Accommodation and Information
The Riding School
Accommodation and information for your guests
We are so excited to welcome you and your guests to the Riding School and here is a little bit of information to help you all make the most of your celebrations with us.
Accommodation
Despite feeling like we’re ‘in the middle of nowhere’, we have an abundance of beautiful places to stay within a short distance of The Riding School.
The National Trust have five unique holiday cottages situated on the Calke Abbey estate that sleep between 2 and 14 people. The cottages are a separate entity to ourselves and must be booked directly with the National Trust Holiday Cottage team. The cottages are subject to availability and unfortunately, we cannot guarantee their availability.
For your convenience, we have listed some suggestions for perfect places to stay below:
Ticknall,
Derbyshire
Melbourne, Derbyshire
Castle
Donnington
Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Breedon
on the Hill
You’ll be able to find lots of incredible self-catering accommodation on the Airbnb or Booking.com websites. The best areas to search are; Ticknall – Derbyshire, Melbourne – Derbyshire, Castle Donnington and Ashby-de-la-Zouch. All of these areas are in close proximity to Calke Abbey and can be easily reached from all of the major road networks.
Getting Home
Mobile phone service can be a little hit and miss within the Calke Abbey estate, so we strongly recommend that transportation home is booked in advance.
Whilst your guests are free to book a company of their choice, here are the telephone numbers of the companies that are local and are used most regularly for weddings at Calke Abbey;
A1 Taxi’s – 01530 413535
A1 are also able to accommodate large numbers of advance bookings by emailing a1carsashby@outlook.com
Abbey Cars – 01530 416060
Village Cars – 01332 706020
When booking your transport, please ensure that yourself and your guests provide the company with the correct postcode, it is also important to note that the entrance gates lock at 5pm, the bar closes at 11pm and the exit gates lock at midnight. We ask that taxi’s are booked no later than 11.30pm.
Your DAY GUESTS will enter the estate using the ENTRANCE GATES in Ticknall Village. Please use the postcode: DE73 7JF.
Your EVENING GUESTS will need to enter the estate using the EXIT GATES in Calke Village. Please use the postcode: LE65 1RR
Everyone will use the EXIT GATES to leave the estate throughout your day.
Guests do not have to pay to park and you are very welcome to leave your vehicles overnight. Vehicles and their contents are left at the owner’s risk.
FAQ’S
A few snippets of information that your guests might need to know.
Q. What kind of confetti can our guests throw?
Natural petals only please. These can be easily purchased via Amazon, Ebay or by using a company like Shropshire petals.
Q. Do you take card payments at the bar?
We do have a card machine behind the bar however, the Wi-Fi in The Riding School can be temperamental, so we do recommend your guests bring cash. The closest ATM can be located at Tesco in Ashby which is approximately 6 miles away from Calke Abbey.
Q. When does the bar open?
The bar will be open all day. If you are hosting your ceremony with us, then we’ll only be able to serve soft drinks prior to this taking place. Fresh water will be freely available throughout the day and if you have any children attending, we will provide squash for them, free of charge.
Q. Some of our guests have mobility issues
Don’t worry, The Riding School is fully accessible. However, the ground from the car park to the Riding School and the courtyard out front are uneven and can be slippery as this is a Grade II listed building, so we do ask that your guests take care when moving around the estate.
Where to next?
.01 introduction to the riding school
.02 Discover your food & drink options
.03 View the riding school gallery
.04 get answers to frequently asked questions
.05 discover the history of calke abbey
.06 get in touch with us to arrange a consultation