As readers of The British Travel List know, I love a fashion exhibition and so I’ve been really excited about this very special one, which has just opened at the King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace.

In a cross-post from our sister newsletter, The Royal List, I take a peek inside this enormous new exhibition, which has just opened to commemorate the centenary of the late Queen’s birth, on April 21, 1926.

It charts the late Queen’s wardrobe over the past 100 years and has items from each decade of her life, from her christening gown, to modern-day. It is the largest display of the late Queen’s fashion ever mounted and includes 300 items – incredibly, half of which are on display for the first time.

As you can see from the images, it’s beautifully-curated and reminds me of the Dior and Chanel exhibitions held at the V&A – the colour-coded double-decker displays of dresses and hats, plus evening gowns shown in the round, are very reminiscent of some of the best fashion exhibitions, so I think it’s done super-well.

The Queen had some wonderful fashion, especially in the early part of her reign – I love the display of velvet coat dresses by Norman Hartnell, below. In fact, her wardrobe has become one of the largest and most important British fashion collections of the 20th century.

All of the clothes I was drawn to were designed by Hartnell, the late Queen’s most famous designer, who created her wedding dress and coronation gown, both of which are on display - see above. There’s lots of couture eveningwear by the London-based designer, too, including a fabulous, green gown worn for a state banquet given for President Eisenhower in Washington, in 1957, also above.

There’s also a blue gown and matching jacket worn for Princess Margaret’s wedding in 1960, which was the last time full-length dress was worn for a royal wedding, plus a lovely Harris tweed jacket and Balmoral Tartan skirt, above, also by Hartnell in the 1950s and as expected, lots and lots of glorious hats.

• It’s selling out fast, so book now. The exhibition runs until October, rct.uk

Buy the Queen’s favourite clothes

To celebrate the exhibition, the Royal Collection Trust has partnered with the Queen’s favourite brands – Burberry, Launer London, Kinloch Anderson, Corgi Socks, Dents, Floris and Fulton Umbrellas – all current or past Royal Warrant Holders and worn by Queen Elizabeth II throughout her life.

They’ve brought out a special collection of items, so you can emulate the Queen’s style yourself – right down to her scarves and her signature handbag. I picked out a few of my favourites above – how cute is the corgi brooch! If I win the lottery this week, I’ve got my eye on that and the Launer bag.

You can buy the items at royalcollectionshop.co.uk

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It’s a new season, which means time for new afternoon teas! As you know, I’m an afternoon tea fan and adore dressing up and taking a couple of hours to indulge in the ritual of a beautiful tea, in a stunning location. While there are classic afternoon teas to enjoy all over London and the UK, many hotels do seasonal specials. We headed to The Milestone Hotel in Kensington, to try their limited-edition Cherry Blossom Tea.

Inspired by the “fleeting elegance of sakura” (Japanese cherry blossom trees) the Red Carnation hotel’s pastry team and global director of chocolate and patisserie, Paula Stakelum, aka Paula Pastry, crafted a special selection of exquisite sweets and savouries infused with tastes of matcha and yuzu. We upgraded with a glass of Lanson Le Black Champagne, then received a tea menu where you unscrew little pots and smell the teas before you choose. I went for the Planter’s Mistress with bergamot, orange and lemon, which was fruity and refreshing.

The tea itself came with sprays of blossom and many of the cakes were a delicate pink, which were very pretty. Sandwiches were super-generous, the katsu chicken mayo with toasted almond round was delicious and filling and the beetroot jam finger sandwich, fun. Scones were light and fluffy and we liked the matcha curd, for something different. The cakes were fabulous, we received:

• Pink grapefruit tartlet

• Miso macaron

• Forced rhubarb aerated cream ball, white chocolate and shortbread

• Yuzu and hibiscus choux

• Japanese rollcake with Sencha tea and cherry

Everything was superb and I always like how this hotel group offers to box up any leftovers you can’t finish – so my kids loved the rest of the cakes that defeated me!

Verdict: I thoroughly recommend this lovely tea – catch it before May 10.

To book: Priced £85 adult, £45 children, milestonehotel.com

3 More Sweet Spring Afternoon Teas

1. St-Germain Afternoon Tea, Shangri-La The Shard

Served 35 floors up at TING, highlights of this elderflower-liqueur-themed tea include a beetroot muffin, quiche, St-Germain sunset pavlova, pistachio éclair and strawberry cheesecake. Priced £78 adults, it’s on until November, ting-shangri-la.com

2. Afternoon Tea, Pan Pacific London

Over at Pan Pacific, they’ve launched a new tea for spring, in the Ginger Lily Lounge. Highlights include an apricot sausage roll amuse bouche, Burford Brown truffled egg brioche, blueberry and lemon macaron with lemon curd, mango mousse and matcha strawberry and vanilla opera. There are two new palate-cleansing tea infusions, between courses. Priced £58 pp, £29 child, panpacific.com

3. The Magic Faraway Tree Afternoon Tea, Grosvenor House Hotel

I’ve mentioned this one before – in time for the new Magic Faraway Tree movie, you can enjoy a Magic Faraway Tree afternoon tea, including Silky’s Sparkling Granita, Honey Pop Cake, Land of Dreams chocolate mousse and a Magic Faraway Tree sponge with candy floss crumble. Priced £75 adult, £38 child, parkroom.co.uk

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Is there a more magical childrens’ book than Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree series? I absolutely adore The Enchanted Wood, The Magic Faraway Tree and The Folk of the Faraway Tree and read them as a child and to my own kids. So, we’re all super-excited to go and see it – finally – on the big screen, this week!

The movie was filmed in a private estate in Surrey and a secret corner of Windsor Great Park, but to mark the splendid occasion, I’ve rounded up the country’s most enchanting woods and magical forests. One of our favourite things to do as a family is wander through them, picking out The Faraway Tree whenever we do. Be sure to listen to the leaves going, “wish-a-washa” and look out for Silky, Saucepan Man and Moonface…

Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire

Top of the list has to be Sherwood Forest, home to the legend of Robin Hood and the 1,000-year-old Major Oak, where the Merry Men were said to hide in its 11-metre-round trunk.

• visitsherwood.co.uk

Wistman’s Wood, Devon

Wistman’s Wood National Nature Reserve, within Dartmoor, Devon, is an ancient stunted twisted oak forest draped in moss and lichen. It’s meant to be one of England’s most haunted places, with tales of Hellhounds, ghostly processions and Druid rituals.

• dartmoor.gov.uk

The New Forest, Hampshire

Also full of myths and legends, is The New Forest in Hampshire, where you’ll find the Rufus Stone, where William II was supposedly killed by an arrow while hunting – some say, not an accident. Burley is famous for its white witch and the wild ponies which inhabit the forest, are magical to see.

• thenewforest.co.uk

Glen Affric, Highlands

Scotland is covered in woodland, but Glen Affric is one of the best examples of the Caledonian Forest that once covered much of the nation. Think lochs and mountains covered in pine, birch and oak trees and a Nature Reserve teeming in wildlife. It’s full of folklore, including magical trees, “Wizard’s Lair” and fairy folk.

• forestryandland.gov.scot

Tollymore Forest Park, County Down

Northern Ireland’s Tollymore Forest Park has panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and the sea. With stone bridges, grottos, caves, and everything from oak, to cedar, pine, redwood, monkey puzzle and eucalyptus trees, it feels like you’re in a magic land, which is why it’s appeared on screen in Game of Thrones and Vikings.

• discovernorthernireland.com

Discover more:

• Forestry England, forestryengland.uk

• The Woodland Trust, woodlandtrust.org.uk

• Forestry and Land Scotland, forestryandland.gov.scot
  

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1. Cool fashion exhibition

Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, vam.ac.uk

I do so love the fashion exhibitions at the V&A and this week am excited to preview the latest show - the first UK exhibition ever staged on Maison Schiaparelli. Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art opens on Saturday and spans the late 1920s to today, charting the impact of one of fashion’s most innovative houses and demonstrating how pioneering Elsa Schiaparelli was at the centre of a creative network across Paris, London, and New York. There are over 200 objects, garments, accessories, jewellery, artworks, perfumes and archival material on show. It runs until November, but is booking out fast.

