We arrived at the breakfast room to find that there were a few people there already. The slightly increased numbers meant that there was a full buffet service rather than food cooked to order. The hot offering was tepid rather than hot and there was a limited range of food available. The breakfast was not as enjoyable as it had been on the previous day.

After breakfast we visited the Cathedral. I got chatting to one of the flower ladies as she was leaving a side chapel. She apologised for the mess inside the chapel; the ladies were in the process of creating the Easter garden prior to the Easter service the following day.

She also encouraged me to enter the chapel and look at the altar cloth, which matched the stained-glass windows above and was created by artist Sophy Hacker whose artwork was on display in the nearby North Transept during the Easter period. I enjoyed the themes and pieces of art that were on display.

Steps nearby led down to the crypt where Antony Gormley’s sculpture Echo Sound II is located. I was pleased to see it for the first time partially submerged in water. I lingered a while to enjoy the changed view and capture some photos on my camera.

I also enjoyed the Kings and Scribes exhibition, the creation of which had caused this part of the Cathedral to be shrouded in scaffolding with limited accessibility on our previous two visits to Winchester. Here we were able to see the Winchester Bible and the various stages of creating medieval manuscripts.

The exhibition also unearths the secrets of the six mortuary chests that are displayed high on the walls of the Quire and are thought to contain the bones of medieval bishops and royalty. Whilst I was watching the video about the research into the bones contained in the chests, Mr C went missing. He had missed the entrance to this part of the display which was a shame because he was interested in  the contents of the mortuary chests and had asked one of the Cathedral guides about them.

I tracked down Mr C and we visited the Cathedral shop where I got my Cathedral passport stamped. Then we had lunch in the Café. I chose pancakes with blueberry fruit compote and yoghurt. Once again, I forgot to photograph the tasty delight.

After lunch we decided to visit the Gurkha museum which we had both enjoyed during a previous visit to Winchester. We arrived to find that it was closed for major refurbishment and won’t reopen until the autumn. We visited the short-but-sweet temporary exhibition after which there wasn’t enough time to choose another afternoon activity so we walked into town taking in the second-hand bookshop along the way. We returned to the board game shop where the game, Quacks of Quedlinburg, that had been on my radar for a while somehow found its way into my hands and walked me to the till.

We chilled out in our room where I put a few colouring pencils to paper and read some of my book before walking to the nearby Blossom and Palm Sugar Thai restaurant. The food was delicious, although I wished I had chosen a different dish. My choice proved to be a variation on a theme that is available in many restaurants. My original choice was a little different but the waiter put me off choosing that dish.

The Crown and Anchor was too quiet so we returned to the hotel for a nightcap. Surprisingly for a chain hotel, the bar buzzing and vibrant with a friendly barman. He warmed Mr C’s brandy over a glass of hot water. How cool was that!

We like to spend the Easter weekend in a location where we can join the Sunday Easter service in one of the English Cathedrals. This year we chose Winchester, a place where we have previously enjoyed several mini breaks.

We broke our long, tedious journey for lunch at Gilks Garage café in Kineton.  The Café is themed to its former use in the motor trade. The menu is extensive and I was spoilt for choice, eventually settling on a vegetarian (vegetable) sausage bap. The sausages were served on a lightly toasted bun. Another hidden gem revealed to me by the Extra Mile book.

Suitably refreshed we continued our journey to Winchester stopping briefly at a service station for a leg stretch. When we arrived in Winchester we booked into our hotel, The Winchester Wessex. It is no longer a Mercure hotel and has been rebranded as Winchester Wessex Hotel by Sunday.

First impressions were favourable; we were greeted by a lovely young man who booked us into our room. The room itself, one that looks over the Cathedral Green with a view of the Cathedral, had been spruced up and looked cleaner and fresher than it did on our previous visit several years ago.

We dumped our bags in the room and headed into town where we checked out the board game shop. We were overwhelmed by the number of board games on offer. One game had been on my radar for a while but I chose to leave it on the shelf (for now). We had a mooch around Waterstones and Robert Dyas before returning to the hotel to unpack and enjoy a refreshing cup of tea.

When it was time to dine, we walked to the nearby Fish and Chip Shop, Shoal, for a freshly cooked chippy dinner. I chose haddock accompanied by a glass of rose wine. The food was delicious.

The night was still young so we retired to the nearby Crown and Anchor which had Timothy Taylor Landlord Ale on tap. That made Mr C content and, of course I chose a lovely glass of rose wine. The atmosphere was comfy and initially quiet until a group of very loud ladies settled on the table next to us. This caused one gentleman drinking quietly on his own to beat a hasty retreat (after finishing his beer) to move to another nearby pub.

The bed was so comfy that we both had a good night’s sleep and woke feeling refreshed. For breakfast, both cooked and continental options were available along with a few cooked-to-order items. I chose to sample the continental breakfast option. It had a nice selection of fruits, meats and cheeses but it was let down by the lack of crusty bread for accompaniment.

