irishface

Wonderful report! I am following your journeys in my old Collins road atlas of Britain. It is nearly thirty years old, but I look for the town names and follow. I remember being in this part of the country and how much I loved it.

I looked at your link to the B&B in York. It looks lovely. I wonder if it is the same one I stayed in 25 years ago. It is on the same street. I was traveling on my own finding places as I went. I arrived in York, saw the sign and inquired. I paid 15 pounds a night, the most expensive place of the trip. I had my own bathroom which was rare on that trip. the room was sarkling clean and decorated with flowery curtains and bed cover--a la Laura Ashley.

irishface

Wonderful report! I am following your journeys in my old Collins road atlas of Britain. It is nearly thirty years old, but I look for the town names and follow. I remember being in this part of the country and how much I loved it.

I looked at your link to the B&B in York. It looks lovely. I wonder if it is the same one I stayed in 25 years ago. It is on the same street. I was traveling on my own finding places as I went. I arrived in York, saw the sign and inquired. I paid 15 pounds a night, the most expensive place of the trip. I had my own bathroom which was rare on that trip. the room was sarkling clean and decorated with flowery curtains and bed cover--a la Laura Ashley.

denisea

Great report. I know what you mean about those Parisian pastries! Can't pass them up. (And sorry about your rude Americans on your electric bike trip...I hate people who are late, and know it alls, so you got the double whammy...my apologies for my thoughtless countrymen).

I hope to make it to L'Orangerie this trip (November) and also Giverny, although I am not sure if November is a good time for Giverny. Your T/R and the Midnight in Paris make me want to finally get to both!

scotlib

I'm sorry you didn't have good mushy peas. My first taste was good, so I always get them when I order the fish & chips. I've had cups of mushy peas that were very good and a few that weren't, but mostly they've been good ones. To me, they are very like a split pea soup with mashed potato consistency.

It will be a matter of personal taste, I know (anticipating negations from some others ).

Cheers.

SandyBrit

Maudie:

Enjoying your very detailed report. Thank you for posting.

Sandy

Maudie

Hi texas, Merci. Plenty more to come.

MissPrism, we have beautiful white sand at our local beach that's why the brown sand seems so unusual to us, it almost seems like people are playing in mud. But yes the kids and adults (including us) were very much enjoying the rock pools.
http://www.politzer.com.au/images/2007/large/K.jpg

irishface, thanks for your kind comments. So glad you can following along with us in your atlas. We didn't go with many plans just wanted to see what took our fancy on the day.

That particular road has several B&B's in it. All the rooms had ensuites and not a speck of flowery chintz anywhere which is why I chose it!

denisea, Those pastries will be hard to forget, its almost worth another trip back just to taste test! Hey those rude people could just as well have been any nationality, just got up our noses and spoilt a lovely afternoon. They were just so unaware of anything other than themselves. Please try and get to see the Monet's they will take your breath away, I just sat and stared. Check out the website for the garden - who knows you might be in luck.

scotlib, I think we are "mushy pea'd for life! But our version was nothing like you describe, maybe no day we might try again.

sandybrit, thank you - I hope its not too detailed!

More to come after I go earn a living today - saving for next trip.

Maudie

AMPLEFORTH THURSDAY - NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS RAILWAY 10/06/2011

Sadly our last day in the Moors, but the weather has put on a good show even though we have had the blue, white and grey skies again we haven't had a drop of rain. When the dark clouds come over though the temp drops somewhat and we reach for the coats, discarding them as soon as the sun appears so we don’t cook ourselves.

We loaded up our little lunch pack with bits and pieces from the fridge, called into Helmsley and grabbed a bread stick and hit the road heading for Pickering and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR). Pickering is about 20 mins drive and we made it there for the 10am train but it was a diesel so we decided to wait for the steam engine at 11am. We had a little walk around - nearly every town has a main street called Market Street and we walked past a bakery that had some yummy things in the window including Bakewell Tarts. Well it was morning tea time! But oh yum these were so good, we used to have these as kids but I hadn’t seen them in years. We tried a few others but none matched up to the ones at Pickering. It was the pastry that made all the difference.

The NYMR runs from Pickering to Whitby with stops in between, lots of people get off and go walking. It's a tourist railway with lots of engines and carriages; they do a really good job. The stations even look like they would have in years gone by, all painted up and pretty plants. We settled ourselves on the train and off we went with lots of tooting, smoke and coal bits. It certainly didn't get up to any great speed but was pleasant looking at the scenery and gave DH a chance to see something instead of driving all the time.

We got off at Goathland, pronounced as spelt, which was the town used as Aidensfield in the TV series Heartbeat. The pub has a sign saying Aidensfield Arms and the Garage is there all painted up - I guess the village is making the most of it as the series has now finished. I even saw the old Anglia’s that they used as police cars later in the series, what a blast from the past! - that was the same as my first ever car. Our plan was to walk the Rail Trail from Goathland to Grosmont (silent S) which was George Stevenson's original track that he used all those years ago when he invented the steam locomotive. Then pick up the train back to Pickering. But all well laid plans are made to be broken!

We knew there was a waterfall around here so we decided to try and find it which we eventually did, right by the Mallyan Spout Hotel - seeing as that is the name of the falls that made sense! We went down and down and down, steps that made our knees complain and we dreaded the thought of having to go back up. However seeing falls made it worth the effort, dappled shade from all the trees, running water, it was very peaceful. We found a bench and had our little picnic - ah the serenity of it all! And those Bakewell Tarts were delicious.

One the way out we saw a sign for Beck Hole (that really is the name of a village!), this was the place we were to pass through on our original walk. Rather than retracing our steps we carried on using the new pathway by the side of the stream. It was very tranquil; along the way we heard a funny noise and spotted a woodpecker doing his thing at a tree trunk. Later we saw a deer having some grass, we looked at him and he looked at us, we said hello and he carried on eating so I could get a photo.

At Beck Hole we were both busting for a loo break so we headed to the tiny little pub, DH reckons the bar was 12 feet square and he had to duck under the door though they had a lovely beer garden by the side of the stream, full of flowers and birds. A cooling ale for DH and a G&T for me and we were ready to hit the trail once more. We walked along the railway track and noticed all the old bits and pieces of bridges and pilings etc from the railway. This section of the walk was flat which made a nice change from some of the others we have done. I think we walked about 4 miles today before we made it into Grosmont to catch the 3.30pm train back to Pickering. The station was again very pretty and from the top of the hill looking down could have been stuck in the 50's or 60's. We had an Agatha Christie type of compartment on the way back, we could only wonder at its past. The 4.50 from Paddington, that’s the one.