Stay: Nearby five-star hotel The Kensington has a special When Fashion Becomes Afternoon Tea, plus a V&A Experience package, which includes tickets to the exhibition. I’ve stayed here and recommend it, it’s a lovely hotel, doylecollection.com

2. Great new travel gadget

BarberBoss 5-in-1 Foldable Hair Dryer, £99.99, barberboss.co.uk

As anyone who travels a lot knows, there’s nothing more annoying than washing your hair, then realising the hotel hairdryer is as effective as someone panting breathily over your ears. Up until now, I never usually travel with a hairdryer, as they are too heavy and bulky. So, I was intrigued to try the new BarberBoss foldable travel hairdryer, which comes with four additional attachments - a styling concentrator, anti-frizz nozzle, and left and right auto-wrap curlers, so you can pretty much sort out any hair need, on the go. I love how small it folds up, so it really does work as a travel gadget, plus styler. And it also comes in a cute bag.

3. Perfect Easter egg

Betty’s Jacob the Sheep Easter egg, £19.95, bettys.co.uk

We’re big Betty’s tea room fans in our family and I am loving this Jacob the Sheep milk chocolate egg, for kids. It’s a new companion to their popular Jenny the Sheep white chocolate egg. There are also stunning spring-flower designs and more simnel cakes and hot cross buns than you can dream of. Take me to Yorkshire, now! Luckily, you don’t have to travel, as the tea rooms will come to you, if you order now.

4. Best Easter trails

Easter egg trails at the National Trust nationwide

One of the highlights of the Easter holidays for us, is always an Easter egg trail at a National Trust property. The grounds are coming back to life and it’s a glorious way of spending the day. There are over 170 Easter trails across England, Wales and Northern Ireland properties, with cute themes, such as Peggy the Portland Sheep at Calke Abbey in Derbyshire; the Big Bug Ball at Belton in Lincolnshire; Grizwald the Griffin at Polesden Lacey in Surrey, or my favourite – the animal-themed hunt at Bateman’s, in East Sussex. And yes, you get a chocolate egg at the end.

5. Hottest new restaurant

Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, London, simpsonsinthestrand.co.uk

It’s been a long time in the making, but the relaunch of the iconic Simpsons-in-the Strand is finally here. The legend who is restaurateur Jeremy King has taken on the almost 200-year-old venue (it first opened in 1828) and the “home of the English roast, the silver carving trolley and chess” now unites the traditional Grand Divan, lighter fare of Romano’s, classic Simpson’s Bar, Nellie’s Tavern, and a small ballroom. Phew. I haven’t eaten there yet, but it’s on my list and I can’t wait to try it, as I pretty much love the atmosphere of all of King’s restaurants. It’s had rave reviews, too.

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As Jessie Buckley took home Best Actress for Hamnet at the Oscars this weekend, I headed to Stratford-upon-Avon, to see the real-life locations that inspired the book and movie. I was there to write a travel piece for Escape.com.au, but as my 10-year-old daughter is doing a Shakespeare taster-play at school, it was perfect timing to introduce my kids to the Bard’s home town. Luckily for me, they love reading and are used to being dragged all over the country with their travel-writing mum. Luckily for them, Stratford turned out to be super-entertaining.

“These shoes have walked on the same floor as Shakespeare!” declared my youngest daughter, while her older sister snapped up a quill and ink set and penned a long letter to her auntie in the USA, with it. How good is that?

Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, is a popular day trip from London or the Cotswolds, but a top tip is to visit off-season, as when we go, we pretty much have every site to ourselves.

We stay in the boutique The Arden Hotel, which has a lovely, popular, restaurant on the waterfront, directly opposite the RSC, which part-owns it. It’s a great location and our room was really comfortable, so I’d recommend it.

Everything is very walkable and if you visit in the summer, or a sunny day, it’s packed with people ambling, or picnicking, along the River Avon, or taking one of the many boat tours. But the main reason everyone is here, is, of course, Shakespeare. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust runs Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Shakespeare’s New Place and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, plus a couple of other sites not open to the general public. Then there’s Shakespeare’s Schoolroom and the Royal Shakespeare Company, with its dominating theatre on the riverbank.

We start in Shakespeare’s Birthplace, which is a house and visitor centre in the middle of the busy town. In Shakespeare’s time, Stratford was a market town and still is – but many visitors are surprised to find his home in the middle of a generic high street. It’s pretty incredible to be able to wander around his home, around 450 years after he was born and I loved the fact we can only do so, because an enthusiastic Charles Dickens saved it for the public in 1847, stopping P.T. Barnum dismantling it brick-by-brick and shipping it to New York.

Hamnet, starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, has brought a whole new wave of visitors to see where 18-year-old William fell in love with Anne Hathaway – eight years his senior – and married her in haste in 1582, because she was pregnant. After wandering through the special exhibition, Becoming Shakespeare, we tour the 16^th century house, where the newlyweds first lived and had their children Susanna and twins, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet died here, aged 11, after which, Shakespeare wrote Hamlet – the basis of the book and movie. You can see what inspired author Maggie O’Farrell, like the A-framed attic and his father’s glove-making workshop. Although there are no special Hamnet exhibits, the guides talk to me about what was fact and fiction and in Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, there are Hamnet tours until May. We also loved a seeing actors from Events from History perform the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, out of a window of the house, which was magical.

The family moved to the lavish home, New Place, a few streets away, once Shakespeare was famous, and he lived there until his death in 1616. The house was demolished in 1759, but you can now walk through its lovely gardens filled with sculptures. Next door, is Shakespeare’s Schoolroom, which was a real highlight – don’t miss this. Shakespeare went to school here, on the site of a medieval Guildhall, which still has 600-year-old wall paintings. And amazingly, his school is still going – as King Edward VI Grammar School – and using the historic schoolroom for some lessons.

You get to have a lesson from his old teacher, “Master Thomas Jenkins”, which really brought to life what school was like in the 1500s. My daughters loved learning to write with a quill and ink.

Finally, we visited Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, in the picturesque hamlet of Shottery. There’s more to see inside the house here, than in Shakespeare’s Birthplace and we enjoyed touring the house, discovering how many slept in one tiny bed, which came with special pegs to keep the mattresses – and inhabitants – in place.

The farm, known as Hewlands, with its thatched roof and cottage gardens, featured heavily in Hamnet, but the movie didn’t use this as a location, substituting the National Trust-owned 17th-century Cwmmau Farmhouse, near Whitney-on-wye in Herefordshire and Weobley, for Stratford.

William and Anne are buried in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church and there’s a funerary monument to the Bard. I was moved to discover Hamnet and Judith, who are both in the churchyard in unmarked graves, finally got a memorial, thanks to O’Farrell, who, in 2022, planted two rowan trees and plaques there.

The Travel List

Where: Stratford-upon-Avon is in Warwickshire, around two hours by car, or train, from London, nationalrail.co.uk

What to do:

• The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust includes Shakespeare’s Birthplace, New Place and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. You can bundle tickets and bolt-on Shakespeare’s Schoolroom and tickets are valid for re-use, for a year, shakespeare.org.uk

• Shakespeare’s Schoolroom, shakespearesschoolroom.org

• The RSC has three theatres and you can book plays, or a backstage tour, rsc.org.uk

Where to stay: The Arden Hotel Stratford, has 45 pretty rooms and a lovely restaurant on the waterfront. Rooms from £120, theardenhotelstratford.com

For more information: visitstratforduponavon.co.uk

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I recently visited Yorkshire, on a Wuthering Heights weekend, as regular readers of this newsletter will know. I spent the first part of my trip in and around Haworth, home of the Bronte sisters, before heading about 50 miles north, to the Yorkshire Dales, where the new Wuthering Heights movie was filmed.

