So, summer has finally announced itself, scorching the earth at Wimbledon,
frying footballers, rendering an entire nation listless and floppy. And last
week’s cooler weather was just a blip. According to long-range forecasters,
temperatures are set to soar throughout the summer, so that little fan you
bought from Homebase isn’t going to be much help.
But we are. Armed with our guide to Britain’s most chilled-out summer
activities, you’ll be able not just to survive the scorchio summer but to
enjoy it, too.
FIND AN UNSPOILT BEACH
Summer is when the British seaside comes into its own, they say. True, but
only if you know where to look. Much of our coastline descends into
candyfloss-sticky, donkey-dung covered, slot-machine-bleeping mayhem. To
find somewhere a bit less crowded and a lot less developed, skip
drive-up-and-dive-in beaches and go for somewhere that takes a bit more
effort to reach.
Even in crammed Cornwall there’s Porth Joke (Polly Joke to the
locals — 1), a grassland-backed beauty tucked between
majestic Crantock and busier Holywell, all golden sand in the middle and
twinkling rock pools around the edge. The 300yd walk from the nearest car
park puts off many slothful sunbathers — that and the complete lack of
development (bring a picnic). Take the Crantock road off the A3075, and pass
through Treago Farm.
And the beach strategy of a little more effort for a lot more space works all
over. Try Ross Back Sands (2) in Northumberland, hidden
away just a few miles’ drive from the A1 and a stiff walk from Ross village.
Not many make the effort, but those who do are rewarded with soft sand and
superb views up to Holy Island and down to Bamburgh Castle.
Or Pembrokeshire’s acclaimed Barafundle Bay (3), where
a half-mile walk from the road is rewarded by Caribbean-style powdery beach
and very British rock pools. To reach it, park at Stackpole Quay and hike
over the cliffs — or, if you’re feeling daring, get there the wet way along
the craggy coastline. TYF (01646 672764, www.tyf.com) runs coasteering
half-days between Stackpole and Barafundle, scrambling through surf and
leaping from rocks, from £45.
But it’s in Scotland that you’ll find the ultimate proof of the theory, at Sandwood
Bay (4) in Sutherland. Yes, it’s a four-mile heathland hike to get
there from Blairmore, but when you do, you’ll find huge skies, thunderous
breakers and a pristine mile of sand probably unsullied by a single
footprint.
TAKE A WINDY WALK
A yomp through the countryside can be infernal at this time of year. A stroll
along an open ridge, though, with a steady breeze and huge, calming views,
can blow away the stickiness. None better in the southeast than following
Britain’s oldest road, the Ridgeway (5), up to
exposed Ivinghoe Beacon: if there’s a breath of wind anywhere in the region,
you’ll find it here, at the very top of the Chilterns.
To cut out the hard hiking, take the road from Ivinghoe village towards
Aldbury and pull into the car park at the crest of the ridge: then take a
fan-assisted stroll along the ups and downs to the beacon, with 20-mile
views across Buckinghamshire.
At the other end of England, on the North York Moors, walking the Cleveland
Hills (6) is like clambering across a stegosaurus — five spiky
little summits one after another. From the village of Great Broughton, drive
two miles south and leave the motor at Clay Bank car park: now walk west,
and, for minimal huffing and puffing, you’ll soon be tiptoeing along a lofty
clifftop, with a real sense of the world at your feet, and feeling as high
(and breeze-blown) as a kite.
STRIP OFF
To get coolest fastest, you’ve got to let the breeze ruffle your hair... all
of your hair. And, happily, one of Britain’s biggest and best beaches is
happy to let you. Holkham (7) is huge — three miles of
broad Norfolk sands shelving ever so gently into the breezy North Sea. Room
enough to strip without scaring the neighbours.
From the car park off the A149 coast road, take the shady path to the naturist
area, discreetly situated at the western end of the beach. It’s an awfully
long walk to the water when the tide’s out, though. If that feels a little,
well, exposed, British Naturism (www.british-naturism.org.uk) has
information on smaller beaches where you’ll be cosy without a cossie across
the UK. Or book a naturist break: try the family-friendly South
Hants Country Club (01329 832919, www.naturistholidays.co.uk —
8), near Fareham.
