We finished packing so that after breakfast we could just collect our luggage and check out. After my previous days breakfast experience, I opted for the safer option of the coconut toast with pineapple that I had enjoyed on the first day. Sadly, the safe option didn’t live up to expectation, the toast and the pineapple were cold and Mr C’s cooked breakfast was also distinctly sub-standard.

After checking out from the hotel we found that a car was parked in a non-parking space in such a way that Mr C couldn’t get out of his parking space. The lady in the passenger seat explained that her husband had nipped to the shop. I took some photos of the hotel but by the time I had finished, her husband had still not returned. She got out of the car, put a lead on her dog and was about to go in search of her husband when he appeared from around the corner with takeaway breakfast items. Soon after, they were on their way and so were we.

Our destination of the day was Althorp, the ancestral home of the Spencer family. We visited the house first. It being several years since our previous visit, I had forgotten a lot about the house and was reacquainted with the picture gallery and the amazing staircase with its balcony space above. The house is home to a collection of over 300 paintings including many by famous grand masters.

We finished the tour of the house just in time for lunch. Suitably refreshed we walked to the oval lake which is in a beautiful setting. Beside the lake, is a memorial to Diana Spencer with her tomb resting in a peaceful setting on the island located in the middle of the lake. Before leaving the estate I purchased a couple of books and the updated guidebook.

On our way home we purchased the ingredients for lemon salmon with leek and potato mash. We had hoped to dine on the patio but a hail and rain shower changed our minds but at least it freshened the air making the temperature much more bearable.