The Yorkshire Dales is a huge National Park, covering 841 square miles, between Leeds and the Lake District. And oh, my, goodness, if you have never been, add this to your British wish-list, as it’s spectacular.

It’s a giant rolling landscape of lush valleys (dales) and wild moors and hills, such as the famous Three Peaks which hikers like to challenge themselves to climb. There are ravines like Gordale Scar and cave systems like Gaping Gill, lakes and waterfalls like Hardraw Force, plus wildlife, including red squirrels, hares and otters. Fields are lined with dry stone walls and you can see the remains of mines and quarries, as well as the many working farms and stunning stone villages which pepper the park, mile after mile.

As I enter the National Park, I soon come to the magnificent sight of the Ribblehead Viaduct, over which the Settle-Carlisle Railway runs – one of the most scenic routes in the country, which celebrates its 150^th anniversary this year. I have to stop the car to exclaim to myself and snap a few photos, before continuing to do the same, every few minutes, on my journey. Travelling across the park in winter, I mostly have the roads to myself, which is just as well, as they’re a series of hairpin bends, winding up and down the hills and valleys and over tiny stone bridges through villages.

I am staying the night at the 13^th century Green Dragon Inn, in Hardraw. The cast stayed in nearby Simonstone Hall Hotel, but the Green Dragon is a super-lively, super-historic pub and hotel, which was also the filming location of Channel 5’s All Creatures Great and Small. Behind it is Hardraw Force, the highest single-drop waterfall in England, which also appeared on-screen in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The pub is very atmospheric and my room, in the old part of the building, rather than the new annexe, is absolutely beautiful – with a huge wooden four-poster bed, roll-top bath and lounge area. It’s a total treat and makes for a very special getaway - but be warned, only stay in the pub, on a Saturday night, if you are there for the live music!

For the movie, Wuthering Heights’ house exterior was fashioned out of the 17^th century Old Gang Smelting Mines in Swaledale, which you can’t drive to, but can hike around. (For “those” rocks, where Heathcliff found Cathy busy, in the movie, you’d have to head to Bridestones Moor, near Hebden Bridge and Haworth.)

I wander around the windy moors thinking of Kate Bush and Cathy, then visit Hawes, which is a gorgeous market town full of antique shops and restaurants and the tiny hamlet of Low Row, which appeared in the movie, before slowly wending my way across to Reeth and the comparative metropolis of Richmond, then catching the A1 south, towards home.

I was only in the Dales for a short visit, but this won’t be my last – I was sorry when the hills and valleys began to flatten out, almost as though they were opening, to let travellers pass. I’ll be back.

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The Travel List

• What: The Yorkshire Dales National Park is north of Leeds and south-east of The Lake District. It’s around four and half hours’ drive from London, or you can travel on the scenic Settle-Carlisle railway line, settle-carlisle.co.uk For more transport options, visit yorkshiredales.org.uk

• What to do: Most people come to the Dales for its walking, cycling, climbing, or watersports, like kayaking. Its Dark Skies are also best enjoyed in the winter, when you can see The Milky Way, planets, meteors, and even, sometimes, the Northern Lights. For Wuthering Heights filming locations, see visitengland.com

• Where to stay: The Green Dragon Inn, Hawdraw, is a 13^th century pub and hotel, not far from Hawes, overlooking Upper Wensleydale. Doubles from £75, thegreendragonhardraw.co.uk

• For more information: Visit yorkshiredales.org.uk

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This year is turning out to be a terrific one for lovers of literary travel – i.e. me. Fresh from a trip to Yorkshire for Wuthering Heights and Stratford for Shakespeare, I head into London brandishing my invitation card for the launch of the new Jane Austen Experience.

Just steps away from Oxford Street, this new attraction is from the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, which has been open since 1999. While the Bath Centre is part-museum, part tea-shop, the London offering is an immersive experience, designed to step back in time to the Regency period, complete with character actors.

My Austen-loving sister, Lindsey, doesn’t need much “Persuasion” to accompany me and as we make our way up the flights of stairs in the narrow Georgian townhouse, to start the experience, we’re met by a breeches-clad “Mr Bingley”, who does some serious flattery on us.

Wandering around in groups of 20, maximum, the experience takes an hour and you start with an introduction by one of Austen’s characters, then you are free to go at your own pace. There’s a reading on the top floor, from one of the novels – we had Emma, read by “Harriet Smith”. Then you can dress in a frock and bonnet and pose in front of Pemberley, gaze at a portrait of Colin Firth as Mr Darcy, play parlour games, smell Regency perfumes and taste Regency biscuits, or sit at a writing desk and pen your masterpiece with a quill.

We’re encouraged to pop an Empire-line floral frock over our clothes, but I’m far too British and uptight, so I don a bonnet instead, realising, sadly, I now look more Mrs Bennet than Lizzie. When did that happen? My sister looks glorious, of course.

Nice details, are a guide to Jane’s London, a replica of the author’s writing desk and a fascinating waxwork, which, like the one in Bath, was created by forensic artist Melissa Dring. Because there are no lifetime portraits of Jane Austen, other than an unfinished sketch by Cassandra, nobody knows exactly what she looked like, so Dring created the waxwork from the sketch, descriptions and an engraving and Mansfield Park and Persuasion costumier Andrea Galer created the gown.

Downstairs there’s a nice gift shop, then we’re back out in the lights of modern London. Last year was 250 years since the birth of the author and her popularity shows no sign of slowing – later this year, two more TV adaptations of her classics are hitting the screen: Pride and Prejudice comes to Netflix and Sense and Sensibility, the cinema. The Jane Austen Centre in Bath saw record-breaking numbers with last year’s celebrations, so I’m sure the Jane Austen Experience will have lots of custom.

Verdict

• Overall, it’s a fun, gentle, experience.

• My take, is it’s for Jane Austen super-fans, who would enjoy dressing up and seeing what it was like in Jane Austen’s world. It’s less for those who like a traditional museum.

• It’s a shame there’s no café for afternoon tea; I think this would have done extremely well in London.

• It would make a fun activity for those going in a group, for a birthday, or hen weekend, for example. It might be less fun if you’re solo, with strangers.

To book

• The Jane Austen Experience, 11 John Prince’s Street; £19.50 adults, janeausten.co.uk
  

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Whether you are visiting the UK, or a resident travelling around, the age-old decision is, should you drive, or take the train. Or even fly?

As a travel writer who visits lots of regions around the country, I am permanently faced with this dilemma. The answer is, I do a mixture of all three – I take the train if I know I can walk or get public transport easily at the other end, for example, if I’m visiting a city. But I mostly drive if it involves going somewhere rural or multiple locations. And if I’m going somewhere like Scotland, from my base in Kent, which I am doing soon, then I’ll probably choose to fly.

So, which is the best option for you? Here’s my guide to getting around:

When to take a train

This is usually the fastest, easiest, and most environmentally-friendly option, plus all you have to do is sit there. Britain’s train network is vast and connects its cities and most major towns, however, it can be expensive and goes through phases of being unreliable, such as if there’s a strike, or planned maintenance works over a weekend or public holiday.

If you were going from London to any major city, generally, I’d say take the train. However, always book ahead, as it will give you both a reserved seat and a cheaper price. Check nationalrail.co.uk, the train service’s website, for example, avantiwestcoast.co.uk, or lner.co.uk, or booking site like Trainline.com, for discounted fares. And always check it’s actually running that day. If it’s delayed or cancelled, you can claim a rebate, via Delay Repay, check here for details.

There’s also the Caledonian Sleeper train from London to Scotland, sleeper.scot and the Night Riviera Sleeper from London to Cornwall, gwr.com.

