Friday

We were travelling from Margate by car so set off on Friday morning. Check-in is from 3pm, which is when we were hoping to arrive to give ourselves plenty of time to relax and explore the area before our dinner booking. Friday traffic had other plans for us, though. After hitting every possible red light and motorway diversion along the way, we arrived at the hotel around 5.30pm, so had time for a quick walk around the grounds with the dog after checking in before changing for dinner at 7pm.

Dinner is included as part of the babymoon package, as is a cocktail or mocktail beforehand, which we enjoyed in the hotel’s outdoor terrace before heading in for dinner.

Saturday

We started our day with breakfast at the hotel (served from 7am-10am). We had booked a table for 8.45am (you get a one-hour booking slot), so we didn’t have to rush and still had plenty of the day left after breakfast.

There are numerous walks to explore on foot directly from the hotel (with the reception providing routes, maps and points of interest), and the family-friendly Puzzlewood and Sculpture Trail are both within a 10-minute drive, but we chose to drive about 15 minutes to the trail to Symonds Yat Rock.

We parked at the Forest Holidays campsite (which also has a cafe, shop and other facilities) and started our route there. It was clearly signposted the entire way and is fairly flat and manageable. There are other longer or more strenuous routes to take, but the Christchurch to Symonds Yat Rock walk took about an hour and a half each way. Once you get to the end, there is a small cafe, toilet facilities and a viewpoint, and from here you can continue on longer trails, but we chose to head back the same way we came.

Why the Tudor Farmhouse Hotel in Clearwell makes for a relaxing babymoon staycation