Dani Webb takes a break from wedding planning to try out a new Teesdale spa

WITH a wedding to plan and a string of surprises to organise for my husband-to-be’s 30th birthday, time to relax has been in short supply recently. So testing out the new spa at The Morritt Arms, in Greta Bridge, near Barnard Castle, seemed like a good idea.

With the promise of an overnight stay in one of the country retreat’s plush hotel rooms, we left the to-do-lists behind and headed off for some rest and recuperation.

Located just off the A66 a few miles from Scotch Corner, The Morritt Arms is easy to find and we were given a warm welcome. The building and surrounding hamlet are steeped in history as author Charles Dickens stayed in Greta Bridge during his 1839 visit to Teesdale while conducting research for his novel Nicolas Nickleby.

The photographs of the spa on the hotel’s website had already been enough to entice me to sign up for a Ginger Snap Wrap and after spending a lot of time in the gym recently, Andy thought a massage would be just the treatment for him.

My wrap, which lasted nearly an hour, was fantastic. It was relaxing and I don’t believe my skin has ever felt that soft since I was born.

While my treatment was carried out to a background of calming music, Andy spent the hour chatting away to his masseur. He enjoyed it so much I think he is rapidly trying to use the stresses our forthcoming wedding nuptials as an excuse to have regular massages.

The Garage spa has been beautifully furnished and is the perfect place to recharge the batteries. It has treatment rooms, sauna, steam and salt rooms, hot tub and a relaxing outside space complete with Shepherd’s hut sauna.

There are also individual changing rooms and guests are encouraged to explore all the facilities.

We were given a tour of The Garage and as it was a quiet day, we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. It seemed rude not to test everything out and before we knew it, a few hours had passed.

Feeling refreshed and relaxed, we headed back to the Dickensian-themed hotel next door for a delicious meal complete with first-rate service.

We enjoyed fresh tuna, mackerel, blackened beef, chicken supreme and a couple of their desserts. The chef also made an amuse bouche of fresh salmon. And despite the gentle advice of the therapists about avoiding alcohol for the day, we felt it was a shame not to enjoy it with a bottle of wine.

The overnight stay was lovely, as was the breakfast. If I had to be critical of anything, it would be the fact that we could see and hear the traffic trundling along the A66. However, you can’t move a historic building and we left having had a wonderful time and feeling relaxed and fresh. It’s just a shame it quickly became a distant memory as we headed back to the stresses of wedding planning.

Not that I’m bridezilla... honest.

READER OFFER A complimentary half day use of The Garage spa facilities including a Dry Float Experience for those booking a mid-week, two-night stay, excluding bank holidays, before the June 30. To book, contact The Morritt Hotel & The Garage Spa on 01833-627232 and quote the code “ECHO”. The offer is subject to availability. Previous bookings cannot be amended.