Best 2018 UK hot tub holiday destinations

THE staycation has grown in popularity over preceding years and with 66% of us planning a break the UK in 2018 (according to ABTA research) it has led to a mini boom for the UK tourist industry.  At Aqua Warehouse we believe enjoying a holiday with friends, family or a romantic break can only be made better with a hot tub. So, we’ve put together our top five favourite UK hot tub holidays, for whatever style of break you’re looking for.

The forest makes for a beautiful escape for the family. Perfect for reconnecting with nature, and spending quality time together as a family. Create unforgettable memories on your forest adventure with Forest Holidays. With 10 locations from Scotland to Cornwall to choose from, you’re spoilt for choice!

If glamping is more your style, try the Sunridge EcoPod in Devon - This takes glamping to a new level! Underfloor heating, luxury German kitchen, remote control colour changing lighting, 3D home cinema snug, games consoles, 10 minutes from a beach and seconds away from your own private hot tub - bliss!

Brook Lodge is one of five detached luxury lodges which are located in idyllic countryside on the Wakes Hall Estate in the breath-taking Colne Valley on the Essex/Suffolk border. Each lodge boasts a verandah and the ultimate indulgence – a soothing Vita Spa 300 series Voeux hot tub, surrounded by 500 acres of land and walks to the village of Wakes Colne.

Knoydart Hide offers stunning luxury Scottish self-catering accommodation for two with hot tub and sauna in a beautiful and secluded woodland setting overlooking Loch Nevis. Total privacy, total luxury, 180 degree breakfast-in-bed forest views from your super-sized antique canopy bed, infra red sauna, outdoor floodlit hot tub, monsoon shower, free wifi throughout and freestanding bath, a truly unique experience.

With cottages and lodges sleeping from 2-9 guests Ta Mill in Cornwall has the facilities to cater for romantic getaways, family holidays, and weddings. The flexibility of self-catering allows you to enjoy the local attractions, but if you really don’t fancy cooking you can ‘rent a chef’ and enjoy a night in with all the luxuries of a night out!


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Rev up for a great family fun day

MOTORCYCLE stunt riders, live music and supercar passenger rides are just a few of the excellent activities planned for the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance annual Family Fun Day at North Weald Airbase on Sunday 20th May.

Brimming with entertainment, activities, local food and drink and much more, the all-day event is the finishing point of this year’s Motorcycle Run, which will see hundreds of motorcyclists embark on a 60-mile ride from Welwyn Garden City to North Weald to raise vital funds for the Charity.

The popular Motorcycle Run and Family Fun Day is one of the Air Ambulance’s biggest events and last year, a convoy of 800 motorcyclists raised thousands of pounds.

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Southend Airport best in class

LONDON SOUTHEND AIRPORT in Essex has been classed among the best in the UK. It was given the award – for airports handling under three million passengers a year – by the Airport Operators Association.

The other winners were Glasgow airport (3-10 million passengers) and Heathrow (more than 10 million passengers).

Glyn Jones, chief executive of Stobart Aviation, which owns Southend airport, said: ‘Our unique “Simply Easier” promise to passengers – that includes short walking distances, outstanding customer service, a lack of queues compared to other London airports, our own station with fast and frequent train services to the heart of London every 20-minutes, and car parks right next to the terminal – are all key factors in our success and why ever increasing numbers of passengers are repeatedly choosing London Southend airport over all the others.’ 

Southend Airport is 42 miles from the centre of London.

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Where the Bank Holiday goes up in smoke

BE prepared to be blown away with an explosive big bang on the Bank Holiday weekend (August 29-31) at the Royal Gunpowder Mills in Waltham Abbey, Essex.

With workshops and activities planned throughout the summer bank holiday, all the family can learn about the history of explosives and get hands-on with science with interactive events. Families can also see the collection of weapons in the armoury.

www.royalgunpowdermills.com

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Picture Credit: Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Millsby Original uploader was Lisle45 at en.wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:Oxyman using CommonsHelper.. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

From the Ministry of Strange Events …

WE all know about Glastonbury, but have you heard of …

The World Bog Snorkelling Championships, Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys, Wales – August 30: Most festival-goers hope to keep their wellies clean this summer, but some relishing the muddier side of festival season. 

This sport – if it is a sport – consists of jumping into a water-filled trench in a bog and swimming two lengths as fast as possible. It attracts competitors from all over the world, some from as far away as New Zealand.

Tar Barrels, Ottery St. Mary, East Devon – November 5: A tradition which has continued for hundreds of years and sees locals holding flaming barrels of tar running through the crowds. Seventeen barrels are carried through the streets. 

