With UK bank holidays sparsely spread throughout the working year, it’s a challenge to find a day trip destination that offers both stimulation and relaxation. Royal Tunbridge Wells offers the chance to scale rocks, hike through stunning scenery and enjoy a wallow in the spa all in the space of one day. Located a mere 45 minute train ride from London, it’s the perfect day trip escape from corporate life.
Office Breaks High Rocks Hotel
With a long history of Aristocratic and regal associations, Royal Tunbridge Wells is famed for its jaw-dropping prehistoric rocks and for its reputation as a former winter spa resort. Taking a gentle stroll from the train station, we head across woods and meadows for a close enounter with the aptly-named High Rocks.
Rising up like a mini Jurassic Park, the complex dates back millions of years and is composed of mammoth sandstone boulders linked together via a series of eleven inter-connecting bridges. Previously a stone-age camp and now a National Monument, High Rocks offers rock climbers a vertiginous challenge while the less adventurous can enjoy stunning views in a spectacular setting. (Entry to High Rocks is £3.00 per person and £10.00 for rock climbing.) Also worth a look is the High Rocks hotel, a beautiful ivy-cloaked manor house complete with oak beams and creaking wooden floors.
Office Breaks High Rocks
Trudging back to civilisation, we head over to the Black Pig Pub, one of the town’s top eateries. Entering an eclectic interior stuffed with deer heads, framed roosters and cow-patterned wall paper, we await the porcine delights to come. Offering a wide selection of meat and fish, I decline the slow-roasted pork and opt instead for the Sunday chicken roast. Infused with aromatic herbs, the tender meat tantalises the taste buds but leaves me wanting more. Those expecting carvery-style portions may be disappointed.
Office Breaks Black Pig
Refreshed and replenished, we head to the town’s famous Spa hotel for an afternoon of indulgence. As a throwback to its Georgian glory days, the hotel provides a genteel retreat from the outside world. Smartly-dressed couples in their twilight years sip afternoon tea in the drawing room while palm trees, ornamental ponds and manicured lawns add a touch of Torquay to the impressive grounds.
Office Breaks Spa Hotel
The spa facilities offer a steam room, plunge pool and a sauna but no Jacuzzi. Flitting from sauna to steam room, I feel my shoulders relax for the first time in months and my consumptive commuter cough finally eases. Entering the pool is like slipping into a warm bath and the contained dimensions invite you to do nothing more than simply float and relax. Dragging myself out to flop on a sun lounger, the pool’s conservatory provides the perfect sun trap – ideal for a quick afternoon nap. Priced at £10.00, the spa day pass allows you to snooze for as long as you like.
Office Breaks Tunbridge Wells hike
Casting off our fluffy robes hours later, we change and reluctantly head back through leafy lanes to the station. Feeling squeaky clean, relaxed and revived, I reflect on an action-packed day filled with just the right amount of activity and relaxation. It’s just a shame that I have to wait another three months for the next bank holiday.
What’s your favourite bank holiday escape? I would love to hear from you.