17 July Bristol

The weather is starting to deteriorate. Have decided to stay an extra day and forgo Alton Towers. Visited Bristol today, which is 45 minutes from Cheltenham. Bristol’s main feature is its busy tidal river. It has the extremes of very low and high tides. A well known phrase “Ship Shape in Bristol Fashion”, is all to do with ensuring the ships remain upright when left high and dry at low tide. The tide issue for the Bristol docks was resolved in 1809 with two locks being constructed at each end of the river to keep the water at a consistent level. Decided to take the Hop on Hop off sight seeing bus, which has proved useful for getting us around previous cities. Highlights include The Clifton Suspension bridge that soars high above the Avon River. It was the first bridge built of its type and pundits of the time said it couldn’t be done. I guess they were a tad wrong as it still takes traffic today. Some of the biggest Victorian and Georgian mansions in England are situated on the hill here and the Public buildings and schools offer fantastic architecture. After the bus tour we went back and explored a ship, the SS Great Britain that was built in 1845. It was the world’s first great ocean liner’. It was built initially to transport immigrants from England to Melbourne Australia. It served in both world wars, then became a cargo ship. In its time it was the biggest cruise ship in the world and was known as the Mammoth. By today’s standards it would now be considered a small super yacht. It had 3 classes of passengers. All the cabins were very cramped. Steerage was just a narrow bunk bed within a dormitory. First class was a teeny cabin, but at least you had more public space and had a dining room. The ship is in dry dock so you can view underneath the ship but the museum creates the illusion of still being in the water. It has been completely restored considering the fact it was scuttled after its use by date and had to be re-raised and put back together then restored. It is a great museum. We returned to Cheltenham ahead of the worst of the rain. Final dinner out before we say our fond farewells and head back to Yorkshire.

16 July Stratford Upon Avon

Stratford upon Avon is about an hour’s drive from Cheltenham. John and Marion picked us up and took us on a scenic tour of the Coltswolds where lots of gorgeous villages are dotted amongst the countryside. It is becoming very fashionable to live in these villages and any old dairy buildings and barns are having major makeovers into homes. They are horrendously expensive to anybody wishing to purchase them. After a pleasant meander we reach Stratford upon Avon and of course the great claim to fame is William Shakespeare. Stratford of course is considered a heritage area with numerous historical cottages to visit. The best way to do this is to purchase a pass to view 5 of the most famous.
Anne Hathaway’s cottage is the most picturesque on the outskirts of town. Her claim to fame was she was the wife of William Shakespeare. She was 8 years older than him with William being 18 when he married Anne. She was already expecting their first child, which was very frowned upon in those days. I guess it was the first shotgun wedding as a bit of money passed hands with the nuptials. Another notable visit was Mary Arden’s farm nearby. She was the mother of Shakespeare and this is a proper working Elizabethan farm and self-sustaining. Murray and Heather would be impressed. After this tour we drive into Stratford itself and had lunch at an old Elizabethan Pub. By this time we are starting to exhaust yet another of our hosts. Shakespeare’s birthplace is right in the centre of town. Tourist Trap Central. The tour came with a commentary along with the house tour about all his many works and the big name actors who were made famous as a result. At the conclusion we watched some street theatre with exerpts from the Taming of the Shrew. Buzz decided to name drop and became the ultimate charmer with the actors. We realise that the pressure of the day is starting to show on our hosts so we promise them a coffee fix if they kept up. Nash’s home was our next stop, which was Shakespeare’s home for the last 18 years of his life. This was set in lovely gardens. The last visit was Hall’s Croft, the home of John Hall, a physician who married Shakespeare’s eldest daughter Susanna. All his medical instruments were on display as well as the usual memorabilia. After the much needed coffee fix it was back to base to be taken out to dinner at Marion’s favourite restaurant, The Storyteller.Yet another late night. The weather is packing in so have decided to stay an extra day.Will forego Alton Towers because of the weather. Plan to have a quiet drive on our own to Bristol.

