The Metropole, Station Road, Padstow, PL28 8DB. Tel: 01870 400 8122; fax: 01841 532867. The imposing 50 room Victorian hotel stands on a hill overlooking Padstow, its harbour and the sweep of the Camel estuary.
The Three Counties Countryside Show
Date: 13 - 15 June, 2003.
Venue: The Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire WR13 6NW
What it is: Run by the 200-year-old Three Counties Agricultural Society, this is one of the most respected of the
rural shows of the shires, attracting pedigree livestock and
their bucolic owners. The Society also runs the annual Spring Gardening Show (9 - 11 May), the Three Counties Championship Dog Show,(9 - 12 June), and the Malvern Autumn Garden & Country Show,(27 - 28 September) at their Great Malvern Showground. This is one of England's
most exclusive and refined rural areas.
Tickets: Book online at the Show's website. tel: 01684 584900; fax: 01684 584910;
email: info@threecounties.co.uk. Book online.
If you take
out membership of the agricultural society, for around £26,
you gain entry on all days, admission to Grandstand South
wing (bar and buffet), and Members' Pavilion.
Website: www.threecounties.co.uk
Getting there: The showground lies just south of Great Malvern, between Cheltenham and Worcester, 8 miles
from the M5 and M50 (leave at junction 2) motorways.
Connecting bus service from Great Malvern railway station.
Dress:Members will be tweedy smart.
Accommodation: Wyche Keep, 22 Wyche Road, Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 4EG; tel: 01684 567018;
fax: 01684 892304; email: wyche-keep-tours@england.com.
Wyche Keep is a remarkable family-run country house built in rustic arts-&-crafts castle-style by the family of Sir
Stanley Baldwin (Prime Minister during the Edward VIII abdication crisis). The house is just a mile or two from the
showground and enjoys spectacular 60-mile views from its
perch on the Malvern Hills. Guests can expect luxury suites, memorable four-course candlelit dinners, bar
facilities, log fires and a house-party atmosphere. About £30 pp.