Back home to do some packing before we walked to The White Horse pub for a meal. There is not much left in the cupboard at home!!! We sat in the small dining room with one other older couple from Scotland. They were good company and asked us lots of questions about Perth/Australia, then we both nearly choked when the man said he used to be a minister but he was very funny and very broad minded. His wife said they drive a red car and the number plate was SC 071 EVL, (get it - evil) and his nickname was the red devil. We had steak and veggies which made a nice change and of course it was served with chips - everything is served here with chips and most of them soggy chips. We huffed and puffed up the big hill to home - our last night in our dear little cottage in the Moors.

http://www.cottageguide.co.uk/hillsidecottage/
Cute roomy cottage, very clean, use of laundry, patio & garden area, nice hosts, perfect little quiet village


AMPLEFORTH TO KESWICK FRIDAY - FINE MORNING, SOGGY MIDDLE AND A BEAUTIFUL SUN GOING DOWN (AS THE SUN NEVER SEEMS TO SET HERE) 11/06/2011

We tidied up Hillside cottage in Ampleforth said our farewells to Sue and Jon but sadly missed a last cuddle with Maisey who was no where to be seen. We set Nifty Nev for Jervaulx Abbey which is another wonderful Abbey that Henry destroyed, what a pity. We had a walk around and even found the old kitchen area still with a huge fireplace and chimney. We had a nice hot coffee and loo stop in the cafe before punching in the next destination. Aysgarth Cascades were set in a national park in the Yorkshire Dales. This area is again quite different scenery to the Moors. There was even a resident black and white cat who was rolling in the recently cut grass. We walked to the Lower, Middle and High areas of the cascades, watched the water falling and spent some time laughing at a mother duck and her 8 little babies swimming. One duckling was a bit of a devil and always seemed to get into mischief. The drizzle started falling as we made our way back to the car. Nev didn't recognise the road we were on so it was back to some manual mapless navigating. But turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we did see some lovely little places and great scenery along some very narrow roads but luckily we had a big motor home in front of us so we knew if he could fit so could we. Also when ever he pulled over we did to as there was something coming the other way. All the drivers here are very polite and just about always give way to us – do they recognise it’s a hire care maybe?

The drive to our next destination was very pretty, lots of dry stone walls and not as many hedgerows and the buildings seemed older. We found the Wendsleydale Cheese Factory and decided it was lunch time plus the fact that the rain was coming down heavier. We dived into the cheese tasting room and did the rounds, purchasing a couple of small pieces to take with us - it was all very tasty and hard to make a decision. In the cafe we again decided on soup of the day, it’s not let us down yet and today’s certainly didn't. Now this might sound weird but we had courgette and ham blended with one of their Leicester red cheeses that has a touch of chilli in it – very, very good in deed and served with a nice warm wholemeal roll. Just hit the spot as the rain tumbled down outside. By the time we finished the rain had almost stopped. The loos here are all very clean with plenty of soap etc. We have even found a couple that have a thing called Watergate. It’s sort of like a hole in the wall that you stick your hands in, first the soap is dispensed, then a measured quantity of water then the blow dryer comes on - what a great idea. Some places have fancy hand washes and lotion - I like those ones!

We really wanted to see the Ribbleshead Viaduct on the Carlisle to Settle Railway but the time was getting on and the drizzle started up again so we thought we had better cut to the chase and get to Keswick - we didn't want to be in the Friday afternoon peak traffic as we had a motorway to go on. Nev got us through the 2 big roundabouts near Penrith and we sailed on into the Lake District towards Keswick and the Lookout B&B. The mountains just rose up in front of us, huge big green monsters - don't think we will be climbing any of those!!

Liz and Dave purchased an old house built in 1922 and spent 5 years renovating it and opened it last July as a B&B, they live downstairs now but lived in the garage until the house was all but done. Dave has done almost all the building work himself and it’s a credit to him. It’s now modern and simple no fussy stuff, huge ensuites and we have a fridge, nice sitting area and a tiny balcony looking to the mountains at the back.

Liz has a sister in Adelaide and one in Sydney and they visit often so we were able to have a good chat with them. Oh and the garden here is very pretty too. Dave suggested a walk for us so we donned the waterproofs, grabbed the brollies and off we went. He sent us up one of the smaller hills near the house with a superb view over Derwentwater, we got a bit wet but it was worth the effort. The drizzle stopped, clouds scudded away and the sun came out as we walked down to the lakeside and on into town. We found a pub that was serving a special of roast pork and veggies for 8 pound - that suited us and was a reasonable price. The meat was a bit though but we had a good serving of veg. We walked the 15 minutes back to the B&B and here we sit with a glass of red in the leather sofa in the corner of the breakfast room. We are the only guests until tomorrow so have the place to ourselves. The view from the balcony is just stunning, the mountains turning shades of blue/green as the sun starts its descent and we thought the Moors were beautiful but this is a whole new experience.

Dave said the sun sets around 10.30 so I hope our room is dark! As kids we had tins of Derwent Lakeland coloured pencils at school with a drawing of the lake on the lid, who would have thought we would ever see it in real life all those years on.


KESWICK SATURDAY - A LONG WALK, NO RAIN AND A DODGY KNEE 12/06/2011

After a good night’s sleep on a very comfy bed we headed down to breakfast, Liz had set up our table right in front of the huge window that overlooks the garden and the view. Breakfast - choice of about 5 cereals and muesli, yummy local yoghurt and fruit salad. We then had the "Full Yorkshire" as it is called here but Dave grills everything so it’s not floating in fat - tomato, mushrooms, bacon, a poached egg and really nice Cumbrian sausage. DH then managed to stuff down a couple of bits of toast with jam - I refrained!

The forecast was a bit of everything, sunny periods in the morning, clouds increasing in the afternoon with a chance of a thunderstorm then clearing for a fine night. We decided to do the walk around the entire Derwentwater which is about 8-9 miles. Walk off all that brekkie! The walk into town takes around 15 minutes, we walked through the pretty gardens just before the lakefront. I went through the gate and caught my knee on the iron latch - the bit that makes your eyes water, head spin and tummy lurch. Must have got the nerve and it knocked the wind out of my sails for a bit. Best thing to do is walk it off otherwise it would have gone stiff so we carried on.

Somewhere along the way we lost the path, the public footpaths here are not a well signed as they were in the Moors. We knew the Lake was on our left but just couldn't get down to it, did a few dead end streets in a village called Portinscale. Came across a whole bus load of walkers from Scotland who took up the entire track which slowed us down somewhat but we followed them thinking they knew where they were going. Turns out they were going on a different route to us so we kept going and came across a couple of guys with a map. They said they were going up Catbells (a mountain) we could go with them or if we followed a different path it would take us down to the lake walk - we thanked them and took the low road round the lake! A bit further on we heard shouting and they called and waved to us from high up in a clearing - nice of them and glad we took the lake path!

It was very pretty walking beside the water surrounded by mountains with the sun peeping in and out of the clouds. We walked most of the way just in t-shirts but had weatherproof jackets just in case. A couple of times we got off the main path - there were so many it was hard to tell at times which one we should be on, but we just kept the lake on the left. About half way through it got very boggy but the National Trust who maintains the area had laid board walks which kept our boots clean for a change. So glad we invested in good Gortex waterproof boots - worth their weight in gold. It was time for drink stop when we came to a pretty hotel; all by itself but it was doing a roaring trade with walkers. There is boat and bus services so you can walk then get easily back if you get tired or the weather closes in. I think a lot of people do half the walk and stop at the pub for lunch and boat it back.

Every now and then we stopped to look up at the mountains - you could see tiny figures like ants in a line walking the summits. There are quite a few outdoor clothing places here - they must do a good trade as everyone is dressed in hiking boots, walking pants, waterproof jackets etc etc oh and poles - you have to have your walking poles. Ours are home in the storeroom as they were too long for our little cases, would have been handy at times. Mind you we have come across the odd person just not dressed for the weather or terrain. In Goathland when we walked down to Mallyan Spout there was a woman in a dress and high healed shoes - very weird.

