A R L E Y E S TAT E
THE OLD GAOL , THE PERFECT HI S TORIC HOL IDAY LOCAT ION
A weekend away offers a great opportunity to forget all the chores at home, recharge the batteries and just relax. Too often though too much of this precious you-time is taken getting to and from your destination, but not with these two new fabulous holidays lets at the Arley estate, just outside of Bewdley. Sharon Napper went along to see what they have to offer.
New for this year, the estate has opened two self-catering, two bedroom holiday lets overlooking the River Severn in the village of Upper Arley - The Boathouse and The Old Gaol.
Beautifully and tastefully refurbished in a contemporary style, the lets offer everything you need for a blissful countryside retreat. They each have private outdoor areas and all the amenities inside to provide a relaxing stay.
We were offered the larger of the two, The Old Gaol, where criminals were previously detained in the village in years gone by. Now lovingly restored with open beams, separate kitchen-diner, living room with river views and luxury bathroom with roll top bath, there were hints of its former use with the black accents in the décor. A sumptuous but unique home from home.
One of the rooms has two full sized single beds, nicely spaced, but we opted for the master with feature king size, four poster bed and chandelier. We intended on spoiling ourselves. You enter via a small enclosed garden to the front door. This opens onto a superb kitchen/diner with a lovely vase of flowers on the table, picked from the Arley Estate grounds.
The lovely comfortable lounge, with a corner shaped sofa, is perfect for relaxing and out of the window was the idyllic view of the river and the fields beyond. The property has plenty of space, even enough room for our dog’s bed so she was happy too.
After unpacking and a quick cuppa, we decided to go for a walk along the river as it was such a lovely afternoon. There are lots of walks to choose from, in varying distances. We just had a simple walk admiring the views and the sheep and the pheasants in the various fields. Lots of friendly fishermen along the riverbank but they weren’t having a very successful afternoon as the river was fast flowing.
We headed back to the apartment for a lazy, cosy evening in. We had taken oven ready meals (I’d decided this was definitely a weekend off for me!), although the kitchen was more than adequately kitted out if you want to prepare food. There are also two pubs nearby if you choose to eat out
There are plenty of places to visit nearby, making Arley Holiday Lets the perfect place for a staycation or a long weekend.
For further details or bookings, visit
arleyestate.co.uk or telephone 01299 861368.
LIVE24-SEVEN.COM
instead, across the bridge was The Harbour Inn and down the lane was The Bellmans Cross Inn.
Arley Riverside tea rooms is also next door and a very popular choice it seemed, as we could see their Tea Garden from our lounge window, which was popular with socially distanced tables, of course.
We had a lovely relaxing evening, including a soak in the roll top bath, and decided on our walks for the following day. After a good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed we were refreshed and ready to explore again.
After breakfast we went on the Arley Circular Walk which is about four miles long. A lovely walk along the river and through ancient woodland with the Severn Valley Steam Railway running along too. Good footwear is needed.
We then had refreshments and sadly waved goodbye to The Old Gaol and headed up the road to the Arley Arboretum. It’s the perfect time of the year to visit with the lovely colours of the changing trees. We were pleased to find that all of it was dog friendly, on leads, of course. It has one of the finest collections of magnolias and acers in the UK, with over 300 species of trees dating back more than 250 years. There is also a laburnum arch, which would look amazing in the spring.
It also has an Italian Garden, fountains and peacocks – 45 acres of breathtaking walks and lots of picnic areas with fabulous views. It’s very family friendly, there were leaflets for children to encourage them to find different things around the grounds as well as a play area and adventure trails.
The tearoom, serves hot and cold drinks, breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea and we stopped here to enjoy a light lunch, which was popular with others too.
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