And somehow, of all the places we could have chosen, we chose Crewe.
Honestly, driving there felt offensive. It felt as though I had used almost an hour of my life to drive somewhere for absolute nonsense.
Nonsense!
I had been through Crewe so many times when I was travelling regularly to Manchester, but it had always been somewhere I passed through. I had never considered it a place I would deliberately visit for a date.
So, as I drove closer and closer, I kept wondering what we could possibly do there.
He suggested that we begin with lunch.
“Lunch where?” I thought. “Where could we possibly be having lunch in Crewe?”
He had chosen a restaurant called The Broughton, but even he sounded slightly nervous about whether he had made the right choice.
“Oh my God, I hope this place is really nice,” he said. “I want you to have a good experience. I want you to have the best time.”
And I told him, “It doesn’t matter.”
“What do you mean it doesn’t matter?” he asked.
But honestly, it didn’t. I was happy just to spend the afternoon with him. No noise, No Kids.
Still, we headed to The Broughton and, oh my God, it was really nice.
Lunch at The Broughton
The Broughton was such a lovely surprise.
There is a beautiful outdoor space where you can sit when the weather is good. There is also an indoor section surrounded by glass, so you can look outside and enjoy the view without necessarily having to sit in the cold.
It gives you the feeling of being outside while keeping you safely protected from the unpredictable British weather.
The restaurant looked quite luxurious, so I automatically expected the food to be expensive. Surprisingly, it wasn’t.
I ordered the Mediterranean Salad, which was gluten-free and came with lemon-and-herb chicken skewers and spinach.
Let me tell you: it was really, really good.
I would absolutely recommend it if you already enjoy salads. Even if you are not usually a salad person, I feel like this could be a very good place to start. The lemon-and-herb chicken skewers made it feel substantial, flavourful and far from boring.
For my drink, I ordered a raspberry soda.
I am a soda girl, but I didn’t want to order Pepsi or anything too ordinary. I wanted something that felt a little nicer for the occasion, and the raspberry soda was such a good choice. It was sweet, refreshing and absolutely delicious.
He ordered a Thai rice dish, which he said was really good. He also had some red wine and ordered one of their house favourites, which arrived with flames on top.
Very dramatic. Very date-day appropriate.
Our Next Stop: Wychwood Park Hotel & Golf Club
After lunch, we headed to Wychwood Park Hotel & Golf Club.
Our original plan was simply to walk around the grounds, hold hands, talk and enjoy the fresh air. It was meant to be a very relaxed afternoon without a long itinerary or any pressure to do too much.
One thing that made Wychwood Park feel slightly different from many other places I have visited in the UK was that we had to go through security before entering.
It wasn’t intense or uncomfortable, but you do have to pass through the security entrance before finding somewhere to park. You can park near the hotel or around the golf area, depending on what you intend to do.
Once we had parked, we walked around, talked, held hands and enjoyed the grounds.
Sometimes, that is all you need.
You don’t always need an elaborate date involving five different locations and an expensive activity. Sometimes, it is simply about being somewhere peaceful, walking together and having enough time to enjoy each other’s company.
But, of course, we eventually decided to add an activity.
Attempting to Play Golf
We went to the driving range.
I had never played golf before, but he suggested that we try it and see how far we could hit the balls.
Now, he wasn’t exactly a professional golfer either, which made the experience even funnier.
I stood there watching him try, watching him miss, watching him fail, watching him recover and then watching him occasionally send the ball flying.
It was so funny and so sweet.
Then it was my turn.
Normally, I probably wouldn’t participate in that kind of activity. I might have been quite happy to stand to one side and watch. But that day, I decided to get involved and allow myself to enjoy the experience.
It was my first time, so I spent a lot of it laughing at myself, trying to position my body correctly and discovering just how much strength I could put behind the golf club.
Before long, it became competitive.
At one point, I said, “You know what? Let’s see whose ball goes farther.”
That was when everything changed.
Suddenly, we were both taking it seriously. I held the club and hit that ball with everything inside me!
Honestly, I feel like our distances were almost the same. I might even have been better, but I will leave him to tell his own version of events.
Neither of us needed to be particularly good at golf. That wasn’t the point. We were trying something different, laughing at ourselves and enjoying the moment together.
If you are looking for a simple activity to include in a date, I would recommend trying a driving range. You don’t need to know what you are doing. In fact, not knowing what you are doing might make it even more fun.
Wychwood Park also has golf buggies, which can become a completely different adventure of their own. You can drive around and explore the different areas of the golf course.
There are shorter and longer ranges, depending on your experience and what you want to do.
We also went inside the hotel to have a look around.
From the outside, it appeared quite ordinary, so I wasn’t expecting very much. But when we stepped inside, I was genuinely surprised.
It was absolutely stunning.
If you wanted to extend your afternoon into an overnight stay, Wychwood Park Hotel would be a lovely option. We weren’t staying overnight because ours was only meant to be a quick afternoon out, but I could certainly imagine returning for a longer visit.
A Date in Crewe for Under £100
The entire afternoon cost us less than £100.
Of course, the final amount will depend on what you order, how much you eat and which activities you choose. However, it is completely possible to enjoy lunch, spend time at the driving range and have a beautiful afternoon together without spending an outrageous amount of money.
It wasn’t an extravagant date.
There was no complicated itinerary and no pressure to squeeze a hundred different things into one afternoon.
It was simply good food, a peaceful walk, holding hands, plenty of conversation, our very questionable golfing skills and lots of laughter.
And perhaps that was exactly what made it so beautiful.
I started the journey wondering why on earth I had driven for almost an hour to go to Crewe. By the end of the afternoon, I had completely changed my mind.
Sometimes, the most random places give you the loveliest memories.
So, if you are looking for an affordable, relaxed date idea in or around Crewe, try lunch at The Broughton followed by an afternoon at Wychwood Park Hotel & Golf Club.
I cannot believe I am saying this, but the drive to Crewe was not nonsense after all.
With Love,
Ayo
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