The path at one stage was just walking along the errr "beach" well stones to be precise, that was hard going. The sun slipped away behind the clouds and the wind became chilly but the rain stayed away thank goodness. There were people kayaking which would have been great to do but we didn't have the right clothing, pity. With the end in sight we made it back to the promenade in Keswick, footsore and a bit weary but happy with our accomplishment. We walked slowly up the hill to our B&B; well you have to walk up the hill to get the best view! Made ourselves a cup of tea and rested our feet. The new guests have arrived so we don't have the place to ourselves but that's ok, we might make some new friends.

Energy returns along with hunger so we headed back into town along with a list of Liz and Dave's suggests of good eats. We decided to eat at the first one we came to which happened to be Casa Bella Italian, sounded good to us. It was full but the manager said he would have a table in 5 minutes, found us a seat and we read the menu. Minutes later he had us seated and we ordered. I had spaghetti with pesto and sundried tomatoes and DH had chicken marinated in pepper and lemon, both were very good and we enjoyed our evening.

KESWICK SUNDAY - DRIVING THE LAKES 13/06/2011

We met the new guests this morning at breakfast, 2 couples travelling together. One couple from Essex showing their friends from South Australia around. We all had a good chat over breakfast and plenty of laughs. Liz lent us a map and suggested a drive so we left as soon as we could as the weather wasn't looking good for the afternoon.

We drove down past the lake where we had walked yesterday and partly up the other side then continued onto Honnister Pass and the Slate mine. This is the pass that does up through a section of the mountains. DH had the car in 1st most of the time, it was that steep and only room for one car so you had to pull right over or back down to a pull off area. Luckily we didn't have too much trouble but you always had to be on the lookout at the blind curves to on-coming traffic. At the Honnister Slate mine there was a walk that went straight up the side of Grey Knott (nothing to do with DH’s hairstyle), we thought we would give it a go. Well I only got up a short distance and gave up it was way to steep and I was worried about the scramble down more than anything, DH continued up. I wandered around the mine and into the gift shop and found a couple of locally made pottery cats for myself. The slate cheese boards and table mats were lovely but way too heavy for the case so I had to leave them behind.

The wind had come up something fierce and the chill factor was freezing so I waited in the car. DH took ages to come down cause the track kept going up much more than we could see from the car park. He finally came down nearly 2 hours later - I was just about getting ready to ring Mountain Search and Rescue!!! He thoroughly enjoyed himself of course. Warmed up in the car we continued on up the pass, the scenery rivalled Switzerland with rolling green soaring hills only thing missing was the snow caps. Once over the top the pass just opened up - it looked like a beautiful green mohair blanket folded over the mountains with a stream running along the valley and huge grey boulders scattered around. At one stage we stopped near a massive river of slate snaking down the mountain side, some people were collecting pieces. We also saw a cyclist who had taken a tumble and was in a bad way. We just couldn't imagine anyone riding up the pass let alone down it again.

We got to Buttermere but we couldn't get a park so headed onto the next pass which was pretty deserted and found a pretty waterfall we could clamber over. We continued on as the road got even narrower but again we were lucky as most people was came across where going the same way as us. We got back into Keswick and continued onto the next lake, Thirlmere which didn't have any village on it. It was much more wild than Derwentwater though just as pretty, lots of groves of ferns and moss. The drizzle started so we didn't get a chance to go for a walk so headed back home for a hot drink.

There was a bit of a break in the drizzle so we headed down to into town, through the gardens and along the Lake but the weather had just set in so we walked with the brollies up. Half of the population was doing the same thing - rain doesn't keep people indoors around here. By about 5.30 we were getting hungry since we did without lunch so went into a small place that Dave told us to try, I had a nice warm Goulash and DH had a Lamb Casserole. Just the thing for a cold rainy night, perfect. We walked back in the rain and were glad to get inside at last. Dave was getting the tables set for breakfast and stopped for a good chat. He is a very personable guy, we enjoy taking with him.

We decided to just have a quiet night - DH has found a sports show to watch while I am doing this! But we are warm and dry.

http://www.thelookoutkeswick.co.uk/
If I was going to own a B&B this would be it! Spotlessly clean, neutral contemporary décor, loved the guests’ sitting area and breakfast room, huge ensuites, good linens, great little silent fridges and a super breakfast. Liz & Dave are very good at what they do and delightful people as well.

MissPrism

The soggy chips take me back.
A friend of mine was warden in a student hall of residence and she had a mini food riot about soggy chips.
She had the presence of mind to get the proprietor of the local "chippy" to show her cooks how to do good chips. The secret is to cook them at a lower heat to get them cooked through. They then go into very hot fat to crisp them For good fish and chips you need to go to proper chippy. You can tell a good one by the steamed up windows, the battery of deep fat fryers and the queue outside.

scotlib

Maudie, can you link online to the boots you wore? It'd be nice to see.

Your knee story reminded me of something: one time my father said my brother was idly standing by, hammer dangling in hand, sort of bouncing the hammer until it was called for .. yep, a bounce must have hit that "sweet" spot because my father turned around and brother was not standing, he was flat on the ground!

julia_t

Maudie, still loving this.

The Yorkshire part of your trip persuades me that I really need to take a 'staycation' and spend my next holiday exploring Yorkshire. I've not been further north than Sheffield/Doncaster (although I think I once went to a Northern Jump Jockeys Ball at Scotch Corner but I can't really remember much about it so that doesn't count!)

The Keswick part brings back memories of a brief stay there sometime in the mid-1980s, and reminds me that I really liked it there.

Re chips - forget the mushy peas, you have to eat them with curry sauce! Chip Shop Curry Sauce is nothing to do with Indian food, it is something entirely different but happens to be surprisingly good! Even soggy chips perk up when dipped in a plastic cup of curry sauce.

Maudie

We did try chips from a chippy but they were still soggy. In the pub at Ampleforth I asked if I could get my chips crispy and crunchy, the lady said all their chips come served that way but of course when I got them they were limp. We don't eat chips often so when we do we like to enjoy them.

These are the boots, my DH ended up buying the mens version by chance. I got the low cut ones as I found the full boot was just too bulky and big.
http://www.globetrekker.com.au/produ...e%2C-Women%27s

I still have a mark on my knee from that gate, I can't believe how much that hurt - brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. I've hit my elbow a few times but that was the first on the knee - ouch.

Hi Julia, thank you - glad there are a few of you still with me. I think we all forget to "staycation" at home, always looking for greener pastures elsewhere. We could quite happily go back and spend another week in Yorkshire and we didn't even get to spend any time in the Dales either.

Ok that sounds totally gross as my kids say but if we are ever back that way then its soggy chips with curry sauce and the mushy peas stay buried.

Maudie

KESWICK TO BETWS-Y-COED - WHIZZING ALONG ON THE M6 TO TRANQUILITY IN WALES 14/06/2011

Another yummy breakfast and good company, our fellow B&B companions are leaving today as well, driving back to Essex to continue their holiday. It’s still drizzling and sitting at our table in the window we only had fleeting views of the mountains this morning. Liz told us that the weather is very unseasonable and kept apologising but that's life. We chatted with our hosts for some time before going up to pack. We have it down to a fine art now and can be ready in about 10 minutes. The secret is not to unpack, we just live out of our packing cubes, fold any clothes into them, zip up, plop it into the case and we are ready to go. The less stuff you have the less there is to worry about. By putting it all back into our cases the exact same way each time, we know it fits!

We had a break in the drizzle so managed a quick walk around the garden, the centre point is a beautiful pond that Dave dug, complete with flowering Irises and ducks. It’s hard to believe it’s only about 2 years old as it looks like it’s been there forever - just goes to show what good soil and plenty of water does. We said a sad farewell to Liz and Dave and once more hit the road. Next stop Wales!

