The Northumbrian Coast
When clients picture an idyllic Easter holiday destination, Northumberland might not immediately spring to mind.
But that’s because many people have yet to discover the rugged beauty of the Northumbrian Coast, famed for its golden sands, which span a staggering 60 miles along a designated National Landscape in Northeast England. Bamburgh Beach is even considered one of the world’s best.
The area is teeming with wildlife; the Farne Islands are home to puffin and grey seal colonies, with the chance to spot bottlenose dolphins and whales on a boat trip off the coast.
The pièce de résistance is the remote island of Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island due to its significance in early Christianity. Recommend clients wait until low tide, when the oceans part to reveal a causeway that can be crossed to visit the island’s 16th-century castle and bask in its peaceful atmosphere.
Shearings runs a five-day trip visiting this homegrown beauty spot, with prices starting from £449 per person.
The Orkney Islands
Calling all adventurers, outdoor lovers and neolithic history nerds – The Orkney Islands could be just their cup of tea.
An archipelago of over 70 islands off the northern coast of Scotland, they are famed for their puffin population, fresh seafood, Stone Age villages and beautiful, bracing landscapes.
Orcadian and Norse traditions are awaiting discovery as are Iron Age villages and Neolithic sites.
Skara Brae, the best-preserved Neolithic settlement in Western Europe, predates both the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge, giving visitors an insight into how its villagers lived over 5,000 years ago.
Other architectural highlights across the islands include the reconstructed Boloquoy Victorian Farm and a chambered burial tomb with 12-century Viking carvings.
Explore runs a seven-day small group walking tour around Orkney, starting and ending in Inverness. The trip is currently on discount, priced at £2,040pp not including flights.
Ireland’s highlights
For a whirlwind tour of small – though mighty – Ireland, Trailfinders offers a 10-day Best of Ireland trip which takes in the major sites and promises a craic-ing good time.
Beginning in capital city Dublin, guests will quaff posh drinks and canapés at EPIC – The Irish Emigration Museum, before heading out to explore the wider country.
Highlights include walking in the footsteps of greats with a visit to New Ross, the ancestral home town of John F. Kennedy, wandering King John’s Castle in Limerick, and a stop in the pilgrimage town of Knock to view the Marian Shrine where villagers witnessed an apparition of Our Lady in 1879.
Kiss the Blarney Stone for the ‘gift of the gab’, walk the cliffs of Moher and stop off in the cities of Waterford, Killarney, Limerick and Galway.
Prices begin at £2,525pp (based on two adults sharing).
The Lake District
Known for its vast lakes, dramatic mountains and World Heritage status, the Lake District is often cited as one of the most beautiful places in the UK. It’s also England’s largest national park.
Keen walkers will embrace the potential to climb Scarfell Pike, England’s highest mountain. There are plenty of established walking routes for all abilities, from gentle lakeside strolls to classic fell hikes around the National Park. For those with access needs, the Miles Without Stiles collection includes 50 specially chosen trails.
Literary history is rich here too. Famed Romantic poets William and Dorothy Wordsworth called the Lakes home two centuries ago, while Beatrix Potter’s quaint farmhouse in New Sawry is open to the public. Now a National Trust property, the Grade II* listed building, which was the inspiration for many of her children’s books, remains filled with her furniture, art, and personal items,
A plethora of charming villages like Buttersworth and Grasmere offer up cosy cafes, old churches and classic Lakes architecture.
Great Little Breaks offers a variety of different holidays to the Lakes. This includes a two-night Briery Wood Lake District Break in Windemere, priced from £229pp.
Cornwall
With ongoing work to build the second Eden Project in Morecombe, Lancashire, what better time than now for clients to reacquaint themselves with the pleasures of the first?
Shearings’ Newquay, Falmouth and the Eden Project holiday spends a day at this mecca for plant life in Cornwall. Visitors can amble among fragrant orange and lemon trees in the Mediterranean Biome, take in the sheer scale of its ambitious Rainforest Biome, or discover the array of plants that have prospered in the Cornish sunshine in the 30-acre Outdoor Garden.
A day in Newquay, once voted one of the UK’s favourite seaside towns, is also on the agenda with time laze on its sandy Fistral and Watergate Bay beaches, or partake in its burgeoning foodie scene. Or there’s the option to take a day trip to St Ives, a charming and arty coastal town with its own Tate gallery.
The final day is dedicated to Falmouth, which has a deep natural harbour and a castle, Perdennis Fort, built by Henry VIII.
The five-day break costs from £419pp.
