Tour theme: : Country House Weekend
Dates: All year 'round
Length of Stay: Long Weekend
Theme: Ldies and Gentlemen Weekend retreat
There
is no experience quite as essentially English as the Country House Weekend.
Enjoyed by the aristocracy for many years, in an age where a ‘Gentleman’ did not
work, but spent his weekends with friends in each others’ country mansions, to
get some relief from the
social pressures of London! We will re-create this experience for you and your
friends in a charming and stylish Cotswold Manor House.
Friday Evening:
You will arrive in the late afternoon. Your luggage will be taken to your room,
while you join your fellow guests for afternoon tea in the Drawing Room. A log
fire will greet you while your valet will, if required, unpack your clothes
while drawing a bath.
After dressing for dinner, you will make your way for a cocktail, and meet your
hosts. Over a delicious dinner and fine wine, you will enjoy making new friends,
and also hearing about the style of English country life for the aristocracy in
this very different era. After dinner, the ladies will retire to the drawing
room, while the men pass round the Port (to the left, of course!) After
discussing world affairs the men will rejoin the ladies for a short piano
recital before retiring to bed.
Saturday
Ignore the cholesterol for a day, and come down to the ‘full English’ breakfast,
cooked to perfection.
AM You can choose between a number of country activities of the sort the
aristocracy would have enjoyed at the time. For example:
Horse-riding. We will match you with horses to suit your ability, for a guided
ruide through the leafy
Cotswold lanes
Hunting You can either hunt (we don’t hunt foxes any more, but otherwise the
experience is the same), or follow the hunt in a Range Rover, as the horses
chase across open countryside
Shooting A spot of Clay Pigeon shooting or something more live perhaps?
Shopping Let a personal shopper assist you as you browse through some of the
area’s finest boutiques and antique shops. Your purchases will be returned to
your hotel, or shipped straight to the US if you prefer.
Fishing A bit of fly-fishing perhaps? We will organise it for you
Walking – surely the best way to enjoy the sheer natural beauty of the Cotswold
countryside.
Lunch will be provided by luxury hamper, or at a nearby Inn.
You will return to your Manor House for afternoon English tea, served as it
should be, before being coached in how to play croquet, a game that looks
genteel and elegant on the outside but is fiercely competitive.
After dressing for dinner you will be joined by our hosts, for an evening of
food and entertainment. Relax and enjoy poetry readings, a short play, and
musical entertainment of the sort enjoyed by the Upper Class of the era.
Sunday AM
After breakfast, you can choose a local church, or you may prefer the formality
and grandeur of Gloucester cathedral or Tewkesbury Abbey. Or you may prefer just
to read a book in front of an open fire, as you relax and continue to enjoy the
timeless peace and quiet that surrounds you.
PM For lunch, there is only one possible choice – the English roast! This staple
diet of fine English cuisine, made with local produce will provide a wonderful
backdrop for your unique experience. During lunch, your bags will be packed for
you and loaded onto your car. As you say farewell to your hosts and fellow
guest, and exchange contact details, you will be taken, if you wish, for a tour
of some the Cotswold’s finest villages. You will finally return to your hotel
feeling refreshed, and step back, somewhat reluctantly, into the 21st century! A
taste of luxury from a time gone by that will last a lifetime into the future!
