A long weekend in the North Cotswolds: an itinerary from Upper Court

Arrive in the afternoon and resist the urge to immediately head somewhere. Kemerton itself is worth an hour on foot: St Nicholas, the Anglican church at the centre of the village, is twelfth century in origin with fabric accumulated since; the Crown, a few minutes' walk from the estate, is the village pub and has a cafe beside it.

If you arrive with enough of the afternoon left, the boating lake and the grounds at Upper Court carry you through to dinner without leaving the estate. The heated pool is open from May to September. The evening is yours.

Cheltenham is eighteen to twenty minutes by road. Pick a part of the town and give it the morning.

The Promenade and the Montpellier quarter are the architectural core: Regency terraces and ornamental ironwork laid out in the early nineteenth century when the spa trade was at its height.

For those here during the racing calendar, Cheltenham Racecourse is twenty-five to thirty minutes from the estate, though check the race schedule before building a day around it.

Broadway is twenty-five to thirty minutes north-east. The high street is a fine run of golden stone with a width and composure you do not find in the smaller villages.

Broadway Tower stands on the escarpment above the village, a folly built in 1798 and now one of the better viewpoints in the region.

The drive back from Broadway can be taken slowly, through Laverton and Buckland, villages that see a fraction of Broadway's visitors and are no less worth the diversion.

Bourton-on-the-Water is forty-five to fifty-five minutes south. It is busy, particularly in summer, but the Windrush through the centre of the village is genuinely pretty and easy to walk.

The alternative is to spend the last hours in the vale. Tewkesbury is fifteen minutes from the estate: the Abbey is Norman, largely intact, and one of the more remarkable buildings within easy reach.

Drive times from Upper Court: Cheltenham town centre is 18-20 minutes, Cheltenham Racecourse is 25-30 minutes, Broadway is 25-30 minutes, Bourton-on-the-Water is 45-55 minutes, Tewkesbury is approximately 15 minutes, and Birmingham Airport is 55-65 minutes.

Staying longer - a long weekend works, but the area carries a week without repetition. The Courtyard Cottages take larger parties; for a couple or a small family, the Dovecote is the quieter option. Both are a short walk from the footpaths to Bredon Hill, which deserves a morning of its own.

Groups and occasions - if you are planning a reunion, a milestone birthday or a gathering that wants more than accommodation, the estate can be taken as a whole for up to 43 guests. See occasion options or check availability and book.