Stepping Back In Time With Thornbury Castle

This post is sponsored by Thornbury Castle .

Toward the end of last year, Colin and I realised that we hadn’t actually had a night alone together in almost 9 months. Rory was still sleeping in our room, still waking in the night, every night. We had managed to steel the odd lunch date out while the boys napped, or lit a candle with our evening meal. But we hadn’t been away, explored somewhere new, and enjoyed a lie in together for such a long time.
Time flies when you’re a parent. Family life is so busy, the days, weeks and months seem to spin past us and before you know it you realise you haven’t had a chat and a cuddle with your other half all week.

For 2018 we made a pledge to schedule in more time alone together, a little date just us, at least once a month. Sometimes that might only be a Friday night in the pub once the boys are in bed, or sometimes, when we’re really lucky, it might be a romantic night or two away together…bliss!

March’s date was something a little different… Col and I spent two nights away in ….wait for it…A CASTLE!!!

Like most of us, I’m sure, I’d never slept in a castle, and in fact I hadn’t even visited a one since I was a little girl. So when Thornbury Castle invited us to stay with them for the weekend, we were so excited.
Thornbury Castle is part of the Luxury Family Hotels group, with whom we holidayed back in March last year. While this hotel is not aimed at families with young children (only children eight years and older are welcome) what we knew about Luxury Family Hotels, we were certain we would have another gorgeously relaxing experience…but this time, just the two of us.

We arrived at the castle on a sunny Friday evening in March. Set on the edge of the Cotswolds, in the pretty town of Thornbury. The castle might date back to the 16th century, but driving through the grounds towards it, the sunlight bouncing off the walls, it looked as grand as I’m sure it did in the days of Henry VIII. The grounds boast a vineyard, floral walks and a walled kitchen garden.

Set foot inside the castle and it really is like going back in time. Tudor style, sympathetically brought into the modern world, with roaring fire places, opulent décor yet all of the amenities you would expect of a luxury country hotel. Guests relaxed in the lounge with their drinks, reading the papers, playing chess while the warm evening light filled the rooms.

We were shown to our suite, The Tower Suite. High up the original winding staircase, we opened the door to the most breath-taking room. Huge windows with shutters, exposed brick walls and floor boards, two fire places and the most enormous four poster bed I’ve ever seen! The high ceilings stretched through to the bathroom where we had a beautiful free-standing slipper bath, twin sink & rain shower.

A bowl of fresh fruit and chocolate truffles awaited us and a moment later, our champagne arrived. What an incredible thing to actually sleep in a room like this, in a castle tower, decorated almost as it would have been all those years ago. We toasted to a weekend living like royalty and headed back downstairs for our castle tour.

History has never been my strongest (or most enjoyed) subject, however, if you do decide to visit Thornbury Castle, I think a castle history tour really is essential. It absolutely brings the magic and history of the place to life, thinking back to the times when Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn honeymooned there. I’m so glad we did this as soon as we arrived because I enjoyed everything so much more knowing more about it.

After a relaxing bath, and a little more champagne, we headed downstairs for dinner. We enjoyed a pre-dinner drink and some delicious canapés in front of the fire while we admired the menu. The food really was exceptional. Luxury Family Hotels really pride themselves on excellent quality food and a romantic and relaxing dining experience. It’s heaven for foodies like us.

On the first night we chose the three course menu, which was absolutely delicious. So delicious in fact that the second night we decided to go for the 7-course tasting menu. Just WOW. You must try this if you visit Thornbury Castle. I exclaimed …”This one is my favourite!”… on every dish, it was divine.
The dining room is lit by candle light, soft and romantic, but with enough atmosphere that you could chat and relax comfortably. Luxury Family Hotels know amazing service. Staff are attentive, knowledgeable and passionate about the castle and their guests experiences. Nothing is too much trouble and the team seem genuinely happy and proud to be part of your weekend, it really does stand out.

Always the last remaining guests in any restaurant, we trotted upstairs to our suite after dinner to enjoy a long unbroken sleep in our gigantic bed.

We woke up to the doves outside our window, and took some coffees to bed with the weekend papers. I would love to tell you that we had a busy day exploring, but we actually did the opposite. We filled up at breakfast. Full English for Col, salmon and eggs for me. We had a wander around Thornbury town, it’s a short drive or easy walk from the hotel. A pretty little town with some lovely independent shops, cafes and florists.

Then we decided to head back to the castle, where we read our books, strolled around the grounds and even indulged in an afternoon nap. We could feel ourselves really relaxing, something I think, as busy working parents, we just never do. It felt so good.
This time we awoke from our naps to the beautiful Tudor Church bells outside our window, and headed back downstairs for afternoon tea. We sat like King and Queen in our thrones and enjoyed a perfect selection of sandwiches, scones and cakes all washed down with plenty of tea, and of course the option of champagne.

On our final morning, we decided to spoil ourselves with room service breakfast. It was the most beautiful spring day, the birds were singing and church bells chimed. With a noon check-out time, there was no rush to get up and get out, we took it slow, reading the Sunday papers and grazing on our breakfast feast.

We left that day feeling completely relaxed, refreshed and re-connected as a couple. Of course we were SUPER excited to see our boys, and tell them all about sleeping in a castle. If you’re looking for a luxury step back in time, a truly relaxing break or maybe just somewhere a bit more special than your average hotel, I would highly recommend Thornbury Castle. We are so lucky to have such magical places, so full of history, here in the UK and if we want to sleep in a castle…well we can do exactly that!