Tips for your best ever group holiday

Doesn’t matter what time of year you go – what we see, influences how and what we eat. First century Roman, Apicius, said ‘we eat with our eyes first’ – which explains the visual decadence of roman feasts, but more importantly, why dressing a table means more than it seems. Go outside and grab a little foliage, preferably evergreen or just fallen. A bushel of pinecones, or a handful of berries, and lay them down the centre of your dining table. Those with an eye for flair will enjoy matching up colours for season, event, or the dishes themselves – but there’s nothing like dining around a centrepiece that makes you feel like you’re in a food magazine photoshoot.

If you've been to our spaces before, you'll know a drinks cabinet is not an infrequent occurrence -- and more than a few are near distilleries or incredible drinking spots. But if you do just a tiny bit of prep, a little money pot and you can bring enough to make your own foraged cocktails. Almost all cocktails are divided into two groups, those you shake, and those you stir. If you shake them, they'll be at least 25ml lemon or lime juice, so be sure to bring a bagful of unwaxed (you'll want peel for garnish) citrus. That's step number one. Number two, is to find out everyone's preferences, but you can't go wrong with either gin, white rum or vodka, as they make up the majority of simple cocktails. To take gin for example, in summer, you could collect blackberries for a Bramble or rosemary sprigs for an Aperol Spritz (don't forget to whip them against the back of your hand to release the aromatics).  Forage, mix, shake with panache, garnish, drink -- and soak up the praise.

This almost goes without saying. Most day trips to local towns, markets and farm shops are an exercise in trying not to buy everything. You'll sweat, much like the cheeses you stare at on the local deli counter, wondering if the oak smoked cheddar is available by wheel rather than gram. You'll curse the diminutive size of tote bags, and stuff them to the brim-full with seasonal organic veg. And in springtime? Gosh those lambs look adorable... and tasty. But you've got options you never usually do -- and you'd do well to make use of them. Take to campfire cooking -- and hit up a one pot recipe. More time chatting and chopping, less time flambeeing and faffing.

The Olympics weren't always in such prim and proper surroundings, they were in fact a far cry from the manicured marathon tracks you see today. Whilst your non-competing members of the party wrangle laurels together from the bushes, take part in some very, very serious competition -- for first prize at the Wild Olympics. Prizes may include such notable rewards as 'first to use the outdoor bath', 'exempt from washing up' or 'chief marshmallow toaster'.

If you’re staying for a few days, allotting who’s cooking when, is never a bad idea. Knowing what you’re going to cook, and when, is very handy when you’re unfamiliar with the local shops. It reminds you to keep an eye out for ingredients, and local produce and making sure you remember to get all your bits and bobs. Whilst everyone thinks about dinner, breakfast? That’s a connoisseur’s game. Face off in a battle to the death (of your hunger), and demonstrate your prowess at scrambled eggs, the illustrious and hard to perfect, bacon and egg bap or, the true breakfast holy grail – sweet egg on egg action, eggs benedict.

Somewhere, whether it be sharing the double bed with a pal, making your way to and from the outdoor shower, or sitting down to fast in a slightly too short dressing gown, there will be a revealing slip, or an accidental dangle, and that’s ok. It happens. But why not go the whole hog, lean into a little body positivity, and accept we’re all naked under our clothes. Loads of our spaces have outdoor baths, outdoor showers, private ponds, lakes, rivers and swimming holes of all varieties – and if they’re not, they’re a short drive. So, take to the water, or hit up one of the 42 nudist beaches in and around the UK – and go swimming in your birthday suit. It’s more liberating than you might imagine.

Once upon a time, there was a golden era, where doom scrolling and goblin mode were yet to be in the dictionary. It was a magical time, when you had to speak to your friends’ parents in an awkward 30 second encounter every time you rang, and you longed for your weekend trip to Blockbuster – its weird smell harbinger to a good time. But it was also an era of analogue entertainment. Pooh sticks, pebble skimming, sardines or wheelbarrow racing. A world of fun, long forgotten. C&S places are the perfect backdrop to playing these all again. Just this time, with the appropriate refreshments.

Sure, you could settle for the classic, a solitary marshmallow, speared with a sharpened stick how our ancestors did it. But the world’s your oyster – and there’s no need to settle at just a healthy char (you can even assign the worst cook to this particular job). Hit the shops and find the most decadent additions to your s’mores. Chocolate, biscuits, the usual suspects – but how far can you take it? Fudge stuffed ‘mallows, sprinkles? A whipped cream garnish? The choices are endless.

They say the faintest ink is better than the strongest memory, and if there’s one thing you probably won’t forget to do – it’s take pictures. But there’s something very different about photos you’re expecting to smatter across your socials, and the ones that you’d look back on and smile. It’s the imperfect photos, the ones taken impromptu without posing or retakes that we seem to love the most. You can pick up instant cameras for a reasonable amount these days, and there’s some great options for some simple film cameras and even old school disposables. Grab an old school point and click, and enjoy the delayed gratification of having something to hold, and treasure forever.