Salwey Lodge and an Icy Bath

After a day or two puttering around the markets earlier in the week, Avril changed up the day’s itinerary by announcing that we were going to the very grand Salwey Lodge for coffee with her friend Arabella Salwey. As we drove along the sweeping, daffodil-lined entranceway, the Lodge stood before us in all its splendor.

Built in 1740 by Theophilus Salwey, the Lodge has been in the family ever since and the current owners are Arabella and Hugo Salwey. The house and grounds are steeped in history and Arabella clearly enjoys showing visitors around her home and recounting the history of parts of the Lodge. Comprising more than 1,000 acres of forest, fields and farmland, now farmed by Hugo and his father, with 10+ bedrooms the Lodge is able to host groups of six to eight visitors at a time. Imagine ‘living’ in this grand lodge for a few days, enjoying home-cooked meals from Arabella and Hugo that feature produce and meat exclusively from their own farm, strolling through the grounds and picking up one of the many hiking trails that traverse their land.

The Lodge is a passion project for Arabella and Hugo, as they restore and uncover parts of the property to bring it back to its former glory. A case in point is the Victorian dipping pool that is Arabella’s haven of solitude and meditation. She kindly took us down the field to see it, paying no attention to the five or so deer that took off into the distance as we approached, through swaths of wild garlic growing in the forest that smelled divine, and down a sloping bank to a gurgling stream.

She explained that in Victorian times, the stream had been diverted to enter the stone structure built into the hillside, to form the dipping pool now before us, before continuing on its way through the forest. She opened up the stone house and showed us the steps that led down into the dipping pool. As I ventured down towards what I thought must be a very deep chamber, I found myself up to my ankles in ice-cold water - hiking boots and all - the stone roof reflecting in the perfectly still water having produced an optical illusion of there being no water at all. Seeing us so clearly enamoured of this chamber, tucked away in the steep bank as it was, and with ties back to Victorians in their long johns on weekend breaks with friends, Arabella suggested we try it out for ourselves. A few days later, we went back - this time with our friends Mary and Paul from near Newcastle and Londoners Wendy and Paul. Arabella provided us with towels and extra jackets and off we went. The screams and whoops as we submerged ourselves in the icy pool must have been heard all the way back at the Lodge. When Terry’s glasses fell off and sank to the bottom of the pool, Londoner Paul bravely dove to the bottom several times before successfully retrieving them. Brain freeze for sure…but he and Wendy love to go wild swimming so at least he was prepared.

The rush of endorphins after the cold swim made for an exhilarating experience. I might even consider doing it again!

If you want to visit Salwey Lodge with your own group of friends or family, here’s a link.

https://www.thesalweylodge.co.uk/