After breakfast we walked the short distance to Cardiff Castle where we booked the guided tour in addition to our entry ticket. The tour took us through rooms of the castle that are not accessible on a standard entry ticket. The rooms each had their stories to tell and it was fascinating to learn the history and narratives behind the decoration of the rooms.

One part of the tour involved a spiral staircase which I chose to miss. I am OK going upstairs but I am not so nifty walking downstairs, especially if the staircase is spiral. This gave me the opportunity for a personal guided tour of one of the rooms, the Arab Room. This room is accessible without a tour ticket but we had to bypass it as a group due to the small size of the room and potential damage to the flooring.

After the tour and before lunch, we walked the steep steps to the castle keep. I was glad I had done it but then I had to walk back down those same steep steps.

Next, it was time for lunch which we had in the Castle café. We both chose a traditional dish, ‘Welsh Rarebit’, which was delicious. Whilst using my phone to take a photograph I noticed a missed call from the care home where my mum is currently staying and a missed message from one of the nurses. It took me the rest of the afternoon to be able to contact him. Mum wants to go shopping and they wondered if it was OK for them to ‘try’ and take her as one of the care home activities.

But getting back to Cardiff Castle; after lunch we viewed the Roman wall and sculpture and the Line of Fire Museum of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and the Queen’s Dragoon Guards. We made our way to the wall walk and the WWII tunnels. We had walked the wall before our guided tour and now it was time to explore the tunnels which are beneath the castle walls and were used as a bomb shelter during WWII. The tunnels are impressive due to their length and size.

We left the castle in time for afternoon tea and a cake which we enjoyed in a coffee shop in the Castle Arcade. After relaxing with a naughty cake, we returned to the Rules of Play board game shop which had been shut when we passed it earlier. The shop is fabulous, and we were overwhelmed by the number of games in stock. So much so that we came away empty handed.

Back at the hotel we chilled out before dining in the Potted Pig which is located in a former bank vault. Lovely food but it couldn’t quite compete with the artistic tasty ravioli dish that I enjoyed the night before.

After dining Mr C was on a mission to find the perfect pub for a beer, this led us through quieter streets where several people approached us asking for money. Only one of them, a lady that approached me when Mr C had gone on ahead, did I believe to be homeless.

Mr C settled on The Duke of Wellington. The pub had a slightly uncomfortable atmosphere until some football supporters that had been watching the Wales V Belgium football match at the local stadium arrived for post-game drinks. Their presence livened up the place.

After breakfast we walked down Steep Hill in order to join the 10.30 guided tour of Lincoln’s Stonebow and Guild Hall which has been the meeting place of the City Council since Medieval times. We arrived early so we spent a few minutes in Waterstones where I perused the board game section.

When it was time to join the tour, we returned to the Guild Hall where a few minutes later we were greeted by Richard, who, because as we were the only two, treated Mr C and I to a personal guided tour.

The tour and talk covered the council chambers, the history of Lincoln, the Mayors and Sheriffs of Lincoln and the basement where all the city’s ceremonial regalia and other treasures are stored. We learned about ceremonial swords versus swords used in combat and the orientation of the markings on the hilt.

One of the swords in the collection is the actual sword used by King Henry VIII (Henry Tudor) at the Battle of Stoke Field in 1487. He presented it to the city in an attempt to secure the loyalty of Lincoln’s aldermen and with them the city.

The mace in the collection is from the time of Charles I and is unusual because it is unaltered. Most such maces had their Royal markings removed by Cromwell’s government during the period of Commonwealth.

In this room we were also shown various charters and seals presented to Lincoln by different monarchs over the years. This almost made up for the missing magna carta.

As we walked round the building, we noticed a photograph of a more recent Royal visit which also pictured Richard in his ceremonial hat. We recognised seeing him it the day before as part of the Freedom Parade.

The tour was excellent, I would recommend it to anyone interested in history.

After the tour we returned to Waterstones to finish browsing the board game section before visiting another local independent board game shop. We were specifically looking for games that accommodate 6 players or more but these are few and far between. We left empty handed but by now Mr C was on a mission and there was just one more board game shop in Lincoln. This turned out to be further away than he thought and when we arrived it turned out to stock mostly miniature figures for war and fantasy games rather than board games. Our route to the shop took us past the 16th century St Mary’s conduit which supplied drinking water to Lincoln until 1906.

The owner chatted to us and it turned out he was originally from Walsall and we started reminiscing how that area including Birmingham had changed over the years. When we had finished chatting it was time for lunch. Suitable lunch options were a bit sparse in the lower town so we returned to Madame Waffle before embarking on the walk ‘up’ Steep Hill.

