6 October, 2026 ∙ There are some Cotswold venues that really do need very little introduction, and today it was an absolute pleasure to bring The Cotswolds Huddle to one of those: The wonderful Whatley Manor. Around 80 people joined us for our October Huddle, spending a couple of hours catching up with familiar faces, meeting new people, making connections, and enjoying the warm, relaxed atmosphere that has always been at the heart of the Huddle. And what a setting we had for it.
∙ A VERY SPECIAL COTSWOLDS VENUE ∙ Whatley Manor is one of the most iconic luxury properties in the Cotswolds, known for its exquisite food, beautiful rooms and spaces, magnificent grounds, and the exceptionally high level of service that runs through everything it does.
For many of us, today was a wonderful opportunity to experience the hotel as guests and to see a little more of what makes it such a special place. Throughout the Huddle, the Whatley Manor team offered tours of the grounds, bedrooms, and event spaces, giving our guests the chance to explore the property and discover areas they may not have seen before. It is a truly fantastic luxury Cotswold venue, but what particularly stood out today was just how warm and welcoming it felt.
∙ WONDERFUL COTSWOLDS HOSPITALITY ∙ Our hosts, Natalie Dickenson and Lucy Barry, alongside the entire Whatley Manor team, could not have made us feel more welcome. From the moment everyone arrived, there was such a warm and friendly atmosphere, with the team looking after our Huddle guests beautifully throughout the event.
And, of course, there was the food. Whatley Manor laid on an amazing spread for everyone to enjoy, accompanied by plenty of tea, coffee, and water. It was incredibly generous and a lovely part of an already very special Huddle. For a networking event built around simply bringing good people together in lovely places, today really was everything we could have hoped for.
∙ THANK YOU, WHATLEY MANOR ∙ A huge thank you to Natalie and Lucy, and to everyone at Whatley Manor, for opening the doors to us, showing us around, feeding us so wonderfully, and making around 80 Huddle guests feel completely at home. It was such a treat to spend the day at one of the Cotswolds’ most wonderful properties and to experience the hospitality, food, spaces, and service that have made Whatley Manor so special.
∙ THANK YOU, FIONA ∙ A particularly special part of today’s Huddle was having Fiona Hosford playing her harp throughout the event. Her beautiful music filled the space and created the most wonderful atmosphere as everyone chatted and connected]. It was an elegant addition to the event, and hearing Fiona play in such a stunning setting was amazing.
∙ THANK YOU, RUPERT ∙ And, as always, a huge thank you to Rupert Marlow for capturing the day so brilliantly. For this Huddle, Rupert went black and white with his photography, and we absolutely love the results. The images capture the people, conversations, atmosphere, and beautiful surroundings at Whatley Manor in such a timeless way. After all these years of Huddles, we are incredibly lucky to have Rupert there to document them and give us such wonderful photographs to look back on.
∙ THANK YOU, EVERYONE ∙ Most importantly, thank you to everyone who joined us today. Whether it was your first Huddle or one of many, it was wonderful to see you.
