Go on, take a staycation.
Hull’s Submarium
Hull ain't a bad place to be: it’s the UK City of Culture for 2017 and it boasts the world’s only submarium. Quite how that differs from an aquarium we’re not sure, but The Deep is home to sharks and 3,500 fish including Europe’s only pair of green sawfish. Plus The Museum of Club Culture - another 'world's only' - is nearby in the city’s Fruit Market area.
The Jorvik Viking Centre in York
Ragnarok, an epic battle between 300 viking warriors and a host of Norse gods, takes place on 22nd February as part of the 30th annual Jorvik Viking Festival in York. Expect beards, over-acting, and – why not - fireworks. You can see, hear, and smell what it was like to be a rampaging viking at any time of the year though.
Via York Archaeological Trust
The Pencil Museum in Keswick
Cumbrian cartoonist Gavin Pollock will be revealing his secrets at the fabled institution this Feb. “Be amazed at the World’s Longest Pencil” declares the website of the home of “pencil perfection”. With an offer like that, &tc…
Stratford-upon-Avon
Ok so it’s always full of rampant Anglophiles from across the US, but this year it’s worth braving the hordes. 2014 marks the 450th anniversary of the bard’s birth, and they’re going all out with the celebrations, including the unveiling of a brand new Jacobean theatre operating by candelight and the world premiere of a new version of Hamlet which kicks off on 23rd April, Willie’s birthday.
Via Christopher Furlong / Getty