Nifty Nev fired himself up and with Dave's suggestion of a more scenic route out of town we started the 3 hour journey south. Our final 1/2 hour in the Lakes was a very pretty drive along a road bordered by moss covered dry stone walls , so much better than our grey fences, the trees joined overhead to form a tunnel of green. Every now and then we went through small villages sitting on the shores of the lakes. Some towns were large with lots of people, others just sleepy little places with only a couple of buildings but always sheep! The drizzle finally let up and we made it easily onto the M6, 3 lanes in each direction. The speed limit is 70 miles per hour but most of the cars in the right hand lane just flew by us. Drivers are very good leaving the left for trucks, slow cars or when you just want to sit on the limit, the middle is for zipping out and passing and zipping in left again while the right hand one was for faster passing or just plain driving FAST! We did get into the fast line quite a few times with Nev binging at us to say we were going too fast. The whole time we only saw one police car though.

We whizzed by Manchester and all manner of places with weird names and finally saw the turn off to Northern Wales. There were a couple of amazing castles on the road in, must have been something to see in their day. We were going to stop in Conwy on the coast but once we got there we thought we would just continue on to Betws-y-Coed. We found parking and the tourist info office to gather maps and pamphlets. Parts of the town reminded us of Whistler with the stone buildings, very pretty. Seems to be one of those towns that the bus tours come to, disgorge their passengers - give them an hour then their off to the next place. I'm sure it’s peaceful and quiet in the mornings and evenings.

We wandered away from the main area and found a little place that was quiet and ordered a Welsh Cream Afternoon Tea. Well that will be lunch and dinner! I had tea and DH coffee then the waiter came with two BIG trays of food – goodness this was supposed to be afternoon tea not an entire meal. We had a round of sandwiches, I had ham and Welsh cheese while DH had egg mayo. Then there was a huge fruit scone, a Welsh Tea cake and a slice of buttered fruit bread called Bara Brith (very yummy) but carbs, carbs, carbs. Oh and the jam & cream. We always get asked if we want brown or white bread which is great. Sandwiches were both nice though the driver ate some of mine too. The fruit bread was the best I have ever had, just chock full of fruit. The Tea cake was sort of like a cross between a biscuit, a pancake and a scone with fruit in the middle and a nice cinnamon/spice flavour. I couldn't do justice to the scone, jam & cream as it was about 3 inches high. We waddled out and watched the waterfall in the middle of the town from the old stone bridge. Twice I saw salmon jump, DH didn't believe me first time then when it jumped again the lady next to us saw it too! If only we had a fishing line.

We found a small supermarket and picked up milk, yoghurt, ham, bread, fruit & veggies etc and stayed away from the bakery section. Loaded up our shopping and following my printed instructions and some of Nev's we luckily found our way UP to our little cottage high above Betws-y-Coed. Wendy and Geoffrey met us and showed us around our home for the next 4 nights. We have a self contained section off to the side of their house with yet again an amazing huge garden filled to bursting with flowers. From our lounge room we have a picture window that looks right out to the Snowdonia National Park. There are actually 2 bedrooms (one with 2 singles and a Murphy bed in the lounge area) and 2 bathrooms, a lounge, kitchen and meals area plus all the garden that we have to share with two black and white cats - Girl Cat and Boy Cat.

The house has been here for 40 years and is set into the side of the hill high above the valley. The entire garden has been terraced with rock and slate walls and every crevice has a plant in it, paths leading every which way and at every turn there is a seat, bench or chair to admire either the view or the garden. I am sitting in the lounge looking out the window, its about 8pm and still very light, the mountains on the other side of the valley are turning a bluey grey, the sky is blue with a few white clouds scudding by, the leaves of the trees sparkling in the late sunlight and in the foreground is a low wall bordered by masses of purple irises. Every now and then one of the cats prowls along the wall.

Earlier Geoffrey gave us a wad of papers with lots of walks and suggested we walk up behind the house to Picnic Point, mind you it was straight UP a pretty steep road way but then off onto a Public Footpath, through the woods and out onto a stone ledge that had a view right up the valley and across to the National Park. Down below us Betws looked like a toy village. We might go back one evening and take our picnic if we have the energy to do it all again!

Oh and the name of our house is Golygfa'r Llywelyn. I have mastered Betws-y-Coed easily enough but I am not even going to try saying that one.


BETWS-Y-COED TUESDAY - BEING ONE WITH NATURE 15/06/2011

Let me tell you about this house, built high on the hill above Betws-y-Coed, a steep one lane exactly 1/2 mile up from a secondary road. There appears to be only one other house around, we are surrounded by the walled garden - outside there is bush - well Welsh woods really but to us its bush. Wendy and Geoffrey are a tad eccentric but bend over backwards to help you. Wendy works in the garden with the cats for company - Geoffrey is hypo and always busy busy busy and wants to chat all the time. Today he had on a pair of shorts with patches and then bits of duct tape over the bits that Wendy can't patch anymore. I guess they must be in their early 70's, they used to own the SPA which is a supermarket in town. Geoffrey has been propagating red geraniums up on the deck in his sun house and today he has carried down I reckon at least 30 large pots, every window ledge in our little bit of the house is now lined with them, Wendy said they will be creeping into the house soon and strangling her in her sleep - she said it not me! Though it does look very pretty.

I didn't sleep all that well, thoughts of shower curtains and knives and if I screamed no one would hear me. Will anyone ever hear from us again? Of course DH went out like a light as usual, also we now have single beds, bit of a change from the king in the B&B. Still alive in the morning, we woke to a stunning blue sky, what a site out of the front window. After showers and breakfast we decided to visit Bodnant Gardens which is only about 15 minutes down the road. This is a National Trust property so free for us - YAY! This is one of THE most important gardens in the UK, so the blurb said. The owners still live in the house - er huge pile but the gardens were left to the Trust by one of the family years ago.

We enjoyed Castle Howard in Yorkshire but this place is 20 times better. There are beautiful lawns with ponds, rose gardens, croquet lawn etc etc etc in the formal part around the family pile then as you walk down the hillside it turns into what they call "The Wild". Must be wonderful in spring when all the daff's pop up out of the wild grass, big swathes are mown for paths as well as some that are paved, it all leads down to a lovely stream with bridges and waterfalls. As the sun warmed the roses they released their perfume which just floated over the garden. It was very serene and peaceful but we heard more Aussie accents here than we have anywhere else. I think we spent roughly 2 1/2 hours wandering around - even DH didn't get bored. There are plants from all over the word including some massive Sequoias’ and Atlantic Cedars (one was planted in 1876). The owner was an avid collector of seeds and introduced a lot of new plant varieties into the UK all those years ago. Unfortunately the one thing we sort of missed was the huge Laburnum Arch, each year it flowers in the last week in May and you walk through a tunnel of golden flowers all dripping down like rain. The gardeners were almost at the end of cutting off the flowers but we managed to see about 2 metres of it on one end - would have been a stunning sight.

We had a sandwich and drink then plugged Caernarfon Castle into Nev and enjoyed the drive along the coast. The Castle was very interesting the way the town has been built into & surrounding it. We walked (read that as crawled) up the spiral stairs to the ramparts, guys in those days must of had very small feet! It was a bit scary and one slip of the foot could have sent you skidding on your bum to the bottom. The museum for the Welsh Fusilier Guards was in the castle as well and was worth a look. Also a small history of the castle and another showing Prince Charles getting invested - he even looked like a ponce in those days when he was so young.

