GLOUCESTERS HIRE, ENGLAND
Fireside armchairs in the bar at the Kings Arms
ABLAZE IN FIERY SHADES FROM SEPTEMBER TO NOVEMBER, the National Arboretum at Westonbirt is possibly the only place in England that can give the US region of New England a run for its money when it comes to autumn colour. Starting a collection of over 3,000 tree types in the mid-19th century, founder Robert Stayner Holford’s stated aim was to create ‘variety without confusion… informality and picturesqueness’, essentially to apply the principles of painting to the art of landscape gardening. Visitors today will find his vision undiminished as they wander along avenues lined with Japanese maples turned cherry-red, explore glades strewn with the copper-coloured leaves of tulip trees, or curl up on one of the natural seats formed by low branches to inhale the scent of the season.
bedrooms at the pub sport design nods to hunting
A warming postscript to arboreal amblings can be found at the nearby Kings Arms, a cosy pub-with-rooms in the village of Didmarton. The bar features a real wood fire, where guests can nurse an incomparably good gin and tonic and choose from a menu of dishes made with local ingredients, including venison from the Badminton Estate. Another neighbour is HRH Prince Charles, whose home at Highgrove House has established the adjacent town of Tetbury as the epicentre of high-end Cotswold life. Streets lined with stone buildings offer a seductive mix of antique shops, delis and yet more marvellous pubs.