Thursday, January 27, 2011

Country Retreat – 21-23 January 2011

A country hotel winter break conjures up thoughts of cosy fires, comfortable lounge chairs, and plenty of good food. We treated ourselves to such a weekend (but sadly no fires) in the Chilterns, at Burnham Beeches, a hotel with an interesting history.
This hotel was originally a hunting lodge and, as part of the Windsor Great Park, was used as a rest spot during Royal hunts. Then in the 18th century it was owned by the uncle of the poet Thomas Gray, and it was here that he wrote his famous poem 'Elegy in a Country Churchyard'. As we enjoyed our beautifully restored bedroom, it was interesting to wonder who used it during those times.

The churchyard that inspired Gray, is nearby at Stokes Poges. We paid it a visit on Saturday, I guess it hasn't changed at all, apart from the large monument in honour of the poet.

To counteract all the eating we planned for the remainder of the weekend, we enjoyed a country walk on Saturday afternoon, before returning to burn a few extra calories as we enjoyed the leisure centre at the hotel.

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