It began, as many of our favourite enquiries do, with a deceptively simple request.
“We’ve been watching Rivals. Can you create a holiday around it?”
We already knew the story, of course. But authenticity matters terribly at Humphreys, and so – with admirable professional dedication – we settled down to binge-watch the entire series. Research has rarely involved so many shoulder pads, smouldering glances or people behaving disgracefully in beautiful country houses.
John and Linda did not want a conventional tour of filming locations. What they loved was the world Rivals conjured: grand houses and glamorous parties, polo fields and country pursuits, glorious scenery, local characters and that unmistakable sense that something rather exciting might happen before dinner.
They wanted to step into that world – not stand outside it taking photographs.
London first, then left at Heathrow
Their journey began with a night in London, giving them time to revisit a few favourite sights and recover from their flight before Mark, one of our favourite chauffeurs, collected them the following morning.
Rather than heading straight for the best-known Cotswolds villages, they travelled west to Estelle Manor for two nights. Choosing the hotels had been one of the most difficult parts of the planning. We talked about our favourites with them and because John and Linda work extremely hard and had no desire to spend their precious holiday continually packing and unpacking, they decided on two for the trip, enabling them to explore the north and south Cotswolds with ease.
Estelle Manor provided a suitably glamorous beginning: a country-house setting, beautiful grounds and plenty of time to slow down. Their first morning was deliberately gentle, with a couple of hours cycling through the Cotswolds countryside before a little retail therapy in true Rivals style..
Linda’s visit to the Holland Cooper boutique near Cheltenham had been another highlight. What might have been a quick look became a wonderful few hours and the purchase of several fabulous pieces. John was admirably patient, although whether this was devotion or simply relief that the polo scores remained level is impossible to say.
The following morning brought another perspective on the landscape, this time on horseback. It was not a full day in the saddle – just long enough to follow quiet lanes and bridleways, take in the views and earn a very good lunch.
Polo, pride and a little friendly rivalry
Then came Cirencester Park, where John and Linda had a private polo lesson with a professional player.
Neither of them is naturally inclined to let the other win. Within minutes, their gentle introduction had acquired all the competitive spirit of a championship final, despite the fact that both were still concentrating fiercely on staying aboard, controlling the mallet and persuading the ball to travel in roughly the intended direction.
Fortunately, honours were even.
After lunch, they watched a match from the considerably more comfortable position of the sidelines. By then they understood just enough about the speed, horsemanship and extraordinary precision involved to appreciate it properly – and to offer one another some entirely unsolicited expert commentary.
They spent the evening back at Estelle Manor, which was exactly what the itinerary needed: time to enjoy the hotel rather than racing from one experience to the next.
Tudor secrets and Tetbury treasures
Leaving Estelle, Mark drove them towards Tetbury, weaving filming locations and recognisable views into the journey without allowing the trip to become a checklist.
There was time to explore Tetbury’s antique shops, where browsing became buying with impressive efficiency, before one of the most memorable visits of the week: Chavenage House.
Caroline was an immediate hit. She brought her Tudor home to life through stories of its history, its inhabitants and her own family’s love for the place. It was personal, funny, fascinating and occasionally unexpected – the kind of visit during which you forget you are being shown around and feel instead that you have been invited into someone’s home.
That was precisely what John and Linda had hoped to find.
From there, they continued to The Manor House at Castle Combe, their base for the next three nights. Castle Combe’s impossibly pretty streets provided an atmospheric backdrop, but the hotel also gave them space to relax between adventures and another beautiful corner of the Cotswolds to call home.
Clays, English wine and an impeccably dressed diversion
The next day began at a stunning local shooting estate, where John and Linda’s competitive instincts resurfaced during a private clay-shooting session.
Scores were watched extremely carefully. Successes were celebrated with restraint by neither party. Once again, and perhaps miraculously, the final result was a draw.
Peace restored, they continued to an award winning local vineyard, where they toasted their mutual triumphs over an English wine tasting. It was a lovely change of pace: from the concentration and exhilaration of the shooting ground to vines, countryside and glasses raised to a contest in which both could claim victory.
That evening, they dressed up and travelled to Longborough Festival Opera for a wonderful night of music and theatre in the countryside – one of those peculiarly English occasions where extraordinary performances, rural views and a little elegant picnicking come together beautifully.
Castle stories and a final country-house chapter
Their final full day took them to Berkeley Castle, where the history was impressive but, once again, it was the people who made the visit memorable. John and Linda loved hearing the stories behind the walls and discovering a place that felt lived in rather than preserved at a polite distance.
There were many other possibilities we had discussed. A longer itinerary might have included Aerospace Bristol and the chance to step aboard Concorde, a playful nod to the opening of Rivals. Corsham, the East Somerset Railway and further filming locations could all have added another chapter. But this journey was never about squeezing in everything.
It was about creating the right rhythm: a few hours riding or cycling rather than an exhausting day; polo followed by time to watch the experts; clay shooting softened by an afternoon among the vines; important houses made vivid by the people who knew and loved them.
After three nights at The Manor House, Mark drove them back to London for a final evening. By then, chauffeur and guests had become firm friends, with a week’s worth of stories, private jokes and debated sporting results to carry home.
Linda summed it up perfectly:
“At no point did we feel like tourists. Most of the time we felt like very welcome guests, and that meant so much to both of us.”
For two people whose leisure time together is precious, that was the real success of the journey – not merely seeing the Cotswolds, but feeling, briefly, that they belonged there.
If Rivals is one of your guilty pleasures, we would love to create your own journey through its world. Or perhaps another television favourite has made you long to visit the places beyond the screen? Tell us what you have been watching. We are always happy to research, explore and – if professional duty demands it – binge-watch the entire series.