The Power of A Staycation.
24 hours in The Cotswolds, our new favourite hotel & why I love staycations.
Good Morning lovely reader! How are you? I hope you had a glorious weekend in the sunshine, whatever you were up to. Jack and I had such lovely couple of days. We dropped Basil off for his first sleepover at J’s parents house with his cousins Ted (the black lab) and Daisy (the bocker). We made our way over to The Cotswolds for a little staycation.
Saturday started at The Game Fair, the annual country event showcasing some fabulous brands and sports. This year it was held at the stunning Blenheim Palace, which was just breathtaking. I was very kindly invited by the Fairfax & Favour team to experience the day, which is such a pinch me moment as I absolutely love F&F it’s one of my go-to brands for town & country wear.
The Game Fair was amazing, whether you are attending for the shopping, the food stalls or to get involved in clay shooting. There really is something for everyone. My personal favourite was a hole dug out in one of the fields, filled with water for all the dogs to enjoy. Speaking of dogs, I don’t think I have ever seen quite so many dogs in one place, we must have seen around 500 red labradors and we cannot wait to take Basil next year when he is a bit older.
15,000 steps and a few Pimms later we made our way over to our hotel. A last minute decision to stay overnight meant that the hotel choice was rather limited, I assume due to a combination of the huge annual event, summer holidays and a very good weather forecast. We took a chance a booked a random hotel, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the listing online but WOW I was pleasantly surprised.
Charingworth Manor is simply beautiful, a winding gravel driveway up into the hills leading you to the Cotswold stone manor. Immaculate gardens bordered with lavender, hydrangeas and daisies. Views over the hills, fields dotted with sheep. The interior itself was perfection, I took so many pictures for inspiration. We sat in the garden in the early evening sun enjoying a cold glass of rosé before our dinner reservation.
The menu for dinner was equally as amazing. We enjoyed homemade sourdough bread and a starter of buratta with edamame & peas, such a delicious fresh summer dish. For our main course we both chose the lamb served with a salsa verde, garlic Tenderstem and cannellini beans, before we took our tired little feet up to bed for a very early night.
Although we didn’t spend a huge amount of time there, the nature of the hotel meant it felt like a home from home very quickly. A boutique style with a small amount of rooms, intimate living room style areas to relax, homely gardens with lots of seating areas. It felt as though we were the only ones there!
I cannot wait to go back for a weekend reset and play a game of tennis on their court, swim in the indoor pool and enjoy a long lunch on the terrace. I have definitely learnt my lesson not to judge a book by it’s cover, we are over the moon that we now have another Cotswold hidden gem to enjoy.
Before making the journey back to pick up little B, we of course had a quick stop at Daylesford to pick up some bits and bobs. We left with crisps & homemade pork pies, a gorgeous wicker vase that I have had my eye on for a while, a new dog bowl and some special sausage treats.
I don’t think it would be a trip to The Cotswolds without a peruse around Burford Garden Company - probably the best garden centre in the UK. It has become a tradition that we pop by before the drive home and we never leave empty handed. We came home with two David Austen roses, another white dahlia, lemon basil, peppermint mint, lemon mint and apple mint. But the home section has got to be my favourite I could leave with so many beautiful pieces, today I picked up a gorgeous serving platter, something that has been on my wish list for a while and a woven wastepaper basket for the office! Oh the joys of the little things haha!
Our little one night away has made me realise that we should never underestimate the power of a staycation. We took a 2.5 hr drive to another countryside area of England and felt totally rested and re-inspired within just 24 hours!
WHY I LOVE STAYCATIONS.
So easy and quick to get to somewhere new. We love driving to places as we can fill up the car with all the bits we want and we have space for new pieces too. In just a couple of hours you can be somewhere totally new!
Experiencing another area of the countryside in England is so inspiring.
We are so lucky in England to have incredible independent businesses. Hotels, cafés, restaurants and stores and I love to celebrate and share the love for all of these spots. There is nothing better than finding a really beautiful hidden gem.
Staying somewhere local is a really affordable way of taking a mini break. Flights and transfers, over priced hotels in peak season and eating out for every single meal all adds up but taking a short drive to a boutique hotel or Air bnb is a great way to get your holiday fix without breaking the bank.
You can bring your little animals and children a lot easier than going abroad.
Next on the staycation list is a coastal break with Basil in tow so I will keep you posted on where we end up.
Thank you so much for reading this weeks newsletter. I hope it has inspired you to look into a staycation!
L xx
LISTENING
How To Stop Breaking Your Own Heart by Meggan Roxanne - I listened to an amazing episode of Good Company Podcast with Meggan and I instantly fell in love with her story and her outlook, so of course I needed more! I went in search of her book and decided to opt for the audio book option.
READING
This week I read Mollys highly relatable Substack entry, ‘Am I Boring’ - The Slow Scottish Stories. A lot of how she described herself really resonated with me and was a lovely reminder that your perfect way to spend life may be someones worst way and that is totally okay. Seeking happiness and contentment will always be a personal journey.
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Sounds like a dream! How nice you guys were invited by F&F and what a gem you stayed at - those lavender borders are stunning! 💜