Favourite Ideas for a 60th birthday celebration

There is nothing more fabulous – or perhaps daunting- than a 60th birthday celebration. Marking the occasion with a special experience is a must – even in these uncertain times. We are experts in creating special events and have some ideas below for marking your milestone with a bang.

If you are throwing a 60th birthday celebration for a loved one, these are some of our favourite ways to simply yet meaningfully decorate the venue: Hang 60 pictures of the guest of honour around the room to celebrate their life, Curate and play a playlist of 60 of their favourite songs and, last but not least, frame a large piece of white card and ask everyone to write words that describe the birthday person until there are 60 words. It makes quite a read! 

If we can help to organise any of the below experiences, please do contact us

There is no more suitable time for pampering than your 60th birthday. The UK has had some exciting new wellness openings in the midst of lockdown. Go to the scenic Peak District for a spa town being revived and stay at Buxton Crescent Health Spa Hotel. Nestled in the heart of the honey-stoned Castle Ashby Estate in Northamptonshire is another new arrival, The Falcon. Owned by Lord and Lady Northampton, the boutique former coaching inn is an ideal spa choice, perfect for a restful and renewing retreat, complete with Wild Swimming, Yoga and Pottery. Nearby beautiful Ashby Manor House is available for exclusive hire. For any help arranging a spa weekend, please contact us.

Treat your favourite people (or person) to an unforgettable dining experience at a favourite restaurant. Whether in town or country, the UK has some of the best restaurants in the world to take advantage of. Recent visits we enjoyed include the Adam Handling Restaurant at the Belmond Cadogan Hotel with its fabulous tasting menu, Bray’s The Waterside Inn and, further afield, Cornish seafood paradise, Paul Ainsworth at No 6. North of the Border, we love Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, the only restaurant in Scotland to hold 2 Michelin stars – the Smoked Lobster, intensely infused for hours over whiskey barrel chips, might make your birthday all by itself!  The stunning Auchterarder House is just 6 minutes away from Gleneagles and sleeps 20 people in 10 glorious double ensuite bedrooms.  For any help arranging a restaurant, please contact us.

With further afield trips up and down, we have fallen in love with Europe all over again. Use a 60th celebration to discover a new city on the continent. We think Berlin, Dublin and Lisbon are fun locations for a trip. Splurge on a swanky hotel, whether grand or boutique, and go with the flow of the city. Food, galleries and shopping all offer memorable glimpses of destinations away from the tourist traps. Check out House & Garden’s ‘Ask A Local’ guides like the one here. Contact us to arrange a city break to remember.

Italy takes the cake for being the country with everything for a celebration – the food, wine, weather and villas – Mamma Mia! Gather your bubble and your linens and take to the Tuscan Hills for some cork-popping festivities. We have access to some gorgeous fully-staffed villas, castles and beach houses that are not widely available and can tailor to your needs to ensure the best retreat ever. Please contact us for bookings. 

Embrace your inner explorer and seize the moment to climb a mountain. Symbolic of overcoming any of life’s challenges that have been thrown at you over the last five decades, a 60th birthday is the time to shake it up and get moving. If you are not quite ready for Ben Nevis then mountains that can be climbed in a day include Conic Hill, Loch Lomond, the Brecon Beacon’s Pen Y Fan and, surprisingly, Snowdon’s summit can also be reached in six hours using The Miner’s Track. For a fantastic Lake District experience, some of the best walks in the country included, stay at Silverholme Manor, which can be seen in our Summer Availability page here

Although there are travel corridors currently to tropical paradises such as The Maldives and St Lucia, we still love a good old fashioned British island. From Cornish ice creams on the Scilly Isles to swimming in the azure waters of the Hebrides, the UK really does have it all – weather permitting! Flee the mainland for your 60th and live the island life – Burgh Island Hotel, an Art Deco gem that was Agatha Christie’s retreat, could not be more fun while we have some spectacular private Scottish island castles and houses waiting to be hired. Contact us for more details.

A contemporary delight in a classic setting – Leuchie Walled Gardens really does have the best of both worlds. The modern mid-century style house (pronounced ‘Lou-ki’) is set in five acres of stunning gardens. Just 25 miles from Edinburgh and close to the scenic seaside resort of North Berwick, Leuchie has lots to offer for a small group celebration. The walled gardens themselves were built 200 years ago by Napoleonic prisoners and now offer the perfect space for an outdoor celebration, lawn games and drinks. The interiors are filled with family antiques, paintings and very comfortable furniture – a special and rare place. Contact us for more details.

Become king or queen of the castle for a few days and celebrate a 60th birthday by hiring Co Westmeath’s Ballinlough Castle. A fairytale castle in the greenest of Irish countryside, Ballinlough is the home of the Nugent family and impressive by any standards. Built in the 17th-century, its long windows look onto a lake and this castle is made for a party. We can arrange tours of nearby sights as well as magic events such as fireworks by the lake and special feasts. Contact us for more details.

Get your fingers emerald green by taking a course in flower arranging, garden design or sustainable planting. Two of our favorites are Oxfordshire-based The Land Gardeners, (Henrietta Courtauld and Bridget Elworthy) who have been featured in the likes of Vogue, for their wide-ranging workshops and Cotswolds author Willow Crossley runs masterclasses at locations such as Daylesford. 

Get those bubbles into your nose with a vineyard tour to remember – and we don’t mean Provence.  West Sussex boasts one of the finest wine growers in the world with the family-owned Wiston Estate. The Goring family have been here since the 18th century and the modern generation are passionate about sharing their grape-expertise in the loveliest of settings. Wine growing in Sussex was a Roman idea but finally made into reality by Pip and Harry Goring. Bring a small group for a private tour and enjoy the fruits of the vine with gusto! Please contact us to make arrangements. 

At Loyd & Townsend Rose, we help our clients organize luxury vacations to the UK. We feature grand and opulent accommodation, including historic castles and magnificent, quintessentially British stately homes for an unforgettable stay.