Once again, I had the Veggie breakfast. This time without the avocado, it was much more to my palate.

After breakfast we checked out and dragged our luggage through the city centre to the car park. We loaded the car and then drove to Wells to visit the Cathedral to get another stamp in my Cathedral passport. We found the Cathedral was a lot busier than it had been on our previous visits. Even busier than it had been during an Easter visit.

Inside the Cathedral there were a lot of tourist groups making it difficult to see and enjoy the normally serene surroundings. I missed seeing the quire because, as I passed the first time, it was full of tourists so I decided to wait until I passed it on the other side. Unfortunately, when I got there the quire had been closed for choir practice.

During our visit the finishing touches to the Mythical Creatures adventure for children (of all ages) over the summer months was in its final stages of completion. Some of the mythical creatures were not hard to miss, we were greeted by one in the nave of the Cathedral. The creatures were drawn from works in the Cathedral’s chained library.

Our visit to Wells brought back happy memories of our stays in a lovely Wells B&B as well as regrets that our planned Easter visit in 2020 was cancelled due to Covid.

Later, we stopped at Gloucester services and were interested to note that the northbound side of the carriageway was not quite as good as the southbound side.

In Wells and Gloucester services we purchased food for both our Saturday and Sunday evening meals. So back home after unpacking bags we were able to enjoy ‘fine dining’; salmon with lemon and chive mayo, cubed potatoes and pea shoots. It was the second best meal of the week.

After a good night’s sleep in the extremely comfortable bed it was time to sample Hotel Indigo’s breakfast. As with the other Indigo hotels that we have stayed in there is a continental selection and a menu for cooked to order items. I chose the small vegetarian option which included crushed avocado. My instincts that this would not go with the other breakfast items were correct but at least I can say that I tried it.

Straight after breakfast we visited Exeter Cathedral and found it to have a lovely atmosphere. The Cathedral has lots of interesting features, far too many to take in on one visit. We also visited the treasury exhibition which is included as part of the ticket. Before leaving I purchased some books and an advent candle from the shop.

We walked to the quayside where we had lunch in the Riverside Café. We chose to eat inside due to the intense mid-day sunshine. I chose a toastie and Elderflower cordial to drink. It was served in an interesting way; the cordial was in a jug and served with bottled water. You could mix the drink exactly to your taste.

After lunch we visited the nearby Custom House which houses an exhibition of history of Custom House itself, smuggling and the quayside area of Exeter.

Back in town, Mr C dropped off his rucksack at the hotel before embarking on a shopping fix; Brook Tavener, Pro Cook and Lakeland. He bought a few shirts from Brook Tavener but couldn’t find ‘just the right’ gadget in either of the cookshops. We also visited Waterstones where I was able to pick up the latest book in a series that I am reading.

Back at the hotel we chilled out and freshened up for dinner. Again, we had a pre-dinner drink on the rooftop bar, although we weren’t able to secure a prime position for the best view. We dined in The Ivy which we had booked on our travels earlier in the day. I chose fish and chips, a first for me in the ivy. The service was attentive when we first arrived but became less attentive as the evening wore on. We even had to summon someone to pour the remainder of our wine (which is always kept in a cooler away from the table).

Walking back towards the hotel after the meal we could hear music through the open doors of the Cathedral from the Bowie concert that was taking place. We had intended to return to the Ship Inn for a nightcap but as we neared the venue extremely loud karaoke music was emanating from inside so we returned to the hotel instead and found it refreshing to fine the bar was open when it was supposed to be and didn’t shut earlier than stated. Even when the tills had been closed residents could order drinks to be billed to their room. Much more civilised than some of our other recent experiences.

For my last breakfast at the Watermill, I chose the safe small portion option of ‘one’ Belgian waffle. After breakfast we were departing for our next destination, Exeter.

Mr C had planned that we would visit Polperro and Looe on our journey to Exeter. However, we arrived at Polperro to find that car parking was a flat rate of £7 for the day. This was not value for money when we only intended to stay for a short while so we retraced our steps and parked in Looe which was more reasonably priced.

