We had intended to set off around 10am but had run a little behind schedule. As we were just about ready to leave, the phone rang which contributed to us leaving nearly an hour later than we had intended.

We consulted ‘The Extra Mile’ book to find a suitable place for lunch and settled on Ferns Bistro which is located in the Malthouse Emporium near to Tewkesbury. We initially struggled to locate the place because we were looking for a refurbished malthouse instead of the modern day pre-fab factory building that it turned out to be.

After lunch we had a mooch around the Emporium which has an eclectic mix of new and pre-loved items for sale. We left the building empty handed and headed into Gloucester to visit the Cathedral.

Neither of us remembered the nave of the church from our previous two visits. It was only when passed through the transept that the building became familiar with its side chapels and glorious stained-glass windows.

I did, however, remember the Labyrinth from my first visit to the Cathedral and it was lovely to see it installed once again albeit for a few weeks only. I would have loved to walk it but sadly there was not enough time to do it justice.

Outside of the main Cathedral building are the cloisters. These are stunning and well worth a visit in their own right. They featured in some of the Harry Potter films and, as we walked round, we noticed a youngster in a Gryffindor cloak having his photograph taken at various locations that featured in the films. My favourite part of the cloisters is the Lavatorium, the communal washing area for the Monks in mediaeval times.

We also navigated some spiral stairs to visit the Tribune Gallery exhibition and get a closer look at some of the higher-level Cathedral features, including the Great East Window. It is on this level that you can experience the ‘Whispering Gallery’ and test out the acoustics in the narrow, almost hidden passageway.

Before leaving the Cathedral, we stopped for refreshments in the Monk’s Kitchen where I was tempted to a maple and pecan slice. The atmosphere in the Cathedral was hot and humid and this was intensified in the small café room.

As we made our way back to the car park, we noticed that Gloucester has become rather run down and that many shops are empty. When we booked in at our hotel, Hatton Court the receptionist commented on the state of Gloucester and suggested that the Cathedral and the Docks were the best parts of the city and that Cheltenham was a better place to visit.

We left our luggage in our room and headed for the hotel terrace for a refreshing drink looking over the Gloucestershire countryside, which was partially obscured by wedding/event tents erected in the hotel’s garden area.

Later we dined in the hotel restaurant where we opted for a sharing dish; pan fried venison steak served on poppadoms accompanied by rice, curry sauce and other small accompanying dishes. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of the plate of food art. Later we chilled out in the bar area before retiring for the evening.

I handed mum her birthday present before we tucked into the delicious breakfast that was on offer. There was a good selection of cold buffet items and an option for a cooked breakfast to order. After we were comfortably replete, we walked to the Yorkshire museum via the museum gardens. The gardens were pleasant with the spring bulbs flowering and there was just as many squirrels as there were on my last visit.

The museum was excellent covering, amongst other displays, the Roman and Mediaeval eras. The special exhibition is Jurassic World with a fine display of dinosaurs. This part of the museum was rather crowded due to to Easter weekend and the exhibition had only recently opened. We had arrived as the museum opened but when we left a huge queue had formed outside so it would be much more crowded very soon.

We then made our way to Fairfax House whilst trying to find a suitable tearoom for lunch. This proved a little difficult as there weren’t many tearooms in that area of York. We found somewhere eventually, although it wasn’t quite what we had in mind.

Fairfax House was once the winter home of Viscount Fairfax and his daughter, Anne. This branch of the Fairfaxes were a prominent Catholic family who owned extensive property and land in the county of York.  The house passed through various owners before coming a gentleman’s club and friendly society and eventually becoming a cinema and dance hall. By 1980 the house stood empty when, due to the historical importance of the building, the York Civic Trust undertook restoration of the house and housed it with the collections that we see today.

As we left Fairfax House and made our way back into town it started to rain so we ducked into Marks and Spencer so that Mr C could buy an umbrella. Upon opening it he nearly cleared the store as it has a rather fierce spring loaded opening mechanism. Suitably equipped for the weather, we went in search of a tearoom. This proved a little difficult because most people had had the same idea and they were all full. Eventually we found one that was almost empty. There were some delicious cakes on display but I decided not to indulge.

After our tea we made our way around the corner to the Treasurer’s House; former home to wealthy industrialist Frank Green. The house displays his collections of antique furniture, ceramics, art and textiles. Sadly, by the time we had finished looking around the house, there was no access to the gardens. I have yet to see the garden; on each occasion I have visited there has been no access to them.

We returned the hotel to freshen up before dinner in Bennett’s Bistro. Once again the food was delicious, I chose Gnocchi with butternut squash and red onion.

A previous post of mine reveals the message at the centre of the labyrinth.

Aristotle

Proverbs 8:17

In times past, pilgrims followed a circular route, sometimes on their knees, as an act of piety, penitence or meditation. Pilgrims would also follow more complicated labyrinths, the most famous of which is Chartres. Our simple mown spiral version may be further developed at Arley.

Michael Dervill
Head Gardener

I for one hope that they do develop the idea further, I find labyrinths and mazes quite fascinating.

……….

The first time I visited the Alnwick Garden I loved this quote and found it quite profound.  It is a Buddhist quote and it reflects what the Duchess was trying to achieve with her garden.  The stone with the quote can be found on the way into the Bamboo Labyrinth:

In the Labyrinth, bamboo sways and rustles noisily in the wind, obscuring The Garden’s other sights and sounds. The twisting paths run stream-like amongst the bamboo. The Labyrinth was designed by Adrian Fisher, an international maze-maker, and the bamboo is ‘Fargesia’ rufa, a new Chinese variety.*

On my recent visit I was a little shocked by the comments of visitors passing the inscription.  There were so many who either didn’t understand it or thought it was stupid…

In the centre of the labyrinth there lies another message for the visitor do decipher.  Highlight below to see what the message says.

Visitors you have seen it all, we thank you, now continue happily on your way.

*Information from the Alnwick Garden website.

I need to go back and test out the theory!!

Once in the centre of the labyrinth the only way out is via the underground grotto containing the elements of earth, air, fire and water; not to mention a legendary giant.

From the guide book:

Planted in 1988 with 2400 yew tree, the Leeds Castle maze leads to a spiralling path up to a raised viewpoint overlooking the park.  Reminiscent of the traditional geometric style of planting, the maze takes the form of a topiary castle.  The pattern includes a chalice and a queens crown, which can only be seen only once the puzzle has been solved.  The only way out of the maze is through the underground grotto, where the elementals of earth, air, fire and water are joined by the legendary giant Typhoeus, who tried to overpower the Greed gods but was vanquished by Zeus and placed under a volcano, where he became the source of fire.