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Traveling alone can be many things. It can be rewarding, freeing from your daily routine, full of new and beautiful experiences, and a way to give yourself to another culture.
But amongst other things, it can also be lonely.
As a veteran solo traveler, I am always aware that I am risking enhanced loneliness choosing to experience the world this way. However, there are many ways to find an escape from the loneliness that inevitably comes after a few months of traveling alone.
Although you won’t have the stability that you might get from friends or family back home, you’ll find yourself getting it from unexpected people and places. Like the therapeutic beauty of sharing your life story with a stranger whom you might never see again, or through simple gestures like your waiter asking about the book you are reading.
These small moments of humanity and kindness can lift you out of the loneliness enough to appreciate being alone in this space.
And if that doesn’t work. You change your space.
After two months and three continents, I needed to find a space that could make me feel the warmth of home to shake the loneliness that was creeping in.
I looking for a space that feels like a warm hug. I set out to find it, unknowing of where this space could be, or if it even existed 3,000 miles from my actual home.
The one thing I did know was my body and mind were craving the countryside.
An hour and a half speed train from London and a 30-minute taxi later, I was in my rented home for the weekend– Babington House
I chose against renting a car, which took the option of leaving away from me. Forcing me to stay put in one place and really let myself experience all of what Babington House had to offer.
Babington House is more than a hotel, it’s a feeling. From the second you pull up past the endless row of Cypress trees, your breath will be taken away by the first sight of this grand Manor.
My (accidentally) expensive taste, landed me in a home consisting of two pools, a spa, a tennis court, and endless grounds covered in green plains and gardens.
This house dates back to the Medieval times and has been passed ownership from the Royal Family to Opera Singers, and finally, in 1998. To the current owner, Ronald Burkle– who for those who don’t know, is the man behind Soho House. With its impassable history, you can’t help but feel like you are being a small part of it.
Upon entering, the staff greeted me with the warmest of smiles while informing me that I was just in time for the complimentary afternoon tea.
I was kindly escorted to a room that had my eyes almost bursting out of my head with its grandeur.
It was decorated with pink velvet drapes complimenting the large Victorian windows, representing a castle-like interior.
While scanning the room’s impeccable interior design elements and I was excited by the thought of exploring each room on the grounds decorated by theme, but my thought was stopped by the long family-style wooden table overflowing with freshly baked afternoon tea essentials like scones, cakes, and pies.
After taking my fair share of sweets, my mind returned to my earlier thoughts and I was itching to explore more of the grounds.
With book in hand, I found myself parked in the library for a few hours. Here, you will find a sensory driven experience of a crackling fire, and an orange and green color story of books, plants, and lamps, mixed alongside the lush velvet and leather couches.
It was the perfect combination of cozy and chic, which turns out was an overarching theme for this entire experience.
I decided to head to my bedroom to get ready for my spa appointment. I was staying in a farmhouse-inspired converted attic.
Normally, I would be hesitant about staying in an attic, but being a 4-star hotel, I had nothing to worry about. This room was filled with endless Soho Skin samples and the room was stacked with a gorgeous mini bar. Not to mention the large bathtub and bed that felt like sinking into a cloud with a high thread count.
After admiring my room, it was time to head to my appointment. They have a fully serviced spa with different types of massages, skincare, and nail services. The relaxation starts before you enter the spa, walking up to the building surrounded by trees and nature, the sense peace follows you inside and throughout your services.
The signature massage was just the thing I needed to feel grounded. The masseuse added an essential oil that promoted balance. I hadn’t known until I left the next day, that balance, not stability, was what I was actually craving in able to reroute the loneliness.
My post-spa treatment was to soak in the heated outdoor pool and watch the stars appear. Floating with the Milky Way ahead, I was finally feeling that balance I was itching for. I followed over to the steam room, sauna, and finally the ice bath.
This ice bath is entirely picturesque, located away from the spa house in a bed of string lights and greenery. With the peaceful sounds of nature chirping at my ears, I almost forgot I was soaking in a 30-degree bath.
Once I spa’d my little heart out, it was time for dinner at the Orangery. The signature restaurant of Babington House is known for its ethereal interior vision and classic farm-to-table dining. Their freshly sourced foods were the perfect match to nourish my body after a day of nourishing my mind and soul.
I slept like a well-fed baby and woke up for another day of solo adventures– this time without the grey cloud of loneliness.
Babington House offers a range of activities that are suited to fit the regal status of the space– tennis, croquet, and biking the grounds.
It was a rare and sunny day in the English countryside so I decided to make use of it with a bike ride. After being advised on the route by the hotel staff, I was on my way to discover a historic picturesque town alongside the countryside roads.
I came back just in time for another glutinous afternoon tea and a much-needed digestive walk around the grounds. My walk led to me to finding multiple lakes and secret passageways through the blooming flower fields that surround the Manor.
The grounds have multiple paved hiking paths for the guests to fully soak in the incredible landscape, so even if you stay on the beaten paths, you’re bound to discover something magical.
I biked, I read, I wrote, I spa’d. I finally found the inner peace I was longing for. This was the perfect space that I was craving and gave me a weekend away from the loneliness of solo travel. Better yet, it reminded me how special it is that I get to participate in things like this alone.
As I headed back to London, I thanked myself for yet another beautiful experience and thanked Babington for the much-needed balance.
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