We enjoyed the harbour and mooched around the shops before heading to Oakhampton which Mr C had added to the itinerary after we had decided not to visit Polperro. We stopped in the town of Oakhampton for lunch and noticed the fish and chip shop.

We decided to dine in the restaurant but we were told they were closing in a few minutes but if we knew what we wanted they would take our order or we could go downstairs and order from the takeaway. We took the hint and ordered from the takeaway where I ordered a fishcake and Mr C ordered a fish. The service was almost as surly as it had been in the restaurant upstairs. The food, however, was delicious. My fishcake was battered rather than breaded and we enjoyed our food sitting on a picnic bench in the square. We heard the distant sound of seagulls but thankfully they didn’t get any closer…

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After lunch we drove the short distance to the castle. Mr C was left feeling slightly disappointed that it is one of those that is free to enter and explore, which means no guide book to be had.

When we arrived at Exeter finding the hotel (Indigo) proved to be a challenge. We arrived in the inner-city centre but could not locate the hotel and the SatNav was no help. We parked the car and Mr C set off on foot, located the hotel and asked for directions to the car park. Even with directions the entrance to the car park was elusive.

Whilst we were unloading the car, another car decided to park next to us leaving me with a narrow gap to navigate my case through. At least the driver had the courtesy to ask me if I had enough room, although I did wonder why he hadn’t parked in one of the other empty spaces!

We checked into the hotel; the receptionist helped us with our luggage and showed us to our room on the 7^th floor. The room was amazing, we were lucky enough to get one with a Cathedral Heritage theme; the other two themes being The House That Moved and Colson’s Department Store. Hotel Indigo always has themes related to the heritage of the city in which it is located.

We unpacked our bags and chilled out in the lovely room. We had a pre-dinner drink in Becketts rooftop bar, overlooking Exeter Cathedral before dining in the nearby Sabatinis. I chose lemon sole followed by limoncello tart. After dining we had a circular tour around town, getting an excellent view of the cathedral along the way to find the Ship Inn Which turned out to be just around the corner from our hotel.

Welcome to Hotel Indigo® Cardiff, where bespoke design meets classic Welsh heritage. Our boutique bedrooms reflect our vibrant city, with the themes ‘Made in Wales’, ‘Welsh Industry’ and ‘Music’ embodied in local art and natural materials. Many also offer wonderful views of the Cardiff skyline, and they all have free Wi-Fi and invigorating rainfall showers. Moments from our front door you can sing along with the fans at the home of Welsh rugby, explore the historic Cardiff Castle with its fairy tale towers, or rock out to that famous local music at the Motorpoint Arena.

At the last minute we had to cancel our trip to Madeira due to Mr C having an unexpected health issue that required tests and which meant that we were not insured to travel abroad.

Within a few days we came up with ‘Plan B’, a trip to Cardiff, a place that neither of us had visited before. Why Cardiff? It has lots of nearby attractions that appealed to both of us.

Our journey to Cardiff ran smoothly and we chose to break our journey for lunch at the Engine House that is located in Ross-on-Wye garden centre, another gem from the ‘Extra Mile’ book. I couldn’t resist the scone of the day, apple and cinnamon. It was deliciously light and crumbly. Mr C opted for the pear and stilton toasty which had also tempted me.

We arrived in Cardiff at around 3pm, parking the car in the car park recommended by the hotel and which gave a substantial discount for hotel guests. Speaking of the car… After several weeks the RAC accepted liability for the fire that happened after Mr C’s car was recovered to our house. They referred the matter to their insurers who authorised a hire car just a few days before we travelled.

After checking in to our hotel, we chilled out in the hotel bar with a glass of wine for me and a local beer for Mr C. Mr C rang one of his friends to update him on recent events whilst I read up on local attractions.

We returned to the room for a cup of tea. After we had unpacked our bags Mr C went out to recce the local area, leaving me to chill out some more.

