Day 7: Harcombe House. Four couples made their way to Harcombe House for a long leisurely lunch at this stately home.

The cafe is in the old stables and is staffed by volunteers as Harcombe House is now a respite home for firefighters.

The home was built in 1912 as a country retreat for Sir Edward Chaning Wills, a descendant of the Wills Tobacco Company who, by the way, was vehemently opposed to smoking.

It is now owned by The Firefighters’s Charity and is available as a retreat for firefighters and their families.

You can book a holiday here and below you can see the cabins dotted around the 300 acre property.

Lunch was pleasant, the company fun ( a group of retired police officers) and the setting in the old stables different to what we experience at home in Australia.

It’s amazing to see these stately homes dotted through the countryside and I imagine many of them survive today only because they are owned and maintained by organisations rather than individuals.