The quintessential English village of Maiden Bradley is only around a two-hour drive from London, yet feels a world away from the capital’s cacophany of urban life.
It’s a pastoral paradise located in the West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. With a history spanning over 10,000 years, the county is mainly rural (so plenty of wide open spaces) and our journey takes us through winding verdant lanes, rolling hills and lush meadows
We’re headed for The Bradley Hare – the pub in the heart of the village and the destination for our bucolic getaway. Set on the historic grounds of the Duke of Somerset’s estate, the pub has seven rooms in the main house and a further five in the Coach House. Each unique room has been designed by James Thurstan Waterworth, the ex-European Design Director for Soho House and has every modern comfort including crisp Egyptian cotton sheets, snuggly Siberian goosedown duvets and aromatic organic bath products.
We’re shown upstairs to our spacious, modern room with large tempting bed at its centrepiece, a stylish bathroom with roomy walk-in shower and peaceful village views. There’s a mini bar area and fridge stocked with all the essentials and a bathroom filled with the fabulous Evolve toiletries bringing the exotic flavours of African orange, tropical blossom and pomegranate and goji to traditional England.
It’s easy to get enveloped in that peace and embrace some elegant country living for a while. There’s a snug library downstairs and the bar beckons with its friendly staff waiting to chat and share some local knowledge. Our bartender, Rosa, skilfully mixes cocktails and conversation as we taste the local Gritchie beer. It’s produced at movie director Guy Ritichie’s brewery on the nearby Ashcombe Estate which he acquired in the early 2000s with then-wife Madonna and kept post-divorce. And it’s delicious.
Dinner is served in the stylish warmth of the restaurant with its menu celebrating fresh, seasonal ingredients. There’s also an impressive, carefully selected international wine list to choose from. We enjoyed a heritage tomato salad bursting with flavour, salty, satisfying mackerel, and steak two ways – tartare and onglet. All topped off with a panna cotta and a pisco sour – the best way to finish any dinner. And then just a short stroll upstairs to the comfort of our bed and deep, revitalising sleep. It’s a beautiful thing dining in the pub you’re staying in.
The morning dawns quietly, as you’d expect and we venture out for a stroll through the village with its magnificent whispering trees, charming lanes, quaint blossom-covered cottages and endless views. Before returning, hungry after all that fresh air, to tuck into the ultimate full English breakfast. A highly satisfying feast on a plate , just as you’d expect from an exceptional pub set in the tranquility of the English countryside.
The Bradley Hare is in Church Street, Maiden Bradley, Wiltshire. It is convenient for exploring the many attractions of the county including the enigmatic allure of Stonehenge, Longleat House and Gardens, King Alfred’s Tower and the historic towns of Bruton, Frome and Bath.
Words by Sandy Cadiz-Smith
