Following the outbreak of Covid-19, we had to temporarily close our doors, alongside other accommodation providers; in the interest of public safety. As lockdown begins to ease and as it looks more and more hopeful that we may be able to open up in July, we wanted to bring you an exclusive update as to what we’ve been up to behind-the-scenes at Combermere Abbey.

Brushing Up On Our Hygiene Protocols

Combermere Abbey housekeepers have always followed the most rigorous hygiene procedures, but following the Coronavirus pandemic, we wanted to ensure that all of our staff are adhering to even stricter guidelines so that all self-catering holiday cottages and B&B rooms are ‘Covid-19 compliant’. We are currently following taut guidelines, with the Combermere Abbey team also undertaking relevant booster courses in sanitisation and cleanliness.

Your safety and comfort is paramount to us, and we want to ensure that all of our guests know that they can enjoy a relaxing staycation holiday with us without a worry in the world.

Making Sure Our Grounds Are Covid-19 Compliant

As well as keeping our accommodation in meticulous condition, we have also taken extra care to accommodate guests all around the estate. As part of our reopening for wedding showrounds, and our anticipated reopening for holiday guests, we have installed hygiene stations throughout the venue – so you can explore to your heart’s content.

Keeping The Gardens Beautiful

Talking of gardens and grounds, while the abbey had to close its doors to guests a few months ago, we have still been working hard behind the scenes to keep it as beautiful as ever. When lockdown was first announced, the gardens were decorated with spring blossom, now they are in full bloom with the most beautiful colours coming through. We’re even expecting our fruit tree maze to give us lots of apples in the autumn. Though the world stood still, our gardens kept growing, and we can’t wait to show them to you soon.

You can find some short videos of our gardeners working their magic on our Instagram, just head to the ‘grounds’ highlight and click through.

Sprucing Up The North Wing

After undergoing an extensive restoration, our privately-owned grade I listed building requires due care and attention to keep it looking beautiful. While we’ve been unable to accommodate B&B guests in the North Wing, we have been painting the exterior. The Abbey now casts an even more marvellous reflection over our 160-acre mere.

Here, you can see Graham (who’s also the well-praised driver of our Crossley wedding car) revitalising the outside of the North Wing, ready to welcome you back when the time is right.

Watching Our Beautiful Woodlands Bloom

There’s been plenty going on behind the scenes at Combermere, but there has also been quiet time for reflection and appreciation. Nestled in the heart of the countryside, the abbey is fortunately placed to enjoy a serene and tranquil location. Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of life, whilst we’ve been caring for our gardens and woodlands – we’ve also been enjoying watching them come into bloom. Walking through the garden wood, you’ll now be met with vibrant leafy trees and superb brightly coloured flowers. The sun has been bouncing off the glistening mere thanks to the tremendous weather that we’ve been having, it is truly something to behold.

Though we’ve been unable to have guests come to stay for a few months, we couldn’t let you go without seeing the beautiful scenes at Combermere Abbey during these warm sunny days that we’ve been having. Videographers Lets Get It Shot very kindly came to visit us recently to take some on-foot and drone footage of the estate – so keep a lookout on our social media channels for that.

Preparing For You To Visit Us Again

Of course, we’d rather share all of this with our guests and friends of Combermere, so we are excited that it won’t be too long now before we can open our doors to you once more, confident that our self-catering cottages are ideal for a well-earned restorative break. We are currently working with local chefs to bring you the offer of pre-ordered meals if you’re staying at the North Wing or the cottages. Local restaurant Docket no.33 is offering a ‘Dockett No.33 At Home’ menu.

We believe we are perfectly positioned to accommodate families in separate cottages, so that you can enjoy a holiday with your loved ones, all whilst adhering to the government guidelines. Now that you are able to meet with 6 or more people outside of your home, Combermere Abbey is the perfect place to enjoy woodland bike rides, garden walks and wild swimming with your wider family or friends – all the while still remaining safe and compliant. You can also bring your family dog along too.

To find out more, and to enquire about our no-risk booking policy, please get in touch with the team. We are now OPEN for bookings from July onwards, permitting we get the green light from the Government to go ahead.

You can find short behind-the-scenes videos at Combermere by going to our Instagram and clicking through our ‘grounds’ highlight.

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With thanks for the photographs: Let’s Get It Shot & Amy B Photography.