If visiting from overseas, you can also buy a European train pass, such as a Eurail Pass, or Interrail pass, if you want to make multiple journeys through countries. Interrail is for European residents (including the UK) and Eurrail for those who live outside of Europe.

When driving is best

Taking a train isn’t the greatest if you plan on visiting rural areas, or getting out of a town and city, as many regions – such as the village where I live - have extremely sparse public transport, or none at all. There’s no taxi rank at my local rural train station, for example and a pitiful bus service. So, you’d have to hire a car on arrival at the nearest city or large town, or from your departure point. A car means you have the freedom to go where you like and stop as often as you like – for example, driving to and around Cornwall, Norfolk, the Lake District, or the Highlands.

Top tip: If driving somewhere at peak time, do build in delay time to your journey. The road into Cornwall, for example, is gridlocked in summer or over school holidays and the motorways can be extremely congested at all times. Set off as early as you can and with the expectation your journey might take two hours, or five, as it did for me, on Friday. Happy days.

Catch a coach if on a budget

A cheap option for inter-city travel is a long-distance coach and National Express or Megabus connect many cities affordably and are good for budget travellers. They also run transfers from airports. National Express also has an unlimited visitor pass, klook.com.

Don’t forget domestic flights

Yes, they exist in the UK and you can get connecting flights from London to a city closer to your ultimate destination, if arriving in the UK, or choose to fly between hubs like London and Aberdeen, Belfast (and Dublin), Edinburgh, Inverness, Glasgow, Manchester, Jersey and even Newquay in Cornwall.

Travelling from Heathrow into London

I get asked this question a lot, as it can be confusing which route to take when arriving in Heathrow. The first thing I’d say to any visitor, is don’t get a taxi, unless you are a VIP wanting to travel incognito, as it will cost a fortune and be very slow into central London. Here are your options:

• The Elizabeth Line: They are super-fast new trains which will take you to central London, including Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and more.

• The Heathrow Express: This fast-train takes you from the airport direct to Paddington Station.

• The Piccadilly Line: If you want to go direct to somewhere like King’ Cross, then the Piccadilly Line is for you, but it’s much slower than the other options.

• A coach: National Express has a coach service from Heathrow to central London and other cities, which could also be an option as it involves no changing modes of transport.

Travel tips for London

Public transport in London is excellent and easy to use. Here are my tips for anyone visiting the capital:

• You don’t need to buy a ticket on the underground, you can scan on and off with your phone or credit card and it will work out the cheapest price for the day.

• However, if you prefer, you can get a Visitor’s Oyster Card, before you travel, from the VisitBritainShop.

• Busses work the same way – just scan on and off.

• My favourite way to get around, is the Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, which you scan on and off as well. The ferries are not cheap, but great.

• Look closely at the map – some places are quicker to walk, than get the Tube, they just appear far away on the Tube Map, such as Covent Garden and Leicester Square; Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus; Piccadilly Circus and Green Park; Oxford Street and Bond Street.

• Check out tfl.gov.uk for maps and how to plan your journey.

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The Newman, London

This super-chic new hotel is on my must-visit list. The five-star boutique property has just opened on Newman Street in Fitzrovia - an old haunting ground of mine, where I worked in magazines, many moons ago. It’s inspired by 1920s Nancy Cunard, heiress to the Cunard shipping line, with 81 art deco-style rooms, a cool spa and a large brasserie. Sounds right up my (old) street.

Visit: Rooms from £500, thenewman.com

Waldorf Astoria London - Admiralty Arch

I keep mentioning the imminent arrival of this hotel, mainly because every time I walk past the hoardings on The Mall, I marvel how they are managing to put a hotel in this incredible heritage site. It promises to launch this summer, with 100 elegant bedrooms, private residences, spa and two restaurants by Michelin chefs Clare Smyth and Daniel Boulud, one of which will be on the rooftop, with undeniably London’s most outstanding view. Book that for the next Coronation!

Visit: Details TBC, for hotel updates, follow on Instagram

The Hobson, Cambridge

We enjoyed a lovely mini-break in Cambridge recently – read about it here – and the pretty university city now has another new hotel, in the former home of the 17th-century philanthropist Thomas Hobson, near the Fitzwilliam Museum and King’s College. The building has also had a life as a police and fire station and council offices, but is now a 56-room hotel, with bedrooms featuring open-plan living spaces and kitchenettes, as well as a restaurant.

Visit : Rooms from £125, thehobsoncambridge.com

Six Senses, London

Joining the, “haven’t you been banging on about this hotel for years?” list, is the much-awaited Six Senses London, in the former Whiteley’s building in Bayswater. It is set to have 109 rooms, plus private residences and, as you would expect, an enormous spa, with indoor pool, restaurant, bar and café. I’ve been fantasising about having a facial and swim in that pool, for a couple of years.

Visit: Opening this March, rooms from £750, sixsenses.com

Mollie’s, Manchester

I absolutely loved my visit to Mollie’s Oxford – read here – and so have been anticipating the mega-Mollie’s, which opens this month, in Manchester. It’s in the old Granada Studios, which it shares with the new Soho House Manchester and has 128 bedrooms, American diner and cocktail bar, with a live-performance stage. How fun does that sound? As long as my room is not on top of the live-performance stage, that is. Too old for that.

Visit: Rooms from £109, mollies.com

Plus!

Look out for The Medlock Manchester - a 401-room Radisson Blu hotel, set in the Etihad Stadium, opening later this year, radissonhotels.com

Arthouse, Glasgow

In Glasgow, the townhouse home of former Liberal Prime Minister Henry Campbell-Bannerman, is being turned into a chic boutique hotel with 76 bedrooms, from new hotel group Oberland. Celentano’s restaurant will relocate there when it opens this spring. Hopefully it launches in time for the Commonwealth Games and my planned visit!

Visit: Rooms from £99, arthousehotelglasgow.com

St Clement, London

Back in London and another exciting hotel, from former Soho House CEO Nick Jones, under his new Jones & Co brand. Jones was the vision behind Mollie’s, but promises St Clement will be completely different. The property is above his Corner Shop 180, a deli-cafe-bar and will have 90 bedrooms, plus 15 loft apartments and while details are top-secret, it’s expected to feature two restaurants, rooftop venue and bar, plus gym and spa. Everything he does is fabulous, so I’m expecting great things.

Visit: Rates TBC, stclement.co.uk

Tarka, Edinburgh

At the other end of the budget, comes a 242-unit capsule-style hotel in Edinburgh. With seven floors, accommodation will be as minimal as you can get, in the form of private “pods”, which you crawl into, Japanese-style, in this hotel just off St Andrew Square. It will also have a rooftop Japanese-inspired bar and restaurant and is due to open this summer. I think I’m a bit beyond this one, but it will be a cheap option for the many, many, young visitors to the Scottish capital, particularly during its Festival.

Visit: Rates TBC, tarkahotels.com

Hotel Gotham, Bristol

Now this is a bit more me, as Bristol gets a new five-star hotel in its historic Guildhall. Hotel Gotham prepares to open soon, with 75 bedrooms, restaurant, spa and rooftop bar. Rooms are all dark, jewelled tones, with heavy, rich, wallpaper and fabrics.

Visit: Rates TBC, hotelgotham.co.uk

Cambridge House, Auberge Collection, London

And finally, this is the kind of London hotel of my dreams. Another delayed launch I’ve been absolutely longing to see come to life, is Cambridge House on Piccadilly, in the former In & Out military club. It’s being transformed into an uber-luxurious 102-room hotel, with multiple restaurants, fumoir and three-floor wellness centre and spa. It’s due to open the first half of this year. Please can someone invite me to review this for my lovely readers, thank you very much. (Well, I can hope, can’t I?)

Visit: Rates TBC, auberge.com

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Full disclosure: I’m an Emily Bronte-tragic, so when I got the opportunity to visit the village, home and landscape that infuses Wuthering Heights, I didn’t hesitate. Even if it meant driving up to the Yorkshire moors in January.

