UK Adventure and Spa Breaks: Mixing Exercise with Relaxation

Mark Pawlak    ash, New Adventure Travel Ideas     Adventure Sports, spa, spa breaks, spa holidays, spa weekends

We’re living busy lives in challenging times. Little wonder then that more of us are finding salvation in exercise and relaxation, by mixing adventure sports and spa breaks.

Start your holiday with an adventure. Pic: Flickr/kismihok

And try as you might to find it in front of the TV or walking around your local park, it’s not until you’ve got away from it all, got the wind in your sails and set aside quality time for yourself that you really wind down.

Some people turn to the tranquility of a spa, others to the challenges of adventure sports – you could even combine both.

Whichever does it for you, there’s hundreds of getaways you can take in the UK.

Scotland sports miles of stunning coast and acres of countryside: Look over the border and you’ll find many hotels specialising in luxury UK spa holidays.

Indoor pools, steam rooms, saunas and exclusive wellness treatments come as standard, as do the tempting tracks and trails that lead off to lowland lakes and highland climbs…

At the other end of the country it’s the watersports that might tempt you from your spa treatments. Parts of south-west England are bathed by the Gulf Stream – a band of warm air originating from the Caribean – which keeps temperatures higher than usual.

End your day of adventures here. Pic Flickr/ Daryl _Mitchell

Waves are also often higher than expected, keeping surfers satisfied with the county’s many breaks. It’s a fantastic place to learn kiteboarding and other beach sports, and is also blessed with some of the UK’s best spas – try Bath if you want to sample a little of British spa culture at its finest.

If a weekend’s just too long, then spa days in London could prove a perfect choice. The capital is always buzzing with activity, but is also home to a number of exclusive spas – islands of tranquility in our cosmopolitan capital.

It’s also perfectly poised as an adventure base if you’re looking to mix strain with de-stress: Mountainbike out into Surrey or Berkshire, try skiing or snowboarding on a dry slope or any of the watersports you’ll find on nearby lakes.

The real beauty about spa days is that they can be booked online and enjoyed anywhere. Pretty much every spa in the UK will have packages that can be tailored to your needs. These can include a variety of treatments – often using the finest products – or just include access to the pool, steam room and sauna. After all, it’s your day.

Now if you’re a couple, perhaps you can both get stuck into your sports, booking a spa day to recover and rejuvenate? And if even the thought of all that activity starts a sweat, just let your partner off the leash for a day – once they’ve had their thrills, they’ll return to find you enjoying your spa day, relaxed to the max!

About the author

Mark Pawlak wrote 232 articles on this blog.

Editor at Adventure Sports Holidays, Mark's love affair with travel and the challenges of adventure sports continues... "You could save all year for a two-week, all-inclusive, doss by the pool, booze and buffet binge. Or, with a little planning and some good equipment, get off your arse and plan an adventure!"

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