VisitEngland has come up with a guide to make sure that people don’t miss out on the best events for 2014 in England.
The guide includes everything from litera-tours through Hardy’s Dorset and Shakespeare’s Stratford, to top cycle rides in the Yorkshire and the curves of the Olympic velopark.
Set-jetting in Camber Sands
Two big blockbusters released in February include scenes shot at Camber Sands – the World War II epic Monuments Men (above), starring George Clooney, Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett, and The Invisible Woman, a film about Charles Dickens and his secret mistress, starring Ralph Fiennes and Kristen Scott Thomas.
Camber is perfect for long bracing walks on the beach, afternoons of antiques and retro-clothing shopping with plenty of cosy café stops, and relaxing evenings by burning log fires or dining in top-quality restaurants. Take in the annual Rye Scallops Week (February 15-23) for a whole programme of scallop-related events to celebrate the local delicacy.
Stay at The George in Rye, where the cast of Monuments Men set up camp. www.thegeorgeinrye.com
Foodie Hampshire
Opening in autumn, Heckfield Place manor house hotel has been reunited with its 330 acre farm and, as a hotel, will boast 60 individually-designed bedrooms, a historic walled garden, spa cottages offering health and beauty experiences, a delicious restaurant and a working farm with livestock and vegetables.
The hotel’s cuisine will be overseen by Skye Gyngell, of Petersham Nurseries.
Also in the foodie vein is the opening of Laverstoke Mill in March. Bombay Sapphire’s new Hampshire-based distillery will feature a glasshouse designed by Thomas Heatherwick and a bar school on site. www.laverstokemill.co.uk
Shakespeare and cycling in both Stratfords
In March, Lee Valley VeloPark originally part of London 2012 will open its doors. The venue will feature four cycling disciplines www.visitleevalley.org.uk
South Park in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will also open in spring 2014, with wetlands and waterways providing a backdrop to new bars, cafés and restaurants and a continually changing programme of events. queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk
Also within the park, Anish Kapoor’s landmark ArcelorMittal Orbit – Britain’s largest piece of public art – will open in April. There will be two viewing platforms in The Orbital’s observation tower. www.arcelormittalorbit.com
Meanwhile, in Warwickshire, Stratford upon Avon will be celebrating the 450th anniversary of William Shakespeare on April 23rd.
Mark the anniversary with a walk along ‘Shakespeare’s Way’ with Ciceroni Travel. New for 2014, the five-night tour is inspired by the journey Shakespeare would have made between the Globe Theatre in London and his Warwickshire home in Stratford-upon-Avon, passing through quintessential English towns and villages, including Oxford and Woodstock.
The first tour runs from May 16-21 and costs £1,575 per person. www.ciceroni.co.uk
Le Grand Depart in Yorkshire
As host of the Grand Départ, which features two stages of the Tour de France on July 5 and 6, Yorkshire is set to be at the centre of the cycling attention in 2014.
Plan your visit and join the crowds lining the route to cheer on Cavendish, Froome and the world’s finest riders. Travelling from Leeds to Harrogate, and then from York to Sheffield, the event will take in some of Yorkshire’s most picturesque scenery and impressive cities. www.letouryorkshire.com
Far from the Madding Crowd in Dorset
Next year is 140 years since the publication of Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd and a Hollywood film adaptation of the book will be released. Filmed in and around Hardy Country in Dorset, it will star Casey Mulligan, Michael Sheen and Tom Sturridge.
Visit two of the writer’s houses – his childhood home and Max Gate, the property Hardy designed himself and moved into with Emma after his marriage. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hardys-birthplace and www.maxgate.co.uk/
London calling
2014 marks 100 years since the start of World War One and a group of attractions around England, led by Imperial War Museums, will host a four-year commemorative programme of events. Starting on August 4, the day we entered the war, will be marked with a candle-lit vigil of prayer at Westminster Abbey (www.westminster-abbey.org). For more information, visit www.1914.org.
The Imperial War Museum London will open new First World War Galleries next summer, which will tell the story of the 16 million people whose lives were claimed by the First World War. The £35 million project will include a re-designed atrium will stretch over six floors, providing a dramatic space to display the most iconic and unusual objects from the collection. www.iwm.org.uk
For more see www.visitengland.com
