A short stroll from the hotel and its meticulously kept grounds lies Dowding’s, a rambling organic orchard and farm where Oliver Dowding, 68, has lived all his life. Dowding went to The Newt once for an open day before the hotel officially opened its doors in 2019. They have a veneer of the countryside, but it’s all concrete.’ Read More The Solar Eclipse is the ultimate time for renewal – but which spiritual healers and treatments really work? These fast-multiplying rodents munch their way through apple-tree roots, and Dowding says he has lost a significant number of trees.