Lifestyle: Luxury break at Swinton Park

LUXURIOUS and grand surroundings with beautiful scenery may be at the heart of Swinton Park, but it’s not a venue shy of persuading guests to put on their walking boots and enjoy the Yorkshire countryside.

Dating back from the 1600s and set in 200 acres of parkland in the Yorkshire Dales, Swinton Park outside the sleepy market town of Masham, is an authentic and lavish venue to say the least, but this is one stately home making the most of the fantastic picturesque space this county boasts.

On a weekend break at the luxury castle hotel (as it describes itself), which was was opened as a hotel in 2001 after being bought by Mark Cunliffe-Lister, whose ancestors had previously owned it from 1882 to 1980, with walking boots and a map, we headed into the estate.

We were taken up to Bothy Hut on the moors where we found a gourmet picnic waiting for us.

The hamper contained Yorkshire Ham with Walled Garden Chutney, homemade breads, pates and olives, Yorkshire cheeses, fresh scones with clotted cream and local strawberry jam and fruit cake. Delicious.

Sending us off on a picnic was a great idea. It really was the perfect way to completely unwind and keep far, far away from the hustle and bustle of normal life. Up here, there was complete silence and not another soul in sight.

After indulging in our picnic, we embarked on a six-mile trek back to the hotel though fields and hills. We quickly realised why walking boots were recommended.

Later that evening, more dining was on the agenda.

We enjoyed a spot of fine dining in the 3 AA rosette Samuel’s Restaurant. The restaurant was built by Samuel Cunliffe-Lister in 1880 as part of major works that were carried out at Swinton Park when he bought the estate on retirement from his mill (Manningham Mill) in Bradford.

The emphasis on the menu is placed on seasonal and local produce inspired by the fruit, vegetables and herbs grown in the hotel’s four acre walled garden (the largest hotel kitchen garden in the UK), and the menus change accordingly. We had our evening meal and breakfast here and it really did provide a true fine dining experience.

Here, you’ll get a real sense of the place, too. The standards of service are excellent and you really are made to feel like a special guest, but it’s far from stuffy.

The traditional English house, now run by general manager Tom Lewis, is steeped in history. The rooms are furnished with antiques and huge family portraits – it’s more like a big house than a hotel – and each bedroom has its own name – inspired by and named after local dales, castles, abbeys and towns.

Day two of our trip was also not one for resting.  We experienced a falconry taster session.

The Swinton Park Bird of Prey Centre opened an aviary, home to 12 birds at any time, in the hotel grounds in 2008 and is run by falconer is Sophie Abbott, the brains behind the project.

Clasping a bit of food to attract a rather large owl back from a tree it had flown off into proved to be  a thrilling experience.

This is a venue not short of things to keep you entertained. The Cunliffe-Lister family also run the surrounding 20,000 acre Swinton Estate, which stretches from the River Ure in Wensleydale up onto the moorland dales and hotel guests can enjoy fishing, golf, riding and shooting. There’s a cookery school, spa and also bikes to hire, too.

A new programme of events is set to launch next year, so keep your eyes on the website for more info.

Where: Swinton Park, Masham, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 4JH.
Call: 01765 680900.
Web: http://www.swintonpark.com/

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