We had a lovely lunch time tour of Pitchford Hall where by coincidence we had the same guide that took us on our previous tour in 2018. Our guide is a fountain of knowledge and Mr C and I had the privilege of a lengthy conversation with her as we enjoyed mince pies and mulled wine after the tour of the house. We enjoyed seeing how the restorations are progressing since our previous visit.
It was rather chilly outside and dark inside the house due to the time of year so I don’t have as many photos from this visit as I did on my previous visit.
More detailed information and photos from my previous visit can be found on the following links:
6 Comments CherryPie on Dec 19th 2022
… completed my ‘Walk 1000 Miles’ challenge for 2022
6 Comments CherryPie on Dec 15th 2022
After breakfast we checked out of the hotel, taking the opportunity to mention that we had been locked out of the hotel the previous evening. The receptionist seemed unconcerned about our experience and I wasn’t convinced that the problem would be escalated to make sure it didn’t happen to anyone else. I was persistent on the matter, the receptionist then checked out the intercom button…
It didn’t work for her on the first pressing of the button but when she pressed a second time we heard the friendly ringing of a phone in the reception area. We were not convinced that the issue would be addressed and I left with the intention of writing a letter to highlight the problem, I would have felt panicky if I had been travelling alone.
Our destination for the day was Bletchley Park which had been on both of our ‘Too Visit’ wish lists for some time. There is so much to see at Bletchley that we had to prioritise what we wanted to see. We decided to visit the buildings that Bletchley itself had highlighted as the best places to see on a short visit.
This approach to us to the intelligence factory, the D Day exhibition and film, the mansion, code breaking huts including Alan Turing’s office and along the way we learned how, with maths and technology, the secret codes were cracked. We ran out of time to visit more but our tickets allow return visits for 12 months. We will be back to visit the things we missed and also revisit some of our favourite buildings.
Whilst there, we had lunch in the rather chaotic café. I found a seat in an area, that turned out to be unexpectedly noisy. An employee was pushing a trolley with a squeaky wheel was strolling to and from the dining area, collecting dirty pots.
We left Bletchley later than we intended leading us to pick up something (quick and easy) for dinner on our way home.
4 Comments CherryPie on Dec 14th 2022
We navigated our way around the breakfast menu which somehow didn’t quite work, for example there was no bread to accompany the meat and cheese that are part of the continental breakfast.
After breakfast, our first destination was Shakespeare’s birthplace where the room guides’ explanations and stories added to the experience. We then visited the nearby MAD museum, The Museum of Mechanical Art and Design which displays such things as kinetic art and automata.
Before deciding on a place for lunch we browsed the Sunday market which had been recommended to us by the hotel receptionist as we were checking in. I was tempted by a scarf and went back to the stall after we had done a circuit of the market. As luck would have it the stall owner was demonstrating the scarf that had taken my eye to another couple and then went on to demonstrate a second scarf to them. This was one that Mr C had pointed out to me. I joked with the couple that they were picking the same scarfs that I liked. They left with one of their choices and I came away with both of mine…
For lunch we both had a delicious chicken Waldorf sandwich in the Fourteas 1940’s tea room. The place had a lovely atmosphere, with the ladies wearing appropriate dresses of the ’40s and the menu was presented as a ration card. The Tudor museum, just across the road from the tea room was our next destination. The visit was interesting but left us with time on our hands for another adventure.
We decided on a second visit to the butterfly farm but first I needed to go back to the hotel to change out of my yellow butterfly-attracting jacket. During this visit to the butterfly farm, we were treated to the delightful sight of one of the iguanas who had climbed down from his high perch to mingle with the humans. In-between snacking on the greenery he posed for the cameras.
After our busy itinerary we returned to the hotel to chill out. Before dining in the Giggling Squid, a Thai restaurant, we ordered Proseccos in the hotel bar which avoided the complications we had been experiencing with the gin. The food in the Giggling Squid was delicious as it always is in this restaurant chain. For some reason we were not offered a dessert and I had not seen any desserts coming out of the kitchen so I thought perhaps they were not available that night. That was until just after we had paid our bill the next table were offered the dessert menu…
Mr C chose a nearby pub to finish of our evening. It was small place that locals frequent and it was live music night. The place was full and it took me a while to find a seat (I hate standing at the bar). The live act was George Wilson, he was amazing. He did two sets, the first being of a vintage era and the second bringing us up to more modern times. His rendition of Bad Manners took me back in time to when I saw them performing live.
We arrived back at the hotel to find the door was locked and there was no-one to be seen in the reception area. We pressed the intercom button several times and nothing happened! Mr C had the presence of mind to Google the hotel website where he found a phone number for the hotel. To our relief the phone call was answered immediately and the member of staff apologised most profusely, explaining that there is no hotel porter on a Sunday. This is the first time I have ever found myself locked out of a hotel. I have stayed in some rather dodgy hotels over the years but even those made it clear how to access the hotel when the doors were locked.
6 Comments CherryPie on Dec 11th 2022
We awoke to glorious sunshine and were given a window seat for breakfast which allowed us to to make the most of it. The breakfast was excellent although the portions were enormous. My plate of scrambled egg and salmon could have fed two people.