RIDE THE RAPIDS
Cool water in shady canyons — a sure- fire sweat-buster. Where you go depends
on how wild and wet you want to get. The Wye, from Glasbury to
Whitney (9) on the Welsh border, is perfect for a mild thrill: an
easy day’s paddle down a pretty valley, with a few gentle rapids and a lunch
stop at Hay-on-Wye in the middle — there are plenty of foodie options in
town, or take a picnic and beach the boat at the Warren. Black Mountain
Activities (01497 847897, www.blackmountain.co.uk) has a range of canoes
from £30 for the day, including a pick-up from Whitney.
At the other end of the scale, Scotland’s the place for whitewater rafting. The
Tummel (10) has plenty of flow right now, and adventure outfit Nae
Limits (01350 727242, www.naelimits.co.uk), in Perthshire, can make sure
your ride down it is adrenaline-soaked but safe, from £45 for a half-day. It
also has the bizarre but brilliant “river bugging” — imagine dodgeming
through the rocks on a purpose-built foam armchair and you’ve got the gist:
from £45.
And, in-between the two, there are Orcas — custom-built, two-man inflatable
rafts. They’re a blast, combining the best of canoeing and rafting, which
means personal control but plenty of splashes and bumps. At the National
Whitewater Centre (01678 521083, www.ukrafting.co.uk — 11),
in Gwynedd, a guide will help you steer your Orca down the fierce rapids of
the River Tryweryn: a full day is £99.
MUNCH A WATERSIDE PICNIC
Is it really cooler by the water, or do we just imagine it? No matter, the
effect is real enough — and in case there’s any doubt, at most of our picnic
spots you can work up an appetite with a refreshing dip before tucking in.
The lower Thames can get a bit whiffy in the heat, but nothing’s going to put
you off your salad up at Lechlade (12) in Gloucestershire,
on the limit of the navigable river. Leave the car at the Riverside Park,
just south of the river, and stroll the Thames Path upstream or down for a
hamperful of leafy picnic spots.
For entertainment, settle down by Ha’penny Bridge, where you can munch while
watching daredevils leap into the water; for your own preprandial splash,
wander five minutes upstream past the water meadows and clamber in. It’s
quieter up here, the water’s clean and there are no boats to worry about —
but watch the currents.
Brothers Water (13) is the sweet little lake at the northern
end of the Kirkstone Pass, south of Ullswater in Cumbria. Park up just west
of Hartsop village and sally south on the waterside track through Low Wood:
there are plenty of delectably shady shingle beaches here to stretch out
your rug, and maybe even take a dip. Do take your jelly shoes, though.
In Devon, the River Dart at leafy Spitchwick (14) can beat
most of the county’s beaches for family picnics. There are deep pools for
swimming, shallow ones for paddlers, and woodland glades along the banks
dapple the water — and the picnickers — with sunshine. It’s a popular spot,
so parking’s tricky — try New Bridge, half a mile away — but that does mean
your lot should find some other little splashers to make mischief with.
And down in Kent, the favourite is Bedgebury Pinetum (01580
211044, www.bedgeburypinetum.org.uk — 15), near
Goudhurst. An entrance fee of £5 per car buys you a spot by lily-strewn
Marshal’s Lake: true, it’s not the done thing to swim, but with so many huge
trees around — including Britain’s tallest cypress — you’re never short of a
spot of dappled shade to ward off the sun.
FEEL THE FORCE
Hardraw Force (16), that is. The highest unbroken waterfall
in England is — you’ll like this — accessed through a pub, so you can have
something chilled on the way there and back. Cross the old stone flags of
the Green Dragon (01969 667392), slip the landlord £2, then wander to watch
Hardraw Beck take a 100ft plunge: there’s a rash of warning signs, but get
up close — at your own risk — and the spray is nature’s version of a cold
power shower. For its full majesty, see it after a summer storm — that’s how
Wordsworth and Turner liked it best.
