Ah, the “mini break”. That must mean a headscarf and sunglasses from the 1950s. An overpriced and impractical suitcase. A picnic basket in the trunk. And a drive to a country house retreat where you’re supposed to float around in floating fabrics and bathe in champagne, candlelight, sunsets, and complacency.
Or maybe not.
It’s been 25 years since Bridget Jones’ diary hit the shelves, the heyday of the clichéd long weekend in the mid-1990s, when the imagination wavered no further than romance and room service in a fancy hotel. Fortunately, the British break has improved a bit since then. Now all kinds of escapades can be packed in a few days, whether you are traveling with your significant other, friends, family or alone. Why just “blow” when you can cover the length of a National Trail, take a quick game viewing cruise, canoe down an entire river, let the kids go wild in the semi-wilderness, and tick off a ton of castles, realign your wellbeing learning to write a novel or finding out if you can survive the weekend with your wits alone?
Even the indulgent end of the market just got a lot more original – a quick spin in a supercar with a famous female racer, right? Move over old-school getaways, action-packed micro-adventures, and chic coastal getaways.
And now it is time to take advantage of the potential of this evolved generation of extended weekends. We have all been stuck at home for so long that most of us are desperate to find the other. Longing to get away from our own four walls and local footpaths. But who knows what the future will bring? Could we be able to plan a longer, more distant break later this year? And if a two- or three-week (or more) trip abroad might still be possible in 2021, do we want to use up our vacation pay now?
With that annual vacation in stock, these short breaks can bridge the gap on your next big trip. They offer plenty of bang for just a day or two off work – refreshing, adventurous, unusual, varied and indulgent escapes across the UK that leave you feeling like you’ve had a much longer, more exotic vacation than you actually have. No headscarf required.
Coastal quickies
Gorge by the Sea, Devon
The new Salcombe Food & Drink Trail makes for a delicious getaway: follow it for artisanal chocolate and ice cream tastings, crab sheds and lobster huts, cooking demonstrations and chilli farms, and a lesson at the Salcombe Gin School (to make your own sip). Stay in the Salcombe Shepherd Huts with their cozy new hideouts that overlook the estuary and are close to the fine sands of South Devon. A three-day shepherd’s hut (for up to four people) costs from £ 200 (01548 843635; salcombeshepherdhuts.co.uk).