If you’re going to be more mindful in 2018, then holidays should be near the top of your list. After all travel broadens the mind. Or does It? Queue. Wait. Belts off, shoes off. Body search. Queue. Check screen. Find seat in lounge. Check screen. Go to gate. Check screen. Wait. Queue. Wait. Board. Wait. Patience. Anxiety. Patience. Anxiety. This is not mind-broadening; it’s mind-bending cruelty. Being somewhere else can be one of the greatest pleasures of course, if only we could miss out the “mind-broadening” bit in the middle. This is one of the principle joys of the staycation.
True a stretch of road separates you from your chosen cottage, but getting there is on your terms: you decide the route, when you eat, where you stop off, which services you avoid. On arrival you’ll also achieve something you never do abroad, that of being a tourist and also being a “local”. This special status affords you privileges and insights denied to overseas visitors. The barman will understand you and knows what you’re after. You know what scampi is.
All these little benefits accrue each day and build a richer experience than two weeks in the sun. Maybe this is why our memories of holidays at home are so much stronger. Perhaps this is also why fun-packed breaks in Orlando or Dubai never really deliver on their promise and end up being a series of expensive photos opps. Holidays in Britain are never so throwaway: the hours spent are fuller, more real and that wet afternoon defied expectations and became an unforgettable highlight.
Being on holiday isn’t really about broadening your mind, you just want to change your frame of mind by being elsewhere. And you don’t have to be faraway to be somewhere else.
Chase Lodge offers the opportunity to explore the Heart of England being only minutes away from Kenilworth with its restaurants and traditional pubs. A short drive away you’ll find Stratford-upon-Avon, the Regency splendours of Leamington Spa and Warwick complete with Warwick Castle.
With clean modern fittings, ample garden with views across the fields and down to Kenilworth Castle, peaceful Chase Lodge feels like the middle of nowhere whilst still being in the middle of everything.