Festive Locations: Lodges for Christmas
From Cornwall to the Cotswolds, these are some of the UK and Ireland's most festive locations to find equally festive lodgings
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Lodges for Christmas may sound like some kind of Dickensian exchange (‘We’ll give you our lodges in return for not cancelling Christmas’), but it’s actually something of a harmonious pairing. Is there anything more romantic than snuggling up in a blanket by the fire of a cosy lodge in the UK, while the snow piles up outside? (Plum Guide takes no responsibility for any lack of snow, quaintness or romance on your holiday). If you are in the mood for a bit of country lodge time, look no further than the UK's green and pleasant land for a bunch of lodges so damn old-world and charming, they seem to come straight out of the works of Wordsworth or Jane Austen. And here at Plum Guide, we will only ever recommend the best, so a stay in a Plum Guide home is a guaranteed stay of quality. So without further ado, here’s a look at the best places in the UK and Ireland for your lodge castaway (at Christmas).
Lodge in London
Little Venice, London
‘What?’ I hear you angrily smash on your metaphorical keyboards. ‘But London’s a big ol’ city. How can it have a small house, typically one in the country?’ ‘Well,’ we snarkily retort, ‘London actually has plenty of leafy neighbourhoods that work under the guise of being bucolic country destinations. Can we get out of these quote marks yet?’ Phew. Wimbledon, for example, isn’t all about tennis. OK, it is mostly that. But it’s also a quiet and semi-rural suburb of southwest London where you’ll find all sorts of old-world abodes. You’ll also find an array of lodge-like accommodation scattered around Hyde Park and Kensington. Stay at a Plum Guide home here and take a boat trip along the canals of Little Venice.
Arthur's Queen, Plum Guide home in London
Spend Christmas in Cornwall
Now, we’re talking real countryside, as in Cornwall is literally on the side of the country. It even has a part of it called Land’s End, which is England’s westernmost point. Get your surf on in Newquay, visit the museums of St Ives and learn about pirates in the Historic Port of Charlestown. Get fish and chips in all its forms (well, it doesn’t have that many forms) and go for a romantic meal at such fine-dining establishments as the Scarlet Restaurant, the Restaurant Four and the Samphire Restaurant. And make sure to see the Eden Project, which will whisk you away from the crisp, cold Cornish Christmas to rainforest and Mediterranean climes. Then wrap up warm for a walk along the Cornish Coastal Path before sitting by the fire with some pop tarts (is that what other people eat?) in the evening.
Driftwood Lodge, Plum Guide home in Cornwall
Find a holiday home in Dublin
Lost Lane off Grafton Street, Dublin
Where better for your holiday than the biggest city in the world? What? It is: it keeps on Dublin and Dublin in size. Make sure never to repeat that to Dubliners when you’re actually there. Ok, so Dublin may not be the world’s largest, but it’s still a city, so if you’re looking for some lodge living, make your way to the south-eastern suburbs for the old-world seaside district of Dalkey. Back in the city centre, see the Christmas lights on Grafton Street and watch the buskers and other street performers really get going on Christmas Eve.
Mary's Lullaby, Plum Guide home in Dublin
Enjoy a festive stay in Edinburgh
With its uniform historic architecture along the Royal Mile, this city is a truly magical place to celebrate: whether it's Christmas, an anniversary or a birthday in Edinburgh. Especially if you can get hold of a fried Mars bar. (Don’t mention that to locals, they’ll be offended. Just casually check the backs of the menus in some of the older pubs). Because of the old-world layout, a number of homes resemble country lodges, so stay near the city centre for its six-week Christmas entertainment event during the festivities.
Passepartout, Plum Guide home in Edinburgh, Scotland
Lodge in the East of England
OK, so we’ve done south, west and north in our brochure of the best places for a lodges for Christmas holiday in the British Isles. Time for a bit of love for the east. Head through Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and any other shire that takes your fancy in your pursuit of the perfect stay for the holidays. Lodge at a lodge (get it?) in Norfolk and stroll along the coast by Great Yarmouth. Visit Cambridge University and look smugly at all those students who think they know everything about the world. They’ll know soon enough what’s in store for them, soon enough.
Yellow Beams, Plum Guide home in Norfolk, UK
Get christmassy in the Cotswolds
Lodges for Christmas in the lovely Cotswolds has a nice ring to it, but isn’t a sufficient reason to go there. However, it so happens the area is packed with charming hamlets and enchanting lodgings that make for a great holiday home. Stroll beside the river in Bibury or Bourton-on-the-Water and check out the church in Stow-on-the-Wold. The Wold’s your oyster (whatever a Wold is).
Cotswolds Eclectic, Plum Guide home in the Cotswolds, UK
