Stay in castle class
IT was an unlikely rendezvous spot for young couples from very different backgrounds, thrown together in the aftermath of war.
Teenage girls from the posh, upper-crust Welsh boarding school would gather around a beech tree deep in the forest and wait for their Canadian soldier sweethearts from the nearby camp.
And as they met up and exchanged sweets and cigarettes they would carve their initials into the bark of the tree.
That was just after the end of World War One but the “signature tree”, as it became known, still stands today, as we found out during our break at Bodelwyddan Castle Hotel in north Wales.
In the 1920s the castle, now a stylish Warner Leisure Hotels property, was the home of the exclusive fee-paying Lowther College for young ladies who, among other things, were taught to ride and play golf.
But, rumour has it, such was the number of amorous woodland assignations, the college principal had to have a direct phone line put in to the nearby Army camp to safeguard the virtue of her charges.
Today, the castle attracts a slightly older set of visitors who want to relax and be pampered and entertained in an adults-only Warner property, which sits in 200 acres of Victorian parkland yet is just 20 minutes from the resort of Llandudno and an hour from Snowdonia.
You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to filling a three or fourday break, especially as there’s a wide variety of activities included in the price.
During my visit, the crossbow, archery and rifle-shooting classes were almost always fully booked, while other guests opted to visit the spa, with its indoor pool and gym.
Some chose to take things more leisurely, with a walk, quiz or make-up demonstration.
Dinner spoils you for choice, too – baked pear, blue cheese and chestnut tart with fig chutney for me, followed by fresh and smoked salmon Wellington.
Kir Royale cheesecake, blackcurrant compote and chocolate sauce rounded it off. We joined a guided tour of the grounds and estate, which was when we discovered the signature tree. And the tour was to turn up more surprises.
As we walked there was a rustling among the bushes and we spotted the resident deer with their splendid white stag leader. Adjoining the forest is a walled garden where Victorian gardeners lit fires to heat the hollow walls to ensure the plants enjoyed temperatures four degrees higher than the surrounding land.
After our visit we returned to Bodelwyddan to chill out. While some guests were staying in the main building, we had one of the new garden lodges. Built four years ago, they are the perfect place to relax. Overlooking a large pool with a fountain, the lodges offer all the comforts of home, with a spacious bedroom, a large lounge and impressive en-suite with double-sized shower.
In fact, the lodges are so comfortable it was sometimes tempting not to make the short walk to the main hotel building – until it was time for dinner again, of course.