10/10/2024
Our Visit Britain FAM Trip!
Firstly, a big thank you to Visit Britain for giving GB Wine Tours the opportunity to showcase the Sussex wine region to their top buyers from Norway, and also our experience and accommodation providers who made this trip possible. Finally a thank you to our esteemed guests, Jessica, Heidi, Bente, Siv, Vera, Kaisa and Kenneth who were all a pleasure to meet and host.
With tourism in Sussex booming, we’re seeing an increase in visitors looking to explore the Sussex countryside with a focus on wine tourism, so we designed a four day whistle-stop tour of our top Sussex experiences. Here is our itinerary…
Day 1: Arrival. Fly & Vine, Highweald Vineyard, South Lodge Hotel and Spa.
We met our guests at the Arrivals Lounge at Gatwick Airport for their first experience - our new airport pick up service: Fly & Vine. A coach was waiting to take our guests to Highweald Vineyard for a private tour of the vines, wine tasting and BBQ by Pickle and Brine. Guests tried their luck at disgorging too, before Highweald’s team joined us for an outstanding lunch overlooking the vines. As always, the team at Highweald were incredibly generous with their time and hospitality. It was a fantastic start to the trip! After reboarding the bus, bottles clanking, we were ready for a new and unique experience: wild swimming at South Lodge Hotel and Spa. Our guests checked in to their 5* accommodation, before heading to the lakes for a swim in the stunning woodland setting. It was, predictably, freezing, but invigorating! Then it was straight into the spa for an afternoon of relaxation and pampering. We rounded off day 1 with a three-course dinner at the award-winning Botanica Restaurant, the perfect end to an unmissable first day. A big thank you to Dan, Elizabeth and the team at South Lodge for an outstanding stay.
Day 2: Oxney Organic Vineyard, Hever Castle & Rows & Vine at Ridgeview, Ockenden Manor.
After an outstanding breakfast and hotel tour at South Lodge, it was time to say goodbye to the team and head to Oxney Organic Vineyard for a personal tour by pioneer and wine maker Kristin Syltecik. After a tour of the beautiful vineyard and the winery, we enjoyed a tutored tasting of Kristen’s fantastic sparkling wines. Then it was on to The Bottle House Inn for a traditional British pub lunch. It was great for our guests to to experience the charms of a real country pub this trip, and we couldn’t have picked better. Perfect for a Friday afternoon!
After lunch, we headed to the stunning Hever Castle, for a showcase tour of the hotel accommodation, castle, and of course , the glorious gardens by the wonderfully hospitable Paul Clark. English country gardens are a huge attraction for overseas visitors and we have some of the best in the country on our doorstep. Thank you to Paul and the team who arranged a fantastic experience for our guests.
We ended the day at the Rows & Vine restaurant at Ridgeview Wine Estate for an exceptional family-style dinner, paired with four bottles of sparkling. Tired and full of fizz, we headed to our second hotel for the trip, the magnificent Ockenden Manor Hotel and Spa.
Day 3: Brighton Laines Walk, Brighton i360, Brighton Food Tour, Royal Pavilion, Dinner at Ockenden Manor
What visit to Sussex would be complete without a day in Brighton! After the short journey to Brighton station we grabbed coffee and took a leisurely stroll through the Laines, popping into independent shops and taking in the bustling atmosphere. It was a short walk to the seafront and Brighton i360, where we were treated to a glass of sparkling Nyetimber before ascending the 138 metres for amazing views of Brighton and beyond. Once we had feet on terra firma again, the lovely Simone from Brighton Food Tours took us on a foodie walking tour during which we sampled some of the best restaurants Brighton has to offer. Highlights included visits to Terre à Terre for an incredible vegetarian homage to fish and chips, The Blue Man Restaurant for a taster menu of delicious North African treats, and Happy Maki, a fantastic Japanese vegetarian restaurant whose profits go to charity. Not forgetting veggie and meaty sausage rolls from the Brighton Sausage Company. It was a truly wonderful way to explore Brighton and being a resident, I discovered so many more places to visit!
In the afternoon it was off to the iconic Royal Pavilion. Lucy gave us a private tour, sharing the palaces fascinating history and royal connections, as well as showcasing their event spaces. It really is a magical asset of the city and we’re looking forward to hosting our groups with them in 2025.
After a day of walking, we headed back to Ockenden Manor for a well-timed spa break before a well earned glass of English sparkling and an amazing dinner hosted by Sophie and Adam. Our three course dinner was Sussex inspired and paired with wines from Gusbourne, Stopham and Artelium Estate. A real highlight of the trip!
Day 4 - Home Time: Vintage Bus, Wakehurst Gardens, High Weald Dairy.
With our guests flying home from Gatwick in the afternoon, we had time to squeeze in two more must-do activities. As our signature wine tour operates with a vintage bus, we thought we would surprise our guests with a beautiful 1950s single-deck bus for their last day. We started the day with a private tour of Wakehurst Gardens. It was a fabulous visit, with our guests taken by electric buggy on a tour of the estate, where we saw the outstanding tree collection and millennium seed bank - the most biodiverse location on the planet (and therefore the universe as we know it!).
Our last, but by no means least, visit of the trip was to the brilliant High Weald Dairy for a cheese tasting lunch paired with wines and local cider. Steve from High Weald was a fantastic host and took us on a tour of the dairy to see the cheesemaking in action. After we said goodbye to High Weald, it was back on the bus and the return journey to Gatwick Airport.
We packed in a lot of venues on this FAM trip and I would like to thank all of our partners for their efforts in showcasing their businesses. The trip wouldn’t have been such a fantastic success without their enthusiasm, dedication and knowledge, which made each visit feel so special. Our guests were blown away with the variety and quality of experiences to be had in Sussex and we look forward to working with our partners and building new and outstanding experiences for our 2025 season. 😊🍾🥂 🇳🇴🇬🇧
Love GREAT Britain
VisitEngland
Pickle and Brine
South Lodge
Botanica Restaurant
Bottle House Inn
Brighton Food Tours
Oxney Organic Estate
Hever Castle & Gardens
Ridgeview Wine
Ockenden Manor Hotel and Spa
Brighton i360
Brighton Museums
High Weald Dairy
Wakehurst
London Gatwick
Experience Sussex
VisitBrighton
