CALLING ON SHAKESPEARE

Last time we were in England we didn't visit Stratford-upon-Avon so we thought we would remedy the situation this time.
We were experiencing very changeable weather - some sun, some rain, some thunder storms - all were in the forecast for the day.

Stratford-upon-Avon is a very pretty town on the river Avon and actually has a marina where the river and a canal meet.
These canals are very interesting to us we don't have them in Oz.
( sorry photo wouldn't load !)


The house where Shakespeare was born is in a pedestrianised section of the old town.
There is a purpose built entry to it where you pass through a school excursion-like section with a commentary full of "probably" and " might be" !!

Viewed from the rear the house had very pretty gardens.

Inside were low ceilings, uncomfortable looking beds and tiny rooms where dramatisations of snippets of Shakespeare were acted out by costumed performers.

There was a glassed section to reveal a bit of wattle and daub too.

After sheltering from the rain and having a bite of lunch we set off to walk the one mile to Anne Hathaway's house and were caught half way by another thunder storm!!
 Luckily we found a church to shelter in till it passed .

The house was worth the walk - sooooo pretty from the outside.....

with lovely gardens set out in all directions of the farm.

( note the next storm looming overhead )

Inside was another story and I have decided (not fot the first time ) that I am very glad that I did not live in those days.

We managed to wait in the rain for 30 minutes ( with only one umbrella 'cos he-men don't use umbrellas - until it rains!!!) then caught a bus back into the centre of the town !

An interesting day but very touristy.

Cheers.

BLACK AND WHITE

As we moved north the style of the old houses changed.

Lovely black and white houses became the order of the day

Our ever helpful hosts, Michael and Elizabeth, sent us off to follow the Black and White trail.

In the village of Pembridge we spied this old treasure.

Look how crooked it is !!!
A little further on we came upon a building with this sign on it.

Tony couldn't work it out but for a retired primary school teacher it was easy.
Can you work it out?

This is the building in question - over 400 years old !

The roses are blooming everywhere - especially the climbing ones.

Many of these old structures are built out of wattle and daub.
This one is being restored and a section was exposed so that you could see the wattle ( sticks) and daub (originally mud and manure I'm told ) covering them. 

The men restoring these old places work under very difficult conditions with poor access to the sites and having to carry materials in and out in wheelbarrows, up ladders through windows, crawling around and bent over with little head space and room to manoeuvre.
They do a magnificent job ( as I told the man on this job ) preserving their history and heritage for all to see and treasure.

This is the place being restored.

Some later ones are built with bricks and plaster in place of the daub but the effect is the same.

The woodwork is often very decorative.

This is the famous "The Feathers" Hotel in Ludlow.......

....and this is Broad Street, Ludlow.

Isn't it lovely ?

I think they are a real treasure. I'm so glad they are valued and preserved.

Cheers.

TINTERN ABBEY

On our way from Lynton to Ludlow we drove through the Wye Valley in Wales.

We hadn't gone far into the valley when we came upon the magnificent ruins of Tintern Abbey.



Of course we had to stop and explore and once inside the ruin we were very glad we had stopped.

The building, of course, has long since lost its roof but what remains is astounding, absolutely HUGE !!

The ancient structure towers toward the sky.

We wandered .......

and gazed around in awe.

See how the people are dwarfed by the size of it.

It made a lovely break and the nearby pub served up a good lunch before we set off again.

We were not disappointed by our next cottage.

Isn't it lovely?
It was delightful inside too.( I'll show you more in another post all about cottages )

 It is part of a huge manor house - that's it on the left end.

It made a lovely comfortable base for our stay....

and our hosts , who lived in the main house and ran it as a B&B
were absolutely delightful.

Cheers.

VALLEY OF ROCKS WALK

On our last day in Lynton we decided to do the walk to the Valley of Rocks.

We set off along a path through a lovely green tunnel of trees walking upwards, ever upwards but not too steeply thank goodness!



Before too long we broke out of the trees and followed a narrow path that clung to the hillside overlooking the Bristol Channel.

We rounded a corner and lovely pastoral views appeared and wound our way down into a little valley.

The weather was fine but misty and cloudy but as the track rose out of the valley towards the sea again it began to clear.

Before long it was blue skies and sunshine ....

.. and this breath-taking view.

Time to pause, click and click some more.

Set the timer and pose!!

It was hard to drag ourselves away but finally we rounded the bend and started back towards Lynton.

As the path went back towards Lynton it wove its way through these lovely rhododendrons.

and lovely bright green ferns .

We chose the low path and ended up at the entrance to Lynmouth harbour....

..where we walked around for the final time before heading back up the cliff via the cliff railway then home to pack up ready to move on to Ludlow.

Cheers.

IN OUR ELEMENT

Have a look at this gorgeous pub !
This is one of the things we love most about England - well, really the counrtyside of the whole of the UK and Ireland is full of delightful places like this.

Warm and inviting inside.

A cosy fire for cold days and nights.
( just opened at midday)

Friendly people who are happy to chat to strangers - eager to give them tips on good places to go and interesting things to see in the local area.
This has to be our favourite pub among many good ones we have visited this trip.

.... and wonderful food ( for only 11.25GBP ) !

We're in our element !!

Cheers.