Hi, I have a company that organises lots of private parties and the last 2 I have organised were 40th birthdays. If you are interested in chatting to get a few ideas or want some information on how I might be able to help you, please do not hesitate to contact me on m. 07946 378417, alternatively you can have a quick look at my website www.madeeasy4uevents.com

Hi, have you tried http://www.thebigdomain.com/, they have a great selection of large houses.

I went to a 40th in a place in Somerset - I kept the company's name because we had an amazing time !

http://www.thebighouseco.com/

Or this one - recently recommended by a friend.

http://www.uniquehomestays.com

Good luck with the planning !

Thanks ladies!

We stayed here with lots of friends and it was fab. You could perhaps hire a couple of properties on the estate?

http://www.falcon-house.com/

You could do a search on ownersdirect.co.uk they have quite a lot of big houses - you can search by county and by number of bedrooms. they have a lot of places on the cotswold water park (which has a spa, swimming pool and lots of activities) so maybe you could hire a couple of houses there?

Good luck!

Hubby's big 4-0 is coming up and I'd like to throw a surprise party/weekend with friends near and far somewhere within 3 hours of London. I was thinking New Forest or the Cotswolds; somewhere beautiful with good, local food, and stuff to do like biking, hiking, clay pigeon shooting, horseback riding, etc. I've got the rough idea but I now need to get more specific with the plans.

I would love any recommendations for fun, scenic towns, B&B's or self-catering accommodations where we can all stay together and/or restaurants/country pubs where we might do the big surprise. We'll probably be 15-20 people.

Thanks for your thoughts!