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Wings
Tewkesbury Park Hotel and (opposite) the stunning view towards Tewkesbury Abbey
With sunshine here at last, Mike Firth took
his family away to Gloucestershire to chill out
I MUST have driven past Junction 9 of the M5 a hundred times en-route to family holiday adventures in the South West,
missing out completely on exploring the delights of historic Tewkesbury.
Anyone remotely interested in how we lived in days gone by will find plenty to enjoy here, not least the magnificent Norman-built Tewkesbury Abbey which is already making plans to celebrate its 900th anniversary in three years time.
With its important location at the confluence of the River Severn and River Avon, this north Gloucestershire town has many other fascinating old buildings for visitors to explore. One of them, a magnificently refurbished former hunting lodge which dates back to the 14th century, was recently our home for the weekend.
We had arranged a two-night family break at Tewkesbury Park Hotel. Although not quite on the same scale as the Abbey, it is imposing in its own way, particularly as you drive towards it through 163 acres of parkland and glorious, green, golfing terrain.
This Georgian manor house is surrounded by what was the town’s deer park, overlooking the Severn. It
has wonderful views of the Malvern
Hills and, in the distance to the west,
the Brecon Beacons.
Checking through the independently
-owned hotel’s brochure and website before leaving home, we knew we were going to be in for a very special weekend, but this place exceeded all our expectations.
First impressions always count and the welcome and friendly advice we received from reception staff couldn’t have been bettered. And they followed it up five minutes later with a cheery phone call to check we were happily settling into our rooms.
Tasty steak
I mentioned this was a family break and not only were wife Helen and I joined by teenage daughter Olivia, but Basset Hound Harry was also with us.
I could imagine that this place might once upon a time have been quite formal and stuffy, but not at all these days and several of its splendid rooms are dog friendly. In fact, they are far more than that as not only did Harry have food bowls, complimentary treats and a letter of welcome awaiting him, but his doggy bed came with a luxurious memory-foam mattress!
The extensive grounds were perfect for dog walks and Harry was
Right: Tender lamb dish
Below: Tewkesbury Abbey
Below right: Harry takes it easy in the hotel grounds
The Tewkesbury Park Hotel Cocktail Lounge
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Cotswold creature