How many times have you wished it was Friday so you can be done with the working week and dive headlong into the weekend? I know I have. And how many times have you reached Sunday night, after a weekend of tasks, people and commitments, feeling frazzled? Me, again.
Our weekends are meant to be the time we need to recharge but, in reality, we may not get space to do so amongst modern demands. The solution might be as simple as this: start the weekend a little earlier, on a Tuesday or Weds perhaps. Wait, hear me out.
Recently, I was invited to try the midweek ‘Pig Out’ package at Outbuildings in Dorset. It was to be a food-ladened Tuesday and Wednesday break comprising a stay in The Byre, breakfast cooked each morning, a three-course meal in The Cart Shed, and a ‘grill your own dinner’ BBQ experience in the pretty Outbuildings’ courtyard.
Midweek at Outbuildings, as you’d expect, is a much quieter affair. Without so many people staying, it was like my own personal wonderland. As if I, and only a select few guests, had an exclusive invitation to take full advantage of all the Outbuildings’ good things - and there are a lot, trust me.
It felt like an exclusive club, where the one rule was to self-indulge at your own pace. There seemed more time to chat to the Outbuildings' team and fellow midweekers, more time to drink cocktails extra-slow, more time to savour the home-cooked breakfasts and dinners, more time to listen to the bleats of the sheep and play with the farm dog - simply because there were less people doing the same. It was marvellous.
The local area was more at ease, too. Both Bridport and West Bay are popular tourist destinations and can strain under the weight of caravans and cars at weekends. But during the week, and outside of the school holidays, they’re laid back places to explore. I was able to savour them, unhurried, and reach them without traffic jams.
Added to this was the ultimate sweet realisation: staying midweek at Outbuildings not only means its most popular and most beautiful rooms are more likely to be free, you’ll save a pretty penny on them, too (up to £200 in some instances).
I stayed in The Byre - the latest Outbuildings’ addition. It, like many of their spaces, is destined to be booked up months in advance. And it’s not hard to see why. Like the rest of the farm’otel’s portfolio of rooms, it is a stunner.
Detached from the rest of the farm, The Byre sits in a swathe of greenery of its own offering the greatest views of anywhere at Outbuildings.
The vast glass doors that make up one end of the structure bring the rolling hills outside, inside to wherever you are: on the plush boucle sofa, in the handmade super-king bed, enjoying the shower/steam room or lazing in the luxury outdoor bath.
And because of The Byre’s unique architecture, there’s a swaddling sense of privacy; as if those boundless views are yours alone for the duration.
Sure, choosing a midweek staycation does mean using annual leave (if you work midweek) or bringing your laptop (if you’re self-employed, like me). But the emotional advantages of getting away whilst the rest of the country is nose to the grindstone is, in my opinion, worth it.
Tuesday as the new Saturday? Yep, I’m all for it.
To book the Midweek "Pig Out" package click here.
To sign up to our Midweek Newsletter click here.
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