2nd May 2024

Introducing a New Age of Wellness: Grantley Hall’s Retreat Days

ELITE X Driven Athlete at Grantley Hall

As part of their commitment to complete wellness, the stately Grantley Hall continues to set the pace for health and well-being wrapped in a luxury experience. Their Three Graces Spa is a triumph of opulence, offering an award-winning combination of spa and wellness facilities in impeccable surroundings and it is now adding to its armoury as a centre for elite performance, thanks to a new and exciting collaboration.

Sports World were delighted to be invited on a Retreat Day to sample Grantley Hall’s new partnership with Leeds-based health and performance experts Driven Athlete. Now operating from Grantley Hall’s state- of-the-art gym, ELITE, Driven Athlete are a fitness brand offering world-class performance services to the everyday athlete. Founded on years of experience in elite-level sports, their ethos is to implement the methods and techniques practised at a professional level to help clients build a deeper understanding of their bodies and their capabilities.

Offering a collaborative approach to physiotherapy, strength and conditioning and testing, their health assessment days and weekend retreats are all about coupling scientific and physiological sports analysis with a rejuvenating experience at one of the UK’s best hotels. Not only does this mark the movement into the sports and lifestyle space for Grantley Hall, but it’s a nod towards the hotel’s enduring commitment to offering guests the best possible service, going above and beyond the usual luxury offering and making elite-level resources available to the masses.

THE ARRIVAL

Nestled in the gorgeous North Yorkshire countryside, Grantley’s entrance is just as impressive as what lies within. A winding road and enchanting woodland greet us before dropping off the car with a concierge and heading inside for a warm welcome and a fireside Yuzu lemonade. We were then shown to our room located in the Fountain Wing – a botanically-inspired part of the hotel offering an oasis of calm with an impressive semi-circular vaulted roof and lush greenery, reminiscent of ornamental Japanese gardens. The Windsley Suite was a spacious, neutrally-dressed space with a plush lounge area, empress bed and marble-laden master bathroom.

Greeting us in the room was a bottle of Champagne on ice, some locally-distilled Sloe gin in a crystal Grantley Hall-branded decanter, a box of meticulously hand-finished chocolates and some fresh fruit – the perfect epitome of indulgence which permeates every edge of this palatial paradise.

Following a freshen-up in the steam-activated double walk-in shower, we headed to enjoy the signature eight-course tasting menu at Bar & Restaurant EightyEight – a Pan- Asian bar and restaurant marrying the bold flavours of Asia with fresh Yorkshire produce. Dishes included grilled diver king scallops and tamarind and pepper glazed duck breast, both of which were a triumph of texture and taste.

To round our evening off we made our way to the cosy Norton Bar, an atmospheric space blending modern low-lit opulence with detailed original oak panelling, a nod to the essence of Grantley Hall’s heritage. We sunk into the leather armchairs and enjoyed a classic cup of tea. The simple pleasures, enjoyed with aplomb.

THE RETREAT DAY

A delightful breakfast in the quintessentially cosy-country-style Fletchers Restaurant was the perfect prerequisite to the main purpose of our stay. Beginning at 9:30 am, I headed down to the Three Graces Spa to catch up with Chris and Lawrence of Driven Athlete – two performance experts with a collective 20 years of experience in top-level sports, including roles at the FA and Team GB. We had an in-depth consultation to uncover my main weaknesses – I play football three times a week and am an avid gym-goer – before Lawrence and Chris got to work. Within half an hour, they had devised a plan for my training and took me through strengthening exercises in the gym to combat my balance issues.

We measured my power output and reactivity through countermovement jumps, single leg jumps and drop jumps, before assessing strength on a nordboard and dynamometer strength test. Next, an in depth physio assessment gave me some interesting insights into my mobility.
Not before long it was time for lunch, a nutritious harissa chicken ‘bowl’ packed with fresh vegetables and fluffy couscous, before I headed into the grand Three Graces Spa to unwind. The facilities include an indoor-outdoor hydrotherapy pool, a new Nordic Spa Garden with two ice baths and an outdoor sauna, plus a specialised ‘snow room’ designed to invigorate blood flow and provide a modernised alternative to an ice bath.

To round the day off, we underwent a body composition assessment on a Styku 3D scanner – the new trend sweeping the fitness industry – which captures detailed 3D measurements of the entire body including fat percentage, bone mass and muscle mass distribution. Finally, three minutes in a cryotherapy chamber helped to reduce pain and inflammation. Two days later, I received a thorough PDF report summarising my results from the tests and detailing suggestions for areas to improve. I plan on revisiting in a couple of months to assess my progress.

All in all, the experience was monumentally valuable. Having access to such high-tech, data-driven solutions gave me invaluable insights into how to improve my general well-being, not just my athletic performance. For upcoming dates check their website: www.grantleyhall.co.uk/whats-on “Driven Athlete is for people who are serious about their health and performance and who train with purpose. We provide elite-level rehabilitation and performance support to athletes of all abilities.” CHRIS BLACK, OWNER

BREAKDOWN OF THE DAY

+ ARRIVAL AT GRANTLEY HALL
+ 1-1 MEETING FOLLOWED BY COFFEE AND SMOOTHIE
+ GROUP MOBILITY SESSION
+ PHYSICAL PROFILE WITH CHRIS BLACK
+ PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT WITH LAWRENCE SONVICO
+ NUTRITIOUS LUNCH IN THE THREE GRACES SPA LOUNGE
+ SPA & THERMAL ACCESS
+ BODY COMPOSITION ASSESSMENT
+ CRYOTHERAPY SESSION