We walked around the outside then back to the car, parking is much cheaper here than in other parts of the UK. Our next destination is Portmeirion, which is a sort of Mediterranean village on the coast - one man's folly many years ago apparently. When we arrived there was a 9 pound entrance fee each - we thought that was a bit rich and it was getting late so we did a quick reversal and headed across the Snowdonians to Betws as us locals call it. We picked up some mince and bits and pieces for spaghetti, a bottle of red and headed up the hill to home.

Ripped the top off the bottle, got the bolognaise cooking, played with the cats, made a salad then sat out on the deck to enjoy the evening. Geoffrey came over and suggested an evening walk up the hill at the back of the house. We cleaned up and following his directions bush bashed up the so-called path until we lost our way and came back to the house. Geoff promptly got out the Landrover and said he would take us up the track to the back gate and we could walk the rest of the way to see the view then wander back. Off we went bouncing over the track while he talked ten to the dozen, dropped us at the gate, gave us the instructions to get home, waved and turned for home.

We found the viewing spot after walking UP a steep road, climbing a gate, slipping and sliding on the mud, chatting with two cows that were not happy that we disturbed them before we reversed our route and headed home - mind you it was 9.15pm by this time. We found the shortcut that Geoffrey had shown us on the way up and kept our fingers crossed we could find the path we had missed earlier. Luckily it was easier to follow from the other direction and we made it back safe and sound. Just now Geoffrey and Wendy knocked on our door to make sure we were back. They were all dressed up in warm gear with torches ready to come looking for us. Ain't that sweet!

BETWS-Y-COED WEDNESDAY - CONWY FOR THE DAY & JUMPING SALMON 16/06/2011

After our late night and me staying up reading to find out "who done it" we had a bit of a sleep in (well we are on holidays). There had been some rain overnight and they sky was grey after the sunshine of yesterday. We had a lazy breakfast and did a load of washing, slowly the sky cleared to a lighter colour so we decided to drive in Conwy on the coast which I guess is the nearest large town. Wendy told us how to get to a free parking spot so we headed off without the help of Nev for a change. Not sure if we found the place Wendy was talking about but we did find free parking right under the bridge to town. The town is full of roundabouts and is not a good place to drive in so we were happy to walk a little way extra.

The sight of the Conwy Castle sitting on the rivers edge was worth the extra 1/2 a mile. This is another of Edward I's castles - being similar but smaller to Carnarvon that we saw yesterday. Linked to the castle is a suspension bridge that was used by George Stevenson and was used right up until the 1958 and was the main road to Holyhead (jumping off point to Irish ferries), also linked into the bridge is the original train tunnel still in use today. From the bridge we could easily see the town walls and see how far the town has spread today. The tide was out leaving all the fishing boats high and dry, leaning on their kneels they looked abandoned by all but the seagulls.

We paid the entrance fee and spend some time going up and down the towers on those awful narrow spiral stairs again and just generally looking around for an hour or so. It wasn't hard to imagine what the town looked like in those days - the occupants must have felt very safe living in a place like that. Looking down on the town now it’s funny to see how the roads wind around - usually only room for one car at a time. There is only one break still in the wall that they had to do for the sake of the traffic. One of the archways in we saw a large truck squeeze through - they have to do this everyday!!

We walked around town and tried to find something for lunch, lots of pubs and lots of chippies but that doesn't appeal - most of the pub meals we have had are mediocre as with the few fish and chips we have had. We walked by a little place, Amelie’s, with a nice sounding menu that was on the first floor of a lovely old building. It was a delightful little cafe - just like the sort of thing we have at home and they even had nice coffees on the menu. DH had a marinated chicken with pesto ciabatta and salad while I had a leek (Welsh national flower) and cheese tart with salad. We both enjoyed our meals and the coffee to follow. Nice to see a place with a simple and lighter menu than most of the places around. Have I mentioned EVERYTHING is served here with chips - oh and the other day I saw frozen mushy peas in the supermarket - YUK!!

We walked to the harbour and sat watching life in Conwy for a while, before finding the entrance to the town walls. We walked all along them back to the castle then over the suspension bridge (National Trust - FREE) then onto the car. DH had a wish to drive through the narrow arch in the wall so off we went again without Nev and found ourselves on the scenic route back to Betws - easy as! Basically we are in the Conwy Valley here with a river running up the middle, the main road into Conwy is the A5 on our side of the river which is the road we use the most as our lane runs off it. The scenic road is on the other side of the river and a much smaller road - ie a skinny road as against an actual road with a white line down the middle. We enjoyed the road through the pretty green tree tunnels and stoped along the way to look at the river (yes - I actually got DH to slow down and stop!!!). We came across a sign that sort of looked like a National park so did a quick lefty and took the road up (most of the roads here go UP) and we parked at the end and found a walking trail for 1.5 hours so we thought that would be a nice stretch of the legs. The first bit nearly killed me - it was virtually straight up but we huffed and puffed and found ourselves at a viewing point looking right up the valley - it was worth the effort! The rest of the walk was pretty much flat which was a nice change.

We came into Betws from a different direction but easily found our secret free parking spot that we found a couple of days ago - thanks Geoffrey! The weather doesn't sound that good for tomorrow so we thought we would have a wander around town now just in case we don't get another chance. We walked back over the old stone bridge where the water cascades are and thought we would watch for more jumping salmon. Sure enough there were some people waiting with cameras at the ready so we knew there must be some action. DH did get to see some this time and I struck up a conversation with the lady next to me. She said straight away - oh you're an Aussie - which state are you from? Turns out her daughter is working in Fremantle so we had a good chat while waiting with cameras poised for the little suckers to take a flying leap up the water fall. She was born in this area but lived in Sydney where her daughter was born. She is on holidays here in Betws with her hubby too as they love the town and love to come back every so often. There were plenty of cheers and yells when we spotted the fish - I got one blurry photo but at least I have the evidence. She told her hubby she wasn't leaving until she go a photo - but we were walking too much and she kept missing them. We left her alone to get her photo and walked on up the river for a bit and she was still there when we got back. Neither of us had pen and paper so we couldn't exchange emails which was a pity - though I bet she is still there waiting for those salmon and that photo!

We headed home after an enjoyable day out, toasted ham and cheese sandwiches with salad and fruit to finish. We can't get any Wifi reception here today so have no idea what the weather is going to be or check emails so we really are cut off from the outside world - oh wait DH has found the TV!!! It’s a bit chilly tonight; think we might have to crack the central heating on.

aussiedreamer

Woh,you are putting me to shame. A great read, I've only browsed up to the Paris portion so far.

As for your London portion I think we were there for a couple of days at the same time, so silly, would've been great to catch up.

We also ‘stumbled’ upon the Twinings tea shop and the Royal courts of Justice. Do you mean Antonio Carluccio's restaurant? I would’ve loved that. I think I was the one to spoil your ‘cheese sandwich experience’ they really are good.So glad you enjoyed Jersey Boys, its one of my favourites and OMG Frankie Vallie how cool is that? I think I took 100 photos of the roses in Regents Park.

Keep going this is great.

Maudie

Hi aussie, if I don't get this done asap it will never get done.

I had the Twinings shop on my "hit list" but the day we did that area of London I left my notes behind so it was a bonus to be standing outside the door then realising it was right behind me. We were totally amazed by the size of the Royal Courts - incredible building.

Yes indeedy, that's the restaurant, it was brilliant. KayF from right here on the Forum told me about it I think. I'm still dreaming about that brulee.