Emily wrote her masterpiece in the parsonage in Haworth, West Yorkshire. But first, I stop at the house where she was born – the newly-opened Bronte Birthplace in Thornton, near Bradford. It was in this house, Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne were born – they already had two older sisters, Maria and Elizabeth – and after a community initiative, it’s been restored as a museum, café and rather fabulously, Airbnb. Charlotte’s Room is a wonderful room with four-poster bed, which would make one memorable stay.

After touring the house, I head off to nearby Haworth – which is only six miles away, but the January mist descends and I find myself navigating hairpin bends, hills and stone-walled moorland, with zero visibility. By the time I arrive in the village and wander up its famous steep, cobbled, Main Street, there’s nobody around, which is a rarity in this popular destination.

I check in to charming guesthouse, Weavers of Haworth, which is stylish and comfortable and right next to the Bronte Parsonage, so makes the perfect base. I would definitely recommend this, for anyone visiting the area.

I last came to Haworth 30 years ago with my sister and friends and aside from wondering where on earth that time went, it’s great to see the village is thriving, with upmarket eateries, packed pubs and boutiques and independent bookshops, like the terrific Wave of Nostalgia. I enjoy an excellent dinner at The Hawthorn and lunch at its sister site, Haworth Old Post Office, with the counter where the sisters first mailed their manuscripts.

It’s very different to the Haworth Emily would have known, of course, as life in early 1800s Yorkshire was extremely hard. The Industrial Revolution brought mills and quarries and with them, overcrowding, poor sanitation and harsh living conditions. Death was everywhere – the average life expectancy in the Brontes’ time was 24 and 41 per cent of children wouldn’t make it to the age of six. The numerous decomposing bodies in the cemetery which wrapped around the parsonage, were later found to be seeping into the town’s water supply. Her sisters, Maria, 11 and Elizabeth, 10, would be sent home from school sick and died of TB, as did brother Branwell, later, plus Anne and Emily herself, of course.

You can’t visit Haworth and not take the time to hike up the hills that so inspired Emily. I set off to retrace her – and Cathy and Heathcliff’s - steps, with Bronte Walks’ Johnnie Briggs and author Tamar Yellin. We hike up to Ponden Kirk, the rock platform and cave underneath it, overlooking the valley, which are believed to be Cathy’s Penistone Crags and The Fairy Cave, in Wuthering Heights.

Tamar recites Emily’s poem, The Night is Darkening Round Me, on the rock edge and it’s a special moment, experiencing how the landscape permeates the book. You gaze out from the dark moor, at the light over the softer valleys in the distance and can feel how Heathcliff stays up on the moors, while Cathy chooses to go into the light and civilisation. We walk past the Bronte Waterfall and within sight of the ruins of Top Withens farm, which are said to be (one of) the inspirations for Wuthering Heights.

Back in Haworth, I tour the Bronte Parsonage, where you can gaze upon the actual table where Charlotte, Emily and Anne wrote their novels and paced around, reading chapters out to each other, every night. It’s incredibly inspiring and the house makes way to a large exhibition space upstairs.

While the new movie makes much of the wild moors, it wasn’t filmed around Haworth, but in the Yorkshire Dales, which, as a National Park, is full of empty landscapes and untouched vistas. It’s to this utterly spectacular landscape, I head next – but will save that for another newsletter.

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The Travel List

Where: Haworth, in the Pennines, is near Bradford, West Yorkshire, visithaworth.com

Visit: Haworth is home to the Bronte Parsonage Museum, bronte.org.uk.

The Bronte Birthplace has newly-opened in nearby Thornton, brontebirthplace.com

Stay: Weavers of Haworth is a stylish guesthouse and cottages, near the Bronte Parsonage, weaversofhaworth.com

Book: Bronte Walks offers guided tours of the region, brontewalks.co.uk

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It gives me so much pleasure to know readers of The British Travel List are such a literary lot – one of my most-read newsletters every year is this round-up of the best book festivals in Britain. That and afternoon tea posts! Now, all I have to do is get a book deal to write both an afternoon tea travel guide and literary travel guide to Britain and my life will be complete.

I’ve just returned from the most wonderful literary-inspired weekend away in Yorkshire, following in the footsteps of Emily Bronte – more on that next week. But as a taster, here’s the wonderful Tamar Yellin, author and friend of Bronte Walks, who took me up to the moors beyond Haworth and recited Emily Bronte’s The Night is Darkening Round Me from the hilltop. What a special moment.

But back to literary festivals - this year, it’s the National Year of Reading, meaning there’s even more reason to get to an event. So, here’s my annual guide to the best literary festivals of 2026, leaving you plenty of time to book your tickets, and yes, I know I make the same pun every year.

March 21-29

Oxford Literary Festival

Speakers include Sajid Javid, Julia Donaldson, Jann Martel and Hugh Bonneville.

April 22-26

Cambridge Literary Festival

From Zadie Smith to Mary Berry, don’t miss this lovely book festival in the university city.

May

Bath Literature Festival 16 – 24 May

This book festival hosts more than 60 events with world-famous authors. Names include Sajid Javid and Patrick Gale.

Hay Festival 21 – 31 May

This is the biggie when it comes to literary festivals and the famous event in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, has talks with Emerald Fennell, Antony Beevor, Ruth Ozeki and Elizabeth Strout.

August 15-30

Edinburgh International Book Festival

In Scotland, this is one of the world’s largest book festivals with around 500 events. The programme will be announced in June.

September

The Queen’s Reading Room Festival, 19-20 Sep

Queen Camilla’s literary festival has been a roaring success. It was held in Hampton Court, but last year moved to Chatsworth for the 250-year anniversary of Jane Austen. This year it returns to Chatsworth and features names including Lee Child, Ann Cleeves and Cecelia Ahern.

Wigtown Book Festival 25 – 4 Oct

One of my lovely readers reminded me to include this brilliant book festival in Scotland’s National Book Town, this year, so here it is. The 10-day celebration of all things books has 200 events and opens with a bagpipe procession through the town. How good is that!

October

Cheltenham Literary Festival 9 – 18 Oct

Another biggie is the world’s first and longest-running literary festival, in Cheltenham. The line-up is to be announced, but this is always a cracker.

Cliveden Literary Festival 10-11 Oct

Beautiful Cliveden in Berkshire, is home to a very classy festival every year. Speakers are to be announced.

London Literature Festival, Oct 21 – Nov 1

The capital also comes alive with books, over 10 days every October, when Southbank hosts the London Literature Festival. Dua Lipa is curator this year.

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Glasgow hosts the Commonwealth Games

Top of the list is the Commonwealth Games, which are being held in Scotland, after Australia’s Victoria withdrew from hosting. Glasgow will be abuzz with athletics from July 23 to August 2 and one thing’s for sure, it’s bound to be a party. glasgow2026.com

The late Queen turns 100…

April 21 marks 100 years since Queen Elizabeth II was born, at 17 Bruton St, Mayfair. You can dine in her honour, in new fine-dining restaurant, Lilibet’s, which recently opened on the site. From April 10, The King’s Gallery will host Queen Elizabeth: Her Life in Style, the largest-ever exhibition of her clothes. lilibetsrestaurant.com; rct.uk

…So does Winnie-the-Pooh

Also celebrating his centenary, is Winnie-the-Pooh, who first appeared in print by A.A. Milne, in 1926. The real 100 Acre Wood is Ashdown Forest, East Sussex, very close to where I live and you can follow in Christopher Robin, Pooh and Piglet’s footsteps with a special new trail coming this summer. Start off at Pooh Corner tea room and shop in Hartfield. poohcorner.co.uk; ashdownforest.org

The Bayeaux Tapestry comes to the UK

For the first time in almost 1000 years, the Bayeaux Tapestry will be on display in the UK at the British Museum. The 70-metre-long famous artwork, woven in the 11th century, depicts William the Conqueror’s victory in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and will be on loan from France from September 2026 to July 2027. britishmuseum.org

