Everyone deserves a little relaxation and at Eastfield Lodge, we are launching a new break which should provide you with just that. It’s not all sedentary though, as “a change is as good as a break,” so they say and there’s much to see in the Dales of North Yorkshire. Check our itinerary and see if it appeals to your group.
The three night break includes leisurely breakfasts, a gentle walk within the nearby 20,000 acre estate of Swinton Park, time to enjoy the spa facilities and fine dining, a fun filled paddle paired up in stable Indian canoes on the calm waters of the canal linking to the River Ure with a “posh picnic” on the riverbank, tea and cake, prosecco and canapes and time to escape busy lives surrounded by the peace and tranquillity of Yorkshire.
Bring a small group of up to 16 guests to enjoy a luxurious and fun filled stay at the Lodge.
Itinerary
This three night break will offer an opportunity to relax and feel pampered, explore the beauty of the area, do some gentle exercise, sample good food and drink and with laughter guaranteed. You will be hosted by Henry and Penny, who have themselves enjoyed experiencing and putting together this itinerary.
Monday
Arrive at Eastfield Lodge in the afternoon for tea and biscuits in the lounge. Settle in, maybe wander up into the lovely Market Town of Leyburn before joining us in the evening for Prosecco and Canapes to find out more about the details of the following day. The two course dinner in the Lodge includes wine and local Yorkshire dishes.
Tuesday
Walk, Spa and Dinner at Swinton Park Estate
A leisurely breakfast allows time to relax, enjoy coffee in the lounge, wander into the town or simply catch up with friends or family until we head off to nearby Swinton Park. This Grade II Castle with its extensive parkland is stunning, peaceful and tranquil. The grounds make up one of the largest estates in England with 63 miles of footpaths. We plan to take a gentle guided walk along some of these and to enjoy a picnic lunch under the trees or in one of the Victorian grottos which look out onto the five lakes. In the late afternoon, returning to the country club, you can enjoy tea or perhaps a glass of bubbles before donning robes for the Spa experience. This newly refurbished country club includes an 18 metre indoor pool, hydrotherapy pool, Finnish and herbal sauna, aroma steam room, salt room and foot spas. Additionally the spa garden has a natural pool and cedar hot tub.
The optional beauty treatments can be booked and paid for individually. After a couple of hours feeling relaxed and cleansed, you can enjoy a two course dinner in the Terrace Restaurant of the stately house before being transported back to the Lodge.
Wednesday
Paddle & Picnic from Ripon to Boroughbridge
An earlier breakfast sets us up for some fun on the water! Driving to Ripon, we leave the cars safely by the canal edge and get into buoyancy aids, grab a paddle and eye up our vessels for the day; 16- foot, flat bottomed Indian canoes for two or three people. There is then a short delay while your qualified guides sort out vehicles at the finish point but this time can be spent in the little café, The Forge on the water’s edge. No paddle experience is required to remain safe and have a great deal of fun canoeing on the calm canal with one person learning to steer and the other powering the boat. There is also no hurry and passers-by walking on the canal path will enjoy the endeavours of our small fleet! The bird life along the river is plentiful and a joy to see as we gently go with the natural flow of the Ure leaving behind the busier outskirts of Ripon, the oldest city in England, for the open countryside and still quiet meadows.
At one of the locks along the way, we can leave the water to sit on the banks and enjoy a glass of bubbly, a cool beer or a piping hot cup of tea and a lavish and varied picnic. Whiling away the next hour on the river takes us past Newby Hall and into the haven of the Boroughbridge slipway.
Driving back to Leyburn passes through the Yorkshire countryside to enjoy showers, cake and later a three course dinner at the Lodge with celebratory wine included.
Thursday
Breakfast can be enjoyed at your leisure before taking a stroll along the Leyburn Shawl, visiting the town to pick up some Wensleydale Cheese or simply departing for home feeling relaxed and refreshed.
Fitness
You do not need any previous experience or level of fitness to enjoy the canoeing. Qualified instructors will be on the water and you will be in a boat with one or two other people.
Kit
We will advise you all on what to wear in the canoe closer to your visit but old trainers are ideal to protect your feet. They will get wet. Sun hats, sunglasses and sun cream are advised but it may be that old jog pants or shorts (not jeans,) a warm jacket or sweatshirt and a waterproof coat and a hat might be good to bring too. (It is highly unlikely that you will fall in unless your group are determined you will!)
Equipment
We will provide everyone with a buoyancy aid, a boat and paddle and a container which will keep valuables dry.
Travel to the Lodge
Arrival can be from 4pm and by car is less than a 30 minute drive from the A1. The Lodge has limited parking but parking locally is convenient. The North East Rail link runs from Edinburgh to Kings Cross stopping at Northallerton where a taxi journey can link you to Leyburn. The buses run from Bedale but the service stops at 4pm.
N.B. The SatNav can guide guests around to the back lane which runs behind the Lodge and this is very narrow. The entrance to the Lodge and Car Park is directly from the main road into Leyburn between the Petrol Station and the Church.
It will be necessary to bring the minimum number of cars to Ripon for the canoeing and a taxi shuttle will be arranged for the end of the paddle.
The adventures we've had...
It is not possible to book this special Itinerary online. To book or if you have any questions regarding the Spa / Paddle & Picnic, please call Henry or Penny on 01969 623196. This itinerary is only available for a group booking of 8 - 16 people.
The Spa / Paddle & Picnic Break costs £595 per person based on 2 people sharing a King, Double or Twin Room.
The Spa / Paddle & Picnic Break costs £595 per person based on 2 people sharing a King, Double or Twin Room. This itinerary is only possible to book with a group of 8 - 16 people.
Included:
The Spa / Paddle & Picnic Break costs £595 per person based on 2 people sharing a King, Double or Twin Room.
This includes:
- All Hosting, Guiding and Canoe Instruction
- 2 Evening Meals with wine included
- 1 Packed Lunch (with sandwich filling choices)
- 3 Hearty Yorkshire Breakfasts
- The Riverside Prosecco Picnic Feast
- Prosecco & Canapes on the first evening
- Afternoon Tea and Cake each day
- Accommodation in the Lodge for 3 nights
- Canoes, paddles and Buoyancy aids
- Taxi transfer back to cars after the paddle
- Minibus Transport to and from the Spa
- Spa afternoon – use of pools, steam, sauna, jacuzzi
- Dinner at the Spa Restaurant
Not included:
- Independent Travel to and from Eastfield Lodge
- Dinner on the last night in Local Restaurant
- Any additional drinks or snacks in tearooms, Spa or pubs
- Any unscheduled transport from the Spa or Canoeing (by choice)
- Transport to and from Ripon for the Canoeing
- Any specific Spa Treatments booked
Single Supplement:
Eastfield Lodge has no single rooms but single occupancy of a double room is always possible at a total additional supplement of £100 for the 3 nights. Availability is limited so please contact us for more details.