I shall forgive you for not being able to sample the cheese sandwich and so will my hips, at least I went knowing it wasn't there. Otherwise I would have been so frustrated by not being able to find it.

I know, Frankie Valli, why the hell didn't I whip out my camera? So glad I'm not the only one to go overboard in a rose garden - wasn't it just superb? And the smell!

And thank you for reading.

annhig

We were totally amazed by the size of the Royal Courts - incredible building.>>

did you go in? it's vast inside too. in one corner to the right as you have the doors behind you, there is an exhibition of court dress through the ages - very interesting. and if you cross the road [Fleet Street] and go into the Temple, at week-day lunch times you can go into Inner Temple gardens, which are very beautiful.

Maudie - thanks for the description of Bodnant. it's definitely on my wish list of places to visit - hopefully whilst DS is at uni in wales. [2 more years to go].

irishface

thanks for your story! Badnant is indeed wonderful! I was there once in late July and would love to go back.

irishface

thanks for your story! Badnant is indeed wonderful! I was there once in late July and would love to go back.

Maudie

annhig - No I didn't even know we could go in there. Oh I wish I knew about the Temple gardens too - oh well that's something for next time!

You will love Bodnant and please try to go when that Laburnum Arch is flowering - its spectacular. I wish I could have hidden in there at closing time and just had it all to myself, I still remember the smell of the roses. And the gift shop there is one of the nicer ones I came across.

Thank you irishface, it makes it all worthwhile to get some feed back. Its a super way of reliving the memories too.

Maudie

BETWS-Y-COED THURSDAY - A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE WITH LUNCH AS A BONUS 17/06/2011

Another good night's sleep, it’s so quiet here all you can hear are the birds. Rained again overnight and everything is pretty damp and the clouds are covering the mountains. Our plan of going on the train up to Snowdon won't come off, it’s not worth the 40min drive to Llanberris then get the train nor the well over 20 pound each if we can't see anything. Plan B it is then. We decided to walk the entire route we did part of the other night and leave the car home today, a 4 mile circuit.

We took water, trail mix, rain coats, Geoffrey’s map and off we went out of the back garden gate. Within minutes the bottoms of our pants were wet as we were pushing through bracken ferns that were as high as our armpits and of course all the grass/weeds were soaked from the overnight rain. The path was easier to see as we had trodden it down on our last foray up and down the hill, we had a few bits of drizzle but luckily all the weather seemed to go around us, at times we had brilliant sunshine so were peeling off our coats. Up through the woods, dark and spooky but the trail was lined with lovely ferns just growing everywhere, spongy wet moss that just needed to be touched, puddles of mud, sheep poo, cow poo, bright purple heather, big boulders, amazing vista's of Snowdonia right down the valley behind the house. Part of the track was a "green way” down to Penrhyddion - have no idea know to pronounce this!

Our pant legs were starting to dry out but our boots were so wet we could feel our socks slowly getting squishy - I guess Gortex can only handle so much wet though I think the air vents let some moisture in. Some of the walk was straight up, some straight down and some wonderfully flat. At one point we had to pass through a cow paddock, one of them took a liking to DH and had a good sniff while I bolted through the gate. We thought she was going to follow him but the green grass seemed much tastier than him. We listened for a while to the cows eating grass, it’s a very loud noise and one we have never heard before - interesting!

We popped out of the "bush" at Conwy Falls Hotel, paid our pound and went DOWN to see the falls. There sure was plenty of water rushing down and the roar of the water was music to our ears - if only we could see that much at home. Couldn't see any salmon jumping so we crawled back up the hill and continued following the directions to walk along a relatively flat path (for a nice change) high up above the river. Next diversion was a visit to Fairy Glen, 50p each to climb down some very steep slippery steps to reach a magical little grotto at the bottom. Here the river barrelled down and made a sharp bend so you could see in both directions. It was all mossy, ferny, fairy like with overhanging trees, the sun was shining so we had some pretty dappled sunlight with blue skies. We slipped and skidded our way over the rocks until we found a nice dry rock to sit on and enjoy the serenity. And of course catch our breath to make the climb back up.

We followed the path to a fork in the river and found a nice grassy bank to sit for a drink and some trail mix, soaking up the sun rays, wishing we could take off our wet shoes and sodden socks. We left the Glen and had a bit of a walk along a busy but narrow road, we don't like walking on the road but the drivers are so courteous to walkers - even great big trucks will stop and let you walk by. Up ahead we saw the Ty Gwyn Hotel which is down the road from our driveway so knew we were close to home. The hotel is very old and used to be a Coaching Inn on the original road to London, we were both starving by this time which was about 1.15 so decided to give it a go as our next instructions were to go UP the public footpath right next to the pub.

Well what a delightful surprise it turned out to be. The inside was clean and didn't smell of cigarettes at all. We really dislike the “pub” smell of stale smoke and beer. It was low beamed with white painted old stone walls, a pretty mish mash of old tables and chairs which all had nice comfy patchwork cushions on them, candles, old bits of pieces from its hey day. Very nice and homely, we could have sat there all afternoon gazing out the windows that were lined the red geraniums. Hhmm maybe Geoffrey had been down here as well distributing his flowers. We ordered a drink and looked at the menu - another very pleasant surprise - no bangers and mash, no mushy peas, no stodgy pies. My choice was a loin of fresh halibut with a creamed leek and salmon sauce, this was piled onto potato gratin, DH had a sirloin steak with stilton coriander sauce with the same spuds AND we had a decent serving of VEGGIES!, We thanked the chef and told him it was a nice change from most of the pub meals we had had, he said "yeah I cook real food".

By now the feet were feeling water logged and cold but we scrambled up the last 1/2 mile to home, they haven't heard about zig zagging a path here to make it easier - it’s straight up or nothing. The pants and socks went straight into the washing machine and the boots are outside in the sun hopefully drying, if not their into the boiler room downstairs. The wind has picked up and is pretty chilly but so far no more rain, though it is forecast for tomorrow when we drive to Bisley in the Cotswolds.

While we were dropping off to sleep for our last night in Wales we heard huge bang which we though was a gunshot but turned out to be fireworks echoing up the valley. We couldn't see them but saw a few flashes; we're the locals celebrating the Aussies going?

http://www.snowdonia.uk.net/index.html
Very large apartment (not really a cottage) attached to the main house. Everything you could want, no surprises, very clean, nice linens, stunning outlook. Hosts extremely helpful and kind.


BETWS-Y-COED TO BISLEY FRIDAY - OUR OWN LITTLE CHOCOLATE BOX COTTAGE WITH A TOUCH OF AGATHA CHRISTIE 18/06/2011

After breakfast and cleaning up we checked out our map, checked in with Nev and decided to take the more scenic route heading south, rather than on the M5. We said farewell to Wendy and Geoffrey remembering to get our boots from the boiler room and hit the road. We had a bit of drizzle which continued most of the drive.

We enjoyed our final views of Wales, rolling green hills, sheep and trees in all shades of green fluttering in the breeze. Our first stop was at the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct near Llangollen, built between 1795 and 1808. It takes the narrow boats over the River Dee, they call it a stream in the sky. I'm sure it was used to cart goods all those years ago. A couple of boats went over while we were walking across, one of the ladies got off and walked as she couldn't bear to be on the narrow boat when it went over, she said it was too scary, like floating above the earth. It was certainly very high up, not for the faint hearted at all. There were lots of boats moored in the basin too.

