The availability of themed breaks are growing. And it’s not just the more established categories such as walking and cycling holidays that are proving popular, but everything from photographic and painting breaks to archery. You can even learn how to drive a tank, or stay at a chocolate-themed hotel.
According to Laura Smith at VisitEngland, there is now a huge range of themed and learning holidays, from traditional skills such as cooking to more unusual courses including “how to live off the land” in Somerset, or fitness boot camps in Cornwall. A great way to meet like-minded individuals, these holidays often carry low single supplements.
One area that is seeing tremendous growth is photographic holidays. Nowadays, virtually everyone uses a digital camera, whether it’s a phone camera or a high-end SLR.
The Lake District is one of the UK’s most scenic destinations, so why not combine exploring the area with some on-the-spot professional photographic tutoring with Lakeland Photographic Holidays at Fern Howe, Braithwaite, in the Derwent Valley. The course is run by John Gravett, one of the UK’s leading landscape photographers.
HF Holidays offers both photographic and drawing holidays at various UK locations, and The White Rock Hotel in Hastings has photographic and painting residential weekend courses. Budding artists drawn to the Nare Hotel at Carne Beach near Veryan- in-Roseland in Cornwall - which runs popular art breaks between November and March - might find extra inspiration at the Tate in St Ives or Truro’s Lemon Street Gallery.
If you like your hotels haunted, try the Mercure Telford Madeley Court Hotel, one of the UK’s most haunted hotels, according to some of Britain’s most respected ghost-hunters.
If you prefer spooks to spooky, the newly restored St Ermin’s Hotel, a dead letter’s drop away from London’s St James’s Park and home of MI5 during the Second World War, offers a Spy Trail break.
For those looking for quality “kids-free” time with new experiences, Warner Holidays has breaks that are exclusively for adults. Try your hand at Nordic walking or salsa dancing, enjoy a Segway experience, learn chefs’ secrets or even have a go at elementary beekeeping.
Holidays themed around adventure activities have proliferated over recent years. They are often geared to all ages and abilities so you don’t have to be Wonder Woman or Superman to join in. Many facilities cover all age ranges so are suitable for families, couples or singles.
Some places have also built reputations as adventure destinations. Scotland’s Fort William calls itself the Outdoor Capital of the UK and has recently launched ActiVacations, action-packed holidays to suit everyone from gentle walkers to adrenaline junkies. Other prime spots for adventure include Cornwall, Devon, the Forest of Dean and the Lake District.
Bedford might not seem an obvious adventure destination until you visit Bodyflight, where you can fly in the world’s largest wind tunnel as well as surf, swoop, race and jump.
You can go-kart or quad bike all over the country but where can you learn to drive a tank? At Tanks-A-Lot in Helmdon, Northants, where they have a fleet of 95 tanks, and you can even crush a car.
As we all know, if you eat chocolate while on holiday, it contains no calories. So why not spend a few days at the world’s first chocolate-themed hotel in Bournemouth? The Chocolate Boutique Hotel is a chocoholic paradise with 13 chic chocolate-inspired rooms.
Now, would Sir prefer his chocolate Martini shaken or stirred? - Daily Mail