Your ‘staycation’ bucket list
From the West Midland Safari Lodge to the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Surrey, Sorted – in conjunction with SlotsUp – has come up with five bucket list attractions to ensure your summer 'staycation' can still put a big smile on your face.
Since Monday, Brits have been able to travel cross-country into different parts of the UK for the first time in months. So here are our five unique suggestions to brighten up the months of June, July and August.
1) The lure of the ‘Safari Lodge’
We are not joking!
Many people have the Giraffe Lodge in Kenya on their bucket list for post-pandemic travel, and it’s hardly surprising. But, if you’re looking for an experience closer to home, then the West Midland Safari Park (located in Worcestershire) is the best thing about. Visitors can spend the night in a cosy lodge up close and personal with a family of elephants and eat lunch alongside a pack of cheetahs.
If it’s unavailable, check out the Lion Lodge, Leopard Creek and Tiger Lodge in Kent, where you can immerse yourself in the surrounding wildlife. Or there’s also the Livingstone Lodge, where African species are free to roam.
2) Enter a wine-drinker’s paradise
Most of us don’t realise there are up to 500 vineyards dotted around the UK – and nearly half of them welcome visitors. So why not grab your partner and head off to one of the UK’s gorgeous wine regions, where you can taste the finest Britain has to offer – and be back at work on Monday?
Dorset-based Langham allows you to partake in a glass of wine made from locally grown grapes, and enjoy a lazy two-hour-long guided tour. Alternatively, there’s the Camel Valley in Cornwall, where you can admire the countryside while sipping the finest wine the Duchy can produce.
3) Experience a fantasy world
Located in the Forest of Dean (in Gloucestershire), this whimsical forest has winding paths and moss-covered stones and trees that resemble a fantasy world from Lord of the Rings – and has actually been a set for productions such as The Secret Garden, Doctor Who, Merlin and The Huntsman.
Visitors can download the Puzzlewood app to explore the hidden objects dotted around the forest and discover details about nature and wildlife within the woodland.
4) The treasures of the Lost Gardens of Heligan
Set deep in the Cornwall countryside, this enchanting place enables visitors to step back in time and lose themselves in a UK-style jungle experience – and its Victorian Productive Gardens and Pleasure Grounds dating back two centuries.
Little explorers can find hidden treasures in the exotic outdoor jungle while adventuring along raised boardwalks alongside giant rhubarb, banana plantations and through tunnels of towering bamboo. And nature-lovers can also explore the ancient woodland and grazed pastures to spot the gardens, wildlife and horticulture.
5) Get fazed at Hampton Court Palace Maze
Whether you love a conundrum or simply want to escape the confines of your garden, a maze is a fun way to keep the whole family entertained – and they don’t come much better than the maze at Hampton Court Palace, a former home to King Henry VIII.
Stretching over an acre, the maze takes approximately 20 minutes to negotiate. But once you have escaped its clutches, you can discover the palace, gardens and many exhibitions, as well as the various Tudor reenactment and activity trails available during your visit.