The breakfast spread was excellent, including interesting continental options as well as the usual cooked options.  Straight after breakfast we drove to Tewkesbury and parked the car in the dedicated festival car park.

Rather than heading into town as we had originally planned, Mr C elected to explore the festival ground arriving before most things were open so we retraced our steps and enjoyed a refreshing drink in the Touching Souls tea room followed by a quick visit to the Abbey. I was amused by a sign on a table in the Abbey’s entrance porch that stated, ‘Please leave your weapons here’. Sunlight was streaming through the windows and the Abbey had a special atmosphere that we had not experienced on our previous visits.

By now the festival was officially open so we walked back to the showground and visited the trade stands picking up some lunch along the way. After lunch we visited the Kings Camp living history area and walked around the field where the re-enactment of the battle was due to take place.

I then left to visit Victoria Gardens whilst Mr C stayed to watch some of the re-enactment.  I enjoyed the peaceful gardens which were a contrast to the hustle and bustle in the street outside and at the festival site.

When the toing and froing of people and cars had died down I was able to cross the road to the Abbey, although by this time the tearoom had closed. It was not so peaceful in the Abbey grounds with a noisy family whose children were breaking twigs and leaves of a magnificent tree that had grown amongst the gravestones. I didn’t linger long before walking to the town’s visitor information center hoping to pick up some walking leaflets I had noticed earlier in the day. This was not to be because it had also closed for the day. By this time Mr C had seen what he wanted to see of the battle re-enactment and texted me to say he was on his way. In the Abbey Grounds I settled myself a shady seat framed by flowers to wait for him.

Back at the hotel we had a shower to wash away the dust and heat of the day before dining in Zitto e Mangia. I chose Branzino al Vino Bianco (sea bass fillet with white wine, garlic and herbs) followed by Tartufo al Limoncello (Lemon ice cream with a liquid limoncello centre coated with crushed meringue). Both dishes were delicious. When we arrived back at the hotel for a nightcap I noticed that the people sitting on the next table to us were the same people that we were seated near in the restaurant.

Our cooked-to-order breakfast was excellent, setting us up for the day. Our destination was Eastnor Castle which opened at 10.30. We reached the Castle well before then so we went on a magical mystery tour around the local countryside until the Castle was open. At one point we encountered silly partridges (approximately 12) running around randomly and blocking the road.

Back at the Castle, we opted to do the lake walk in the cool morning air rather than in higher temperatures later in the day. We enjoyed a refreshing drink in the café before taking a tour of the house. The house itself was more interesting than I remembered on my previous visit from many years ago.

After the house tour, we had lunch in the café before heading to Tewkesbury for the afternoon. By this time the temperature had risen to uncomfortable levels and at mum’s suggestion we visited the Abbey, enjoying the cool temperature within. We then strolled into town with tea and cake in mind. By this time the temperature had risen even more and the atmosphere was quite humid. This proved too much for mum so we cut the exploration of the Tewkesbury banners short  and took mum back to the hotel so she could chill out and recover.

Mr C and I then set off in search of tea and cake ending up in Ledbury where we found a delightful teashop, Choccotastic, which is tucked away up a side street. After misreading the one way system signs we correctly navigated our way through the chocolate shop’s Covid-secure one way system to place our order. My choice of lemon drizzle cake was accompanied by a heart shaped dish containing chocolate buttons. A lovely touch.

We walked along the street towards a bookshop that we had noticed on our way to the teashop. As we approached the market hall we noticed that someone had collapsed in the street, perhaps due to the heat. He was already being looked after so we didn’t need to stop and offer assistance. I hope he recovered. It was a lovely bookshop but on this occasion I wasn’t tempted to purchase a book.

We made our way back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. The highlight of my evening meal was an assiette of desserts and a rather fine rose wine.

We checked out of the Wykeham Arms after breakfast and set off to Tewkesbury where we had a cup of tea before visiting the Abbey.

As we entered the Abbey we were welcomed by a minister. The Abbey has a lovely warm feeling and I had forgotten how beautiful it is. One corner of the Abbey was being used to display a wonderful Easter Garden, that made one of the side chapels look like the empty tomb.

We had lunch in the Abbey’s Touching Souls cafe before continuing our journey home where we unpacked before collecting some food for our evening meal.

The photo is best viewed large on Flickr