Luxury hotels open in London

I’ll cover these in more detail later, but 2026 also sees another batch of luxury hotels open in the UK, including London’s much-anticipated first Six Senses hotel in Bayswater; Auberge Collection’s Cambridge House in Mayfair and possibly this year, the long-awaited Waldorf Astoria London, in Admiralty Arch. I walked past the site recently and honestly, it will be incredible. sixsenses.com; auberge.com

And more museums

One thing London isn’t short of, is museums, but it’s still welcoming more, with the immersive Museum of Shakespeare opening in Shoreditch and London Museum in Smithfield. V&A East will also open, joining the V&A Storehouse and David Bowie Centre, in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. museumofshakespeare.org.uk; londonmuseum.org.uk; vam.ac.uk/east

Expect great art

There are multiple anniversaries, including 250 years since the birth of Constable and exhibition Turner and Constable is running until April at Tate Britain. At Tate Modern, a special show marking 40 years of Tracey Emin opens next month. Edinburgh’s Royal Scottish Academy celebrates its 200th anniversary and London’s Southbank Centre turns 75, with a takeover by director Danny Boyle, in May. Marilyn Monroe would have turned 100 this year and the National Portrait Gallery is staging an exhibition from June. And fashion fans won’t want to miss the exhibition The 90s at Tate Britain, from October. tate.org.uk; royalscottishacademy.org; southbankcentre.co.uk; npg.org.uk

A new theme park opens

The big news is the UK is getting its own Universal Studios, near Bedford. But we’re also opening another theme park – a historical one, in the north. Kynren: An Epic Tale of England is an award-winning live-action show and the team behind it is launching Kynren – The Storied Lands, in County Durham, in 2026. kynren.com

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Two things I truly adore, are books and British travel. I studied English Literature at university and have never lost my passion for reading classics – plus visiting the sites where the authors brought them to life.

This weekend, I saw the new movie Hamnet, starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal and my, what a beautiful film it is. I can’t recommend it more highly. I adored Maggie O’Farrell’s novel and the film really stands up to the book. All inspired, I turned around a travel story for my friends at Escape.com.au – read it here and am now planning a trip back to Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare was born and died. Here’s my Hamnet booktinerary:

Stay in “Hewlands”

In the book and movie, William Shakespeare first falls in love with Agnes, in the Hathaway farm, Hewlands. The real Hewlands – where Agnes/Anne was born in 1556 – is in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire and open to the public, shakespeare.org.uk The movie used National Trust Cwmmau Farmhouse, near Whitney-on-wye, Herefordshire, which is a holiday rental, nationaltrust.org.uk

Visit Weobley, Herefordshire

While Shakespeare was born in Stratford, film-makers headed to the stunning timber-framed village of Weobley, near Hereford, which stood in for the market town. Take a new Hamnet-inspired walking trail, to see the Tudor sights, visitherefordshire.co.uk

See Stratford-upon-Avon

Me and both my book-loving sisters are now inspired to take another trip to Stratford after reading Hamnet/seeing the movie (Northern California author Frances Rivetti is also on Substack). It’s the centre of all-things Bard, including Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Shakespeare’s New Place – where he died, in 1616. Plus you can see Hamlet on stage at one of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s three theatres, shakespeare.org.uk; rsc.org.uk

Watch a show at Shakespeare’s Globe, London

Hamnet shows the first performance of Hamlet at the Globe theatre. In the movie, the theatre was recreated in the studio and the original theatre burned down. However, the wonderful recreated Shakespeare’s Globe in Southwark means you can experience what it was like to see Shakespeare performed in the open air - whatever the weather, shakespearesglobe.com

Head to the forest

In the novel and movie, the forest plays a central role. Agnes is a woman of the woods and magical woodlands feature large in Shakespeare’s works. The movie filmed woodland scenes in Lydney Park Estate in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Its gardens are open to the public and it has holiday accommodation there. The real Forest of Arden, which appears in As You Like It, was near Stratford and is now part of the Heart of England Forest, lydneyparkestate.co.uk; heartofenglandforest.org

Discover the plague history at The Charterhouse, London

In the movie, there’s a dark scene where William watches a puppet show, explaining how the plague came to Britain. Fittingly, this was filmed at The Charterhouse, a former medieval monastery near the Barbican in London, which was also the site of a plague pit. Now an almshouse, Charterhouse is open for tours and you can visit its museum, chapel and shop for free, thecharterhouse.org

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Fancy a Cornish mini-break?

Cornwall Hideaways have wonderful properties all over the county and right now have special offers with up to 20 per cent off. Discover more at cornwallhideaways.co.uk

* Contains affliliate links

It might seem like an impossible quest, particularly with soaring London hotel rates, but it is true – you can find a reasonably-priced chic hotel, right in the West End. We love our annual Christmas holiday London staycation and this year, we decided our priority was to stay somewhere so central we could walk everywhere.

Now, I’ve been vocal about the fact London room rates have rocketed in the past decade and you can absolutely get better value if you book slightly out of the West End and travel in by Tube or taxi. However, this Christmas, we decided we really wanted to be able to walk with our children to the shops, theatre and dinner, so we searched for a hotel right in the heart of the West End and decided to pay the premium to do so.

We settled on the four-star Radisson Blu in Mercer St, which is in Seven Dials, Covent Garden. You could not get a more central location – this is a rock star position, as it’s right on Seven Dials, opposite the Cambridge Theatre, showing Matilda.

It’s a boutique hotel, with 137 rooms and we booked a corner suite on the fifth floor, which was the only family room we could get. The room was very spacious, sleeping four comfortably, with the sofa turned into a second double bed. It had a large bathroom and a cool dressing room, with Smeg Union Jack fridge and dressing table with lights, which we enjoyed.

The hotel itself is chic – the restaurant, Monmouth Kitchen, is popular and breakfast there was great, with a large buffet and cook-to-order options. Coffee is self-serve, from a machine, which always slightly makes my heart sink, but hey-ho. There’s a small gym, meeting rooms and a nice lounge area for residents, but otherwise, it’s a compact, stylish hotel. Note: there’s no bar, or option to have food and drink in the lounge and the restaurant is small and busy – we couldn’t get in for a late afternoon coffee/drink, which felt a bit disappointing. A good idea would be for residents to be able to order items in the lounge, from the restaurant.

Other nice touches included a complimentary bar of chocolate and gorgeous perfume from the Experimental Perfume Club, opposite the hotel, where you can blend your own scent. I highly recommend visiting. Other amenities include a coffee machine, huge TV, Dyson hairdryer and staff were happy to deliver fresh milk for coffee.

If I am honest, I was slightly disappointed by some of the lack of attention to detail – they supplied three dressing gowns when we’re a family of four; refilled the coffee pods with decaf-only; did not replenish the biscuits (it sounds petty I know, but it’s annoying) and worse, didn’t refill the loo roll, so we watched as it perilously ran out. I really don’t expect to ever have to call a hotel reception for more toilet roll.

Radisson Blu hotels are positioned as upscale central or airport hotels, “characterized by attention to detail and the ‘Yes I Can!’ service philosophy.” The brand says, “Radisson Blu hotels are designed to make an unforgettable difference by anticipating travellers’ needs through carefully curated touchpoints.”

My opinion? That’s what they could have done a bit better for us. I probably would have been more forgiving, had it not been a super-peak pricing time, which I acknowledge was our choice to book just after New Year. Generally, you can get doubles here from around £220 upwards, but because we needed a family room at peak time, we paid £675 per night, by the time we added in breakfast. However, we saved on not having to catch taxis in and out of the West End.

Verdict? I give Radisson Blu Mercer St 10/10 for location, but 7/10 for our experience. I would recommend staying here as a solo guest, or couple, maybe less as a family - and if you book off-peak, it would be good value.

The Travel List:

Where: Radisson Blu Mercer St, London WC2H 9HD. Rooms from around £220 per night.

