Let autumn staycations beGIN with drinking tours

To make the most of a late staycation in the UK, it’s a great idea to tie in places of interest that you can visit.

Those who enjoy their gin (or even those who don’t) could enjoy a gin distillery tour, which is a good way to immerse yourself into local culture and help out local businesses at the same time.

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A new guide to help with this shows that there are around 120 such distilleries that offer such tours.

England itself is home to 60, and if you are off to London, the capital alone boasts 17 gin distilleries and is home to names such as Beefeater and Sipsmith.

The South of England offers 21 separate gin tours from brands including Bombay Sapphire and The Bath Gin Company.

But across Central England you can choose from 15 options, from such distilleries as Adnams in Suffolk - perhaps most famous for their beers and ales. Copper House and the unique Habanero and Lime gin are both within their range.

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Chase Distillery in Herefordshire has a name for vodka, but their range of gins include flavours such as marmalade, or pink grapefruit and pomelo, and have got to be worth a trip.

Eleven northern gin distillers offer tours, many in staycation hotspots such as the Lake District, Manchester or York.

Celebrated Shed 1 Gin is distilled in Ulverston in the Lakes, and you can even go to gin school at its main base.

Moving further north, there’s also a tour available at the Lakes Distillery in picturesque Bassenthwaite.

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For an urban flavour, the City of Manchester distillery produces the renowned Three Rivers Gin - or visit ancient York with its many attractions, and slot in a visit to the York Gin Distillery there.

If spending time in the wild beauty of Scotland, you can discover no less than 46 gin distilleries. Of these, 14 are located in Edinburgh, home to Edinburgh Gin, and its surrounding areas.

Also on the Scottish trail is the 1881 Distillery and Gin School at the Peebles Hydro, as well as the small batch craft gin available at Lilliard Ginnery on the Scottish Borders and the many varied flavours (and colour-changing gin) from McQueen’s Gin Emporium, Stirling.

There are seven gin distilleries that have experiences and tours in the South West of Scotland.

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The city of Glasgow boasts the award-winning Glasgow Distillery, home to the flavoursome ‘Makar’ gins.

A little bit further out are smaller producers, including the Wee Farm Distillery in Forth, which offers a huge stock of gin products, from their classic ‘Drovers Gin’ to gin liqueurs in all flavours imaginable.

In the Scottish Highlands are seven atmospheric distillery tours, each offering quality and distinction of their own.

Holiday in Wales and choose from seven gin tours. Snowdonia with its mountainous terrain and breathtaking views also has beautifully crafted gin to sample.

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If Northern Ireland is your option, seek out the main producers; The Boatyard, Echlinville and Rademon Estate Distilleries are home to three major gin tours here.

The first is by the beautiful Lough Erne in Enniskillen and produces two recommended ‘Boatyard’ gins and one unique vodka.

In County Down you can visit Echlinville in Newtownards and Rademon Estate in Downpatrick. Both produce award-winning gins and whiskies.

To find out more about particular spots and distilleries with tours, visit the guide produced by CitySuites at https://www.citysuites.com/en/your-experience/blog/the-guide-to-uk-gin-distilleries/ site.