To say Britain is feeling inspired right now would be an understatement – just how good were the Olympics and Paralympics?!
Having made history, now is the time to keep the fire of this Olympic spirit alive. But how? One way is to stay at one of Britain’s great sporting pantheons (daniel.richardson0685 took the picture of Olympic football at Hampden Park, Glasgow).
Commonwealth Games – Carlton George, Glasgow
The Olympics and Paralympics may not be back on these shores for many generations yet, but it isn’t all that long before the UK hosts another major Games – Glasgow is the host of the next Commonwealth Games in 2014. While there’s still well over 600 days before the Games open, many of the venues are already in place. While you can’t exactly stay in them, you can visit a few, like Hampden Park, Celtic Park and Ibrox.
Football – Hilton at St George’s Park
The home nations may not have seen much success on the pitch in recent times, but football remains the UK’s most popular sport. Fans of the game in England can now stay at a hotel recently opened on the grounds of St George’s Park – the FA’s National Football Centre in Burton-on-Trent. Visitors to the state-of-the-art training facility can get a sense of what it’s like to be an England player by booking an “England Experience” where they’re put through the paces by a licensed coach.
Rugby – London Marriott Hotel Twickenham, London
England will host the next Rugby World Cup in 2015 and Twickenham, the home of England Rugby, will stage the final. If you book one of the suites in the hotel (located in the stadium’s famous south stand) for a match, you get a ridiculously luxurious place to stay and exclusive access to a private outdoor balcony seating area with pre-match, in-suite hospitality and a great view of the game.
Golf – Celtic Manor Resort, South Wales
Celtic Manor hosted the last Ryder Cup, when the European team (packed with British and Irish stars) triumphed over the United States over a thrilling weekend two years ago. As you’d expect from a Ryder Cup venue, the golfing facilities are nothing short of top-notch. As well as The Twenty Ten championship course (named for its tagging of the Ryder Cup), the resort also has two other fantastic 18-hole courses, a floodlit driving range, practice range, indoor putting studio, golf shop and teaching bays and two luxurious golf clubhouses.
Olympics – Holiday Inn Stratford City, London
Still not quite ready to let the Olympics go? The Holiday Inn Stratford City has a terrace where you can cast your eye over most of the Olympic Park, quaff one or two G&Ts and indulge those daydreams where it was you, not Jessica Ennis/Mo Farah, who was roared on to gold by an adulating and partisan British crowd.
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