A Day Trip fit for a Duchess

This week I joined a group of people invited to Woburn Abbey estate to meet the Group’s Co-ordinator Lisa Weaver who would give us the group visit experience.   We all met for coffee at the beautiful Woburn Hotel in the village. The hotel forms part of the Abbey estate and has been sympathetically maintained in keeping with important aspects of Abbey history.   Our group marvelled at the two storey “cottage” suites that flank the inner courtyard and admired the restaurant and internal bedroom suites,  each one uniquely themed down to the last detail,  according to important characters and events in Abbey History.

From the hotel our convoy of cars wove its way along the 2 miles of deer parkland which forms part of the considerable Woburn estate.  We started with a fascinating in-depth tour of the Abbey with its magnificent art and silver collections and state bedroom where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert once stayed.   We also saw some of the private rooms where the family live during the winter months.  Family photos are proudly displayed alongside some of the great masters!  After a delicious lunch in the Duchess Tea Rooms (named after Duchess Anna-Maria who famously invented afternoon tea in the 19th century) we went on to brave the weather in the Abbey Gardens in the safe hands of Andrew the Head Gardener, delighting in the Chinese Dairy and Camellia House before setting off around the flowerbeds to what is fondly known as the “Punching Tree”.  We ended the day according to Duchess tradition with afternoon tea in the Bedford Room which sits in a complex of exhibition rooms and alongside the beautiful Sculpture Gallery. Thank you to the staff at Woburn for your generous hospitality.

There are a number of group packages available from the Abbey which can be tailored as required.  Groups are welcomed and coach drivers well looked after.  Look out for a new day trip coming soon!   by Jenny Kirkwood, Day Trips Manager 14.4.16