If you ever want to see how the other half live then taking a visit to one of the many stately homes Britain has to offer is probably the best, and most non-obtrusive, way to do it. With luxurious furniture, ornate décor and plush finishing touches, stately homes are a sight to behold and can often provoke daydreams of ‘I wish I lived here’. Many of the stately homes in Britain have an air of royalty and decadence so today, in honour of Commonwealth Day, we are taking a look at some of our favourite stately homes that are fit for a Queen!

Sudeley Castle & Gardens

Image via Flickr.

Located near Winchcombe is Sudeley Castle, surrounded by its award winning gardens, it is the perfect place to spend a sunny afternoon. History buffs who are visiting the castle from the 2^nd to 15^th April will be lucky enough to see the ‘Kind Richard III Reconstructed Head’ tour, and come face-to-face with the King. Don’t worry if you’re visiting after the 15^th April as a permanent Richard III exhibition will be at the castle for the rest of the year.

Chatsworth House

Image via Flickr.

With thirty elaborately decorated rooms to walk through and explore, Chatsworth House really will have you daydreaming about living in such a beautiful place. Children of all ages will love spending the day at Chatsworth House, with a farmyard allowing children to get up close to the animals and an adventure playground with spiral slides and climbing frames, it really is a great day out for the whole family!

Highclere Castle

Image via Flickr.

Television fans may recognise Highclere Castle as the location of Downton Abbey. As a result, the Castle is a very popular attraction and as such the public opening season for 2014 is now sold out! Those lucky enough to have tickets to visit Highclere Castle this year will be able to visit the impeccably decorated state rooms, perfectly manicured gardens or even take a look at The Egyptian Exhibition.

Burghley House

Image via Flickr.

If ornate décor that really is fit for a Queen is what you’re after from your visit to a stately home then Burghley House is not to be missed. Art enthusiasts will be thrilled by the Heaven Room and the Hell Staircase, both of which feature fantastic murals by Antonio Verrio.

Longleat House

Image via Flickr.

Longleat House in Wiltshire is home to the Marquess of Bath and is a perfect day out for the whole family. Not only is there a number of elaborately and beautifully decorated rooms inside the house to visit but the house is also near to Longleat Safari Park, so is the perfect destination for a fun-filled family day out.

Holiday like a Queen with Sykes Cottages

If a visit to one of these stately homes has given you thoughts of luxury, why not book a luxurious holiday cottage so that you too can holiday like a Queen.

By Leanne Dempsey

A lover of reading, eating and shopping Leanne will often be found spending time with her two pugs or snapping away on instagram. A big fan of the city, She likes nothing more than getting away for a weekend break in the UK, her favourite places being London and Bath.

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For me a holiday is all about relaxation, after all you can’t beat a week of kicking back and escaping from it all. Now I know that there are some people out there who would rather go on a long ranging hike or bike ride and so I’m going to try and convert you using a couple of cunning tools – hot tubs and swimming pools! Year on year our properties that have these features tend to book up faster than their counterparts which suggests that they must have something going for them! So read on and see why you should try out a cottage break with a pool or hot tub.

Hot Tubs

There aren’t many things that are more relaxing than sitting back in the bubbling warmth of a hot tub, whether it’s making the most of a sunny afternoon or slipping in a spot of star gazing on a clear night. Our owners know this and so nowadays we have over 200 cottages around the UK and Ireland with a hot tub so you’re almost guaranteed to find one that is perfect for you!

Suidhe Lodge, The Cairngorms, Ref: 22429

Why not take a look at Suidhe Lodge? Tucked away in the Cairngorms National Park it’s the perfect place for getting a bit of respite from everyday life no matter what time of year it is. You could spend the warmer months enjoying a gentle ramble around the beautiful countryside and when it gets a bit chilly there’s always the lovely bubbling hot tub waiting for you.

The Summerhouse, Isle of Wight, Ref: 20969

Or there’s always The Summerhouse on the Isle of Wight which would be perfect for a more typical summer holiday with countless beautiful beaches just a stone’s throw away and a hot tub perfectly placed to make the most of the glorious sunsets.