Mr C stopped to enjoy the model shop and I continued walking up the hill. I paused at the bottom of the steepest part of the hill and a passing lady stopped to ask me if I was alright. I was, but how lovely of her to stop and ask.

Back in the cultural quarter we visited the Museum of Lincolnshire Life where I was captivated by the same displays, I enjoyed on my previous visit in 2016. We then sought out a nearby secret garden, the John Dawber Garden, which on arrival we realised we had visited before when we stayed in the adjacent Charlotte Hotel.

We made our way back to Cathedral View stopping for drink at the Lion and Snake on the way. The weather was lovely so we were able to enjoy it sitting outside in the sunshine. Back at the B&B I was challenged to another game of 7 Wonders Duel and just to be consistent I lost again…

We dined in Thailand No. 1. We found it to have a warm and vibrant atmosphere and delicious food. We returned to the Lion and Snake (next door) for a night cap before returning our billet for the evening.

We had the perfect window seat for breakfast so once again we sat and lingered enjoying the atmosphere and view.

The forecasted weather wasn’t favourable but we decided to stick with our plan to visit Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. The weather was cloudy with the occasional burst of sunshine leading to an ever changing palate of autumn colours. We enjoyed our walk around the grounds, remembering some views from our previous visit which I estimate was over 20 years ago! Where does all the time go?

We had lunch in the National Trust Café, I chose Yorkshire Parkin, which was delicious and filling. Unfortunately the food and drink was served on disposable plates, cups and cutlery.

By the time we left the café it had started to rain so we headed to Ripon thinking that we might visit the Cathedral. After a walk around the town we noticed people in elegant clothing arriving at the Cathedral and realised that a church event must be taking place and it was inappropriate to go in. Reluctantly, we left Ripon and drove back to Harrogate, taking the scenic route.

Back in Harrogate, we headed into town and visited a board game shop that we had spotted previously. We were checking an idea for a Christmas gift and also the possibility of board game to play on a rainy afternoon in Harrogate. The shop was busy, making it hard to see the games let alone focus on what might be a suitable game for the circumstances. We left empty handed, chose not to join the long queue at Betty’s and returned to the hotel for a cup of tea.

Not to be thwarted in my Board Game quest  I checked the top 100 on the Board Game Geek website for the game that had caught my eye; 7 Wonders Duel. It was near to the top of the list. I left my cup of tea brewing and headed out into the wind and rain, purchased the game and was back at the hotel within 15 minutes.

My cup of tea was warm and waiting for me when I got back. We thoroughly enjoyed playing the new game although, as usual for a first play, we got some of the rules wrong.

We dined in the hotel, I chose sea bass followed by lemon tart for dessert. Mr C chose steak which, when it arrived, was unfortunately cold putting a bit of a damper on the evening. The bill was discounted to compensate for the problem. We had a nightcap in the bar and one last chat with the bar tender that had looked after us during our stay.

We arrived at breakfast to find that it was a self service buffet arrangement. The choice was extensive although the experience wasn’t entirely pleasant. Some guests picked up bread then changed their mind and put it back in the stack. Others were crowding around the toast machine and coughing and sneezing whilst waiting for the toast to cook. Yuk!!

After breakfast we walked into Durham to visit the Cathedral and on the way visited a board game shop called ‘Meeple Games’. We intended to buy a game but couldn’t make up our mind so decided to return later when we had done a bit of research.

When we arrived at Palace Green we visited the Heritage Centre with its archeological display and small exhibition about the Durham Light Infantry.

We arrived at the Cathedral to find that it was currently closed to visitors due to a service taking place so we walked to the nearby Church of St Mary the Less, so named because the much larger Cathedral is also dedicated to St Mary. Sadly this too was shut with no indication of when it might be open.

With time to spare we set off on a river walk crossing over both the Prebends’ and Framwellgate bridges before returning to the Cathedral for lunch in the Undercroft Restaurant.

We explored the Cathedral using the short guide pamphlet that we were given on arrival. This pointed out the most significant features including St Cuthberts Shrine and Venerable Bede’s tomb. I was pleasantly surprised to find that photography, with a few perfectly reasonable caveats, was now allowed and even encouraged. At the time of our visit, the Galilee Chapel was hosting an art display, LIGHT by Chris Lavine. This bathed the Chapel in soft blue ripples of light accompanied by gentle music.

Over lunch we did our board game research so we returned to the board game shop and bought Everdell. Next, we purchased a couple of cheap mugs and spoons for the hotel room so that we didn’t have to use paper cups. After the poor bar experience of the previous day we also bought some sherry and glasses so that we could enjoy a pre dinner drink in our room as we got ready to go out for our evening meal.

We dined in Akarsu Turkish Restaurant & Grill. Our table was a little bit too close to bar waiting area but the food was delicious. After dinner we visited the Swan & Three Cygnets which is a short distance from the hotel and which we found to be more welcoming and relaxing than the hotel bar.