Straight after breakfast we headed into town to pick up some bottled water and some handkerchiefs for Mr C because, during the various lockdowns, all of his had mysteriously disappeared. Whilst in town he also got a bit carried away in Brook Taverner when he realised that there was a Black Friday deal available. The purchases (minus one handkerchief) were deposited into our car boot on our way to the butterfly farm.
That lone handkerchief came in useful when both our camera lenses and screens steamed up in the hot humid atmosphere in the butterfly house. The butterflies were spectacular and a few of them were kind enough to pose for us. In the case full of chrysalises we saw a butterfly emerging which was fascinating to watch as its wings unfurled. A sign advising ‘Caution! Iguanas Poo here’ (from above) was enough to encourage us to move on swiftly by. As we were about to leave, a butterfly settled contentedly on my shoulder.
It was now time for lunch so we headed into town picking up some leaflets from the tourist information centre along the way. This included a walk leaflet about a walk that we had noticed on a map near to the butterfly farm. We had lunch in Huffkins where we again dropped lucky as a table had just become available.
After lunch we started the river walk from the middle point, near to the Hotel Arden. One of the points of interest detailed on the map is The Church of the Holy Trinity, Shakespeare is buried there, just in front of the altar. One of the church’s guides explained lots of fascinating details about the church including the fact that the nave of the church is at a slight angle to the chancel imitating the angle of Jesus’ lolling on the cross as depicted in the stained glass window.
After our visit to the church we continued our river walk finishing at Cox’s Yard, which we had bypassed earlier when we left the butterfly house in search of lunch. Our walk concluded, we headed back into town and, whilst we were walking, Mr C had an unexpected phone call from my nephew who gave us an update on his new job and other things. By this point it had turned rather chilly so I headed into the nearby Edinburgh Woolen Mill shop to warm up but came out empty handed. We then visited the Christmas shop which was chaotically busy. A small angel decided to come home with us…
It was now time for afternoon tea and we found a vegan café where we settled down in the warmth for a lovely cuppa before heading back to the hotel to chill out before dinner.
We had an aperitif in The Rose & Crown pub before dining in the The Opposition bistro. Once again the gin was served in a gold fish bowl full of ice (it is the current fashion) but without the friendly addition of a straw, making it impossible to drink without tipping ice all over your face. In the restaurant I settled for good old fish and chips which was delicious.
Mr C chose Wetherspoons for a nightcap and told me to choose a table whilst he went to the bar. Twenty minutes later I was beginning to think he had done a runner when suddenly he emerged looking rather angry and ticking like an old clock… There had been a saga with ordering drinks at the bar. I suggested that we move to a different area in the pub that I had noticed whilst I was waiting. By chance, we were now sitting next to the couple that had shared the delayed ordering saga at the bar. We got chatting whilst they were waiting for their food to arrive and found out that she was celebrating her birthday which was a coincidence as this was my delayed birthday weekend celebration too.
13 Comments CherryPie on Dec 6th 2022
We set off a little later than planned because Mr C had been away in London at a conference and needed to pack.
With lunch in mind, just outside of Stratford, we noticed a Dobbies garden centre. We negotiated around a car crash that was outside the garden centre but, on arrival at the cafe we found that only drinks and ’sweet treats’ were on offer. The sweet treats looked a lot sweeter than either of us would enjoy so we decided to lunch in Stratford, which was only a short distance away. It was too early for access to the hotel carpark so we parked in a multi-story car park and made our way into town.
We found a delightful tea room, Huffkins arriving just as a table was being cleaned and reset. Several people who arrived just after we did were turned away as the café, was full. I chose a warmed Almond Croissant with Elderflower Presse. We then strolled into town, visiting the Guild Chapel, the Shakespeare bookshop, Waterstones, the magic yard and the antiques emporium before returning to the car to drive the short distance to the hotel car park.
We checked into the Arden Hotel and were taken to our room on a never-ending up-and- down corridor to our room, which was called Juniper. The room was fabulous and we accepted the offer of the ‘Bed turn down service’. This was sheer luxury after hit and miss room service during the previous two years because of Covid-19 restrictions and laziness (or lack of staff) after the restrictions were lifted.
Before walking to our chosen restaurant we had a pre dinner drink in the hotel bar. The service was slow and chaotic. Our gin arrived in a gold fish bowl full of ice leaving us to duck and dive with the provided straw to find the gin lurking in the bottom of the glass (bowl). Whilst drinking our gin, we enjoyed watching a couple of the staff videoing their attempt at making a hot chocolate drink crowned with cream and chocolate drizzle. It didn’t work out as planned and take two was needed.
We dined in the Edward Moon brasserie where I chose butternut squash and coconut chilli. Mr C opted for chicken and mushroom tarragon pie. We shared a lemon brulee dessert. The food and service were both excellent.
We stopped off at the Garrick Inn for a nightcap before returning to the hotel. I didn’t really enjoy the nightcap experience; it involved climbing onto a high bar stool which isn’t an enjoyable experience when dressed up in a skirt and even worse there was the underlying feeling that the customers were a nuisance and the staff couldn’t wait to go home. Lights were turned off as customers left areas of the bar.
6 Comments CherryPie on Dec 5th 2022
