last
updated 10th November 05
by 4ecotips.com
Visit Britain has some sound
suggestions
Visit Britain, the company which
encourages you to stay in the UK and
thus help lessen the CO2 emissions
from air travel has come up with some
sensible suggestions for the festive
season. So why not leave the cooking
to someone else and concentrate on
having fun - in delightful surroundings
- this Christmas.
GO FREE IF IT SNOWS
Guests staying two nights or more
over Christmas at the Matfen Hall
Hotel near Newcastle will get a free
winter break if it snows on Christmas
Day. General Manager David Hunter
will make the decision about the weather
at midnight on the big day, and slip
a gift cheque under bedroom doors
if it has snowed.
A two-night Christmas break at Matfen
Hall - which boasts golf and spa facilities
and log fires - costs from £320
per person sharing a twin or double
room. The cost includes all meals,
mulled wine, carol concert and a torchlight
procession to the village church.
Information/Bookings: (01661) 855708
SNOW 'ALMOST GUARANTEED'
Guests can slash the odds of experiencing
a white Christmas by booking a festive
break at YHA Patterdale in the Lake
District. This remote hostel, close
to the peak of Helvellyn, is in a
range of fells attracting more snow
than any other in Cumbria.
So snow is 'almost guaranteed'
on the hill tops, says the Youth Hostel
Association - last year saw hostel
guests wake up to 4 inches of it on
Christmas Day. If it falls on the
hostel too, there are sledging sites
nearby and a log fire to thaw out
by afterwards.
Three-night packages at Patterdale
for December 24, 25 and 26, including
packed lunch, mulled wine on Christmas
night and Christmas dinner, cost £135
for adults, £99 for under-18s and
£89 for under-12s. Information/bookings:
0870 770 5986
HOUSE PARTY IN DEVON
Join a house party for just 30 guests
this Christmas at an Elizabethan manor
house. Those arriving at Combe House
Hotel and Restaurant, near Exeter,
will see trees twinkling with fairy
lights as they come up the mile-long
drive.
On Christmas Eve, a clotted cream
tea in front of the Great Hall's crackling
log fire is followed by evening champagne
before a five-course candlelit dinner
and entertainment.
Christmas Day starts with Bucks Fizz
followed by breakfast; lunch will
be a five-course gourmet feast with
carefully selected wines to match.
Festive food is created by Master
Chef of Great Britain Philip Leach,
using the best local produce.
Boxing Day highlights include a treasure
hunt and tea by candlelight in Combe's
beautifully restored Georgian kitchen.
Later there will be a magician and
a glamorous, fun casino. The three-night
house party starts on Friday 24 December
priced from £895 per person
for a twin/double room fully inclusive
of accommodation and all meals, wines
and entertainment. Information/bookings:
(01404) 540400
TRADITIONAL YORKSHIRE HOUSE
PARTY
A traditional Yorkshire Christmas
is on offer from the White Swan at
Pickering, a beautifully restored
16th century coaching inn with a cosy
house party atmosphere, roaring log
fires and award-winning food. Festive
three-night packages start at £449
per person from Saturday 24 to Tuesday
27 December based on two sharing a
double/twin room.
On arrival on Christmas Eve guests
are welcomed with tea and mince pies
in front of the roaring log fire followed
by an early evening champagne party
and gourmet dinner. The festive atmosphere
will be boosted by visits from Santa
Claus and a local group of carol singers
during the evening.
Christmas Day starts with a glass
of Buck's Fizz; there's a traditional
lunch and a quiz evening - the winner
receives a complimentary weekend stay
for two. On Boxing Day, guests can
chance their luck at nearby Wetherby
Racecourse (£50 per person to
include travel, entrance and picnic
lunch) and in the evening enjoy a
superb five-course dinner with vintage
wines. Information/Bookings: (01751)
472288
These are just a handful of the Christmas
break deals being promoted by Visit
Britain for more info on many other
ideas visit www.visitbritain.com
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