Have you heard about 'Regenerative Tourism'? It's not just the latest fad but an attempt to go one step beyond sustainability – not just limiting tourism's impact but weaving it into the fabric of how local communities work. I spoke recently at an event about Regenerative Tourism in the Norfolk Broads, specifically about how the region had so much more to offer than just boating. But it could be applied to any of the most heavily touristed regions in the country, where there are lots of examples of people aiming to leave destinations in a better state than they found them...
Country Comforts: Hank's Ranch
While I was in Norfolk I visited a relatively new accommodation, Hank's Ranch, run by Sarah and Hank Pender. I came away unsure whether Hank was in fact, er, Hank's real name (too much of coincidence?) but that's less important than the three striking and very comfortable luxury cabins he has built here with his bare hands from local and sustainable materials. They have a fun (and forensically realised) Wild West theme – you choose from the 'Chapel', 'Jail' or 'General Store' – but in a way that's not really the point: these are high-end cabins with heating, electricity, big comfy beds and every amenity that make a brilliant place to stay in one of Norfolk's lesser known corners: The Brecks – a beautiful area of woodland and sandy heaths that's officially Britain's driest region. The only thing they don't have is WiFi, and that's deliberate, making them a perfect place to shoot the breeze on your verandah rocking chair before retiring to your hot private outdoor bath to gaze up at the stars. Cheryl and Hank are brilliant hosts – I'd recommend paying them a visit now.
Amazing Spaces: St Osyth Priory
I hobnobbed with a TV celebrity this week when I attended the opening of the sumptuous new accommodation at St Osyth Priory on the Essex Coast. The complex here is slowly being brought back to life and is a beautiful location, which was one reason why George Clarke turned up to open their latest accommodation – two 3-bed apartments and 3 luxury hotel rooms in a beautifully restored flint gatehouse that dates from 1475. It's a stunning place to stay, and the plans they have for this considerable estate are ambitious and very exciting, with lots more accommodation deep in the grounds, a boutique hotel in a historic wing, and a sustainable farm shop and cafe focused on organic estate produce, including delicious lamb, longhorn beef and venison.
Blood Sweat and Tears... in Herefordshire, Nottinghamshire and Kent
Another one of our properties popped up recently on one of George Clarke's Shows – the magical treehouses at One Acre Wood, which I visited last year and like Hank's Ranch (above) were devised and built with the blood, sweat and tears of its enterprising owners, Sean and Annie Ronan.
Birdholme Glamping, in Nottinghamshire, is similar, a collection of luxury safari lodges that were built with skill and ingenuity by its owners Peter and Holly Hinchley a few years ago. It's a terrific place to stay, and a step up from glamping if I'm honest, and it again offers a chance to relax on your own private balcony but this time in the privacy of your own hot tub.
Another place that springs to mind while on this topic is the amazing Hobbity Treehouse in Kent, just outside Canterbury – just the latest in a series of weird and wonderful structures carved out of wood by its diligent and imaginative owners. Again, it's a cut above standard glamping, and hot tubs feature prominently.
Cool Place of the Month: Midsummer Barns
There's a restoration theme to this week's blog and so my Cool Place of the Month has to be Midsummer Barns, two beautiful restored 17th century stone barns that have been updated to a high spec with a lot of style and flair. Each comfortably sleeping 6 people, the attention to detail in these twin properties is off the scale. Situated in Cumbria's Lyvennet Valley, a scenic yet relatively undiscovered area between the Yorkshire Dales and the Lakes, it's also (like all the best properties) within walking distance of a terrific pub, the White Horse Inn in Meaburn.
Hot Deal of the Month: Lindeth Fell
The Times recently declared Lindeth Fell one of their Top 100 Places to Stay in the UK and quite rightly so. It is, they say, 'quietly elegant, with bags of charm' and we have to agree. Which makes it all the more tempting to take them up on their offer to 'Stay Longer for Less in April and May, with £50–£200 off your bill if you stay 2 nights or more. We say it's 'an elegant Lake District country house where food is very much part of the offering.' Why would you not?!
