Another Stop in the Cotswolds and Shakespeare Country

This trip is fast winding down with our last stop before parting being Stratford-Upon-Avon.  We left Bourton on the Water this morning and it took less than an hour to get here.  This accommodation is completely different to any we have had on this trip.  Because of convenience, price and parking availability, we are spending the night at the DoubleTree Inn by Hilton.  So, we have the luxury of an elevator which, at this end of the vacation, is a true blessing.  We need to get all our stuff out of the car and consolidated!  Tomorrow, I am dropping Nawal off at her friends' place in Hertfordshire and then dropping the car at Heathrow where I will stay at an airport hotel before my flight Tuesday.

Before we left the Cotswolds, we had the opportunity to visit another one of the charming villages there:  Broadway.  That was the first place I stayed in this area back in 1981.  I remember the B&B where we stayed being thatched and old.  Not much has changed about this place since then other than there is now a bypass so the lorries and coaches that used to shake all the ancient buildings can no longer drive through it.  Our first view was of the cenotaph there still draped with poppies from the D-Day remembrances a few days ago.

Below is a photo of the Lygon Arms, a very famous hotel in this village with a very long history.  I have copied the information from the hotel website to give an idea of its impressive pedigree.

At The Lygon Arms, you can visit the suite that Oliver Cromwell stayed in the night before the Battle of Worcester in 1651. See the carvings of John Trevis’ name on the arch of the front door, etched into the hotel’s history in 1620. The Lygon Arms has roots reaching right into the 1300’s. It’s a historic hotel in the Cotswolds, with a typically Cotswolds history. The predominantly Tudor coaching inn stands in Broadway, which was a key connection between Wales, Worcester and London in Elizabethan times.

Owners have changed, names have altered, but visitors have always flocked to The Lygon Arms, a charming hotel enshrouded in history. The hotel’s name has changed throughout history, and the first written record refers to it as The White Hart, in 1377. The hart, a mature stag, was a personal symbol of King Richard II (1367 – 1400). The hotel’s name would change several times, reflecting the political changes of each era, showing how much history would shape the enchanting hotel. The coaching inn would come into its own when it would serve as a touch-stone for both sides of the English Civil War in 1649. The English Civil War pit Queen Elizabeth’s cousin Charles I against the forces of the English Parliament, and some of that played out within the very walls of The Lygon Arms itself.

The suite now known as the impressive King Charles I Suite was where King Charles I and his supporters would assemble. The King’s coat of arms stands regally over one of its fireplaces today. Visitors will also notice that the face of the royal lion is missing, presumably hacked off by Parliamentarians. The other side of the English Civil War, the Parliamentary army, also stayed at The Lygon Arms, then known as the White Hart Inn, in 1651. The bedroom now known as The Cromwell Room was where Oliver Cromwell slept the night before the Battle of Worcester. This battle would finally destroy the royalist cause. A copy of his ‘warts and all’ portrait hangs next to a huge seventeenth century fireplace in The Cromwell Room today.

The Cotswold coaching inn would continue to act as a staging post for mail coaches between London and Wales throughout the eighteenth century, offering a change of horses and even providing coach-and-four for guests who needed onward transport. It remained an important stop-off on the trading routes. By the 1900’s, the hotel was owned by Sydney Bolton Russell whose son began to restore antique furniture for the hotel in a loft over the Lygon’s coach house. Gordon Russell would become one of England’s leading designers in the 1930’s, creating the iconic Murphy Radio Cabinet and the seating for Coventry Cathedral. Some of his pieces sit in the hotel still today. As the 1900’s progressed, inventions such as the motorcar and charabanc would elevate the hotel into a destination in its own right rather than a staging post.

King Edward VII motored to the hotel in 1905 and in 1913, as did his grandson, the playboy prince and future King Edward VIII. The hotel became synonymous with the English middle classes who followed suit, and in the interwar years and beyond The Lygon Arms remained a popular choice for celebrities. Big names were drawn to the hotel for its historic prestige and The Lygon Arms boasts one of the most glamorous guest books in the world. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor stayed here in 1963 at the height of the scandal surrounding their affair. Other film star couples followed suit including Mary Pickford and Charles ‘Buddy Rogers’, Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson, Moira Shearer who at the time was much better known than her husband Ludovic Kennedy, to name just a few of the famous names who have passed through the doors. Today the hotel’s guest book is still in use and counts not just actors and movie stars, but politicians, prime ministers and even Prince Phillip on its pages.

Needless to say, I haven't even bothered to find out what a room here would cost.  I would be that it is totally out of sync with my budget!  I do confess, however, that on one visit here, I did eat in the pub.   

So, here are some more photos of the charming villages lining the High Street.

Our return route to Bourton on the Water, took us through some beautiful countryside and one or two more pretty little villages including Snowshill.

For our last dinner in Bourton, we ate at the highly recommended Rose Tree Restaurant.  It was a perfect end to our stay in the Cotswolds.

So, Sunday, we headed further north (only about 25 miles) to Stratford -Upon-Avon where the main attractions here are Shakespeare's Birthplace and Anne Hathaway's Cottage in the nearby village of Shottery.  The hotel is about a 15 minute walk into the town which worked well,  The sun was out so we walked into town and the main street (Bridge Street) was closed for a weekend market.  We browsed the stalls but weren't tempted to buy anything - good thing as I can barely lift my suitcase as it is!

We continued to the Avon river with its Ferris wheel on one side (it seems many towns over here have one of these now), parks and longboats plus lots and lots of swans and Canada geese!

