England 2017, Sunday, 5/21/17

Awake at the normal time this morning, and packed up for a day's travel. Our usual wonderful breakfast, although the ladies opted for a round of eggs Benedict as a change-up.  Reportedly most satisfactory.

We strike out this morning for points south and west of Colsbourne and the Cotswolds. Throughout England, there are a series of White Horses carved into the landscape.  The most famous of which may be near Dover.  There is, however, one here in the Cotswolds near Faringdon, that is different from the others.  It's form is more modern and stylized, although it seems to have been created in the same approximate time period (Bronze Age) as the others.  Their purpose is unknown. This particular one was created by digging the trenches for the form, and then hauling huge blocks of chalk to fill the trenches.  The locals continue, as they have for centuries, to keep the form clean and to refresh the chalk as necessary.  This is a National Trust site and is protected.  A lovely area for a stroll, as witnessed by the crowds on this Sunday morn.

After an ice cream from the truck vendor on site, we continue motoring onward to Avebury.  Avebury is the site of the oldest and largest circle of stones ever discovered - estimated to have been installed around  2850 BCE, pre dating Stonehenge.  The stone circle actually includes a portion of the Village of Avebury, and, as such is the only stone chicle that also encompasses both a chapel and a pub!

We toured the adjacent Avebury Manor house and attached gardens.  The Manor House is particularly interesting.  It's various rooms are set in different periods during it's history, some as old as Tudor times.  Also, visitors are allowed to touch anything in the home, open drawers and cabinets, try on various costumes that are placed around the room, sit in the chairs, etc.  All the furniture and costumes are recreations, and not actual antiques.  This is a unique approach to history and was very fun and informative.  A practice that should be copied elsewhere.

We departed at 5:00 and boarded our chariot enroute to Wells, our destination for the next few days.  We arrived at our resting place, Beryl House, around 6:30.  This is a Gothic Revival Mansion House constructed in 1838 and now converted into a guest house. It does not, however serve evening meals, so we journeyed down the hill to The Fountain Inn pub for our supper.  As this is Sunday, the meals were variations on the English Sunday Roast.  Tim and I had a roast lamb, DebC had roast beef, and DebD had roast pork. A serviceable but not distinguished meal.  Back to the Guest House by 10:00 to retire for another day's adventures.

England, 2017, Saturday 5/20/17

Again up early, 6:30, to dress and get to breakfast at 8:00.  DebC and Mark took a short walk prior to breakfast along a car path next to our cottage.  It descended down to the River Chum, across a small bridge and again up a hill.  We stopped at the river (really a stream,) and shot a short video of the falls and the stream.  Not sure if it will translate on this log, but we will try.  At the top of the hill, we noted that it stretched on for many a mile through fields and footpaths.  Only that we had brought our true walking shoes and walking staffs.  Something to look forward to next trip.  We returned, finding that road back up the hill was a bit tougher than going down.

On to the dining room for another full English breakfast, this one including black pudding, a treat for me, but scorned by others.

We departed after 10:00 towards Burton-On-The-Water and arrived at 11:00. The Park & Display machines were out of service, so we left a note on our dashboard to that effect and walked out of the car park hopeful.  We strolled on to this bucolic village and were rewarded with a typical touristy shopping experience; however, with this wonderful village, one can not begrudge the tourists.  After the crowd increased, it became increasingly difficult for those of our party that were grinchy-grouchy.  However, even with the occasional showers, we enjoyed our visit. I even stopped for a visit with the Hare God effigy, in the hopes of some restoration.  No evidence yet.

We left Burton, after a stop for a scone and tea, and then headed for Hidcote Gardens. This is a world renowned garden, the first to introduce the concept of garden rooms to the world.  It was established by Lawrence Johnston, an American who, with his mother, Marjorie Winthrop, purchased the 243 acre farm in 1907.  Mrs. Winthrop promptly departed back to New York to return to her societal life and Johnston  spent the next 40 years transforming over 40 acres into a world renowned garden.  In 1948, in ill health and with no remaining funds, he negotiated with the National Trust of England to take over the gardens.  They have subsequently becomes world renowned and are maintained as they originally were left.  They are magnificent.

After over three hours, we pulled ourselves away from the gardens and headed back to Colesbourne, with a detour through the village of Broadway, arriving in time for a quick cocktail and then dinner at the Inn.

This evening's meal included swordfish steak, asparagus and wild mushroom risotto, sea bass on a bed of warm salad, and again fish and chips (jumbo size.) We retired, happy and fed around 10:00, contented.

England 2017, Friday, 5/19/17

Another travel day coming up.  Arose at 6:00, showered and preliminary packing.  On to the restaurant to enjoy our final Full English at 8:00 AM and then back to final packing.  Our car and driver picked us up at 10:00 and we bid adieu to The Windermere Hotel for this trip.  Undoubtably we will return as it has become our London headquarters - we have been staying here off and on since at least 2002.

Out to Heathrow to pick up our rental vehicle - a large minivan to hold all our luggage easily and the four of us to travel in style.  We proceeded down the road to Oxford, parked the vehicle without incident, and then walked to the Ashmolean Museum, a part of Oxford University.  Entry is free, and the amount of material and information is amazing.  To properly do justice to the institution would take days and multiple visits. Truly a place not to miss.

We then proceeded to a pub around the corner - Three Goat Heads, for a snack and glass.  The establishment stops serving food at 3:00, but as it was only 3:15 and there was no one else in the pub, they offered to serve a meat pie (think chicken pot pie of incredible pastry with finesse) a dessert brownie with raspberry sauce and some wine and ale.  Amazingly good.  We then made an offhand derogatory comment regarding our President, which led into a long discussion of politics between the bartender, the cook and us; we covered both English and American political scenes.  Interesting and thought provoking as to the stance of both the young bartender/ philosophy student, and the older hilarious cockney cook.

We left Three Goats Heads refreshed and intrigued with our hosts.  Oxford is a quintessential college town and it was jam packed on a Friday afternoon.  We strolled the shopping area and stopped at a bookstore to pick up a few travel tomes for the areas we are about to visit.

Off then towards Colesbourne and the Colesbourne Inn near Cheltenham in the Cotswolds.  Weather is beginning to clear, but occasional showers.  The Countryside is beautiful, green, rolling, and charming.  Traffic is moderately heavy, clearing as we near our destination.  The Colesbourne Inn proves to be exquisitely charming.   We are housed in a newly remodeled former kitchen of the main house.  Brand new fittings and we are to be the first guests. 

Dinner proves to be problematic as the Inn is packed with locals and it doesn't appear that we can get a table until nearly 9:00.  However, a check of nearby eateries reveals that Friday night must be a major dining out evening, so we settle in front of the fireplace of the restaurant for a cocktail.  A table opened up earlier than expected and we sit down to a truly delicious meal: duck breast, a huge fish and chips, grilled rainbow trout, and a hearty vegetable barley soup.  Wonderful desserts also were served.  We retired around 10:30, tired, but happy to be on the road.