Chapter 17

Rule Britannia

Arrived in England to a sunny, chilly day. Quel surprise.
We did not go all the way into London on the Eurostar, instead we jumped off at a new station called Ebsfleet, in Kent, and in the middle of nowhere. This was about 30 mins from Philip's cousins home, so easy for them and us. Did not have to fight the crowds at the end of the line.
The next day was Philip's birthday, so we headed to The Railway, a pub in West Wickham for lunch. Our nephew Julian and his partner Tamara - who left Australia in June 2012 and are currently living in London - joined us, as did Philip's cousins Martin, Janet, Valerie and Derek. It was so nice to catch up with them again.  Roast beef all round, and yorkshires of course!

A new country consumes a lot of time in setting things up.  New phone numbers, transport passes and bank accounts, and buying a few warmer clothes.  This coupled with Philip doing interviews has seen the time pass quickly.
We hired a car for a week to explore and catch up with friends. As a belated birthday present to Pip, we decided to head to Wales for a weekend .......because we could!
Now Pip had not driven for 7 months, so on this occasion, I was allowed to be a "back seat driver"! 
On our way to Wales, we stopped in Bath, 156km west of London.  It was first called Aquae Sulis in 60AD. It became popular in the Georgian era which led to the exemplary architecture crafted from Bath stone that you see today. A very elegant place. I don't know why we had never visited before, as they get 3.5 million visitors a year, so very popular!

Our Wales B & B stay was a pub in a village called Moulton, about 20 minutes further on from Cardiff. Food and room were great. We did not try the Faggots for dinner (whatever they are), but stuck to the Welsh Black Angus beef instead. The publican had an uncle who lived in Melbourne......small world. 
Next day we headed back into Cardiff for a look at the bay. The area is being transformed with apts and restaurants, and because of the sunny day was abuzz with people. 

Cardiff Bay - abuzz with people

Tintern Abbey was suggested to us as a place of interest to visit, or should I say the remains of.  It was built in 1131, and is now an impressive shell of what would have been a masterpiece of construction.

 

The drive on this 22 deg day showcased the Wye River valley, as the road and the river ( which forms some of the border between England and Wales) snaked its way along from Chepstow to Hereford.  Daffodils, bluebells, forget-me-nots, trees full of blossom and the greenest of fields with their hedgerows were so picturesque.  Because we were reasonably close, we went to Abergavenny.  Philip kept singing the song all the way there, very annoying. "Taking a trip up to Abergavenny.........."  
We passed through other villages with names of....North Piddle , Suckley, Inkberrow, Arrow, Whatcote, Snitterfield, and Lower Swell. What were they drinking when naming these places?
Because the Cotswolds is such an interesting area and we were right on the doorstep, we headed off early from our friend Annette's home at Bearley near Stratford-upon-Avon to explore some National Trust places.
First stop was Charlecote Park, which sits beside the Avon river on 185 acres, and has been owned by the Lucy family since 1247.  The house was constructed in 1551.  It had its own brew house.........bet there were great parties! 

 

Next stop was Baddesley Clinton, owned by the Ferrers family since 1500. It has passed from father to son for 12 generations!  Persecuted Catholics were hidden here from priest hunters during the 1590's.  There are a number of secret cupboards, false walls and other clever 'hidey holes' dotted around the house.

Philip wanted to go pub crawling, so Annette and I appeased him with the offer of a pub lunch. We took the drive to Chipping Campden, a small market town in the Cotswolds in Gloustershire, which dates back to the 14C. A pretty village where the streets are lined with elegant honey-coloured limestone buildings. It is a local stone called Cotswold stone or oolitic stone. We had lunch in the pub called The Eight Bells, where we just got through the doorway!  This is a height thing not a width thing!! We haven't put that much weight on.  The pub got its name from having stored the bells whilst waiting for the adjacent church to be completed.

The 8 Bells

After leaving the 15 acre haven on the hill in Bearley that we had called home for a week, we headed off to the Talton farm shop in Newbold-on-Stour on our way back to London. Here we picked up freshly picked asparagus, baby carrots, new potatoes, fresh bread and a couple of home made pork, apple and cider pies. We passed on the bacon bap and a brew, then hit the M40 back to West Wickham.

Till the next blog
Love Annie xxxx