The Parks of Bath

Since it was such a nice day and it was still early afternoon we stopped in Bath on our way home from Bradford on Avon. We did a tour of three lovely parks in Bath starting in Sidney gardens, followed by a park near Henrietta Mews and finally making our way across town to the Botanical gardens. There were swathes of daffodils and bloom as well as neatly planted beds of primroses and hyacinths. The Magnolia trees were budded with some blooms while most of the ornamental fruit trees were in bloom. It was a very relaxing afternoon.

Soaking up the Sun

Saturday 26 March - We took advantage of the warm and sunny weather and hopped on the train to Bradford on Avon. It is a favorite town of mine to visit because it is quite picturesque and very relaxing. We wandered around the streets visiting shops and stumbling across a craft fair and an antiques fair/flea market. We had lunch at a little cafe with outdoor seating which offered good, home cooked food, featuring vegan options. After lunch we wandered up to the weaver's cottages to sneak a peak at all the pocket gardens overlooking the town. Then it was back on the train toward Bath.

Before the Bluebells

Sunday 20 March - To take advantage of the fantastic weather Ian and I rented a car and drove to Prior wood for a nice walk. We were hoping that the bluebells for which the wood is known for would be in full bloom, but alas we were far too early as there was not a bluebell flower in sight. We did have a very enjoyable walk anyway, we saw lots of yellow and white flowers, some butterflies and lots of sunshine, an excellent way to spend a Sunday.

Breathtaking Brecon Beacons

After a quick late lunch in Shepherds we did a bit of a whirlwind tour of Hay-on-Wye then made our way to the Brecon Beacons. Marty only stayed with us for a short while before turning back to the base but Ian, Jean-Louis and I made it all the way to the top and returned in good time before the sunset. The views were stunning and well worth the steep climb. Then it was back in the car and back to Bristol.

Ledbury's Painted Past

Friday 18 March - Another adventure with Ian's parent's, this time we took a more familiar route and headed north west. We stopped first in Ledbury, a charming market town with lots of nice shops and lovely parks and historic buildings. We wandered up the cobbled street to the church, then back down to the high street. On the way we stopped into the council offices which were open to show the amazing painted room. The council building is an historic building and the painted room was discovered while doing restoration work. The whole room would originally have been painted in imitation of hanging tapestries and these paintings date to the mid 16th century. The paintings that exist today cover most of the walls and are representative of a knot garden. The colours were still lovely and vibrant and the representations of flowers quite quaint. We had an interesting explanation of the room and the buildings history then wandered around a bit before heading out of Ledbury and carrying on towards Hay-on-Wye.

The Coast and the Castle

Tintagel is a charming Cornwall village best known for its famous castle. The castle is said to be the birth place of King Arthur, and the stunning views and dramatic setting of the castle certainly lend to the romantic atmosphere. Part of the castle, the gatehouse is on the mainland while the banquet hall and other buildings are on an island connected to mainland by some narrow steps and a small causeway. The island part of the castle was closed by the time we arrives but we enjoyed the view and wandered from the site of the original gatehouse to the nearby church. Once back in the village of Tintagel we had cream tea at a pub, it was pleasant enough to eat outside in the sunshine, then made our way past the meandering and crooked Tintagel post office back to the main road and heading towards Bristol.

Up-Along, Down-along

Wednesday 16 March - Our first outing with Ian's parents was a trip down to Devon and Cornwall to visit a few of the places that Marty and Jean-Louis had visited on prior trips to England. A four hour drive with lots of haze and clouds meant that we missed a lot of the beautiful Devon views. Our first destination was the small harbour town of Clovelly. Clovelly has been almost unchanged for decades. It is built on hillside so steep that cars can not traverse the climb. All supplies are brought in and out of the village by sled or donkey. Following the cobblestone main street down the hillside brings one to the tiny sheltered harbour at the base. We had a good wander around the village and met a number of village cats. Back up the hill and out via the visitor's centre we hopped back in the car and continued south to Tintagel.