British breaks to beat the rain

Just because the British weather is playing up doesn't mean you can't have a great holiday. Here are some of our favourite breaks that don't need the sunThe most obvious response to the prospect of yet more rain is to leave the country, but that would be expensive ? not to mention defeatist and unnecessary. Why waste money on flights to sunny climes when there's a little slice of St Tropez in Kent? The Beach Sun Retreat in Dymchurch is the only holiday home in the UK that can guarantee sunshine year round. Using Real Sunlight, a Swedish technology which replicates natural sunlight but filters out the most harmful UVA and UVB rays, owner Karl Emanuelsson has created a sun-therapy room where the temperature is set by remote control. Lie back on your sun-lounger among the (potted) palms, gaze at the (painted) tropical beach and listen to the sound of lapping waves (courtesy of a CD), and you won't care what the weather's doing outside. Prices start at �171 a night.If sitting on a fake indoor beach doesn't appeal and you want a more traditional holiday home, make sure it has plenty of indoor activities nearby, or better still, on site. Hire a cottage in the grounds of Colmer Estate, an 18th-century country estate in south Devon, and you'll have a (heated) outdoor pool, an indoor pool, gym and all-weather tennis courts at your disposal, plus 28 acres of gardens and meadow to explore between downpours (a two-bedroom cottage in peak season costs �1,090.) Or try Lower Mill, a collection of holiday homes set in 550 acres in the Cotswolds, where you can spend your days dipping in and out of the heated indoor and outdoor pools between spa treatments. Prices start at �371 for three nights.Another tactic is to wear a wetsuit ? for your entire holiday. Preseli Venture in north Pembrokeshire offers a range of activities that involve squeezing yourself into black neoprene, including coasteering, sea kayaking and surfing. Half-day adventure experiences start at �39 for children, �49 for adults. If a wet week in Wales doesn't sound very exotic, how about diving with sharks? At the Blue Planet Aquarium in Cheshire, Padi-qualified divers can get up close with one of Europe's largest collections of sharks. At �130 for half an hour, it's not cheap, but it's a lot less than flying to South Africa for a close encounter with sharks in the wild ? and, from this summer, the kids can join in too. The junior shark diving experience (�140 per child) is open to eight-15 year olds.Of course, the most extreme solution to a soggy summer is to embrace winter. The Xscape centres in Milton Keynes, Yorkshire and Glasgow offer daily ski or snowboard lessons on indoor slopes (from �29 per adult, �26 junior), and sledging from �6 per person. For an even more hard-core challenge head to The Ice Factor in Kinlochleven, 20 miles south of Fort William, where you can climb the world's biggest indoor ice wall. Don't fancy scrambling up a 13-metre iceberg? Then sign the kids up for a supervised children's session, which start from �15 per child, and escape to the on-site sauna to reintroduce your body to the concept of heat.From icy cliffs to hidden depths ? the City of Caves, a new family attraction offering actor-led tours of sandstone caves under the streets of Nottingham, is fascinating ? and dry. A rather different subterranean attraction is Glasgow's Subcrawl, a circular navigation of pubs nearest the 15 stops of the city's underground. Listings magazine The List recommends a shorter (eight-pub) version, which avoids some of the scarier drinking dens on the route.Speaking of drinking, perhaps the simplest solution of all is to book a gorgeous cottage with an open fire ? even if it is July ? pack plenty of novels (preferably with a brooding, windswept setting), some good wine and hope for a daily downpour. Sheepskin, the Landmark Trust, Vivat Trust, National Trust and Under the Thatch all offer gorgeous, cosy holiday accommodation in stunning rural locations where watching the elements from your armchair is all part of the appeal.United KingdomWeatherKentDevonCotswoldsWalesScotlandIsabel Choatguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

hiking holidays Finland hiking holidays Kuusamo hiking Kuusamo hiking holidays