SPECIAL OFFER! Book by January 15 and save up to 35% off all-year stays. Radisson Rewards members get the best discounts and earn 3,000 bonus points/stay. Book here. radissonhotels.com

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As the year draws to its close, I thought it would useful to take a look at my most-read newsletters of 2025. It turns out that you really like content about afternoon teas, which should be no surprise to you lovely readers who subscribe to my newsletter, as you can’t have missed the fact I’ve been diligently devouring my way through sandwiches, cakes and scones in London’s top hotels, over the past few months.

However, what may be more surprising, is what else makes my most-read newsletters of 2025 list, which includes Britain’s Best Literary Festivals, Britain’s Best Walks, Best Outdoor Theatre and Best New Hotels. You can read the original posts below. But seriously, how lovely are those topics! It’s wonderful to discover the subjects I love also resonate with so many people - especially the rise of book-travel, something I’m excited to expand in 2026. As an English Literature graduate, combining literature with British travel is my ideal combo - I love nothing more than a good booktinerary. So, watch this space for more on that.

This year has been The British Travel List’s most successful and I’m looking forward to new adventures for it and myself, next year. Please do get in touch if you’d like to see me cover anything specific.

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In the meantime, have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season and I will be back, after a short break, on January 13.

Thank you for all your support!

Kerry

The most-read posts of 2025

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Watching the movie, The Polar Express, is our Christmas Eve ritual in our house and so when a friend told me I could catch it in real life, I didn’t have to be persuaded to climb on board. Catching a steam train in your pyjamas, having hot chocolate served by the conductor and meeting Santa? Sounds good to me.

We snapped up our tickets for the Polar Express leaving from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, but there are similar immersive experiences all over the country. Like any family day out, or experience, it’s not cheap. For a family of four, the Spa Valley Polar Express will set you back around £200, although tickets are cheaper if you go earlier. So, is the experience worth it? Here’s what I thought:

The cost

It’s not cheap, although nothing is anymore, and it is an extensive immersive experience, with actors entertaining you, so is priced similarly to taking your family to the theatre. You are there for around an hour and half, with an hour on the train itself.

The experience

The actual experience is wonderful – the steam train goes off on a short journey and the conductor and the chefs sing and dance and do a fabulous job entertaining everyone. They bring out hot chocolate and a snack and then Santa comes along and they go through the original storybook and present everyone with their own silver sleigh bell as, “The first gift of Christmas”. Everyone that is, except me, as they missed me and feeling like a rather desperate non-believer, I asked if I could have a bell, and never did get one. So, bah humbug to me, especially as I was the one footing the bill. What that says about my Christmas spirit, I don’t want to know.

Need to know

• Everyone else on the train had clearly done this experience many times over and whole families appeared wearing matching pyjamas – mums, dads, kids and grandparents. Our daughters were in their pyjamas, but we weren’t, as we didn’t want to look silly. We looked silly, instead. If you are going to do it, then go for it.

• Book as early as you can, as we got split up on the train. We booked at the start of the year, but still had to sit in two groups, with other families, as families tend to do this in huge groups, with grandparents on board, too. You’re sitting at tables of four and while it didn’t matter so much, it would have been better if we were together.

• Take your kids while they’re young (ish). It’s always hard knowing the exact window to take your child to an immersive experience, but this is pretty magical for everyone, as long as they already know the Polar Express story and are able to sit still at a table on a train, for an hour. The other passengers ranged from babies to grandparents, but I’d say under-10s would love it the most.

• Don’t be late. Obviously, it’s a train, so it’s not going to wait and it does actually go on a journey “to the North Pole”. You don’t get off anywhere, but return to the main station.

Verdict

It was a an uplifting, fun, Christmas experience, where everyone gets really into it.

Where to catch the Polar Express

1. Spa Valley Railway: I caught this one, in Tunbridge Wells.

2. London Euston: London’s train steams from Euston.

3. Bolton Abbey Station: The Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway runs multiple trains

4. Churnet Valley Railway: The heritage line near Stoke-on-Trent is very popular

5. South Devon Railway: Get on board at Buckfastleigh.

6. Wensleydale Railway: Yorkshire Dales residents can also see Santa.

7. Birmingham Moor Street: You can catch the Polar Express from Birmingham

8. Telford Steam Railway: The Shropshire train is also heading to the North Pole.

9. Seaton Tramway: Not a train, but a tram, in Devon

10. Mid-Norfolk Railway: The east of England takes a magical journey this Christmas.

11. Caledonian Railway: Climb on board in Brechin.

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Here are seven of my top picks for a festive day out, in 2025.

Check out the Christmas trees at Windsor Castle

Top of my list is a visit to a beautifully-decorated palace, castle, or stately home. I loved visiting the National Trust’s Polesden Lacey in Surrey and seeing its spectacular decorations and this year, I’m hoping to visit Hever Castle and its Christmas in the Land of Oz trail. However, one of the most magical places to go, has to be Windsor Castle, which takes decorations to the next level. In St George’s Hall, there’s a 20-foot-high Christmas tree decked with 3,000 lights and ornaments and another 16-foot-high Christmas tree in the Crimson Drawing Room. There’s even a 45cm tree in Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, bedecked with miniature decorations. Visit rct.uk

Step back in time in The Great Christmas Feast

I can’t tell you how much I want to experience this – you can go back in time to Dickens’ parlour on Christmas Eve 1843 and experience a meticulously-curated immersive experience of dining, storytelling and music, based on A Christmas Carol, by the team behind The Lost Estate in West Kensington, London. It runs until January 4 and sells out every year. Visit christmasfeast.thelostestate.com

See the Christmas garland at Cotehele, Cornwall

For 65 years, Cotehele’s gardeners have created the much-loved tradition of a 60ft garland, using flowers grown on the estate. You can see this year’s creation in the Great Hall, and explore the house, dressed for the season. There’s a Christmas trail and even a wassail at this popular National Trust property in Cornwall, on until January 5. Visit nationaltrust.org.uk
Stay: Make a weekend of it, by staying in the newly-opened Miller’s House, a Grade II-listed cottage next to Cotehele watermill.

Follow the light trail at Edinburgh’s Botanics

There are light trails on all over the UK – famous ones include at Kew and Blenheim Palace. A particularly magical trail is in Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Gardens, which comes alive after dark with stunning light installations from international artists, Santa and food stalls. Visit rbge.org.uk

Get your skates on at Warwick Castle

Another ubiquitous seasonal experience is a spin on a pop-up skating rink, which appear everywhere, from London to Lincoln, Birmingham to Bath. Warwick Castle has a splendid one, around the walls of the towering castle, as the east front transforms into a magical skating rink underneath Guy’s Tower. You can add on the light trail and a visit to Santa, or even a Santa sleepover. Visit warwick-castle.com

Take your littles to Lapland… and Peppa Pig World

Finally, I couldn’t leave off my two all-time favourite days out when my kids were small – Lapland UK and Peppa Pig World. My sister warned me the window for these trips is very small, so take her advice and don’t put it off too long. Peppa Pig World is just gorgeous when your children are tiny and it’s lovely, albeit cold, at Christmas. Visit paultonspark.co.uk

Lapland UK is just magical, definitely do it while you can – it’s not cheap, but it’s beautifully-done and is honestly an unforgettable experience. We did it twice and then, suddenly, they were too old to fit through the tiny magic doorways. Sob. Visit laplanduk.co.uk

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Short Yard Boots, £52.95, Harry Hall

Harry Hall has been trading since 1891 and their boots are a great buy whether you horse ride, or simply walk. I have these ankle boots and they’re currently on sale, down from £69.95.

Richmond Rucksack, £139.95, Pom Pom London

I’m on an eternal quest for the perfect travel bag and love the new slate blue leather backpack from Pom Pom London.