Swimming Pools

Nothing makes a holiday like a swimming pool. Whether it’s frolicking with the family in the water or getting lost in your favourite book at the pool’s edge you just can’t beat it. Because of this we’ve tried to get as many cottages as possible with swimming pools in the grounds, and for when the Great British weather threatens to put a dampener on things we even have a selection of cottages with indoor swimming pools!

Brookway Lodge, North Wales, Ref: 27085

Brookway Lodge is the perfect cottage for a family get together; loads of bedrooms, a games room and a home cinema, and that’s before we’ve even mentioned the fantastic fully heated indoor swimming pool!

The Barn, North Wales, Ref: 5687

Or if you’re more interested in an outdoors swimming pool why not take a look at the Barn which has a retractable canopy over the pool so that you can enjoy it all year around!

Hopefully after reading this you’ll share my love for a good swimming pool or hot tub, if so you’d better get browsing as they always book up fast. However don’t worry if they still aren’t your thing, you can always have a quick look at our wide selection of luxury cottages where you’re bound to find something that is perfect for you!

By Jamie Tomkins

Jamie is a big fan of long weekend walks with the dog, especially when there is the chance to refuel with lunch in a country pub. Living in Lancaster for three years gave him the perfect opportunity to spend a lot of time in the Lake District.

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To celebrate World Book Day, Sykes Cottages are bringing you some of the best literary sites that the UK has to offer. We’ve compiled a short list of just some of the places in the UK that have inspired writers to create some of the most popular novels and poems that have ever been written.

Torquay, Devon

Via Flickr

The stunning English Riviera seaside spot of Torquay was the hometown of the UK’s ‘Queen of Crime’ and bestselling novelist of all time, Agatha Christie. With its bustling harbour, iconic palm trees and picturesque bay, Torquay has long been considered an attractive location, so it’s no surprise that Christie chose her beloved hometown as the setting for many of her novels. Even after she moved from the area, Christie returned to Torquay every summer to stay in her holiday home, Greenway. The property is now owned by the National Trust and fans of Christie’s work can visit and experience Greenway as it would have been in the 1950s, when she holidayed there. The town also holds a festival in her honour every year. This year it will be held from 14^th- 21^st September.

Brontë Country, Yorkshire

Via Flickr

Brontë Country in Yorkshire is one of the most popular literary pilgrimage sites in the UK. The Brontë Parsonage Museum in the picturesque village of Haworth was once home to the famous sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë and is now a revered tourist attraction. Lovers of literature flock here to soak up the history and romance of the sisters’ celebrated novels, which are considered to be masterpieces of English literature.  The parsonage has been preserved as it would have been in the Brontë’s lifetime and is home to a fascinating exhibition about their lives with many of their personal belongings on display. From Haworth, you can also make the trip to the nearby moors and immerse yourself in the breathtakingly rugged landscape that was the setting and inspiration for Emily’s tortured love story, Wuthering Heights.

Whitby, Yorkshire

Via Flickr

With its cliff top Abbey and cobbled streets, it’s not hard to see why Bram Stoker was inspired to write his Gothic novel, Dracula, in the Yorkshire fishing town of Whitby. Irish-born Bram stayed in Whitby in 1890 with the intention of deciding whether it would be a good place to bring his family for a holiday. While he was there, he became quite taken with the charm and atmosphere of the town, in particular the Gothic eeriness of Whitby Abbey which went on to play a central role in his novel and which you can still visit today. It is also said that it was in Whitby that Stoker first discovered the name, ‘Dracula’; Stoker’s only known references to Dracula, the historical figure, were found in his notes from his research sessions at Whitby Library.

The Lake District

Via Flickr

There can be no mention of literary areas in the UK without including the Lake District. The breath-taking scenery of the Lakes has been inspiring writers for hundreds of years; one of the most famous poems in the English Language, William Wordsworth’s I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, was inspired by the sight of daffodils on the shores of Ullswater. Wordsworth spent the majority of his life living in the Lake District and wrote passionately about the place he considered “the loveliest spot that man hath found”. Along with Wordsworth, there are many other writers heavily influenced by the Lakes, including Beatrix Potter, who spent many childhood holidays here and chose to set some of her most famous books in Lake District beauty spots.

By Louise O'Toole

Louise loves reading, shopping, baking and cosy country pubs with log fires. A nice cup of tea will never be turned down. She has spent many childhood summers on the beach in Cornwall and walking the hills of the Lake District.

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