HF Book Club in the South Downs: Bloomsbury Group

Whether you’re continually diving into a page-turner or simply want to rediscover your passion for reading, our book club breaks are a great way to meet like-minded people. Staying in the stunning surrounds of our characterful country house in the South Downs, this break focuses on the Bloomsbury Group - the society of writers, intellectuals, and artists that included some of the brightest minds of the early 20th century. You’ll explore texts, discuss story ideas, formulate opinions with fellow guests and enjoy guided sightseeing visits to both the Charleston Museum and Monk’s House. These holidays are perfect for solo travellers looking for friendship-forming experiences as well as book clubs seeking an enriching group getaway.

What you’ll love

Meeting like-minded book lovers
Discussing a range of literary works
Visiting the Bloomsbury Group meeting spots of Monk’s House and Charleston
Exploring the surrounding landscape on foot
Guidance from our expert leaders

What’s included

Free-flowing literary discussions throughout your holiday
Transport to and from venues on your excursion day
Comfortable en-suite accommodation in our country house
Cream tea on arrival day
Cooked or continental breakfast every morning
Daily packed lunches
Three-course evening meals, plus tea & coffee
Easy-to-follow routes, maps, and information available in our Discovery Point if you want to explore independently

Trip Notes

Easy to download as a PDF, our trip notes provide detailed information for every holiday. Please click below to find the trip notes for your departure date.

Gallery

All our carefully-curated itineraries are designed by our experts. While we make every effort to adhere to the described itinerary, we may take alternative routes or adapt the running order for weather and/or operational reasons.

Day 1: Arrival Day

You're welcome to check in from 4pm onwards. Enjoy a complimentary cream tea on arrival.

Day 2: Charleston & Monk’s House

Today’s excursion day will take us to two prime Bloomsbury locations – Charleston and Monk’s House. The former home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant and a venue for many Bloomsbury Group meetings, Charleston is a must-visit on this holiday.

Later, we’ll venture to Monk’s House. Now in the hands of the National Trust, this historic house is perhaps most well-known as the home of Leonard and Virginia Woolf. The house, its gardens, and the surrounding landscapes provided much literary inspiration, with Virginia penning several well-known works in her writing lodge in the grounds of Monk’s House.

Day 3: HF Book Club: Bloomsbury Group

This weekend break will focus on delving into works of historical fiction. Your group leader will facilitate discussions about the themes and topics featured in their chosen titles and there’ll be an open forum to discuss opinions. We’ll confirm the reading list for this holiday soon.

Day 4: Departure Day

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before making your way home.

Abingworth Hall

Country living just got cosier at this former farmhouse. Abingworth Hall is just a skip away from the village of Thakeham at the foot of the South Downs – a landscape of ancient woodland, hidden valleys, chalky cliffs, and high-backed hills so deserving of its national park status finally bestowed in 2010. While the views from the doorstep are as wow-worthy as you’d expect, the walking opportunities around the sightseeing greats such as Devil’s Dyke, Seven Sisters Country Park, Kingley Vale, Parham House, and the Clayton Windmills (known locally as Jack and Jill) are equally standout. You’ll also be within easy driving distance of several historic towns and cities, most fabulously Arundel, Chichester, and Brighton.

Rooms

Designed with your comfort in mind, Abingworth Hall has 27 well-appointed guest rooms available in two categories: Classic and Premium.

Classic Rooms are comfortable en-suite guest rooms, ideal for a peaceful night's sleep. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, tea and coffee-making facilities, toiletries (hand wash, shampoo, and shower gel), and a TV.

Premium Rooms are more spacious en-suite guest rooms*. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, tea and coffee-making facilities, toiletries (hand wash, shampoo, body lotion, shower gel), and a 32-inch TV. Extras include bathrobes, slippers, and comfortable mattresses.

We love: The Premium Rooms for views of the impossibly pretty surroundings.

The Choose Your Room service is available at our UK country houses, allowing you the option of choosing and confirming a specific room for an extra charge of £30 per room. This is subject to availability. Upgrade supplements apply.

Check in & check out
You are welcome to check in from 4:00pm at the earliest. On arrival, you’ll enjoy a complimentary cream tea and get to meet your fellow guests, our HF Holidays Leaders, and the rest of the friendly team.

On the day of departure, we kindly ask all guests to check out by 10:00am. You’ll be asked to settle your bill prior to leaving. You may, of course, make a charitable donation to our HF Holidays Pathways Fund if you wish. Please note that we only accept card payments.

Room supplements

Premium single	Premium double/twin	Choose your room
£20 pppn	£20 pppn	£30 per room

*Views and layout reflect each properties unique character and location

About your stay

A warm welcome
We want you to feel comfortable from the moment you arrive. You’ll find a welcome pack in your room with guest registration forms, menus, order forms for dinners and picnic lunches, the Wi-Fi password, and the front door code. Our houses are locked at night, so we recommend noting the Duty Manager’s number on arrival in case of an emergency (or getting locked out).

Evening entertainment
While evening entertainment varies from house to house, the HF Holidays Big Pub Quiz held after dinner on Wednesdays is a weekly staple. Your HF Holidays Leader may be around for tips on guided and self-guided walking routes as well as visit-worthy local attractions.

Walks talks
Our HF Holidays Leaders host guided walking information briefings before dinner on arrival days. This is followed by a group Walks Talk for information on the following day’s walking delights (held before dinner every evening). Self-guided walking guests are, of course, welcome.

