Links Escape: A Golfer’s Dream Journey

8 nights - 800 miles

Pack your clubs for some golfing greats on this trip from the South West of England to the Scottish Highlands.

About the break

Tee off at one of Britain’s most scenic courses, in South Devon, not far from the pretty seaside town of Salcombe. Thurlestone Golf Club comes with seascapes over nibbled cliffs that once sheltered smugglers, taking in the arch-shaped Thurlestone Rock and Burgh Island, where Agatha Christie wrote and set two of her novels. The Harry-Colt designed course is just minutes from The Thurlestone Hotel, which has arranged discounted green fees. Should you want more, it also offers reduced fees at Bigbury Golf Club and Dartmouth Golf and Country Club nearby.

Stay at Thurlestone Hotel, where you can enjoy coastal views from the rooms as well as the restaurant, and where a hot stone treatment in the spa will soothe weary muscles.

Leaving the South Hams for the north of England, drive via Hertfordshire’s St Albans, known as Verulamium in Roman times and where the Verulam Golf Club with its par 72 course was designed in 1905.

Break up your journey with a stay at Georgian Sopwell House, just five minutes from the golf club, where you will find lovely mews suites and an impressive spa.

Suitably refreshed, drive on to the border of County Durham and North Yorkshire. Just three miles from Darlington, the 365-acre estate of Rockliffe Hall has its own 18-hole championship golf course and a choice of five tee positions for each hole. Watch out for hole five, which is on its own little island green, reached by a narrow isthmus of land. Should you feel you’re not quite up to bagging a birdie or a hole in one, there’s an eight-bay covered driving range, practice greens and a short green area. You can also take your game to the next level with some coaching at the PMG academy there.

Stay at Rockliffe Hall, which has spacious, luxurious rooms in the largely Victorian mansion, relaxed dining in the clubhouse or more formal dinners in the orangery, and a sprawling spa.

Still game for more golf? Then set your course north of the border for the Scottish Highlands, stopping off en route at Edinburgh, where you can play at Prestonfield Golf Club with iconic views of Arthur’s Seat.

Break up your journey with a stay at Prestonfield House, just two minutes from the golf club and five minutes from the old town, in a historic building in which they take theatrical décor to new levels.

Now head for the Highlands, where the Moray Forth cuts in from the coast. It’s here that you’ll find Nairn Golf Club, with views over the water. Recognised as one of the best courses in Britain, it has held the Walker Cup, the Curtis Cup, the Amateur Championship and Women’s Amateur Championship on its greens. No pressure then. It’s just a 30-minute drive from Ness Walk, also by the waterside, on the banks of the River Ness.

Stay at Ness Walk, with contemporary classic rooms in a 19th-century house with modern additions a short walk from the city and ten minutes from Loch Ness.

Stay Dine Spa

Thurlestone Golf Club

Thurlestone Hotel

  • Rooms

  • Spa

  • Food & Drink

Verulam Golf Club

Sopwell House

  • Rooms

  • Spa

  • Food & Drink

Rockliffe Hall Hotel, Golf & Spa

  • Rooms

  • Spa

  • Food & Drink

Prestonfield Golf Club

Prestonfield House

  • Rooms

  • Food & Drink

The Nairn Golf Club

Ness Walk

  • Rooms

  • Food & Drink

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