We set Nifty Nev for Hereford which took us about 2 hours, stopped for a loo break and some fruit for lunch. Onto Bisley after braving the Friday afternoon traffic on a short bit of the M5. We arrived about 3.30 and found our way through the narrow streets lined with beautiful old stone houses - roses climbing the walls and cottage gardens everywhere. Coopers Cottage is a tiny little house in the garden of Wells Cottage on Back Lane. Liz & Michael welcomed us and showed us around the house. There is a small living room, all decorated in green and white chintz, floral curtains, a beautiful old original stone fireplace, kitchen and bathroom. Upstairs our room is soft red and cream with a feather doona & pillows. Even has the old roof beams (DH watch your head!!) All very pretty and cottagey. Many many years ago our cottage was the Coopers (hence the name), the barrels were made up stairs in our bedroom and loaded onto the dray wagon - the door is now one of the windows. Outside you can see how high it is, perfect height for loading. Liz has an amazing garden and we have our own section of garden, once the old tennis court. On Sunday Liz has the garden open as part of the Open Garden Scheme for charity. It was also open 2 weeks ago for the Red Cross as were many others in the area. Every garden just seems to get better and better, its just like the plants grow wild, chuck anything in and it grows like mad and looks beautiful. It’s still drizzling with rain unfortunately so my walk around the garden will have to wait.

Liz had set out a nice little afternoon tea tray for us, complete with ginger shortbread and a milk jug with a crochet cover, beads and all. We walked up the street to the tiny little store to get milk and a few things to keep us going. Just up the road from our cottage is The Wells (I guess for watering the horses many years ago), last weekend they "dressed the Well" where they decorate it in flowers, most of them were dead or dying but it must have looked very pretty. Bisley has 2 pubs, The Bear Inn and The Stirrup Cup and the little general store, its a maze of tiny little lanes, small cottages all stuck together as well as some beautiful houses set in pretty gardens and larger estates. DH put the central heating on when we got back as it was chilly. We looked at some maps and pamphlets planning things to do for our stay. Pity there is no Wifi here; we will have to find an internet cafe somewhere.

We have a short cut up to The Bear Inn which is the local pub, built in 1670. We walk about 20 paces, up 51 steps (built in 1870) next to the Wells, past the church, through the school and we are there. The pub was buzzing with locals on a Friday evening, dogs and all. We ordered our meals, chicken and leek pasty for me and goulash for DH- just the thing for a cold wintry night. Two couples came in and sat near us, definite Aussie accents, turns out they come from Perth, we all had a good laugh as 6 of us from WA outnumbered the few people in the small area we were sitting in. We all chatted with a table of locals and had some good laughs. Our meal arrived along with a huge big bowl of yummy veggies.

We said goodbye and walked outside to hear the church bells ringing. It must have been about 8.30 by then, we stopped and listen, we could see the bell pulls going up and down then moved so we could see the campanologists (always wanted to use that one in a sentence and if you don't know what it is - look it up!!). As we walked back through the church yard with the bells ringing, day fading into night and the drizzle we thought we had stepped right into one of Miss Marples murder scenes. Nice and warm back in the cottage, we are watching Hercule Poriot!


BISLEY SATURDAY - MARKETS, WALKING IN THE TOADSMOOR VALLEY 19/06/2011

We have settled comfortably into life in the Cotswolds, one could get quite used to this life . Looking out through our window this morning, a bright red poppy has opened up - what a nice way to start the day. Weather is looking again like a bit of everything. Today we are off to the Stroud Farmers Market for breakfast/morning tea. Stroud is about 10 minutes away and a much bigger town than Bisley. We followed Michaels directions to a car park then walked on into town. The markets won the "Market of the Year" award last year as the best in the UK, it sort of winds it way along some lanes in the main shopping area of town. As it’s a farmers market, everything HAS to be produced locally, all the fruit and veggies were organic as well as the meat. We had been told by JuliaT to try the sausages which we did, served in a small grain bun with a selection of chutneys and dressings. That went down pretty well as it was still drizzling and cold. Everyone was complaining about the weather, they had a really hot spring which messed up the gardens and veggies with no rain and now its supposed to be summer its not stopped raining. We heard on the radio that Wimbledon starts next week and it always rains then!!!

We did a couple of laps looking at all the nice things -most of which we can't bring home so we stuck to the fresh stuff. Into our bag went: A small loaf of handmade spelt bread, a large olive & sundried tomato muffin, an almond croissant to remind us of Paris, a tub of basil and pinenut olives, a small bunch of vine cocktail tomatoes, a punnet of raspberries, a punnet of strawberries, some smelly cheese that DH took a fancy too and a Lamb & Mint Pie for dinner tomorrow night. Wished I could have purchased a large bunch of flowers for the cottage but there is so many growing outside it seemed a waste. Everyone was walking around munching on sausages or bacon rolls, that guy must have made a fortune. We had a good chat with the lady from the cheese stall, who had been to Perth for holidays. A couple of young lads were running a small cafe area, they did a great job and probably earned a good sum - they will go far those boys, Richard Branson had better watch out. We sat down for a hot coffee and shared our croissant then DH decided to go get one of his own - good all the more for me! Two old dears walked up and asked if they could share the table then promptly lit cigarettes and blew smoke all over us - how rude! We just gave them a filthy look, coughed and spluttered and went and found another table - sheesh! One of the most useful things we took with us is one of those tiny little bags made out of recycled something or other that you pull out and open into a shopping bag – it hangs off my shoulder bag. We used it so many times for shopping, picnics etc really worthwhile.

There is no parking for us at the cottage so we just have to find parking along the streets, which is fun when most of the roads are single lane bordered by high stone walls or cottages. There are not usually footpaths either, if a car comes you have to back up or dive into another street. Luckily we found parking at The Wells so that was a bonus. We unloaded our goodies and decided to brave the weather on a walk to work off that croissant. We changed into our boots and grabbed the map, coats, water and headed off down the Toadsmoor Valley (another brilliant Julia
T idea) which is at the end of the street that runs by Wells Cottage.

We had a bit of trouble staying on the footpaths as they are not as well signed as in other parts, some times you are walking through some ones property, some times on the lanes and when the signs are missing its pretty confusing. Luckily we found a man in a garden and asked for directions, he called his friend who was more than happy to tell us her grandfather was born on Lord Howe Island and that he went down with the Titanic - go figure! Anyway the old boy had also been to Perth and knew it was on the Swan River so they were happy to get us on our way and were pointing down the street when there was an almighty gunshot followed by about 10 more - I thought we were dead. The old boy told us not to worry "its only old Dickie over the road shooting Jackdaws". I was ready to turn and run home but they promised us he doesn't shoot down in the valley. Well thank god for that!

We found our way and had a very pleasant 4 mile loop through the woods following a stream. Little cottages popped up here and there along with some big "piles". Some are as old as the hills with some new ones getting building to look as old as the hills - plenty of money around this area. What a pleasure to live around here, lovely stone cottages with lawns or fields filled with wildflowers running down to the stream. Luckily for us the rain held off until we got home, then we had a brief shower. But it soon clears to either drizzle or sunshine. We had some of our yummy bits and pieces for lunch and did a load of washing. We have the central heating on just to warm the place up and dry the washing.