Hazel Brown Blazer, £345, Fairfax & Favor

If like me, you’re recreating Claudia’s Celebrity Traitors’ checked wardrobe, then this blazer ticks all the boxes.

Bridgerton 1000pc Puzzle, £15.99, Ravensburger

Indulge in some mindfulness with this epic Bridgerton jigsaw and look forward to the new series coming to Netflix soon!

Spa Day Voucher, from £195, The Gainsborough Bath Spa

How lovely would it be to receive this as a gift? A day in the iconic Bath Spa Village, with cobalt blue pool, ice alcove, saunas, steam room and relaxation terrace.

Odyssey Mythos Velvet Cosmetic Bag, £55, Emma Shipley

Give your make-up a luxe home in one of British designer Emma Shipley’s beautiful cosmetic bags.

For him

Minor IV Ear Buds, £79.99, Marshall

British brand Marshall has a range of retro headphones and these sleek ear-buds, currently on sale, down from £119.99.

Travel Gift Card, from £5, Prezzee

Gift him a card he can use on a travel experience (and retail ones) in companies including AirBnb, Eurostar, Hotels.com, Lastminute.com, National Trust, VisitBritain and more.

Durleigh Abraham Moon Herringbone Tweed Newsboy Flat Cap, £44, Dents Gloves

You can’t beat a good flat cap and this lovely one from Dents is currently on sale, down from £55.

For kids

Wicked Chess Set, £57.50, The Noble Collection

If, like my kids, your family are Wicked fans (filmed in the UK), then they’ll love this chess set with Galinda, Elphaba, Fiyero, Boq, the Lion Cub and Chistery.

3Doodler Start+ Essentials Pen Set, £39.99, smythstoys.com

If you are travelling to relatives for Christmas, then a 3D pen in their stocking will keep them occupied for hours. This has been on my kids’ wishlists for years.

Backpacker Top Trumps, £6, Amazon

We love a game of Top Trumps and this new Backpacker pack will inspire all the young travellers in your family.

For the home

Strawberry Thief Scented Candle, £20, William Morris at Home

I’ve written how much I love William Morris, so my first choice of scented candle is this red berry and patchouli scented candle from William Morris at Home.

Falkland Island Gin, Tumbledown Distillery, from £98, Falkland Islands Spirits

For a very special gift, how about a gin distilled at the edge of the world using botanicals that can only be found in the Falkland Islands. After two years of establishing shipping routes via the British Royal Navy, it’s now available in the UK.

Wool Mouse Nativity Set, £28, National Trust Shop

I saw this handmade mouse nativity set in the shop at Sissinghurst Castle, recently, and fell in love with it. How can you resist?

Finally – Give a Subscription to our Sister Newsletter, The Royal List for 25% off!

Have a royal fan in the family? Then gift them a paid subscription to The Royal List, with a 25% discount, if redeemed before Dec 31 2025. Get a monthly subscription for £2.99, down from £3.99, or annual subscription for £29.25, down from £39.
*Valid for one year.

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Afternoon teas are having a moment, as more and more people discover the delights of this classic ritual. I’m all for this new appreciation of something I’ve long-loved, as readers of this newsletter know. Happily, it’s festive tea season, so I got straight in to test one of the best in London – the Festive Afternoon Tea at five-star Great Scotland Yard Hotel.

I’ve stayed in this lovely boutique hotel previously, on the historic site of the old Scotland Yard HQ and it’s been beautifully converted, with a stylish bar, restaurant and quirky interiors. There’s a dedicated tea salon, The Parlour, which is straight out of the 1920s and a lovely, quiet spot to spend the afternoon. We sat on couches draped in shawls and tucked into the new festive menu. You can choose a Classic Afternoon Tea for £65, or for £75, a Champagne Afternoon Tea or Chistmas Cocktail Afternoon Tea. Obviously, we went for the latter and loved the blend of Licor 43, vodka, nutmeg and vanilla, which tasted like a posh Baileys.

The tea starts with a platter of savouries, with turkey, smoked salmon and egg sandwiches and then the stand-out warm wild mushroom quiche and chestnut and cheddar Yorkshire pudding. These were just delightful.

Next it was on to warm scones with clotted cream and delicious wild blackberry and mulled wine jam. And then the show-stopper cakes came out – a dark chocolate and salted caramel Christmas present, orange and hazelnut Christmas tree cake and bauble of spice apple mousse and treacle sponge. Everything was beautifully-made and the service, excellent. We were offered a wide choice of teas - I went with Jasmine Silver Needle white tea, as it cut the sweetness of the cakes nicely.
* I was a guest of Great Scotland Yard Hotel.

How to book: The Festive Afternoon Tea at Great Scotland Yard Hotel, until January 4, from £65pp, visit hyatt.com.

Four more fabulous festive teas in London

The Nutcracker Afternoon Tea at Hotel Café Royal, from £85pp, hotelcaferoyal.com: The historic site on Regent Street is putting on a magical special Nutcracker tea for Christmas, in Café Royal Grill.

The Magic Faraway Tree Festive Afternoon Tea at Park Room, Grosvenor House Hotel, from £38 child and £75 adult, parkroom.co.uk: I love The Faraway Tree and can’t wait to try this tea, complete with The Land of Presents and Moonface’s Bauble.

Festive Afternoon Tea, Lanes of London at London Marriott Hotel Park Lane, £50, lanesoflondon.co.uk: This fabulous festive tea, with Santa’s sleigh and Letter to Santa cakes, is excellent value for £50 – including a glass of bubbles.

Hamleys Festive Afternoon Tea at The Langham, from £75 child and £95 adult, langhamhotels.com: For a high-end experience, head to Palm Court in The Langham and try their beautiful Hamleys-themed tea with toy-inspired cakes.

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1. Enjoy the new Downton Abbey upstairs/downstairs tea

Oh my goodness, how much do I love this idea? You can enjoy an upstairs/downstairs Downton Abbey afternoon tea at Cutter & Squidge, Soho. The bakery has joined up with the drama to offer two teas - Mrs Patmore’s Afternoon Tea downstairs, for £40 and The Grantham Afternoon Tea, upstairs, for £55, from now until December 28, Thursday to Sunday. You can also order a Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea At Home, delivered nationwide, from £29.99. For more, visit cutterandsquidge.com

2. Visit the best bar in the world collab at The Hoxton

Another great idea comes from the team at The Hoxton, who this month, are teaming up with Woodford Reserve and World’s 50 Best Bar, SIPS Barcelona, for a whisky-takeover, in celebration of Old-Fashioned Month. SIPS will be taking over The Hoxton, Holborn on Friday 21st November and working their cocktail magic. No tickets required. Visit thehoxton.com

3. Unbox this advent calendar

Every year I get advent calendars for my kids and look on longingly at those who treat themselves to beauty calendars. But then this fabulous William Morris Sunflower Swan Advent Calendar popped into my inbox and I now have the opportunity to pry open the little doors and discover daily treats all to myself! Inside are 24 vegan bath and body treats including bath salts, hand and body creams, all inspired by two designs from the William Morris Gallery archives. Priced £45, products are worth over £80. Visit williammorrisathome.com

4. Get tickets for The Hunger Games

If, like my daughter and me, you enjoyed Suzanne Collins’ books and the movies, then you’ll be as excited as we are for the world premiere of The Hunger Games: On Stage, in the new theatre, Troubadour Canary Wharf, where you can follow Katniss Everdeen’s adventures live, thehungergamesonstage.com

5. Book into Estelle Manor, Oxfordshire

I attended The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025 Awards in London last month and was delighted to see so many of the UK’s hotels honoured again, including Claridge’s, The Connaught and their uber-luxury new sibling, The Emory, as well as Raffles London at The OWO. But it was newcomer, Estelle Manor which makes my wish-list, as this beautiful country house hotel set in an 85-acre estate looks absolutely divine, with 108 rooms, spa and wellness centre and four restaurants, all impeccably done, estellemanor.com; theworlds50best.com

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