After breakfast we set off on a walking tour around Cirencester that was based on the recommendations in the information pack the hotel had provided us with. Our first port of call was the Church of St John the Baptist which is situated in the market square. We walked around the burial ground before entering the church building, the oldest part of which dates back to 1115.

There is much of interest to see including a Lego model of how the Abbey of St Mary may have looked. Whilst we were there we were treated to a lovely organ recital. We walked into the grounds behind the church where the original monastery would have stood. Parts of it are marked out with stones in the grass to give an impression of how big it would have been.

We then walked through town towards Cecily Hill and The Great Park. We briefly entered the park before returning to the town to sort out our car parking ticket which was due to expire.

This gave us the opportunity to drive to the nearby earthwork remains of an immense Roman Amphitheatre on the outskirts of Cirencester. Back in Cirencester, we had lunch in the Cafe Mosaic which is situated in the Wool Market. We then continued on our walking tour, adding some additional points of interest mentioned in a walking book that I had bought from the church shop during our morning visit. We walked through the Abbey Park to find the remains of the Roman Town Wall and Corinium Gate where there is only a plaque to commemorate what was once the north-east gate of Roman Corinium (Cirencester).

By now it was time for an afternoon treat so we made our way back to the Great Park where we encountered the Duchess of Bathurst next to her Beano in the Park which is a lovely teashop in a Retro caravan. I chose mint choc chip ice cream and apple juice. The picnic area was full so we retired to a nearby bench to enjoy our tasty delights. We took a scenic route out of the park and made our way to the Corinium Museum which has a collection of wonderful Roman mosaics.

We returned to our hotel to chill out before dining in Piazza Fontana where the experience was as good as our previous visit. Then one final nightcap in The Fleece before it was time to pack our bags for our journey home.

After breakfast we checked out of our hotel and drove to Stourhead House & Gardens in glorious sunshine. We signed in at the National Trust reception area before heading through to the house and gardens. It was around 20 years since our previous visit and it was our first visit to the house, which contains some interesting items. After our tour of the house we entered the gardens and found its colours to be spectacular. Before continuing on our journey to Cirencester, we lunched in the National Trust Cafe where to our pleasant surprise, we found the food options more varied than we have come to expect from a National Trust tea room.

Outside our hotel in Cirencester we parked in the drop off area as advised by the hotel. Mr C was harassed and told to move his car, by an angry van driver that happened to arrive a few moments after us. Mr C moved to a nearby space whilst we checked in to the hotel. We were given a lovely welcome pack which included local points of interest and a walking tour of Cirencester. After unloading we moved the car to a local pay & display car park, freshened up for dinner and made our way to the hotel bar.

I ordered a dry sherry, which the bar tender, after offering cider, eventually found with the help of Mr C.  I was then asked if I would like a 125, 175 or a 250 ml glass. At this point I gave up and said don’t bother whilst thinking that if you have got the drink in your chiller so you should know how to serve it. Mr C asked how we should pay the bill (his G&T) and the young man who was serving us hadn’t got a clue.

The restaurant turned out to be not quite our thing. The menu blended from starters to main courses with some options being either. We chose fishcakes which we thought would be a main course. It turned out to be starter size for Mr C and not even big enough for a main course for me with my small appetite. Although the meal was brief it was delicious. During our meal we got chatting to a couple on the table next to us and found that they had got married the Saturday before. She was struggling with her arm in a sling, having tripped up some steps and broken it on the Bank Holiday weekend just before the wedding.

When we had finished chatting, we stepped out of the chaos that was the hotel’s bar and dining arrangements into the calm of the street. We crossed the road to the Fleece Inn where we soaked up an enjoyable relaxing atmosphere.