British Lawn Mowing Championships, Coneyhurst West Sussex – September 26-27: Like many potty ideas, lawn mower racing was dreamt up over a pint in a pub in 1973 … can you tell? The British Lawn Mower Racing Association organizes races all over the UK, enabling grown men and women enjoy the sheer thrill of racing modified lawn mowers. It’s not as expensive as motor racing. 

To enter, your mower has to be approved for use in a particular class of racing, stamped, and given a log book and race number. 

Up Helly Aa, Lerwick, Scotland – January 26: Dating back to the 1840s Europe’s biggest fire festival lights up a dark winter’s day in January. Celebrating Shetland’s Viking heritage, one of the biggest draws is the Jarl Squad, a band of modern-day Viking warriors who make various appearances throughout the day.

Dunmow Flitch Trials, Great Dunmow, Essex – July 9, 2016: Originating, it’s believed, in the 12th century, the trials exist to award a flitch of bacon to married couples if they can satisfy a judge and jury of six maidens and six bachelors that in the previous year and a day they have not – not even once – ‘wisht themselves unmarried again'. The winning couple get the bacon and are carried through the village on the shoulders of local men. Do you fancy your chances?  You’ve got a year in which to work out a way of convincing the jury. Oh, and that flitch word: It’s a side, or a steak cut from the side, of an animal or fish.

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Picture Credit: RUD 2880 by Rud-gr - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons, 

V-E Day celebration

VISITORS to the Royal Gunpowder Mills in Waltham Abbey, Essex, will be taken back to the 1940s to join the Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) celebrations in a May Bank holiday weekend event (May 2-4). 

The weekend of re-enactments, remembrance and celebration will include military vehicles and air displays, including – weather permitting – Spitfire and Mustang flights.

www.royalgunpowdermills.com

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Southend Airport passenger numbers hit 1.09 million

THE number of passengers using Southend Airport, Essex, increased by 9% to 1.09 million in 2014 with capacity now available to handle five million a year.

Stobart Group chief executive Andrew Tinkler, Chief Executive Officer, said: ‘Our investment in London Southend Airport is now largely complete and we are well placed to grow the profitability of that business. The airport serves more than one million passengers a year and, as a result of our recent investment, now has capacity in its terminal to serve five million passengers.’

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Spring at the gunpowder mills

THE Royal Gunpowder Mills in Waltham Abbey, Essex, re-opens for February half-term (February 14-22).

Highlights of its spring programme include:

VE Celebration, May 2-4: A weekend of WWII re-enactments, remembrance, and celebration. Visitors can expect WWII military vehicles and air displays, including –weather permitting – a Mustang and a Spitfire.

Heritage Steam Day, May 17: Explore the technology of steam power with more than 50 scale steam traction engines representing the best of Victorian and Edwardian engineering.

Laredo, May 23-25: The Wild West living history troupe will re-create a frontier gold mining town, with plenty of shooting and dynamite explosions!

royalgunpowdermills.co.uk

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The other side of Essex

ESSEX gets a bad press, but there’s much more to the county than what’s shown on TOWIE or reported in the Sunday tabloids. A free Rough Guide has been published to help you discover the magical coastline of one of Britain’s most beautiful counties. 

Essex - Wallasea Island seals

Not only is Essex’s coastline the longest of any county in England, but more than 70 percent of it remains rural – and all less than an hour’s train ride from central London. Make The Most of the Discovery Coast takes you on a tour of beaches, creeks and remote inlets, while stopping to admire the must-see sights.

The first Rough Guide about a single English county, it packed with local experts’ knowledge of the very best things to see and do around its shoreline.

It will be a surprise to many that Essex is a nature lover’s paradise. Wallasea Island, near Burnham-on-Crouch, is arguably the jewel in the crown from a twitcher’s point of view. The wildlife reserve is owned and managed by the RSPB and is one of the most ambitious conservation projects in Europe. Seals area a popular sight and can be spotted along the coast from Walton Backwaters in the north to Leigh-on-Sea near on the Thames Estuary in the south.

George Kieffer, chairman of Visit Essex, said: ‘Essex is only one hour from London, but so different that it could be hundreds of miles or an age away. There is much to discover, from vineyards and oysters, cockle-sheds and pubs, to one of the oldest chapels in England and the longest pleasure pier in the world. You can wander around Harwich and imagine yourself in the days of Samuel Pepys, who was the local MP, or Christopher Martin who sailed the Mayflower to America. The Rough Guide is an excellent start to your explorations.’

The guide is available from tourist information centres, and from www.visitessex.com/brochures

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