A Very British New Year: From Country House Charm to Sparkling City Soirées

There’s no countdown pressure when it comes to a countryside New Year break, just firelight, fine food & wine and a sense of timeless celebration.

Up in Eyri (Snowdonia), Palé Hall is the sort of place that makes you want to dress up properly again. Step into the splendour of this most elegant of establishments for a glamorous black-tie offering, spearheaded by an eight-course tasting menu no less served in the grand dining room.

Park House in the heart of rural West Sussex does New Year’s Eve with a wink. Its Back to the ’80s party is a riot of sequins, shoulder pads, champagne and nostalgia, all set against a quintessential country-house setting. One minute you’re sipping fizz by the fire, the next you’re on your feet dancing to Duran Duran. Add in a spa day to recover, and you’ve perfected the art of a countryside New Year break.

Further west in Pembrokeshire, Grove of Narberth is a secluded hideaway that literally seems to glow in winter. The fires crackle and glasses clink, as your evening unwinds with champagne and canapés, followed by an extravagant five-course dinner. Then, just before the clock strikes twelve, head outdoors for a dazzling burst of fireworks to usher in 2026.

Montagu Arms has perfected the art of the New Year’s Eve house-party, from afternoon wine tasting with their in-house experts through a five course gala dinner and live music. Clear your head the next day with a bracing walk in the New Forest National Park, accessed from the hotel’s very own doorstep.

Eclectic, luxurious and full of charm, Homewood promises a gathering that’s every bit as spirited and stylish as this Georgian country house, just a short drive from Bath. Choose to ring in the New Year in epic style or opt for a more intimate feel courtesy of the hotel’s enchanting festive domes.

Down in Devon, Boringdon Hall brings a touch of medieval drama to New Year’s Eve. This grand country manor, all stone arches, roaring fires and candlelit corners, invites you to enjoy a beautifully crafted four-course dinner that leads into a glittering Masquerade Ball. And when morning comes, a leisurely New Year’s Day brunch - mimosas and bloody Marys very much included - eases you gently into 2026.

There’s something very appealing about escaping the crowds and letting New Year’s Eve unfold somewhere tranquil. These are the epitome of luxury winter escapes in the UK, places where spectacle gives way to a slower kind of celebration.

In Dorset, The Priory at Wareham turns a luxury festive break into a gentle ritual. Start as you mean to go on with pre-dinner drinks followed by a candlelit Tasting Menu. The food is spellbinding on its own, but the addition of up-close table magic makes it even more so.

Alternatively, you can bid farewell to 2025 in inimitable Highland style with an elegant yet effortlessly fun Hogmanay at Inverness’s Ness Walk. As the night unfolds, luxuriate in a show-stopping three-course menu crafted from the finest Scottish produce, sip rare whiskies and soak up the sparkle of the fairy-lit courtyard.

As the clock ticks towards midnight, there’s only one place many of us want to be - right in the heart of the action. The nation’s city hotels have their own particular take on New Year’s Eve: glamorous, spontaneous and seriously good fun.

At The Athenaeum Hotel & Residences in central London, celebrations begin with cocktails in the lobby bar, before dinner at 116 at The Athenaeum. As Big Ben strikes 12, join your fellow guests on the tenth-floor lounge, The View, for unparalleled vistas of London’s legendary fireworks.

In Bath, the city’s most iconic address, The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, delivers something that feels both intimate and grand. Walk through the entrance, and immediately you are enveloped in an atmosphere that feels part Jane Austen and part modern day house party. Indulge in a five-course menu before the piper calls everyone to the terrace for the countdown.

What could be better than welcoming 2026 with a Hogmanay Gala Ball? In Glasgow, Mar Hall offers you the chance to do just that, with the finest food and wine, a stirring pipe band performance and your very own firework display.

Not quite countryside-cosy, not quite city-sleek, these are the great New Year’s Eve spectacles courtesy of Britain’s grandest estates.

The Grade I listed stately home, Hartwell House & Spa, certainly knows how to do things in style.  From the moment you sit down to a cream tea and welcome dinner on the 30^th to the moment you leave on New Year’s Day having enjoyed exquisite food, fine wines, fireworks and dancing, you know you are somewhere very special.

It may be grand but Bishopstrow Hotel & Spa is never stuffy. Its playful exuberance is very much on display with archery and axe throwing on the menu before the revelries begin, with champagne, a five-course gala dinner and a DJ leading the way.