, in terms of London, we can just have a good time going to restaurants and museums and all that, but I was thinking specifically of little getaways that we can book, and look forward to, if that makes sense.
I thought maybe a whisky-related trip to Scotland, or maybe a cottage in Wales, but again, is this a good idea in the dead of winter? My parents are picky eaters so self-catering or access to a decent Indian restaurant would be good, so nothing too remote.
I understand this question is a little vague, so I'm hoping you can just throw ideas/experiences you've had of a good time in the UK in winter.
I've lived in the UK for a long time, but I'm not so hot on suggestions for fun stuff/places to visit in winter. We're London-based and not too loaded. So, either suggestions for picturesque places to go in winter, or fun trips generally. We have a car and more than one person who can drive. Obviously, in terms of London, we can just have a good time going to restaurants and museums and all that, but I was thinking specifically of little getaways that we can book, and look forward to, if that makes sense.
I thought maybe a whisky-related trip to Scotland, or maybe a cottage in Wales, but again, is this a good idea in the dead of winter? My parents are picky eaters so self-catering or access to a decent Indian restaurant would be good, so nothing too remote.
I understand this question is a little vague, so I'm hoping you can just throw ideas/experiences you've had of a good time in the UK in winter.
I think there are around a dozen Indian restaurants in Bath. You could plan a fun overnighter with AirBnB?
posted by evil_esto at 4:07 AM on September 28, 2014
posted by evil_esto at 4:07 AM on September 28, 2014
It basically depends how many visitors there are around in winter as to how much stuff is open. I've been to York in the depths of winter (and thick snow), and found almost everything open; I've been to rural Dumfries a few weeks before Easter and found that virtually nothing opened until Easter weekend.
Scottish Whisky trip - it would be very easy to find out seasonal opening times for distilleries, to see if your trip is feasible. Most of Scotland remains drivable for most of the winter (with exceptions, such as very bad winters or the Lecht). The only caveat would be that if you want to go to the Highland Distilleries I'd advise that you be comfortable driving in snow (it won't necessarily snow, but if driving in snow is stressful for you it wouldn't make for a relaxing holiday). If you're coming to Scotland, Historic Scotland handily lets you search only for properties which are open year-round, if monuments are your thing.
I think that you also have to think about getting to places from London, through winter weather, so personally I'd be looking for somewhere easier to get to than Scotland or Wales. Why not think about a city break somewhere like York? As I said, not everything is open, but enough is to make for an enjoyable trip.
posted by Vortisaur at 4:22 AM on September 28, 2014
Scottish Whisky trip - it would be very easy to find out seasonal opening times for distilleries, to see if your trip is feasible. Most of Scotland remains drivable for most of the winter (with exceptions, such as very bad winters or the Lecht). The only caveat would be that if you want to go to the Highland Distilleries I'd advise that you be comfortable driving in snow (it won't necessarily snow, but if driving in snow is stressful for you it wouldn't make for a relaxing holiday). If you're coming to Scotland, Historic Scotland handily lets you search only for properties which are open year-round, if monuments are your thing.
I think that you also have to think about getting to places from London, through winter weather, so personally I'd be looking for somewhere easier to get to than Scotland or Wales. Why not think about a city break somewhere like York? As I said, not everything is open, but enough is to make for an enjoyable trip.
posted by Vortisaur at 4:22 AM on September 28, 2014
If your relatives are coming from India and Australia, I think they're going to find the short days a shock to the system. Because of the temperate climate, people often forget how far north the UK actually is, but sunset at 4 pm (or earlier in Scotland) can really limit your options in terms of outdoor activities. The countryside is going to be cold, wet, and dark, and I think you'd be better to stick to towns and cities.
I'd second the earlier suggestion of Bath. I notice they have a Christmas Market in December, and even if you don't celebrate Christmas yourselves, there will probably be a good atmosphere and a bit of life in the place.
posted by Azara at 5:50 AM on September 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
I'd second the earlier suggestion of Bath. I notice they have a Christmas Market in December, and even if you don't celebrate Christmas yourselves, there will probably be a good atmosphere and a bit of life in the place.
posted by Azara at 5:50 AM on September 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
I'm thirding Bath. It's fantastic and I'm going back because I did not get to see enough of it. We swung by Stonehenge on our day trip, so two cool things in one fabulous trip.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:29 AM on September 28, 2014
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:29 AM on September 28, 2014
During the last ten years we have done a few weekends before xmas with groups of friends renting out a Landmark Trust property. These places tend to be really steep if you want to stay there over xmas or new year but are at their cheapest during December. You can do fri-mon, mon-fri or a full week. The larger ones can work out at about £14pp/pn at this time of year and some of the buildings are great places for families, we stayed in one with a secret passage even, and they include forts and castles and follies, cottages, chapels and mansions. They are all over the UK and bigger ones take up to 15 people but there are different sizes. The trust is about repairing old buildings and then rents them out to square the economics, so their places tend to have some history. They are all self catering and come with well equipped kitchens.
