Aristocratic life & the Duchess experience

Immerse yourself into aristocratic life taking a personal experience with a Duchess at one of six estates. We are delighted to announce an exclusive partnership with the Duchess Podcast, offering special opportunities for you to enjoy overnight stays at private heritage properties throughout the UK.

Duchess Podcast was created by the Duchess of Rutland exploring stories of country homes with a series interviewing the fascinating women who run the estates. With each stately home offering a distinct personality and providing one-of-a-kind behind the scenes experiences, incorporating a private tour with the Lady of the House or a candlelit dinner with the Duchess and her guests. Inspiring settings amongst six counties, one of which lies close to home in the Cotswolds, having never before opened their private living quarters to the public. Discover the grandeur of a British stately home with its unique host of activities from clay pigeon shooting and horse riding to one-to-one cookery experiences. Celebrate British traditions, savour the comforts of an exclusive use wing and indulge in an afternoon tea experience or a champagne reception with the Duchess.

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Cutty Sark offers a new way to see Greenwich

Since arriving in London in 1954, Cutty Sark has given its visitors a fascinating insight into seafaring in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, encompassing everything from the tea trade in China, to the wool trade in Australia and transatlantic relations between Portugal, West Africa, and South America. As of 2022, you can enjoy an adventurous new way to experience life as a sailor by climbing up the rigging - get a briefing beneath the hull, follow the paths of many a sailor by heading up the 'ratlines' (rope ladders), and when you reach the tops platform you can admire the spectacular views across Greenwich, the Thames, and London's sprawling metropolis. From the Lower Topsail Yard you make a controlled descent by zip wire, making this a perfect way to give kids an experience of adventure and education at the same time.

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Abercrombie & Kent Europe's new and improved shore excursions brochure gives more options than ever

Fresh ideas have been developed and original ideas added to the new 2022/23 shore excursions brochure, showcasing over 150 excursions in 56 ports, from 18 countries all over Europe. The brochure is available on our downloads page and can be used in tandem with our handy pricing insert, which lists NET prices for each excursion, from 1-6 travellers. Contact us for any more details or to book

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Glasgow’s Hill House reopens inside a box!

Scotland’s most revolutionary architectural designer in Victorian times, Charles Rennie Mackintosh has had arguably more individual influence than anyone on modern Glasgow’s architecture. At the height of his career, he constructed the Hill House, considered his domestic masterpiece, in the Helensburgh area of the city, designing and creating every aspect from the building down to the furniture. However, a century of the harsh weather conditions threatened the long-term survival of the building and an extensive £4.5m emergency renovation plan began in 2015. The result today is a unique and spectacular semi-transparent, steel frame that ensures the property’s permanent future and protects its irreplaceable condition. The Hill House Box features a number of walkways that now allow visitors not only to experience the house interior, but also to witness the design from upper exterior levels and above the roof. Opened to the public for the first time this summer on the 151^st anniversary of Mackintosh’s birthday, this fascinating reinvention is beguiling visitors to Scotland’s second city.

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A Green Machine

Christmas and Easter might be celebrated across the continent, but if there is one date in the calendar that the Irish can call their own, March 17 is it. Named after the patron saint of their country, the annual holiday of St Patrick’s Day is an opportunity to laud all things Irish, and the celebrations continue well into the night all over the country, and, indeed, across the UK – the Cheltenham Festival, jewel in the crown of European horse-racing, overlaps with the holiday and effectively sees a section of the English Cotswolds become an Irish enclave each year, with thousands of racing fans making the short trip across the waters. Iconic monuments are lit up in green, the national colour, and even some of the 13 million pints of Guinness that are consumed on the day take on the same shade. Dublin is still regarded as the party capital of the island, but, not far behind, Galway may be the best place to celebrate as it continues to cement its reputation as a young and lively hub of activity and has been named European Capital of Culture for 2020.

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