To get totally stuck in, try aquaseiling — that’s abseiling down a waterfall,
naturally. Ron Rutland at Summitreks (015394 41212, www.summitreks.co.uk)
takes parties of four and more down a selection of Cumbria’s fastest falls,
from £34pp for a 3hr session, and reckons you don’t need to be superfit —
just 18 or over, and reasonably co-ordinated. And able to cope with the
sheer, soaking shock of it.
TAKE THE TOP DOWN
Mother Nature is capricious when it comes to providing cooling breezes — so
make your own by taking a convertible on the open road. To do it properly,
you need a stylish soft-top and a route down quiet country lanes, away from
the honking hordes.
You can get both around Cheltenham, where the Romantic Road route (17) is
custom-made to stick to the quieter backwaters of the Cotswolds, taking in
honey-stone villages in rolling scenery; and the nearby Morgan Motor Company
will let you have one of its classic British sports cars to tour it in. A
package including the car, three nights at the gorgeous Painswick Hotel,
with breakfast and one dinner, is £975 for two through VisitCheltenham
(01242 517110).
If that’s a bit far, try Bespokes (020 7833 8000, www.bespokes. co.uk), with
offices in London, Hertfordshire and Cheshire, and classic E-type Jags from
£700 for a four-day weekend; or for something more modern, go to Guy Salmon
(0870 600 7006, www.guysalmon.com), which has a range of sporty numbers for
hire from London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
GET ICY
Where other options are cool, this one’s literally freezing: go skiing,
boarding or even snowmobiling at Tamworth’s SnowDome (0870
500 0011, www.snowdome.co.uk — 18). Hour-long
sessions down the 560ft slope of machine-made real snow start at £15, and
there’s a kids’ play area too. It’s actually going through its own
mini-heatwave right now: the baking weather has pushed the air temperature
inside up to all of 4C.
Or try Xscape (0871 200 3220, www.xscape.co.uk), which has domes at
Castleford, Milton Keynes and Braehead.
All terribly active. If you’d sooner chill in both senses, make for the spa at Pennyhill
Park (01276 471774, www.exclusivehotels.co.uk — 19),
Surrey, where the thermal-sequencing experience reaches its climax in the
ice cave. The England rugby team swear by it: you rub yourself on the
freezing walls before standing in front of the chute for a blast of crushed,
menthol- impregnated ice. Don’t worry, there are steam rooms and saunas if
the cold gets to your bones. A day at the spa costs £115, including lunch
and one treatment.
GO UNDERGROUND
Caves are nature’s chill cabinets, and the honeycomb of limestone caverns open
to the public around Castleton (20) in Derbyshire are some
of the best in the country. The biggest is Peak Cavern (01433 620285,
www.peakcavern.co.uk; entry £6.25), where the thermometer reads a parky 9C
year- round. Bring a fleece for your walk through the 196ft-high Great Cave,
with its bizarre acoustics, stalactites, flowstone formations, cascades and
underground rivers. Stone Age man shacked up here — well, it had air-con
laid on.
There are show caves sprinkled across the UK — try Kents Cavern (01803 215136,
www.kents-cavern.co.uk) in Torquay, Devon; Marble Arch Caves (028 6634 8855,
www.marble archcaves.net) in Co Fermanagh; and, of course, Cheddar Gorge and
Caves in Somerset (01934 742343, www.cheddarcaves.co.uk).
JUST LICK IT
None of that sound quite indulgent enough? Oh, hell, let’s just stuff
ourselves: the very nicest way to cool down is to do it from the inside out.
The contest for Britain’s best ice-cream parlour is hard fought, but the
leading contenders are Shepherd’s, at 9 High Town, Hay-on-Wye
(21), with its cracking banana toffee crunch; Morelli’s, at 14
Victoria Parade in Broadstairs (22), a throwback to the
1950s, with 60 flavours (try the bubblegum); and Jannetta’s, at 31 South
Street, St Andrew’s (23) — Irn-Bru sorbet, anyone?
