Our stay in Nottingham came to an end and we were due to travel home. However, we weren’t quite ready to finish our mini holiday so before breakfast we had an online search to see if we could find somewhere affordable to stay half way between Nottinghamshire and Pembrokeshire to break up our journey. Thanks to Booking.com we found a family room at Lower Lode Inn, Tewkesbury so off we we travelled:
The Lower Lode Inn, Tewkesbury
The Lower Lode (Sat Nav: GL19 4RE) is a traditional 15th century riverside inn. In 2017, it was completely cut off due to the floods but everyone worked hard to get the pub open again as quickly as they could. In addition to the B&B Rooms, they also offer a riverside camping and caravan site and boat moorings. There is ample free parking, so we parked up admiring our surroundings and went inside the pub to check in. We were given a friendly welcome and shown up to our rooms.
A Family Room at Lower Lode
Our room consisted of a bunk bed, double bed and a futon double bed (this is left as a sofa for smaller parties). There was also a shower room and plentiful tea and coffee (and hot chocolate and biscuits) facilities. Take a look:
The room was clean and cosy. My first favourite point was having a separate room to the kids, after three nights of sharing a hotel room (they never want to sleep while away from home, do they?) this was much appreciated. We do find it hard to book accommodation for larger families but this room would have been big enough even if all four kids had been with us (Rebecca was still in Switzerland). There was a television in each room too.
My second favourite point was the beautiful riverside view out of our bedroom windows- it was simply stunning.
Lower Lode Inn Surroundings
We couldn’t wait to go out and explore so we quickly unpacked for the night and went downstairs to familiarise ourselves with the surroundings.
There was lots of activity taking place on the River Severn. It was lovely to watch the narrow boats passing by, we often waved and they waved back. The Lower Lode Foot Ferry operates Tuesdays to Sundays from midday until 8pm taking guests to Tewkesbury. Alas, we had arrived on a Monday and needed to set off early the following day so unfortunately didn’t get to enjoy this experience but definitely will when we next visit.
A Riverside Walk
We then embarked on a riverside walk, which I will write a separate post about. We walked through corn fields, swung on a tree swing surrounded by cows in the meadow and enjoyed watching the waterside nature and wildlife. We could have walked all the way to Tewkesbury but it was time for tea so we headed back to the Lower Lode Inn for traditional pub grub.
Back to the Lower Lode Inn for Pub Grub
We sat outside in the beer garden to make the most of our view. We soon had swan friends come and join us as we enjoyed our pints and chose from the menu.
It was getting colder so we went indoors to eat. The pub was very traditional and welcoming. There were lots of dogs there with their families and the girls were delighted when we met the pub dog too. Whenever we stop at a nice pub on the way home from a day out I always wish that we were staying overnight so I’m so happy that on this occasion we actually did have a room.
I was pleased to see a vegetable burger on the menu so of course that’s what I ordered. The food was very tasty.
After our meal we had a short walk along the river and said goodnight to the swans and ducks before retiring to our room. We slept really well and I was so grateful we stopped over rather than making the long drive all in one day.
Breakfast
Breakfast was included which was very reasonable as the large family room only came to £89. We came down for breakfast the following morning and were led to the dining room. We had table service and there were lots of options. I’m pleased to say they offer vegan sausages and soya milk so I could even have a coffee. We all enjoyed breakfast although the girls didn’t eat a lot as they’re not used to eating much in the mornings.
Then we got to spend more time with the lovely dog. We were told that her sons live there too but stay in the private accommodation as they’re more lively!
The cat was gorgeous too!
Thank you to all at the Lower Lode Inn for giving us such a refreshing break after our journey. We were very sad to leave but we’d love to come back and travel on the foot ferry and explore Tewkesbury, it was a really lovely place. Maybe one day we’ll pass by on a narrow boat ourselves and stop for refreshments.
We stayed at the Lower Lode Inn, in a family room for £89, including breakfast. Follow the Lower Lode Inn Facebook Page for news and future events.
Have you stayed in or near Tewkesbury? Where would you recommend to visit during our next stay?
What a treat for you all looks an amazing place to relax and spend quality family time