15 July Salisbury - Bath - Cheltenham

We have had a few days of non internet coverage so the updates will all come in one posting. We have not disappeared off the face of the earth

Left Salisbury mid-morning, destination Bath, an hours drive into Somerset. The country is changing around us with farmland and rolling country. Everywhere we go we discover something new. Bath is situated in a valley with the Avon River running through it. The first photo you see is the breathtaking vista that we had to immortalize. The city looked so old. The uniqueness of this area is that every building is constructed in Bath limestone. A very light colour and very beautiful. If you wish to clean this particular limestone, the cleaning job is horrendously expensive, as when cleaning it, you have to spray a mist of water every 3 minutes to loosen the soot so it literally falls off the building. Too much water turns the soot to sulphuric acid, which tends to eat things away. Not good for the building I have heard. A cleanup up for a terrace house can cost between 10 and 15,000 pounds. The main attraction in Bath is the Roman Baths with the only hot springs in the UK. They are the remains of a spa in the ancient world created by the Romans as part of their worship of the goddess Minerva. Later it was a fashionable resort for Victorian England to experience the waters. The museum tour is a self tour with an audio commentary which you take yourself round at your own pace. The springs still exist but are no longer used as every manner of bug languishes in the water. Buzz impervious to this took a wee dip. This caused a momentary panic to one of the attendants who on viewing the spectacle announced that “Its only a toy” with much relief thinking I had fallen in. After the photo opportunity, she told me about the nasty bugs in the water so I decided that Buzz required sterilising. A quick visit to the ladies set off yet another alarm via my audio set, so decided that maybe Buzz had outstayed his welcome. After returning the offensive audio set, Buzz was dipped in hot water and dried under the hand drier. He was returned to the backpack in disgrace. Be aware that none of this is my fault. Other highlights were the Pulteney Bridge, an ancient bridge with 3 arches and shops built on the top, the house of Sally Lunn (yes the same one who made the famous Sally Lunn Bun). There is of course a café that you can sample the wares. We didn’t. . Bath is also the home of Jane Austen.Despite the fact the Roman spa is just an attraction where you can’t soak in the waters; a new spa was opened in 2006. Horrendously expensive with all the treatments you little heart desires if you so choose. It was then off to Cheltenham, which is in the centre of the Cotswolds. We were reunited with John and Marion, but stayed with their good friend Verena and boyfriend John. Tonight we were entertained with a wonderful home cooked meal with much fun and laughter. A late night again.

14 July Salisbury

July 14th Salisbury

Decided to experience the sights and sounds of Salisbury. Many of these historical cities have really narrow streets so a solution to this is the park and ride system. You park your car in the outskirts in a secure area and a shuttle bus takes you into the CBD for a nominal charge. Wendy being over 60 has a card, which means she can take her and 3 other passengers for free as long as they ride in one car.
Many of the historical buildings have a modern use; the cinema is no exception. In a former life it was a wool merchant. The building had wonderful stained glass windows and frescoes. We strolled through the town to the Cathedral Close where many lovely homes reside. All owned by the church but none can be sold for public use with the exception of Edward Heath, a former Prime Minister. He was allowed to buy and own his house. Sadly he passed away 3 years ago. His estate was donated back to the people of Salisbury. The gardens were open for inspection today at a cost of 8 pounds. We passed. Other housing was for clergy widows. There are schools in the close. Sam went to Leaden Hall, an exclusive public school where Constable stayed and considered his art for the cathedral. The jury is still out whether she turned out right. We also went to the Military Museum (built in the 13th Century and was once used as a store house for the Bishop’s documents and clothes) which was really well laid out with Memorabilia from all the major wars going back as far as the Crimea war and American Civil Wars. Really interesting. Following a late lunch we did a tour of the Cathedral. Our guide was a very interesting lady. Very short, With a name like Muriel Dagg she was truly frightening. Even I was scared of her. I wanted to know if she was related to Fred or had a son called Trevor, but decided not to go there. She was bilingual and spoke fluent German and took no nonsense from anybody. She was a great tour guide. The conclusion of the tour we viewed the Magna Carta. There are 4 copies in existence and Salisbury Cathedral has the most legible copy. Took great photos of the day. You are only viewing a small selection. Went to a fabulous Italian Restaurant for dinner

