Overnight Stay at Slaley Hall & Bootcamp!

Yes, you read that correctly. I recently stayed at Slaley Hall for the first time – then attended an outdoor bootcamp the following morning. It was as tough as it sounds too!

Slaley Hall is an Edwardian mansion in Northumberland, just a short drive from Newcastle. Known for its golf course and indeed the location is a popular host for weddings, Slaley offers health club facilities, two restaurants and lots of outdoor activities. We spotted some people on segways when we were leaving on Saturday morning! Definitely need to try that out sometime as it looks so much fun.

Upon entering the hotel, we quickly checked in and made our way to the room. Slaley Hall actually doesn’t look that big from the outside, but there’s 141 rooms and some luxury lodges available too if it’s a particularly special occasion.

The room, up on the third floor, was a good size with a big comfy bed. My only qualm was the lighting, as it did seem a little dark. Even with a large window that was overlooking the courtyard, there wasn’t a great deal of natural light coming through and lighting in the room was limited to lamps. That aside, we soon headed down to check out the health club and spa.

Swimwear on, (this swimsuit via Swimwear365) I spent some time sitting around the pool reading some magazines. I don’t remember the last time I picked up a copy of Tatler or Cosmo so it was nice to relax and read both for a little while, sipping on the fruit infused water that was available.

Being Easter holidays, the pool was quite busy with families, though for those who want a quieter visit to Slaley – it’s adults only from 7:30pm and it did quieten down considerably from around 7:15pm onwards. The slide however, still proved to be a hit with the adults and I’ll admit I was tempted to give it a go!

Slaley’s spa is quite small but still contains all the essentials, a decent sized pool for a few lengths, jacuzzi tub, steam room and sauna, plus some treatment rooms if you’re booked in for a massage. I would be intrigued to try out a treatment there and see what’s inside the ‘luxe’ room we passed on the way in.

After a quick freshen up we went along to Hadrians for some dinner. It was nice to see how accommodating the restaurant were to swap things out and adjust dishes to suit my sister’s GF/DF requests. She commented that dinner was really nice and enjoyed the lamb dish. I, typically, opted for a burger which was decent.

Retiring to the room I was pleased to find Sex and The City on the TV. How else do you round off a girly day?

Waking up early, after a very cosy night – those beds are great – it was time to get ready for bootcamp. With my go-to beanie and new leggings, we made our way round to the health club and met up with the personal trainer who was running the hour session. With everything from squats, to more squats, skipping, lunges, battle ropes and other gruelling activities, we gave it our best shot! I already wasn’t feeling great and hadn’t been all week but pushed through that and I can tell you now, my legs were sore after that workout. Though I did enjoy jumping in and out of the tractor tyre.

Bed and Breakfast at Slaley Hall can be booked direct via their website. The bootcamp session information can also be found online. Sessions can be booked for £10 as a health club member or £15 as a non-member and include unlimited breakfast to follow. Just think of the hash browns as you’re trying to get through those squats or sprints!