We've hand-picked the most ravishing countryside retreats for dreamy weekend breaks.
Hauser & Wirth Somerset is a pioneering world-class gallery and arts centre (opened in 2014), which acts as a destination for experiencing art, architecture and the rural Somerset landscape through a changing programme of new and innovative exhibitions. The gallery is situated on the site of Durslade Farm on the edge of historic Bruton, and includes the extraordinary Oudolf Field – a landscaped garden designed by the internationally renowned architect Piet Oudolf as well as an on-site restaurant, Roth Bar & Grill, serving seasonal, locally sourced produce - and a site-specific bar created by Björn and Oddur Roth, the son and grandson of artist Dieter Roth. A cultural destination in its own right. Spending the night? Then check-into at nearby At The Chapel - a fittingly stylish bolthole within a 17th-century Bruton coaching inn, a contemporary chic retreat of just eight room and dining room featuring art lent by the gallery.
A working farm and dining room from Tom Adams of Pitt Cue in London, and April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig in New York. Set amongst 66 acres of meadows, woodland and oak lined streams near Launceston in Cornwall, Coombeshead Farm features a 6-bedroom (rustic style) farmhouse, an open-fire communal living room, whisky room & library, as well as a wine cellar, dining room and open kitchen. Dinners are served in the 12-cover farmhouse dining room, on a large communal table, with menus ever-changing and evolving according to what is in season, and based entirely on what is being produced at the time. There is also a curriculum of workshops all based on the techniques and skills used daily in the farmhouse kitchen. Expect lessons in methods such as butchery, sausage making, curing, pickling, preserving, and bread making.
Soho Farmhouse is a new-build hotel (on the site of a current farm) set in 100-acres of countryside near Great Tew, in Oxfordshire (5 miles from Chipping Norton and 20 miles north of Oxford). The rual member's club-cum-country house hotel consists of 30 "timber cabins” for guests (spread around lakes), four-bedroom cottage and a seven-bedroom farmhouse, a gym and Cowshed Spa, two yoga and pilates studios, and two pools. In addition there is a bar, restaurant, farm shop, tennis courts, and a south-facing boathouse pool area, which features an indoor-outdoor infinity pool set within a lake and an-indoor cinema (in the Electric Barn).
Located under an hour from London, Heckfield Place (a Grade II listed 18th Century Manor House of classical form) is set in 400 acres of garden, woodland and rolling Hampshire countryside. The hotel boasts the feel of a private home offering "an authentic and elegant country house experience celebrating Englishness". Each of the 60 rooms at Heckfield Place have their own unique style – rooms are found around the stables, the walled garden and in the principal manor house - which also houses the hotel’s dining venues overseen by Culinary Director Skye Gyngell - with menus showcasing the finest and freshest ingredients, with dishes prepared with her characteristic simplicity. There's also an underground, state-of-the-art 65-seat cinema and health and beauty treatments available in the former estate cottages. Opening May, 2018.
Cherkley Court is a Grade II listed French (neo-classical) Chateau style property dating back to 1894 - formerly the country home of newspaper magnate and WWII-era government minister Lord Beaverbrook. The actual estate (south-east of Leatherhead in Surrey) comprises 380 acres, including 120 acres of woodland. In 2011 entrepreneur Joal Cadbury acquired the estate and is spent £30 million vision to create the estate as a ‘world class’ 5 Star hotel and resort with a Health Club & Spa and a Cookery School - as well as an exclusive private members golf course designed by golfer Tom Watson.
Ideal For
Weekending in style
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Country Pursuits
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Insightful
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Out of Town
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