Later we dined in Giovanni’s Italian Restaurant. The food, service and atmosphere were wonderful. I chose a ravioli dish which was presented in artistic, appetising way rather than served in a bowl as pasta normally is.

Mr C was keen to show me the Wetherspoons’ pub, that is in the former Prince of Wales theatre building. He took me upstairs into ‘the gods’ where we had a nightcap before retiring to the hotel for the evening.

For breakfast I chose the vegetarian option that had tempted me the day before. It was delicious.

As we checked out of the hotel we were asked if we had enjoyed our stay and our choice of room style, and, if we returned would we choose the same or something different? There are three options; the Tudor Rooms (with original oak beams), the Georgian Townhouse (with high ceilings and chandeliers) or the contemporary rooms (with a lift). The hotel had phoned up before our stay to ask which type we would like and we chose the Georgian option.

These personal touches and attention to detail made us feel much more welcome than in our previous hotel in Stratford where the personal touch and care of the customer wasn’t quite where it should be.

As we travelled to Compton Verney, the place we had chosen to visit on our way home, persistent rain set in. When we arrived at the gates, I suggested that perhaps we should choose a more indoor destination. Compton Verney has art galleries but the grounds hold more interest for me and it would not have been much fun in the rain.

I suggested the nearby British Motor Museum which I knew Mr C would enjoy. He jumped at the suggestion and we arrived just after it had opened for the day. It was warm and dry inside the museum and some of the exhibitions had changed a lot since our previous visit. This included a Jaguar exhibition wing which was fascinating. There is so much to see that it isn’t possible to take everything in on one visit.

Whilst there, we chose to have lunch in the café which has some tasty food options.

All too soon it was time to return home. We stopped off to pick up a ready meal of venison casserole, roast potatoes and carrots for our fine dining later that evening.

We arrived in the breakfast room to find that the advertised continental breakfast was exactly as advertised, unlike our previous hotel where several components of the continental breakfast were missing. I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity even though the vegetarian breakfast was also tempting. I wasn’t disappointed.

After breakfast, as planned, we had a chilly but leisurely mooch around the town before having lunch in Huffkins. I chose a Belgian bun, which was tasty, but I had forgotten how sticky the icing on top is! Surprisingly one of the Waitresses recognised us from our previous visits.

Our planned adventure for the afternoon was the Butterfly Farm which was busier than on our previous visits. I felt a bit crowded out when we first arrived which wasn’t helped by a gentleman who followed me round as I was trying to take photographs; he too was looking for perfect photo opportunities. I think it might have been the half term holiday which starts a week earlier in Stratford than in my local schools.

There were lots of interesting creatures hiding in plain view in the tropical house, including a red kneed tarantula who unusually was at the front of his safe cave and slowly moving his fangs. The cayman, once again did not realise that I had come to visit and was hiding away in his sleeping quarters.

We returned to Brook Tavener where Mr C had purchased a jacket the previous day. He bought the same jacket in a different colour. It was now time to return to the hotel for a warming cup of tea and a chill out before pre-theatre dining in the Giggling Squid. I chose sticky chicken which was delicious and chose the appropriately named (for Valentine’s Day) Melting Heart Chocolate. Unfortunately, when it arrived it was the full-sized version rather than the small portion ordered, reminding me that the service had been a little bit quirky on our previous visit there. We had a date with Hamlet at the RSC so there wasn’t time to rectify the mistake.

Photo copywrite of the RSC (Hamlet promotional material)

The stage was stunning in the shape of a ship with water around the bows and a video of waves and horizon to the stern. The first half is scene setting where the story is told. The second half, which is more dramatic, saw the stage tilt back and forth with the stormy sea and dramatic culmination of the story.

We returned to the hotel to have a nightcap in the bar to find that our favourite seats had just been taken, as were all the other seats in the bar area. We retired to another seating area which is lovely, albeit quieter than the bar area.

We were joined by others including two gay couples (including an American and a German) who discussed the recent election of Trump and related politics of the situation. Their discussion was to loud to tune out, but at least it was interesting.