If your annual leave year runs until the end of December, you now have a month to take the days off you are owed or risk losing them!
Recent research by TravelSupermarket.com suggests 6.4 million days of annual leave will not be taken this year. Don’t be a loser – use up the rest of your allowance with one of these festive suggestions from VisitEngland.
Half a Day Left: Last-Minute Christmas Shopping:
For those who still need to fill their stockings in time for Christmas (that’s most of us, then), Chagford in Dartmoor will be bustling for a festive late-night shopping event on December 10. Each year, Chagford’s independent shops stage a Shopper’s Spectacular Evening. Thousands of present ideas for all ages and budgets are on offer, alongside a hog roast, bands, hot chestnuts and Father Christmas for the children. There will also be music in the streets, this year featuring the Mosock Bulgarian choir, drummers, and lively entertainment throughout the town for all ages.
Manchester Craft & Design Centre is going bigger, better and more sparkly than ever before as the historic covered market building is transformed into a winter wonderland, with a programme of magical events, exhibitions and workshops running throughout December. Offering a boutique shopping experience seven days a week, the 18 independent studios selling handmade items from ceramics to jewellery to textiles ensure you will find that perfect memorable gift. In addition, the city is also home to the world-renowned Manchester Christmas Markets (above) which run until December 22.
Nothing beats choosing your own real Christmas tree, so why not take some time out to pick the perfect pine… For the fourth year running, Pines and Needles will be selling a fine selection of fresh cut, sustainably grown Highland Christmas trees within Bushy Park, Richmond Park, and Greenwich Park. Lights and decorations will also be available, so you can get everything you need to make your tree sparkle. Open every day from November 29 – December 22. Money from the sales of Christmas trees goes towards supporting the work of The Royal Parks.
One Day Left: A Day Out of the Office:
For the majority of us, December means cosy nights indoors arguing over the TV and eating our body weight in mince pies. Brighten up your December by putting on a pair of stilettos and a pair of stockings for Priscilla Queen of the Desert, which comes to Brighton’s Theatre Royal from 17 December. Direct from the West End, Priscilla is the heart-warming, uplifting adventure of three friends who hop aboard an old bus searching for love and friendship and end up finding more than they had ever dreamed of. With a dazzling array of outrageous costumes and a hit parade of dance-floor favourites, this fresh and funny musical is a journey to the heart of fabulous! Tickets from £10 per person. For more information or to book, visit www.priscillathemusical.com. Extend your stay in the city with a stay at Hotel Pelirocco, Brighton’s most rock ‘n’ roll hotel. Moving from one diva to another, book the ‘Dollywood’ themed room, complete with a picket fence, mural of Smoky Mountains and images of Dolly Parton herself. Room costs £125 per night based on two people sharing (Sunday – Thursday). For more information or to book, visit www.hotelpelirocco.co.uk.
Melt into chocolate heaven at the Chocolate Festival in London, which runs December 13-15. This outdoor festival features dozens of stalls with chocolatiers selling all manner of chocolate-related products including cakes, chocolate-infused savoury treats and kits to make your own confectionary. In the Chocolate Cookery Theatre, there will be baking demonstrations and tutored tastings with the likes of chocolatier Willaim Curley and luxury chocolate company Valrhona chef Andrew Gravett, who will be making hot chocolate and a marshmallow and chocolate tart. Beat the crowds by visiting on Friday and snap up all the best treats! For more information, visit www.festivalchocolate.co.uk.
For a healthier day off, wrap up warm and embark on a winter walk along the River Cam in Cambridge. Start amid the statuesque beauty of The Backs – the tree-lined pathway literally at the “back” of Cambridge’s iconic colleges. This grandeur doesn’t last for long, though, and soon you reach Coe Fen and follow the River Cam through grassy meadows – dodging the odd cow or sheep along the way. It’s only two miles to the pretty village of Grantchester, where Rupert Brooke once wrote poetry at Orchard House. Helpfully, this has now been turned into the Orchard Tea Garden, where you can warm yourself up with a homemade cream tea.
Two / Three Days Left: Low Season Offers:
Those lucky enough to have two or three days’ holiday left can take advantage of some excellent mid-week deals on hotels and packages around the country. For a truly glamorous retreat this frosty winter, Pitchup.com offers a host of chic getaways to dazzling destinations across England. Their shepherd’s hut at poSHHuts has availability this December with prices starting from £75 per night for two adults sharing. The shepherd’s hut has a king-sized bed, a large shower room and a bespoke handmade kitchen. Services such as fresh bread delivery, pampering and fine dining to the hut by a personal chef can be booked upon arrival. For further information or to book, visit www.pitchup.com.
In addition, there are still opportunities to enjoy an iconic Landmark Trust property over the coming weeks. The Prospect Tower at Belmont Park in Faversham, Kent, is a tiny, circular tower standing on the boundary of a cricket pitch. The roof terrace gives a grandstand view of a rural slice of Kent and of the interesting house and gardens of which the Prospect Tower forms a part. Its design is typical of the picturesque garden buildings illustrated in the architectural pattern books of the day, without which no gentleman’s property was complete. Book a midweek break between December 6-9 for £577 (sleeps 2). Iron Bridge House at Ironbridge in Shropshire is substantial house, formerly a grocer’s establishment, that overlooks the spectacular Severn Gorge right at the point where it is spanned by the world’s first bridge to be built entirely of iron. Book a mid-week break between December 6-9 for £389 (sleeps 4).
