Day 30 has just begun and our little car just ticked over 4329 miles or 6926 kilometres, plus a few nautical miles to cover the ferry crossings. We are sitting in a little cafe in a seaside village of Instow. We have ordered tea and milkshake with cakes and the community is a hive of activity. Summer has set in the English south and the radio is all talk about the heat. Right now it is a lovely moderate temperature set to rise to about 26 degrees, so certainly getting up there. As I sit here typing, I have a gentle set of dark eyes starring at me, expectantly. A very well behaved spaniel named Ted is one of four dogs joining us for morning tea in this small cafe. They are all on leads, well behaved and clearly accustomed to eating out with their human companions. We are still getting used to this practice and we see signs everywhere inviting the pampered pooches inside. Not sure what our health regulators would think of this idea.
We left our B&B this morning after a good sleep, in a decent bed. Located in Saint Teath, a tiny village near Port Isaac and a stones throw from the ocean. Our travels are taking us along the coastline and we expect to be in a Bath early this afternoon. For now I must go. I can’t travel and type - unfortunately.
Bath, was inscribed by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) as a World Heritage Site in 1987 and once you arrive you can see why. World Heritage Sites are considered places of outstanding universal value to the whole of humanity. Bath was added as a cultural site because of its Roman remains, 18th century architecture, town planning, hot springs and landscape settings. It’s architecture is uniformed and quite grand. Designed to be made from the local rock quarried from the underground mines that are the foundation of this city. Therefore the buildings are all the same colour! But while the buildings above ground are majestic and quite inspiring, the portion of the city built on top of the mines is
lucky to be still standing. Hundreds of years of mining left the houses under threat of collapse and in the past few years tonnes of concrete has been pumped into the mines to support the town.
Arriving in Bath by the early afternoon and we are planning to stay in Stratford Upon Avon that night, so we still had a long drive ahead of us. Regardless, we wanted to see as much as possible so we hopped on the first of two sightseeing bus routes to go for a tour around the city, including into the hills surrounding Bath. It was hot sitting on the open deck, we had no hats and it was clear our tour guide had worked a long day, she really needed a hat. The tour was informative and a great way to see the sights without wrecking our legs. Jumping off one bus we found the pick up for the second On-Off Bus to take the inner city sights, and again enjoyed the scenery and history of the place. Our first stop was at the Jane Austen Centre and I dragged poor Daryl along. Unfortunately, this is nothing more than an opportunity to fleece tourists holiday money with a theatrical style presentation of Jane Austen’s family, life and early death, with dress ups and paintings and portraits from the era. There was nothing authentic about the displays, apparently they are held at Chowton House, located outside of Bath. Our time schedule did not allow a visit there, and after admiring a full size wax figurine of Jane, I bought a few trinkets and left somewhat disappointed by the experience. Never the less, it’s all part of the journey, the good, bad and in between.
Hopping back on the bus we ended up at our final destination the famous Roman Baths. Now this was a site to behold. Unintentionally we spent more than two hours here, immersing ourselves into a time, so foreign to us, that it is hard to process at times. While you are unable to bathe in the waters, for obvious health reasons, you can taste it - warm and a little salty. If you want to indulge in a spa or bath in the waters akin to the Roman Baths, you can pay for the privilege at a nearby spa and treatment centre. Maybe next time! Already feeling a little weary we
looked for a spot to have dinner but found the restaurants and pubs around the Bath centre are a bit fancy and we were not in the mood. It was late, it was hot and I was hangry. With a two hour drive to go, we grumbled into the car muttering something about finding a place along the way, and hope they we’re still serving food. And we were in luck. A four hundred year old stables converted into a restaurant and accommodation house was open and delightful. Although we were quite under-dressed and looking a little haggard, they we friendly and their food was delicious.
Stratford Upon Avon was our home for one night and we pulled up just shy of 10pm. Our host, Sue, was fabulous, and the room at Quilts and Croissants was well set up and comfortable. On for a chat, Sue told us about her own adventures in Australia many years ago, before bidding us goodnight. There is no doubt that the personality of the hosts makes all the difference when it comes to recommending a hotel or B&B and Sue outdid herself, mind you she has had twenty two years experience in the trade so she should know what works and what doesn’t. Breakfast was laid on and again she was happy to chat and provide us with ideas for getting around town and avoiding the crowds. She gave us a walking tour map with notes and so we set off to explore this historic town, most famous as the birthplace of William Shakespeare. We enjoyed a lovely couple of hours strolling through the village, found Shakespeare’s grave in the Holy Trinity Church, nearby the canal. Holy Trinity is the church where Shakespeare was baptised, worshipped and finally buried. Beautifully restored and still in active service the church built around 1210 gets many visitors to its doors, and I am sure they all marvel at the Shakespeare family graves and history that is on display.
Surprisingly, we found a couple of antique stores and spent some time chatting with the proprietors. I found a few treasures, which naturally are not ideal flying weight. Not to worry, we will sort that out later. Daryl had an encounter with a knight as we dodged the masses of tourists trying to get photos of anything Shakespearean. A bit dry and hungry we decided it would be appropriate to have tea and cake at The Hathaway tea rooms. Anne Hathaway was William Shakespeare’s sweetheart, so the location seemed right. Nestled in amongst many other historic buildings the shop front is quite deceiving. Looking small and dark, the entryway then leads into a beautiful outdoor garden, filled with large trees, providing a natural umbrella and lots of shade. Not allowing smoking in the garden was another bonus. The tea was real, the service impeccable and the cake simply indulgent. Fortunately the car was some blocks away, so a walk was welcome. Bidding the village centre farewell, we headed for Llandudno but not before a stop to the Shakespeare distillery. What a find! Set outside the village, this small, craft distillery is a family owned venture run by only three people. The two brothers, head distiller and assistant distiller and the front man. We arrived in time for a tour, and spent the next hour and half learning all about gin history ( we now know where the term Dutch courage evolved), how to make it and off course trying the three varieties they specialise in. I won the toss and Daryl said he would drive, so I got to sample a larger portion of gin. What a treat... dry, rhubarb and mulberry, straight and then with a selection of tonics. I have now located a supplier to Australia for this wonderful drop of satisfying liquid. If you’re are a gin drinker, try looking out for the local craft produce, it tastes a thousand times better than the mass produced products seen in every bar and alcohol outlet.
Considering a next destination would nearly take us past my cousins place, we detoured and stopped in for a quick hello. How lovely it was to see them again, after a few weeks away. We enjoyed a chat, cup of tea and then we were on our way again. North Wales with its famous Orme Tram car was set into the GPS and we settled in for another lengthy drive.
Until next time,
N
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