I blame The Boss. Not the person with the power to hire and fire. Oh no, I mean The Boss. Bruce ‘Broooooce’ Springsteen . . . the evergreen rock’n'roll star who wrote Born To Run and thrills millions of fans the world over with his blue collar rock.

Let me explain. It’s high summer and Broooooce is about to play the two most prestigious gigs of 2009; the Saturday night headline slot at Glastonbury Festival followed by a headline show at London’s Hyde Park.

Over two evenings, he’ll hold more than 100,000 fans in his spell. They’ll be enraptured by hours and hours of foot-to-the-floor rock’n'roll. But Broooooce needs somewhere to stay. And, sadly, I’ve got to make way for him.

Lucknam Park's imposing entrance

We’d been booked into the south west’s most exclusive hotel, Lucknam Park, for several months. A few weeks before our date at the hotel, however, we received a terribly polite and apologetic telephone call asking whether we’d mind moving our stay back by 24 hours because of an extended block booking.

We assumed the hotel had been filled by a wedding party and were happy to change. But, it later transpired, the cause of our postponement was Broooooce. And how do we know? Well, Broooooce was playing just down the road at Glastonbury on the night of our planned stay.

The guest book in the delightful Grand Suite in which we stayed was signed by his right hand man, guitar slinger Stevie Van Zandt, who penned the immortal guitar sequence for Born To Run.

The E Street band has a considerable entourage and needed a venue with plenty of luxury rooms. So there you have it. 24 hours after the departure of Broooooce, Stevie and co.. we found ourselves supping from the same cups that they’d drunk from a day earlier.

It says much for Lucknam Park that it would be the residence of choice for a multi-millionaire rock star who could stay at any hotel in the UK. It also says much for Broooooce as a discerning guest and paragon of good taste.

The Romeo and Juliet balcony at Lucknam Park

For Lucknam Park is a national treasure. The hotel is a magnificent 18th century palladium set in 500 acres of rolling Wiltshire parkland. Lucknam is a Relais and Chateaux property, placing it among the best in the world.

Its restaurant is Michelin-starred, thanks to the hard work of executive chef Hywel Jones and award-winning sous Hrishikesh Desai. Its managing director, Harry Murray, has been awarded an MBE and a lifetime achievement award for services to his industry while the hotel’s new £16 million spa is a thing of mesmerising beauty. Its credentials, therefore, are flawless.

Lucknam Park is approached via a one-mile-long drive that is lined with 200-year-old avenues of beech and lime trees. Arriving at the door is a quintessentially English experience, like being whisked onto the set for Brideshead Revisited.

The restaurant lives up to its star billing and our Sunday lunch was an assured and confident ensemble of sirloin beef followed by wild River Severn salmon and a summery, fruity dessert.

The £16 million Lucknam Spa

Great attention to detail has been paid to The Spa. The £16 million price tag is reflected in the wood floors, exceptional design, incredible glasswork and 20-metre indoor swimming pool. French spa specialists Anne Semonin and Carita supply luxurious, indulgent and innovative skin care products.

Lucknam Park also boasts a newly-refurbished equestrian centre, two tennis courts, football pitch, overflowing library and rooms that are equipped with gigantic TVs, Bose radios and other mod-cons.

During our visit we decided to ride horses from the equestrian centre and were joined by an instructor for a thrilling and exhilarating hour-long canter through woodland and across stubbly, arable fields. The retired race horse upon which I rode, Colin, combined grace and pace with stunning effect.

In many ways, Lucknam Park is an ideal location for Shropshire residents looking for a special occasion getaway.

One of Lucknam's many high class horses

It is in a rural setting that matches the level of verdant beauty that is the signature of our county, it caters to those with a passion for all things outdoors-ey and equine, like Shropshire it offers Michelin-starred dining and it’s within easy reach, with good links to the M6 and M5 and to major roads from south Shropshire.

As our all-too-brief stay drew to a close, a porter drove our car to the front door for us and collected our bags. We hopped into our car, happy and relaxed from a joyous stay, then cranked up the stereo and headed for home. There could be only one choice of song: Baby We Were Born To Run . . .

* Further details on Lucknam Park are available from www.lucknampark.co.uk or by telephoning (01225) 742777. Rooms start from around £200 per night, including breakfast. The Grand Master Suite, or, as we now know it, The Springsteen Suite, costs around £1,000 per night.