The Albatross
Tuesday 04 June 2019
We thought we would have a look through the local townships today, as that’s what you’re meant to do here apparently. We pottered down to Stow-on-the-Wold, which is just down the road. Basically, all these towns are basically the same, narrow streets around a central market area (which is now car parking, and full of clattering diesels), honey coloured stone buildings selling fudge or teas (or both), and narrow foot baths with pushy old ladies on them. The towns themselves are rather lovely, but they do look rather the same and I’m not a fan of fudge.
We decided to do a short walk next, doing a couple of miles each way to see Broadway Tower, a folly built to overlook the plains below the Cotswolds. Pretty views and a bit of exercise.
We thought we’d go to Chipping Campden for lunch. It looked like Stow-on-the-Wold, and the pub offerings were mediocre or full of Japanese tourists.
So we nipped back to Bretforton where we knew there was an award winning one. Indeed it was great, apart from this tedious loud mouth bore on the table next to us who would not shut up, and he thought he was hilarious. Damn good pie though.
After a quick stop at our accommodation, we decided to tick off all thing Shakespeare and do Stratford-on-Avon. Lots of Tudor buildings and Shakespeare stuff. So, we did the birthplace, the new house and the spot where his daughter lived. The talk in the new house was probably the most interesting as it was just Tuna, the guide and myself, even though the house no longer exists.
It was getting late by now and beginning to drizzle, so we extracted the car from the grid lock and scooted off home to our quiet apartment in the countryside (an old stable). Gin o’clock.