Destinations
5 truly local experiences
Explore the beautiful sites of the UK when you book your stay with Best Western. Here’s your guide to 5 truly local experiences.
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Do you find yourself visiting the same types of places everywhere you go? Or maybe you just have no idea where to start when it comes to planning activities.
Check out some of our favourite local experiences. You won’t find anything else like them.
Beltane is an ancient festival that celebrates the arrival of summer every year. Fire is a huge part of the festival as it is believed the flames and smoke have cleansing properties. Fertility is also a big symbol of the festival. People leap through or over bonfire flames for good luck in the coming year.
Calton Hill in Edinburgh plays host to the largest Beltane festival in the world every April 30th. There are performances, processions and audience participation all before a huge bonfire is sparked at midnight – as May 1st is the official start of Beltane.
Lean into your spiritual side and visit the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic.
Opened in 1960, the museum showcases over 3,000 objects and 7,000 books relating to the history of witchcraft and magic in the British Isles. The curator Cecil Williamson was previously a filmmaker and used this skill to create many theatrical displays to show off his collection.
The museum is open from April-October seven days a week and you don’t need to book in advance. If you’re visiting with children, they advise discretion due to the nature of the artefacts.
Best Western Fowey Valley with its heated outdoor pool is only a 47-minute drive from the museum, so why not stay with us?
If you’re looking for something unique, try this privately-owned garden of wonder.
Designed by Charles Jencks, the garden is built around the fundamental principles of the cosmos. With sections inspired by black holes, string theory and the Big Bang, the garden is a mathematical marvel while still holding all the beauty of the natural world.
The Garden of Cosmic Speculation is only open one weekend of the year, usually the first weekend in May. You can get tickets through Scotland’s Gardens which helps raise money for Maggie’s Centres, a cancer charity named for Jencks’ late wife.
Pay a visit to one of the most unique sculptures in the UK.
Burnley’s Singing Ringing Tree does exactly what the name implies, it makes music. Created using hollow pipes made of galvanised steel, the sculpture forms the shape of a tree bending in the wind and creates a haunting melody when the wind blows.
Designed by Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu, the Tree is one of four Panopticons in Lancashire. The sculpture’s name is also a nod to a popular 60s/70s children’s TV show of the same name. It’s said that the sound the sculpture makes matches the mood of the somewhat unnerving TV show.
is just 40 minutes’ drive from the Singing Ringing Tree, so why not join us for an unforgettable stay?
Step back in time at the Old Operating Theatre.
In the attic of a church lies an interesting insight into how much medicine has advanced in the last 200 years. Wander through the Herb Garrett, a place used for drying and storing medicinal herbs, before checking out the real-life operating theatre.
If you’re keen immerse yourself in the medical history of London, why not join us at the Best Western Plus Vauxhall Hotel? It’s just 30 minutes from the Old Operating Theatre by Tube.
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