Our November Cotswolds Huddle took us to Berkeley Castle, and what an experience it was being hosted in a real-life castle! Being surrounded by so much history felt incredibly special, and the hospitality was equally magnificent.
From the moment we arrived, the team made us feel so warmly welcome and completely at home in this extraordinary setting. There was such a lovely atmosphere as Huddlers caught up with familiar faces, made new connections and enjoyed the opportunity to spend time somewhere truly memorable.
55 Huddlers, one Great Hall
Of course, it’s the people who make a Huddle, and it was lovely to see everyone catching up, meeting new people, and enjoying this extraordinary setting together. There were 55 of us at the Huddle, but The Great Hall was enormous so even our lovely crowd barely seemed to fill it. It’s not often you can bring that many Huddlers together and still feel like a small gathering, but that gives you an idea of the scale of Berkeley Castle. We had plenty of room to mingle, chat and take it all in.
Bring on the cocktails
We also had Andrej from Cocktails by Andrej behind his fantastic mobile bar, a business he runs alongside his wife, Jana. One of the lovely things about the Huddle is getting to know the people behind local businesses, and it was brilliant to experience Andrej “at work”.
Andrej made delicious non-alcoholic cocktails for everyone, with mint and raspberry and lots of crushed ice, some finished with a shimmer of gold dust, and all created with enormous skill. The bar looked fantastic, the drinks were amazing, and we got to enjoy the care and skill he puts into what he does.
Enthusiastic photography
We were missing a much-loved Huddle staple this month: Rupert Marlow, who was away working in France. We missed his company, of course, but also, as the photographic evidence shows, his camera skills too! In his absence, Marie Carter of Queen Bee Communications and I (Mette) were let loose with our phones, so please accept our apologies for the state of the images. Plenty of enthusiasm, considerably less expertise… come back soon, Rupert!
Enormous Thank You
Finally, an enormous THANK YOU to the team at Berkeley Castle for hosting us, to Jana & Andrej for sharing their delicious drinks at the bar, and to all our lovely Huddlers for bringing the conversation, warmth and good company.
What a fantastic Huddle. This one will stay with us for a long, long time.
