For our last breakfast in Stratford, we were seated in a beautiful sunny window where we lingered a while soaking up the sunshine.
After leaving the hotel I photographed the garden and our room windows from outside. Our room was on the same side as the room we stayed in previously but high at the front rather than ground floor at the rear. Overall, I preferred the room of our first visit but I preferred the views from the room on our second visit.
We were grateful for the hotel holding our booking when we had to cancel at the last minute but we found that the hotel had deteriorated in service quality since our previous visit. All that is needed is a bit more attention to detail or, as our friends who are in the hospitality business would say, ‘consistency’.
On our way home we decided to visit Avoncroft Museum, a childhood memory for Mr C, stopping briefly at the Jinney Ring Craft Centre in Hanbury. It is a delightful place with a lovely café and water gardens. I took the opportunity to walk the loop of the pools and enjoy the wildlife whilst Mr C sat on a bench overlooking the nature area.
In Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings Mr C revisited his childhood memories of a school trip, in particular the windmill. The museum also houses the National Collection of Telephone Kiosks and a mobile telephone exchange. The phones in the boxes and the exchange are fully functional and we were treated to a display of how the technology worked by a volunteer in the telephone exchange. This also brought up memories for Mr C, his father was a telephone engineer. Sometimes he would take Mr C into his exchange so there was much that Mr C found familiar in the Avoncraft example.
We took the opportunity to have lunch in the café before continuing our homeward journey. I couldn’t resist the opportunity of lime and passionfruit cake. Yum Yum.
We detoured to a farm shop to purchase items for our weekend meal requirements. Lasagne on Saturday and chicken on Sunday.
Seeing how the telephone exchange works must have been an interesting experience. I enjoyed reading all four parts of this series. I am bookmarking your posts so that I can come back to them later when I plan a trip to Stratford-upon-Avon.
I am happy that you enjoyed my posts. I hope you get the chance to visit Stratford-upon-Avon.
We have to go back (in summer) to visit the places that were closed on this and our previous visit.
Sorry the standards of the hotel were not as consistent as they could have been. Lovely to see the photos of the Avoncroft Museum – we visited there a few years ago and its superb with so much of interest. The cake looks delicious and Ted looks as though he is enjoying it
We have an eye on another hotel for our next visit
This was my first visit to Avoncroft and I want to go back to explore more.
Ted often likes to steal my cake and other tasty delights
an excellent post, CP. a fine windmill to visit, pleasant settings to relax in and a delicious slice of cake. cannot think of much to top this off.
These were fun things to do on our way home
You seem to pack plenty into your times away, Cherie. I like the emphasis on good food, too!
We plan ahead and have things in reserve. Holidays are also the time to seek out good dining opportunities
Teddy says “not to stay” this time.
Sorry to hear about the hotel.
I am sure Teddy would love a more “consistent” hotel instead.
Oh, is that really a term used in hotel trade?
‘constitancy’ in the hospitality context means for example when ordering bacon and egg for breakfast you get exactly the same meal and experience. Not one day two eggs and one rasher of bacon and another day one egg and one rasher of bacon and maybe some additional items not requested.
If I order from a menu I expect it to be as it says on the tin!
Ted has chosen to be a stowawy on my next adventure… He thinks I don’t know of his plans
My father was a telephone engineer too – he worked for BICC and they sent him around the world.
I’ve enjoyed reading about this trip and spent a long time this morning reading about your Slovenia trip – as I suspected, it was your posts back in 2015 which had originally put Piran and Trieste on my bucket list. I do hope I get to visit them this year!
Happy Easter!
Happy Easter Mandy
I am so happy that my posts and adventures inspired you. Piran is an amazing place, we had a lovely tour guide to take us further afield and we advetured out on our own taking a bus into another local town.