I found the channel on the TV that has the Agatha Christie's on so sat and enjoyed another Poirot that I hadn't seen while DH read. We then went for a walk around “our” village. The southern Cotswolds don’t seem to be on the tourist radar much and I hope it stays that way. Later we visited some of the very well known villages and although they were pretty enough we were always glad to get back to sleepy Bisley. It’s a “real” village with “real” people and not a t-shirt shop in sight. JuliaT very kindly checked out Coopers Cottage for us before I booked and for that I thank her sincerely. It was just perfect for us.

We were to meet Julia that evening at the pub for dinner but she didn't arrive and we can't check our emails so I'm hoping everything is ok. I'm disappointed not to have met her as she helped us find Coopers Cottage and gave me lots of good advice during the planning stages of this holiday. We waited for about 45 minutes then decided to order dinner. DH had a slow cooked lamb shank and veg, I had seafood chowder. Both really nice again. We walked quickly back through the school, through the church - no bells tonight, down the steps to home and the heating. It’s pretty chilly again tonight. I do hope Julia is alright. (We have since been in contact and learnt Julia had a family emergency – these things happen, life is full of “surprises”.) One day we will meet up, somewhere.

BISLEY SUNDAY - A DAY OF GARDENS 20/06/2011

The weather is finally looking good - well as good as can be. Still overcast but the grey clouds don't look as threatening today. It’s also Father's Day here so we are hoping things aren't too busy. We decided to visit a couple of the "chocolate box" villages of the more Northern Cotswolds and a couple of National Trust Gardens. We set Nifty Nev to take us straight to Upper Slaughter - now it's not what it sounds like - slaughter meant "muddy" which it isn't any more. We have learnt the lesson of parking the car just outside of towns and walking in. DH found a perfect layby right near the village which was a good choice as there was no parking in the tiny narrow streets anywhere. We had a wander around the village - do these people get sick of tourists like ourselves walking around their houses? I guess they know it when they buy a house in some of these villages. It was very pretty with many old cottages and some new ones that were trying to look old.

We then walked the mile to Lower Slaughter which was even prettier with a stream running through it to a watermill. There were a couple of very expensive looking hotels mixed into the cottages, though a street or two back from the stream many of the cottages were very new and rather ugly looking. We joined The Wardens Way public footh path and headed back to the car.

Heading up to Hidcote Garden we drove into Bourton-on-the-water, along with about 6 coach buses full of people. The place was heaving (learnt that word from Michael our host - great word oh and I taught him perving which he thought was a very good word) anyhow we did a lap and saw how pretty it is but just way too many people for our liking and the parking was horrible. It’s quite a big town certainly not a village.

Hidcote was also fairly busy being Father's Day but not "heaving". We had our little picnic in the car before heading into the garden. We had watched a TV program in Amplesforth about Lawrence Johnston, the gardens creator and owner - wonderful to see it in real life. It was designed as a garden of rooms, everywhere you walked there was something new to look at and the vista's overlooking the valley added to the entire scene. As we walked around we came across marmalade and white cat that was entirely at home with all the people - was very happy to let cat lovers pat him, which of course I did. The smell of roses and flowers just hung in the air drawing you onwards to the next "room". Such a huge variety of plants, clipped yew hedges, massive old trees, a kitchen garden, ponds and even a croquet lawn - so much to look at and enjoy. Luckily we didn't get any rain even though at times it seemed like it was going to at any moment. It was a real pleasure to enjoy this amazing garden and worth the drive to get there. We were dying for a coffee but the queue was fairly long so we moved on hoping to have one at the next stop. I picked myself up a beautiful scarf with roses on it at the gift shop to remind me of the garden. As we walked out we noticed a couple of thatched cottages that the staff must live in, one with a sign BEWARE OF THE CATS, but we didn't see any. What pretty cottages they were too with their "top hats" on and I'm glad we saw them, most of the houses around here have slate roofs as it’s easy to get.

Next up we headed to Snowshill Manor and Garden, on the way we came across Snowshill Lavender - paddocks full of beautiful purple lavender waving to us in the breeze. We went straight to the cafe for a cream tea but with coffee that went down pretty well. We decided to just see the garden here and not the Manor which is filled with over 22,000 quirky items the owner collected over the years. It's only a small garden but very enjoyable to explore and walk around again with the heady smell of roses floating in the air. We were aware of the time as we wanted to get back to see "our" open gardens so set Nev for home.

Luckily we found a park at The Wells again, dropped our gear in our cottage, made our donation and joined Liz in the garden. She knows all the plants by their botanical name and gave us the royal tour. The garden is built up a hillside with dry stone retaining walls going up to the old tennis court, where the view is pretty spectacular over the village. It is a true cottage garden. There are two big trellis's running parallel to each other but on two different levels of the garden with the most amazing vigorous climbing rose, small soft cream flowers with a pale yellow centre and the smell just invades the garden. The clouds have finally disappeared to a pretty blue sky and sunshine. Liz and Michael told us they stood up on the tennis court 40 years ago and said "it’s too expensive but we're buying it" and have slowly turned the house and garden into a real showpiece.

We then went onto Philip Howard's garden, called Paul Mead, just down the lane. This is a formal garden using many of the same plants but the style is so different. Both gardens have been made by very talented people with a passion for gardening and a bank balance to accommodate it. Philip's garden has a natural stream running through it and he has made the most of it with a little summerhouse overlooking a pond. His son designed a wonderful tree house in an old oak tree that was dying, re-using all the wood, it sure is eye catching. This garden too has its rooms and a delightful vista from the stone paved tea terrace through the garden out onto the wilderness of the Toadsmoor Valley. Flanked on one side by massive trees that line the Valley, it makes a dramatic backdrop to this peaceful secluded formal garden. And I could have just as easily moved into the house with its fragrant roses climbing up the soft cream stone to the square leaded windows in the attic. These houses are just so different to ours, so old and full of character. The green countryside and gardens, well it almost makes your eyes hurt - how easy to create a stunning garden in this climate and rich soil.

What a perfect ending to a perfect day, as the evening was ever so slowly turning to dusk, and roses were wafting, we were enjoying chatting to Philip in his garden, the church bells started then we could faintly hear the choir - Bisley truly is a genuine Cotswolds village. Very few tourists make it here and I hope it stays that way.

Back to our patch of garden we sat enjoying the last few rays of warmth, finally a blue sky but its not going to last according to the weather report. Michael came up to take his flag down, we stood and saluted while he made trumpet noises - he sure is a very likeable person. He was a lawyer before retiring and has the gift of the gab, often says to himself "and now I'm waffling" - reminds us of Rumpole.

We enjoyed our Lamb & Mint pie with salad for dinner - definitely a good buy.

julia_t

What a lovely description of Bisley and the Toadsmoor Valley! I'm glad you enjoyed your stay in this charming unspoilt village and were happy with Cooper's Cottage.

Isn't the Farmers Market great? I was so sorry not to get to meet you after all, and more so that you had to sit waiting for me. At least you were able to have a good meal there.

(For your readers, I do not make a habit of arranging to meet people and then fail to turn up! In this instance I had a telephone call the evening before, my daughter had been taken ill while staying with friends in Mallorca and was in hospital. I got a flight to Palma at 6am on Saturday morning, and stayed with her until she was well enough to leave the hospital the following Wednesday evening. I did email Maudie before I left, but unfortunately she didn't get it in time. Incidentally, there is supposedly WiFi at The Bear.)

Thank you for your vivid descriptions of the open gardens. I had wanted to visit them too, now I will have to wait for next year. And you managed to walk the 'magic' Toadsmoor Valley too. Best time of year to do so, I think.

Well, I'm glad it all worked out for you in the end.