Andrews parents and sister, Claire, came for a visit earlier this
month. We were thrilled to have them and wanted to show them the best of
the Cotswolds.
They arrived on a cloudy Thursday afternoon.
Claire and I went to an early concert at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival.
Up and coming jazz artist, Jo Harman was fabulous, a little bit R & B, a
little bit gospel, a little bit country! We also tried a new drink, the
English Mule. Gin, ginger beer, mint, cucumber. A refreshing little
drink that is!
Friday we picked up a rental car and took a drive
through the Cotswolds, hitting Bourton on the Water, Stow on the Wold,
and Broadway. It was cool (some might say downright cold!) and cloudy
but these Cotswold villages still impressed.
Saturday we
drove to Oxford and took a double decker bus tour. Oxford is always a sight to
see. It was graduation day for some of the colleges, so many students
were in caps and gowns. What I love about Oxford is that when a door
opens from the street what you see is not the inside of a building, but
an enormous green space. It is always such a surprise! Lunch was a pie from the
Pieminster in the market.
 |
| Herb and Dolly at Christchurch College, Oxford |
Sunday, we took off for Kingswear, in Devon for a few
days. Luckily we had beautiful weather. Kingswear is directly across the river from Dartmouth and was our base for
exploring Devon. Kingswear is served by a passenger ferry that makes a short 5 minute trip across the river Dart to Dartmouth. In Devon we enjoyed lots of fresh seafood starting with
traditional fish and chips at great little restaurant in Dartmouth called Rockfish,
whose chef, Mitch Tonk really has a good thing going. The freshest
seafood, prepared with care, in a casual, friendly atmosphere.
Excellent! We walked the streets of Dartmouth looking in shop windows happy to be
outside in the sunshine.
 |
| Claire and Andrew on Dartmouth quay |
 |
| Brown crabs fresh off the boat |
 |
| View of Kingswear from Dartmouth |
 |
| Kingswear harbor |
 |
| Waiting for the ferry in Dittisham |
Our cottage in Kingswear ( across the
River from Dartmouth) was beautifully decorated in crisp white and blue,
very nautical. Our local pub was the Ship Inn and was just a few doors down and was a
friendly place to watch the sunset. We also stopped by later in the evening to use wi-fi and enjoy a pint or glass of wine.
 |
| Paighnton, Devon |
Kingswear is
very convenient for taking a trip on a 1930s steam train that travels from
Kingswear to Paignton. Not much was happening in Paighnton, so we took the
train back and had lunch in Dartmouth. We did plenty of walking while
there. This town is beautifully situated on the River Dart, and its
harbor is filled with sail boats.
 |
| Dartmouth Castle at the mouth of the River Dart |
We visited a historic house and gardens called
Coleton Fishacre which was the summer home of D'olye Carte. He was a
talent agent, composer and hotelier during the early 20th century. He is probably most famous for
putting Gilbert and Sullivan together. He built the Savoy Theater in London as a
venue for their operas. Coleton Fishacre was built in the 1920s during
the jazz era and is an excellent representation of the arts and craft
movement. It was immaculately preserved, and delightful to see. The
well tended gardens extended all the way down to the coast. While we were
there we noticed an army of volunteers working in the gardens and as
guides in the house.
We also went to a fishing village called
Brixham had lunch in the Brixham Deli, and bought some mussels for
dinner which were so delicious we pronounced them the best we'd ever
had!
The day trip ended at the Elizabethan town of Totnes.
On Wednesday our luck with the weather ran out. But in the spirit of the British we carried on!
Off
to Agatha Christie's summer home,
Greenway. There is limited parking at the
house, so most arrive by boat.
We took a 30 minute boat ride to a little
town called Dittisham. There we enjoyed a deliscious lunch in the Anchorstone Cafe. Fish and crab just caught that morning! After lunch there
was a short, smaller boat ride across the river to
Greenway. Some of us
walked up the hill to the house, others took a shuttle. Agatha and
her husband were great collectors, it
was very interesting to see where she spent her days. Her husband was
an archeologist and traveled around the world so the collection was very
diverse. I think there are laws against this type of "collecting" these days!
 |
| Greenway House |
A copy of the first edition of all Agatha Christie's titles took up
several shelves in her library. The gardens looked impressive but the
rain kept us from exploring them.
Thursday the ride home we took a
short detour to Wells Cathedral, magnificent! Very well preserved and
the displays were very informative. A real gem.
Exterior of Wells Cathedral
 |
| Scissor Arches in this cathedral are unique. |
Friday was a rest day with a short trip into Cheltenham to the fish market.
On Saturday,
Andrew took Claire, Dolly, and Herb to Ironbridge, the birthplace of
the Industrial Revolution. It was Another rainy day, but the Victorian
age really came to life in Britson Village. Herb especially enjoyed see
the Iron Bridge.
 |
| Antique Steam Engine |
 |
| Iron Bridge |
 |
| School house for miner's children |
 |
| Elleborough Spa Hotel |
Sunday was Mother's Day. The mothers were treated to an elegant Sunday Lunch at the Elleborough Hotel, just outside Cheltenham.
On
Monday we visited the Roman town of Cirencester. Church in the town
is from the 12 century. We walk through the Abby grounds to a Norman
arch and saw ruins of the Abby destroyed during the reformation. Lunch
at an Italian Deli called Made by Bob, found in the Good Food Guide.
On
Tuesday we visited the Morgan Car factory for a tour of the workshop
where these cars are made by hand. Yes, that's what I said,
hand made, no assembly line here, oh no. Each car is made by a single craftsman and is designed to the customer's specifications. They produce a very limited number of cars. Cruella DeVille drove a Morgan in
the Disney classic, One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
On Wednesday, packed up and ready to make
their way home, we went to London. Claire's niece Becky lives here with
her husband. Unfortunately for Claire, she couldn't see her. Becky is
expecting her first baby any day!
Instead, we went to Afternoon Tea at Fortnum and Masons and shopped in the Queens grocer!
Later, Claire
and I walked through Hyde park and saw the Italianate Gardens, a
stunning array of flowers, fountains and statues.
We also saw the Peter
Pan statue and the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain.
After a glass of
wine at a cafe, back to the hotel, and we called it a day.
Thursday
before they left for home, we went to the British Museum. Luckily, we
were able to get tickets for the Ice Age Exhibit.
This amazing display
was beautifully curated and charts the course of art and creativity from the ice age 40,000 yrs
ago. Yes folks, I said 40 thousand!! I was impressed by a little toy
over 20,000 years old that represented the first attempt at animation. It was a
disc with a hole in the middle. Image on one side was of a young calf
and the other a grown cow. When you spin it, the calf appeared to grow
into a full grown cow.
A cab ride back to the hotel and then it was sad goodbyes!! It was a great visit, we miss them already and can't wait for our next visitors.
