Stratford & More Cotswolds

A trip to Stratford-on-Avon and last day in Cotswolds ...

Wednesday, 13th June and at last blue sky and sunshine on the way to Straford-on-Avon. If you were observant this photo featured in the previous post but with grey skies and some rain!

Henley Street in Stratford-on-Avon. The crowds are milling around William Shakespeare's birthplace!

We decided it was time for a morning coffee and a sit in the warm sun!

This photo and the next two were shot from the upstairs of a red Sightseeing Bus travelling around Stratford-on-Avon.

Stratford - still very pretty when you get to the less crowded parts!

On the left, the Falcon Hotel where we stayed many years ago when we visited England with Chris and Ali.

Anne and Terri in the gardens of Anne Hathaway's Cottage.

Anne and Terri examining a sculture in the orchard of Anne Hathaway's Cottage. Doesn't the sun look nice!

Anne Hathaway's Cottage. Anne Hathaway was William Shakespeare's wife. The right hand end of the Cottage was built mid 1400s and then extended with left hand half in the 1600s!

Terri and Anne in the garden at Anne Hathaway's Cottage.

Just look at the thickness of that thatching! Thatching lasts about 25 years if it is done well.

A quick lunch at the Falcon Hotel. I had ham (gammon), eggs, chips and peas and, of course, a beer!

The Avon River as in Stratford-on-Avon!

Anne near the canal at Stratford. Note the canal barges in the background. Also note the increasing grey skies in the background.

Thursday, 14th June, our last full day in the Cotswolds so we got off to a relaxed start and drove to Bibury. This was the back of the Bibury Court Hotel (visitors welcome).

Gardens and the river that runs through the grounds of the Bibury Court Hotel.

The magnificent front of the Bibury Court Hotel.

The beautiful houses in the centre of Bibury.

Just a small cottage in Bibury!

This row of cottages epitomises the Cotswolds! After Bibury we drove to Burford and had morning coffee and then back to Painswick via Fairford. We needed a restful afternoon as we had to pack ready for an early start to drop Terri at Reading before we head to Mary & Mike's in Winnersh.

Bath & The Cotswolds

Trip to Bath and touring the Cotswolds ....

Monday, 11th June on the way to Bath we called into Dyrham Park a large stately home but as you can see, a walk around the gardens (complete with roaming deer) was not really going to be much fun!

Bath Abbey was magnificent and we spent about half an hour looking around this Abbey that dates, in its present form, from around 1500.

This Abbey has its place in history as the site where in 973 the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York crowned Edgar as the first effective King of England.







Typical Bath architecture.













Anne took the opportunity to get into a Victorian dress in the Bath Fashion Museum.

Tuesday, 12th June a beautiful panoramic view between Painswick and Winchcombe.









We stopped for a look around Sudeley Castle.









Anne was keen to have a dip but the it was a bit cool (and the water a bit green)!

Sudeley Castle was the home of Katherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII who outlived him. In this photo Anne is in the middle, Katherine Parr on the right and, of course, Henry VIII on the left.

Katherine Parr's loo has to the plushest around!

Terri and Anne outside Sudeley Castle.

The famous Cotswold town of Broadway.

This was a fantastic little shop in Broadway. It went on forever inside even though it looks so small.








There were three artists outside the shop in the photo above. I was watching this guy doing an ink sketch.

The lady with the umbrella was trying to sell icecreams but nobody was buying! Me thinks it was just too cold!








The famous Lower Slaughter.

Lower Slaughter again!

Keswick to Painswick

Lake District, Telford and arrival at Painswick ...

Friday, 8th June and a rainy wet Keswick clock tower. Terri and Anne trying to make the best of it!

Keswick main street. Plenty of people out enjoying the typically wet Lake District weather.

The "Cockermouth History Wall" shows significant events in Cockermouth's history like the floods in 2009 which had the water level in the town about two foot above Anne's head on the left.

The fantastic lookout halfway up a tiny road to Watendlath (off the Borrowdale road). As you can see the rain did not deter Anne and Terri but last time we were lucky enough to see it with blue sky and sunshine!

The famous Ashness Bridge on the Watendlath road.

This view of the Ashness bridge features on many Lake District calendars and postcards. Mind you, it is usually shown with a blue sky!

Saturday, 9th June a before breakfast walk to the waterfalls through Ambleside.

Now moving to Telford this is Anne, Bill and Maggie at Ironbridge (see below).

Bill, Maggie, Anne and Terri walking in Ironbridge the original part of Telford.

Classic picture of the "IronBridge". This was the first cast iron bridge in the world!

Sunday, 10th June leaving our B&B in Telford.

Arriving in the Cotswolds we decided to visit Bourton-on-the-Water on the way though to Painswick as the weather was quite reasonable!

The welcome cup of tea in the garden at Byfield House with Jill and Bret (Alison will remember this well!)

Our wonderful hosts at Byfield House, Bret and Jill.

Hawes, Kendal, Ambleside

Moving from Yorkshire Dales to Lake District ...

Wednesday, 6th June we leave Chris and Alan's to head for the Lake District. First stop the cobbled streets of Hawes with Anne and Terri looking for morning tea!

Hawes has many antique shops some of them very expensive.

Hawes is a pretty little place with this river running through the town.

Had to take this picture! This is a combined Chemist and Wine & Spirit Merchant. I always thought my wine and spirits was medicinal! Alternatively if the medicines don't fix you then you turn to alcohol. We eventually had morning tea at the Creamery which is where they make Wensleydale cheese.

Next stop Kendal which has to go down as the hardest place to park yet encountered. We eventually managed to get a space in the Marks & Spencers car park which was also Pay & Display. Note the subtle KFC sign on the left hand side of the street!

Kendal Town Hall. Quite a nice place to walk around and stretch the legs.

We found this quaint place to have some lunch which seemd very popular with the locals. Looks small from the outside but it was like the Tardis and went on forever on the inside.











This was one floor of the above lunch stop which had two more floors, a shop and kitchens below - everything slopped at weird angles - presumably very old!

Anne and Terri just had to checkout the bargains at the OXFAM shop.

Our B&B in Ambleside called the Riverside and our home for three nights. Our car is the one in the middle.









Thursday, 7th June before breakfast - Anne in the back garden of the Riverside.

This why it is called the Riverside. Our car is just to the left and the river is about 5 foot in front of it!








Walking in Ambleside. At least every other house was a B&B and almost all with No Vacancies. We found out that not only had they delayed the June Bank Holiday by one week for the Diamond Jubiliee but also the school half term (1 week) so everywhere was very busy.

We decided to visit the Beatrix Potter centre at Hill Top but when we bought the tickets we did not realise that it was a timed entry and had about an hour and a half to kill. Where else but the local pub!







When we found that we had to wait another half hour for a 5 minute look into the Beatrix Potter house (shown here) for GBP 8.00 each Anne negotiated a refund and we went on our way!

The rest of the day's drive was rather tortuous and I, the driver, decided that we were not doing anymore C Roads (details later). It was A and B only from now on! The passengers agreed!

Fitting end to a very wet day in the Lake District. In what became our favourite pub in Ambleside called the White Lion.