posted by biffa at 6:32 AM on September 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by biffa at 6:32 AM on September 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
I'm a big fan of underthethatch for cute cottages and cabins in Wales and beyond. I think a remote place with beautiful walks and home cooking, board games, DVDs, and visits to local sights and visitor locations (Wales = castles!) make for great family breaks. Maybe watch 'Withnail & I' first to see how to avoid 'going on holiday by mistake' (btw the Lake District is lovely apart from the Londoners etc).
posted by Joeruckus at 7:49 AM on September 28, 2014
posted by Joeruckus at 7:49 AM on September 28, 2014
2 days in Bath. Day 1, the Roman Baths + shopping. Day 2, Bath Spa with the heated pool, roof top pool and saunas. Yes, rooftop pool even in winter. Or, base yourselves in the area for a week and do the above plus day trips to Bristol (Suspension Bridge, SS Great Britain, ferry rides, Zoo and Exploratory) Cheddar (Cheddar Gorge), Avebury and Silbury Hill, Weston-Super-Mare (Seaside. Yes, even in winter. Or try Clevedon which is a little bit posher.) And see if you can catch a show as well in either Bristol or Bath. There might be panto. Theatres Royal, the Hippodrome, the Tobacco Factory (Bristol.)
Except for the modern spa, all of that's a bit strenuous mind, with lots of walking.
posted by glasseyes at 8:02 AM on September 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Except for the modern spa, all of that's a bit strenuous mind, with lots of walking.
posted by glasseyes at 8:02 AM on September 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
If anyone in your family likes history (or Game of Thrones) there are good castles not far from London that are brilliantly atmospheric even in winter and very do-able in a day out such as Bodiam Castle and Leeds Castle.
The hothouses in Kew Gardens are a fun way to escape the cold, and the treetop walk gives good views out across SW London as the leaves aren't on the trees. There are nice pubs and restaurants in easy reach.
A bit further afield, and a bit chillier as there'll be brisk sea breezes, but for anyone keen on ships and seafaring (or pirates) there's good maritime history in Portsmouth with things like the indoor museum around the Mary Rose plus lots of shops and restaurants around Gunwharf Quays.
posted by Skaramoosh at 11:40 AM on September 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
The hothouses in Kew Gardens are a fun way to escape the cold, and the treetop walk gives good views out across SW London as the leaves aren't on the trees. There are nice pubs and restaurants in easy reach.
A bit further afield, and a bit chillier as there'll be brisk sea breezes, but for anyone keen on ships and seafaring (or pirates) there's good maritime history in Portsmouth with things like the indoor museum around the Mary Rose plus lots of shops and restaurants around Gunwharf Quays.
posted by Skaramoosh at 11:40 AM on September 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
You can't go too far wrong with Bath, but personally I'd avoid it during the Christmas market, because the traffic's absurd, it's monstrously crowded and the stalls are fairly mediocre. Outside the Christmas market, it's a lovely place to wander round. In addition to what's listed above, the skyline walk is beautiful if you're all fairly physically fit, there's masses of nice cafes (self-link) and plenty of good places to eat. Rajpoot's the best Indian restaurant for curries, and the Mint Room for a more varied Indian menu. The Holburne Museum and the Victoria Art gallery are free galleries worth the visit. If you like bookshops, it's lovely to spend time in Mr B's and Toppings. So yes, there's masses to do in Bath.
posted by ambrosen at 3:43 PM on September 28, 2014
posted by ambrosen at 3:43 PM on September 28, 2014
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A whiskey tour sounds fantastic. A cottage in Wales would be... brave! If you do want to book a getaway, the National Trust offers holiday cottages and homes on their properties all over the country. They're self-catering, high quality (so no dank little holes), lots of options for numbers of guests, and a lot of them are unique or special in some way, either in terms of architecture or location. These two look amazing, for example! Going in the off-season is great- we stayed in a cottage in the grounds of a stately home in Oxfordshire which was closed over winter, so we got the gardens all to ourselves, it was very atmospheric.
Visiting National Trust properties in general is also a great and fairly cheap day out, and there are loads in the South-East. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
posted by mymbleth at 3:51 AM on September 28, 2014