A charming country hall hotel with a story to tell

Holiday and walking enthusiasts David and Helen Rose recently enjoyed a mid-week break at Thoresby Hall Hotel and Spa, near Ollerton. In this guest article David writes about their experience in this impressive country house. With great food, a wonderful setting and a diverse programme of active and relaxing activities my wife and I recently had a very enjoyable five-day break at Thoresby Hall Hotel and Spa. On our drive up to this country property we were immediately struck by how grand and impressive the building and grounds are. We were later to discover that Thoresby Park has been owned by the Pierrepont family since 1600 with the current house, once a stately home, built between 1863 – 1874 by the 3rd Earl Manvers. The Hall provided the perfect backdrop for a whole host of indoor and outdoor activities during our stay. Indoors we were able to enjoy quizzes, film screenings and the chance to relax in the grandeur of the Grand Hall, complete with deer antlers. Thorseby Gallery and courtyard, on-site, is definitely worth a visit offering a wide range of gifts and arts and crafts.  For the more active there was curling, keeping fit and various types of dance on offer. The Warner entertainments team ensured we were kept entertained both day and night with diverse music and dancing encouraging even the less confident to have a go. In the extensive gardens we enjoyed a guided tour of the grounds and gardens, archery, and rifle shooting – making me feel like a real country gentleman! On our tour we discovered a whole host of interesting facts and sites including the tall trees the biggest at 90ft and known as ‘The Douglas Fir; the Victorian rose garden with roses dating from 1100 to 2010; the on site beach; the Pet Cemetery where the family dogs are buried and the very impressive original iron gates which were restored in 1999-2000. Also when the work started on renovations, in the nineteen century, a colony of bats were found to be the sole occupants and a separate ‘bat cave‘ in the grounds was built to rehouse them although Helen was a little disappointed not to have bumped into Bruce Wayne during our stay! As keen walkers we also enjoyed a lovely walk to Perlethorpe village as well as walks a little further afield to Edwinstowe and Clumber Park. The other excellent aspect to Thoresby is the spa and pool and the fitness room where it’s possible to relax as well as attempt to burn those calories from all the great food. We were thoroughly impressed by the quality and choice of the food which included an enjoyable buffet style breakfast each morning and an equally delicious evening meal which was a mix of personal table service and buffet options. But even with all that food we couldn’t resist sampling a mouth-watering afternoon tea, or two, during our stay. All in all, our visit to Thoresby Hall Hotel exceeded our expectations, leaving us totally charmed by this magnificent building with its own fascinating story to tell. Visit the website for more information about Thoresby Hall Hotel and Spa and Thoresby Courtyard and Gallery.