The walking day
Prior to setting off on walks, your HF Holidays Leader will run you through a short safety briefing. There’s also an up-to-date weather forecast on display at the house to ensure you have appropriate clothing and footwear. If you choose to do your own walks or are on a self-guided walking holiday, we ask that you please complete an Independent Walker Card each day. These can be found near the Discovery Point in the house.

Food & drink

Led by experienced chefs, we serve a wide range of dishes made with fresh and seasonal ingredients. We always aim to source the best produce available and use home-grown herbs and vegetables from our own gardens whenever possible. Additionally, we have a licensed bar with beers, soft drinks, and a superb selection of spirits. Full-board comes as standard and includes a cream tea on arrival and a hearty breakfast on departure day.

HF Holidays understands the importance of managing allergens effectively to ensure food is safe for guests with food allergies. Whilst we are always able to confidently inform guests which allergens are present in our ingredients and dishes, we are unable to guarantee absolute freedom from the 14 main allergens in our kitchens. Vegetarian and vegan menu choices are available. If you have allergies, food intolerances, or any special dietary requirements, please inform our reservation team at the time of booking.

Accessibility

For accessibility and assistance information, please contact our expert team on 020 3974 8865 or view the accessibility information online for Abingworth Hall

Getting to Abingworth Hall

Find out more about this location including travel details and room types.

More Information

Travel Details

Address

Abingworth Hall
Storrington Road
Thakeham
West Sussex RH20 3EF

Tel: +44 (0)1798 813636

By train

The nearest station is Pulborough.

Pulborough station has a short platform, so you’ll need to check the departure boards for which carriage to sit in.

National Rail have up-to-date routes and train times.

By taxi

The six-mile journey from Pulborough railway station takes about 15 minutes.

It’s best to avoid arriving at Pulborough station between 2:50pm and 3:20pm as there may not be any taxis available due to school pick-ups.

For pricing, please contact the taxi company directly.

MJ Cars
You can pre-book a taxi from with MJ Cars*. We recommend booking your taxi at least seven days in advance by contacting:

Tel: +44 (0)1903 745414
Email: mjcars@btconnect.com

A return journey can be arranged on your behalf by the HF Holidays House Manager at Abingworth Hall.

*MJ Cars is not owned or managed by HF Holidays.

Sue's Private Hire
You can pre-book a taxi with Sue's Private Hire* by phone, text or email. Please pre-book asap as there are no taxis based at Pulborough Station. Your journey will be mostly with a lady driver and an electric car.

Tel: +44 (0)1798 874848 / +44 (0)7918 137066
Email:- sueph520@yahoo.com

*Sue's Private Hire is not owned or managed by HF Holidays and prices are subject to change

By car

From the M25 
Take either the A24 or the M23 and then the A264 towards Horsham. At the Great Daux roundabout go south on the A24 towards Worthing. Go straight over two roundabouts and then at the traffic lights turn right onto the A272 to Billingshurst and Petersfield. After three miles turn left onto the B2139. Abingworth Hall is approximately four miles from this junction on the left hand side (go past Abingworth Meadows and Thakeham Pre-School).

From the M27 
Continue onto the A27 around Chichester. At the second roundabout take the first exit on to the A29, then the second exit on to the B2139 to Storrington. At the mini roundabout, take the second exit onto the A283. Continue through Storrington then turn onto the B2139 towards Thakeham. Take the second exit at the next mini roundabout, then the first exit. Continue down this road until you reach Abingworth Hall on the right.

By air

The nearest airport is Gatwick Airport.

The easiest way to get from Gatwick Airport to Abingworth Hall is by taxi, a 29-mile journey taking around 40 minutes.

Packing List

Please bring along your own copy of the books we'll be discussing either in paper format or on a tablet/e-reader if you prefer. The full reading list will be shown on the itinerary tab as soon as it is confirmed.

We’ll also be heading out sightseeing so please be sure to bring comfortable shoes that you can wear when we’re out and about. And given the UK’s famously unpredictable weather, you may also want to pack waterproof clothing and/or sun cream.

Abingworth Hall Calendar

Guided Walking
Self-Guided Walking
Special Interests
Unavailable to Book

Alban O'Brien

A self-confessed bookworm, Alban is a fan of all things literature. He describes the three pillars of his life as family, football, and Shakespeare. After a long career in education, Alban has been waxing lyrical about classic books and British beauty spots as one of our expert tutors since 2012.

Jill Durnford

A bookworm since childhood, Jill loves books and reading so much she moved to Hay-on-Wye – the pretty market town on the English-Welsh border that lives up to its moniker as the second-hand book capital of the world. Given Jill’s job as a Blue Badge Tourist Guide, history books (both fiction and non-fiction) are always high on her list, but she enjoys anything with intriguing characters and a thought-provoking plot.

Guest reviews

All holidays are subject to availability. Supplements may apply.

Non-member fee: £30 per person.

All our carefully-curated itineraries are designed by our experts. While we make every effort to adhere to the described itinerary, we may take an alternative route, or vary the running order for weather and/or operational reasons.

Holiday prices

Date (Start - End)	Itinerary	Double / Twin Room	Single Room	Notes / Offers	Trip Notes	Book
2025
21 Nov - 24 Nov 2025 3 nights	Book Club Single from £459 £434 Double from £459 £434 pp	from £459 £434 pp	from £459 £434	Save £25 Per Person	Trip Notes	Book Now