Shakespeare's Birthplace

So, with that, I think my blogging duties for this trip are over.  I am pretty clear that driving to Heathrow and dropping a rental car off isn't very interesting for anyone to read about!  So, next up will be in September when I head to Venice for a two week cruise to Athens that will take me to a number of places I have never seen.  After that, I will meet up with my sister in Frankfurt but our plans for those two weeks are yet to be finalized.  

Safe travels everyone and have a great summer!

Mondo Cane

It would be a mistake before I wrap this blog up (I still hope to write one or two more before I head home Tuesday), not to write something about what is clearly a huge love affair between the Brits and their dogs!  We have noticed this everywhere we have been but it was particularly evident in Devon.  I would guess that at least 60% of the people had dogs.  Given that dogs have become almost pariahs back home, it is worth hearing about how here they still really are "man's best friend"!

From our first night in Bere Regis, when there were at least 4 dogs in the pub where we ate, dogs seem to be welcome everywhere.  I don't think we have been anywhere where they weren't allowed, except in several of the more high end restaurants.  That first evening we chatted with the owners and, in the end, Nawal had given a doggy bag to the dog owners.  They, and most likely the dogs even more, were thrilled!

And, it continued.  In Otterton, where we stayed in a pub hotel, there were dogs inside as well and there was even a "dog menu" posted on the wall in the pub!

In Looe, the following day, the dogs were enjoying sitting outside (sometimes in their owners' laps) in the sun.

At our visit to Lanhydrock, we saw this notice.

We also saw lots of dog specialty store selling everything from custom raincoats to doggie treats and toys.  I know we have these stores at home but here they seem to be in even the smallest villages.  We saw this product being marketed in Polperro.  Not sure if we get these at home.

In Boscastle, Clovelly and Westward Ho!, more signs:

In Lynmouth, and not for the first time, we saw a dog being pushed in a stroller.  We'd seem them in prams as well!

And so it continued in all the places we went.  Sign after sign inviting people to bring their dogs with them.  In Broadway, a lovely Cotswold village yesterday, we saw this one for doggy ice cream.  That was a new one for me - and this wasn't the only business here offering ice cream for dogs!

Of all the signs we saw, there was only one that was negative.  It seemed more than justified as, after all, we were on farmland when we saw it!

Saving Some of the Best for Last

Arguably, the Cotswolds are one of the prettiest regions in England, filled with charming yellow-stoned cottages and buildings, rolling hills and ancient market towns.  While I absolutely adore the wild and rugged coastline of Cornwall and its fishing villages, the Cotswolds are still up there in terms of some of my favourite places in England.  Thursday (the 75th anniversary of D-Day) was sunny and we took advantage of that as the weather forecast for the next few days (which will my last in England this trip) is anything but positive.  

We drove from Dunster to Bourton-on-the-Water mostly along the M5.  I am not sure which is more stressful - driving the one-track lanes or the busy British motorways!  It took us just over 2 hours to reach our destination.  Once we had settled in to the guest house which will be home for the next three night, we set off to find some lunch in the village.  That is not a tough job as there are cafes, tea shops, pubs and restaurants every few metres!

After lunch, we decided to walk to Lower Slaughter, a nearby village with a well known mill which is often featured in British calendars.  The owner of the guest house had suggested the walk and it was perfect.  It took about 1/2 each way and, aside from crossing a busy highway (with, thankfully, a controlled crosswalk), the pathway called Wardens Way, was nearly all a bridle path once we were out of the village.

As predicted, however, when we woke up Friday morning, the weather was miserable!  The predicted high 12' and lots of rain.  I'm so glad we got to do that sunny walk yesterday!

North Devon: Lynmouth, Exmoor and Dunster

A couple of days ago, we headed north from Westward Ho! to Exmoor.  On the way, we stopped at Lynmouth.  I think I first visited this pretty seaside village in the early 1980's.  Since then, I have returned often, primarily to share its beauty with travelling companions.  

The village straddles the confluence of the West Lyn and East Lyn rivers, in a gorge 700 feet (210 m) below Lynton.  The towns are connected, not only by road, but by a funicular tramway.

From Lynmouth, we continued heading east and our next stop was a photo op on Exmoor to see the ponies that roam here.  The Exmoor pony is actually a recognized horse breed native to the British Isles.  They are only wild in the sense that the herds roam freely on the moor, for all the ponies belong to someone.  A few years ago people were afraid that the pony might become extinct so the National Park Authority bought young stock and now owns two herds. There are currently eleven other privately owned herds that run on the different commons within the Exmoor National Park.  We also loved the signs!

We continued to our destination, Dunster, a pretty village just east of Minehead sitting at the base of Dunster Castle.  We had left Devon behind and were now in Somerset.  The Dunster website states that the village is probably the largest and most intact medieval village in England. I have driven through or by this village numerous times and have always wanted to stay here.  This time I got my wish.  The hotel where we stayed is a grade 2 listed building, dating from the 1700’s.  I expect that the building was originally a coaching inn given the entrance to what is now the car park.  It was a bit harrowing driving the car through that but, with my friend's encouragement, we did it with, literally, inches to spare!  

Aside from its castle which dates from 1000 years ago, Dunster is also famous for its Yarn Market.  Built in 1609, it sits in the middle of the high street as a monument to the town's once flourishing cloth trade. Before it was built, most of the buying and selling would have been done in the open air, but the English weather being what it is, there must have been occasions when trading was halted by wind or rain. Sellers must also have been worried about the security of their goods. The Yarn Market was a permanent solution to all these problems.

The following day, we left Dunster and Somerset and headed for the Cotwolds.  This area will be our focus for the last remaining days of my vacation.  First up:  Bourton-on-the-Water.