Tring country manor hotel in the Chilterns
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
There are so many things to do here at Pendley Manor. Take a stroll through the grounds and there is always a great deal of activity going on - red kites can be seen up in the skies, peacocks are roaming freely through the grounds, along with squirrels, rabbits and glis glis, and if you are very lucky the muntjac deer might appear. We also have the occasional sly fox out at night, so our peahens with their peachicks have to be on their guard. The Peacocks sleep in the beech tree at the front of the hotel, but the peahen and chicks have to hide in the undergrowth until the chicks are big enough and old enough to fly.
Pendley Manor is situated in an ideal location, almost next door to the National Trust estate at Ashridge - nearly 5,000 acres of woodland, common and chalk downland supporting a rich variety of wildlife and offering great walks and splendid views. Nearby is the Ridgeway and the Grand Union Canal.
So we have a lot of ramblers, strollers and cyclists making use of our hotel and the local environment. We even have bike racks for staff and for guests to use. We play host to a running event every January - a 40 mile jog between Northampton and Tring where runners stay overnight, long enough for a foot and leg massage and to refuel their bodies.
The attractive country town of Tring (with its great rail service) is a pleasant 15 minute walk or a short taxi ride.
Community
Here at Pendley Manor we support numerous local charities, helping to fund raise, boosting awareness and giving them the means to raise money themselves. We have worked with Kings Langley School, Tring Lions, Iain Rennie Hospice at Home, Hospice of St Francis, Pepper Foundation, Dacorum Community Trust, Connect Dacorum and Tring Together. Our charity dinners and balls are very popular and can quickly raise a significant amount of money. We are able to help with our expertise and with planning and running the events here at the hotel for them. We are now in talks for a local classic car weekend next year for Dacorum Community Trust, where all the cars will be here on site for visitors to come and see, along with a lunch and maybe a black tie dinner. This will be a novel way of raising much needed funds.
In the last few years Pendley Manor has worked very closely with our local tourist attractions and places of interest, providing literature on a mutual basis and packaging up deals to enable guests to make the most our of the area during their stay. Our staff are all fully briefed and attend familiarisation trips to these attractions to enable them to have a thorough understanding of what is on our doorstep and enable them to impart their knowledge to our guests. Why not ask them yourself?
Perhaps unusually for the Chilterns, Pendley Manor plays host to an annual outdoor Shakespeare Festival every August. 2011 was our 62nd year. Each year we are able to seat up to 600 guests on tiered seating in the evening. The trees and gardens are the back drop for the stage, with props built into the site to enhance everyone's experience. We hope this feature in our calendar will be included for many years to come.
We are lucky enough to have a youth football and rugby club on our doorstep. We help with the grounds for training pitches and provide parking for their tournament days just within the meadow.
Landscape
Pendley Manor is set in 35 acres of beautiful wooded parkland, with a separate 4 acre meadow for special events and things like hot air ballooning - a perfect way to enjoy the wonderful landscape of woods and chalk downland. A focal point is the Bridgewater Monument, erected in 1832 with stunning views of the Chilterns landscape, inhabited from pre-history to current day.
We are just a short stroll from the Grand Union Canal - the longest canal in the UK linking London and Birmingham. Here, the locks become more frequent as the climb into the Chiltern Hills steepen. An ideal place for walking, getting close to nature or simply watching the narrowboats pass by.
We are proud to be so close to the Ridgeway - at the eastern end of the 87 mile national trail, following the same route used since pre-historic times by travellers, herdmen and soldiers - Britain's oldest road!
And we are close to many nature reserves, College Lake and Wendover Woods - and the wildlife at Whipsnade Zoo - places which can keep children and grown-ups entertained for hours, or simply experiencing the fresh air, birdsong, open countryside, woodlands and downland.
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