Tuesday 25th March: The Cotswold's to Stratford on Avon

Today was a very bad weather day, but in these parts you can't let that get you down, so Kate and Dave gamely drove us to city of Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford on Avon. Lots of green countryside along the way, gentle rolling hills as we drove into the Cotswold's; this is a SW central England area of rolling hills and small mountains, the tallest being just over 1000 ft, that is some 25 miles wide and about 90 miles long. The area is characterised by attractive small towns and villages built of the underlying Cotswold stone

As we drove and left Cheltenham, we did get a good glimpse of the town down below in what would have been a great view on a clear day.  Kate took us on the scenic tour, through several picturesque

Cotswold stone houses (from the web)

old villages. One of the main features of the Cotswold's is the ancient underlying limestone which results in a golden colored "Cotswold Stone" that has been used almost exclusively for buildings over many centuries, giving each of the villages we passed through a most uniform look.


We stopped for lunch at Stow on the Wold at a up-market place (Eng. word for swanky) called Morton's.  The actual entree menu was in the 20 pounds per person range but we settled for sandwiches;good English food here but lousy service which took nearly an hour to start our lunch!

Dave and Evie in doorway to Morton's

The rest of the journey to Stratford was less than a half hour.  The once-village (in the time of Shakespeare) has grown into a city now (population some 25,000), partially because of his fame. The name itself is Middle English for "a road that fords a river" (in this case, the Avon; only some dozen miles or so downstream from Warwick castle). It is a major tourist attraction, partially because of it's famous son, but also because it's become a theatrical center as well, with a couple of very well known playhouses and theater companies there.

Our first stop was at Anne Hathaway's cottage, the home of Shakespeare's wife's family (before she was married) which houses a nice garden.  We didn't take the tour, as it was too wet and nearing closing time (4PM).

Anne Hathaway's Cottage in Stratford

The garden, on a rainy day

Kate then dropped us a block or two away from the main attraction and Dave, Evie and I braved the rain to walk to what is now a pedestrian walkway past the house Shakespeare retired to after he made his money in London. He was born here, in more humble lodgings, and after making his fame and fortune in London, he could afford to build a retirement home here in about 1605.

Evie and Dav walking through downtown Stratford on Avon

Shakespeare's birthplace

His back yard

Even though this was a weekday and off-season, there were still plenty of people about and several tour buses had just come in. There were throngs of foreign tourists of all nationalities. We were a little late in the afternoon to take the tour of the house and I really wasn't that interested anyway as it was some 15 pounds per person to get in; I did take some pictures and we walked through the gift shop and bought a few souvenirs for home.  I did see an interesting just published historical novel on sale that I'll look up when I get home, called "1599", about one particularly important year in Shakespeare's life.

We walked around a bit; there were lots of high end clothiers and gifts shops in the area. The main drag is for pedestrians only and preserves some other very old structures dating back to even earlier than the Bard's time.

The main street in Ye Olde Stratford

We wended our way back to the car where Kate was patiently waiting and headed back out of town; we
drove a different way home, getting in towards sunset.

Evie and Kate went out to pick up fish and chips at their favorite establishment, Simpson's, but not the cartoon characters.  This Simpson's is a chain known for using sustainably harvested fish, the three basics of cod (preferred), hake, or haddock.  I chose to have scallops and chips, which was more breading than scallops but still tasty and an option that we never get at home.

We sat up and watched a little tele before getting to bed late.