Our great outdoors
Luxury hotel grounds, garden & woodland
Lose yourself in our 300 amazing acres... so near London. Our
hotel estate is so beautiful, it looks like the mature landscape in
a George Stubbs painting… because it is! The painter used to cycle
here to paint the horses in the stables. Now you can borrow a bike
for free and explore the tracks through the woods and canal path.
Go jogging. Or walking. Play golf or tennis or pool. Or volleyball.
Or wiff waff… sorry, table tennis. Do a couple of lengths in the
outdoor pool. Game of croquet anyone?
Hotel Sports facilities
Golf
Our world
class 18-hole Championship Golf Course is open to all. It’s a
mature stadium-style course, set in in a classic parkland setting
in the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside. A wonderful,
challenging course with velvety greens, created by the gifted Kyle
Phillips. Click to find out more...
Tennis, croquet, volleyball
Courts and
croquet lawn in the Walled Garden.
Walled Garden
A world within a world… with
tennis courts, croquet lawn, outdoor swimming pool, urban beach
with Volleyball, table tennis and pool table in the Potting Shed.
Roses ramble on the old walls… the vegetable garden and fruit trees
provide the freshest raw ingredients for Colette’s… the long
Potting Shed is full of antiques from Provence and England with
plenty of huge armchairs - the perfect place for a discreet
afternoon nap in the sun.
Click to find out more...
Gardens and Terraces
Our stunning Formal Gardens express nature at her best; no wonder a
family of ducks and ducklings have moved in and made it their home.
Take a wander and spot these exceptional trees:
- At the end of the Terrace, the magnificent
Black Walnut Juglans nigra, presented to The Grove by one Captain
Cook in 1770.
- Towards Sequoia Spa is the Sequoiadendron
Giganteum ‘Wellingtonia’, a Californian Redwood.
- Honey Locust Tree, Foxglove Tree and a
square box-shaped Holm Oak.
- The Olive Trees in the planters are over
500 years old.
The Formal Gardens were designed by Wiltshire-based landscape
artist Michael Balston. He included elements from the 18th century
design but with a contemporary twist. Highlights include the
serpentine borders and Rose Garden. Our Grand Canal has a series of
water jets and weirs. The copper bowl at the head was originally
from a Scottish distillery. Please ask our Concierge for the ‘Tour
of the Gardens’ by our Head Gardener.
Woodlands
Follow the Grove Trail through our mature woodlands… there are
several to choose from. During Spring, the woods are carpeted in
bluebells for two whole weeks.