He may have hailed from Ayrshire and written in a sometimes hard-to-decipher dialect, but famed Scottish poet Robert Burns’ words — and the whisky-soaked celebration his friends marked his birthday with after he died — haven’t been held back by Hadrian’s Wall, with celebrations running from Perthshire to Poole.
To dram up some excitement for this warming 25 January hootenanny, we’ve located where to spend Burns Night across the UK, for feasting, proclaiming poetically and hailing the ‘chieftain o’ the puddin’-race’ (haggis, that is).
Ballintaggart Farm
Perthshire
If you do want that authentic feel, spend Burns Night in Scotland itself in the green embrace of Perthshire’s Tay Valley. Ballintaggart Farm bears Burns-esque tradition in its vintage farmhouse building, then goes all sleek modern-Scandi on the inside. There’s a similar era-skipping feel to its Burns Night feasting menu too, which pairs haggis with smoked potato and pickles, venison with elderberry jus, and drizzles an Aberfeldy dram over rhubarb crème brûlée.
Where to get lit nearby You may be inspired to return come February, when the Pitlochry Festival Theatre (a 15-minute drive from the farm) holds its Winter Words event, curated by legendary actor Alan Cummings. Over two days, the likes of Val McDermid and Kirsty Wark will wax lyrical. Seek your own literary inspiration with a visit to Blair Athol distillery’s bar or by immersing yourself in loch-studded scenery.
Grantley Hall
Yorkshire
Dust off the kilt and clan tartan for a lordly knees-up at Grantley Hall in the Yorkshire Dales, a hotel whose stateliness demands high(lands) glam, even if it’s in the land of the Brontës. It’s a place that evokes the poeticism of old, with its pinstripe lawns and manicured flowerbeds, and idle time of croquet and afternoon-tea taking; plus motorsport experiences and clay-pigeon shooting for those with more adventurous tastes.
But its Glenmorangie-whisky-led meal (held on the 23 January) leans traditional, with pipers and readings; haggis, neeps and tatties; and heather-honey-drizzled dessert, plus a fling-forward ceilidh for afters.
Where to get lit nearby The Brontë Parsonage Museum is an hour’s drive away in Haworth if you want to pay tribute to the region’s legendary daughters, but closer to the hotel there are carvings of characters from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in Ripon Spa Gardens — a nod to the area’s influence on writer Lewis Carroll. Plus, parts of the 1993 film adaptation of The Secret Garden were filmed at Fountains Hall.
Ham Yard Hotel
London
If you’re a whisky novice, steel yourself for Ham Yard Hotel’s Burns Night feast (held on the 24 January), which starts with a Macallan-laced cocktail and continues with whisky pairings for each of the five courses, led by an expert to talk you through the ages, cask strengths and more. In addition to haggis and salmon, there’ll be venison Wellington and a pear and almond tart with a cranachan crumb.
And, if you’re not in too much of a haze the next day, you can try out the hotel’s bowling alley, get a mud wrap or CBD massage at the Soholistic Spa and browse the boutiques of Ham Yard village.
Where to get lit nearby Burns never visited London, so his footprint in the city is lighter than his poetic legacy, but he is present in statue form at Victoria Embankment Gardens and as a bust in Westminster Abbey’s Poets’ Corner. And at Ham Yard, culture surrounds you, from Theatreland shows to national galleries, and gig and burlesque venues.
The Grosvenor Stockbridge
Hampshire
The original Grosvenor family who built the hotel in the 19th century (it’s since passed over to new owners) has a lineage of various titled sorts, but this graceful stay is a relaxed kind, even if they still offer the Arcadian pursuits of the past for the enthusiasts of today: shooting, fly-fishing, horse riding… And classic spa treatments are on offer, should you want to achieve your red, red rosy glow in a more relaxed manner. Come Burns Night, the colourful Market Room restaurant will be roused by the a soundtrack of bagpipes, as a traditional three-course meal is served.
Where to get lit nearby Visit cobbled and cathedral-sporting Winchester or Salisbury — the former has a literary festival in April and is where Jane Austen was laid to rest; and the latter’s arts centre hosts cultured and comedic events. Drive along to Andover (around 15 minutes by car) and hire a bike for cycling along the Test Valley Literary Trail (a route loved by HG Wells). It passes by Ibthorpe House, where Jane Austen was a frequent visitor; Weyhill, namechecked by Chaucer and Daniel Defoe (stop by the Fairground Craft & Design Centre to scope out the creatives working there today); and Mottisfont, where Ian Fleming carried out an affair with owner (and World War II spy) Maud Russell.
Babington House
Somerset
Join the Soho House crowd of country-bound creatives for event feasting in Babington House‘s Burns-era mansion in bucolic West Country surrounds. It might be too brisk for contemplations by the on-site lake, but you’ll be snug having a supper of haggis in the greenhouse-style restaurant and nursing a whisky in the bar, where Georgian-inspired patterns and velvet buttonbacks sit alongside a carefully curated array of up-to-the-minute artworks.
Where to get lit nearby Jane Austen has claimed most of the fame in nearest city Bath (a 20-minute drive away), where there’s a museum and festival dedicated to her. But, thanks to its lively 18th- and 19th-century social scene, it also has many connections to influential scribes, such as Henry Fielding, Mary Shelley and Charles Dickens.
The Canford
Poole
The cosiest way to ceilidh is at Dorset pub stay The Canford, where classic Burns Night trappings will be served to the blare of bagpipes and a stirring Scottish soundtrack. It might be the furthest from the Highlands, but there’s plenty of heart and abundant aqua vitae. Here you’re also well placed for scarf-wrapped coastal walks, and January is the best season for bird-watching around Poole Harbour, when the National Trust runs boat tours.
Where to get lit nearby Espionage expert John le Carré was born in Poole, but there are more monuments to those writers who died or were buried nearby. There’s a plaque to JRR Tolkien outside Bournemouth’s Hotel Miramar, where he frequently stayed, plus nods to The Lord of the Rings characters throughout town. Romantic bard Percy Shelley’s heart is entombed in St Peter’s Church; and, despite never having lived in Bournemouth, his wife Mary Shelley is buried here too.
If you want more Scottish stays, say ‘aye’ — here’s the full collection
Header image: Ballintaggart Farm