THE WEEKEND: If you’ve binged season three of Bridgerton, allow us to take you back but in physical form: what eligible debutant doesn’t need the occasional break from the city’s nonstop social scene and the drudgeries of Mayfair life? Located about an hour’s drive from York train station, the Yorkshire Dales makes for a most romantic setting for a late summertime escape.
THE STAY: Stationed on the edge of the Dales, the Palladian-styled 47-room Grantley Hall is by far the most fashionable address in the area, always abuzz with high society and impressive carriages (gleaming Rolls-Royces; vintage Aston Martins; and even the occasional helicopter on the front lawn’s helipad). The Pride of Britain hotel is only five years old; however, the biscuit-hued building dates back to 1680 and expansions and additions throughout the years give it a fun Bridgerton feel. The estate shares a colour palette with the show, all jewel-bright tones and frilly pastels. And there’s no shortage of Regencycore flourishes–like wainscoted walls and classical Grecian plasterwork–nor winking, playful personality that’s anything but uptight.
The outdoor heated pool at the Grantley z
This isn’t your typical snoozy English estate. This is an old-world pleasure palace where mimosas in crystal flutes are sipped on the riverside terrace over breakfasts of farm-fresh eggs; the arched-ceilinged spa is filled with giggly gossips on girls’ weekends; and rakish late-night frolicking is done at the underground cocktail and champagne bar, named Valeria’s after the hotel’s owner. Grantley Hall also has an impressive Louis XIII collection, including the extremely limited Rare Cask 42.1 decanter. If your head is a little “bottle-weary” come morning, you’re welcome to sweat it all out at the state-of-the-art Elite Health and Performance Centre, lest you give Lady Whistledown something to write about.
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Feasting like the aristocracy: Bridgerton opulence in the Yorkshire Dales
THE FOOD: Yorkshire local Shaun Rankin heads up the eponymous Michelin-starred restaurant, a high-end feast of local flavours like crisped veal sweetbreads and perfectly pinked lamb with most ingredients coming from within a 30-mile radius. The elegant, pitch-perfect restaurant is set in the a former ballroom and music room, and—with duck-egg blue walls, thick drapery, and an impressive fireplace—it bears an impressive resemblance to the Bridgerton’s Morning Room. All that’s missing is the socialites in Empire frocks and the swell of an orchestra playing a classical rendition of Taylor Swift’s You Belong With Me, but there is a pianoforte for Francesca (this one crafted in Germany, then hand-painted with florals in Austria).
ASK ABOUT: The hotel’s manicured gardens are the perfect place to go promenading, but there is more vigorous walking further afield. Made up of grouse moors, hay meadows, and postcard-pretty stone villages that look forgotten by time, the Yorkshire Dales National Park is a delight for hikers and explorers and highlights include the 12th-century ruins of Bolton Abbey and the waterfalls at Aysgarth, a tourist attraction for over 200 years, once sketched by Turner. Grantley Hall can help with planning hikes and cycling routes around the surrounding area. Don’t miss a trip to the nearby Fountains Abbey, the UNESCO World Heritage Site that inspired the design of Grantley Hall’s Three Graces Spa.