13 July Salisbury

Bit of an early start today with us leaving Yorkshire at 6.30 for the 5-hour trek to Salisbury in time for lunch. Wendy, who we met 3 years ago on our Asia/Australia Cruise, lives on an estate on the outskirts of Salisbury with her daughter Sam. They have a 4 bedroom freestanding home overlooking Laverstock meadow with the river Bourne meandering through the estate .10 of them share part ownership of this picturesque setting. She also has a lovely garden. We have been treated to such wonderful hospitality that we may not want to leave.
Sam is very refreshing, passionate about nature and took us on a nature ramble naming plants, wildlife and historical aspects of the area. It is amazing she doesn’t do this full time as she could take tour groups around. I have encouraged her to consider it.
Salisbury is a medieval town dominated by their Cathedral, which is reputed to have the tallest spire in England. 5 Rivers meet in Salisbury. The Bourne, Avon,Nadder,Wylie and Ebble.
After a lovely lunch we proceeded to Stonehenge. I guess in some circles it is who you know. . Wendy is a member of the National Trust so all 4 of us sailed through without needing to pay. How can I explain Stonehenge. Quite eerie really, a prehistoric monument created by an ancient people who mapped the course of the sun and moon to build it. There are burial mounds dotted around the landscape. The large stones are called Sarsen Stones transported 30 km from Marlborough and the smaller stones are Bluestones transported from the Preseli Mountains in Wales 385 km away. The area is very windswept but seeing Stone Henge was a must see for us. We are also having to now deal with Buzz’ burgeoning celebrity status. We hope this does not become Buzz Mania. Sam reckons we need to put him on facebook to satisfy his fan base.
In the evening we went out to dinner with an extra addition, Diana, who was travelling with Wendy on our cruise. Great to catch up with her again. Our dinner venue was called the Haunch of Venison, a medieval inn that now would not pass the building code. We have never seen such a lopsided building but it has stood since the 1600s so it was built to last. The other claim to fame is a mummified hand. The one in the restaurant is a fake; the original is in the local museum. We believe the owner of the hand lost it while cheating at cards. We of course had the haunch of venison, not that we got a haunch, more like a couple of fillets but we can now tick the experience off. The last thing was playing Pooh sticks on the Avon River.

12 July Hornsea - Hull

Had a more relaxing day with a few domestic things like laundry to do. John and Marion had to check out of their guest house at 10.30 so spent more time with them before heading off together to Hull to watch a Rugby League Game. John had bought the tickets a few weeks ago, which also included Club car parking. We ended up parking in the Chairman’s carpark. We must have looked important driving a Jag. The game was The Bradford Bulls versus the Kingston Rovers super league. It was a great atmosphere. Very different to New Zealand as the fans sing just like in the football games that you see on TV. Great being in the middle of it. Buzz was flavour of the hour with him playing both sides against the other. He also has made a new friend who is called Droop. By the way The Kingston Rovers bet the Bulls 32-12 so it was a trouncing. John and Marion have driven back to Cheltenham so will catch up with them in a few days. John will read this when he gets home but he has utterly disgraced himself. When we were farewelling them he decided a quick pit stop was in order before the 5 hour trip back. He was the last one out of the house and pulled the door shut effectively locking us out. They drive away blissfully ignorant of our predicament. Fortunately I had left the roof door open drying clothes and the neighbours were wonderful with a ladder and allowed us access through a rear garden to climb on the roof to the door from the back. All is well fortunately. A quiet night in tonight before the drive to Salisbury tomorrow.