My Mum and I have just returned from a lovely spa break at Thorsby Hall, and before we went I promised to make use of my camera and try and get some decent shots of this beautiful place, so I apologise in advance if photo-heavy posts aren't your thing - as you can see I got pretty snap happy.
Spending time in the spa was an amazing experience, as neither of us had ever done anything like this before - it was so relaxing and exactly what I needed. As well as using the spa facilities I had a Swedish full body massage, mini facial and back massage, so I left feeling thoroughly pampered and stress free. Thorsby Hall and its surroundings are breathtaking, if you're looking for a relaxing weekend away either as a mother-daughter break or for a mini girls holiday, this is the perfect location; you can spend hours walking around the hall or the grounds, or just relax in the spa and completely forget that the world exists outside of this beautiful little bubble. The mobile coverage is somewhere between slim and none, and to have three days social media free was actually brilliant - try it!
Thorsby Hall is set in such beautiful grounds, and you can spend absolutely hours walking through the woods and still discover new places every time. As we headed deeper into the forest, the more I thought it would be an amazing place to shoot a horror film or music video - it's the perfect mix of inviting yet haunting. Definitely make use of the maps available, you will get completely lost if you don't, not that I'm speaking from experience... *ahem*
In the heart of the stunning grounds was the most gorgeous rose garden, although it had just rained, the sun was shining which made for the perfect photography conditions! I love how peaceful and quiet it is everywhere at Thorsby, but the rose garden in particular was such a nice place to just sit and forget about the rest of the world.
When we were having a walk in the grounds, Mum and I came across a small bridge across a river, where there was a family of ducks, two swans and a heron! In the first shot down below, I hadn't even noticed the heron, I was trying to get a nice photo of the swan; it wasn't until the heron moved that I realised it was a live animal and not a statue! The photos really don't do justice to how huge these birds are, or to how lovely the lake area was - again, such an awesome place to relax and watch the world go by.
My absolute favourite part of the Thorsby grounds was the squirrel gym, and as you can see the squirrels were more than happy to pose for photographs - you could get pretty close to them as they're so used to people. The whole area is just buzzing with wildlife, and I spent many a happy hour on the benches watching all of the birds and squirrels. This was my first attempt at any form of nature photography and I'm pretty happy with these snaps!
In the grounds was also a mini beach, filled with deck chairs and overlooking the lake at one side and the hall at the other, it's the perfect spot to relax with a book on a sunny day. As you can probably see by the pictures, the weather wasn't really on our side during our visit, but we still managed to sneak in between the rain showers!
On the second day of our stay, Mum and I treated ourselves to afternoon tea and champagne, which was served in the 'Blue Room' in the old part of the building. The room itself was absolutely stunning (photos don't do it justice) and we were lucky enough to have a table in the window so we could look out at the lovely views as we ate. The quality of the food was incredible, especially the scones which came warm and served with clotted cream and jam - perfect! Even if you're just visiting to use the spa, I'd definitely recommend the afternoon tea experience, it was well worth the money. In general, the food was lovely, and even as a very fussy eater I was never stuck for choice of anything to eat.
This break was exactly what I needed to relax and unwind, and the beautiful setting was just perfect, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing this post!
Thanks for reading,
Tilly
