We were a little later than usual to breakfast because Mr C wanted to pack his bags beforehand so that we could check out of the hotel as soon as we had finished eating. At breakfast I discovered the delights of the pancake machine that I had intended to try earlier during our stay, but with our hectic schedule I forgot about it. The first two were so tasty that I went for seconds and found a young French boy was processing pancakes. He turned to me and said ‘are you waiting?’ to which I replied ‘yes’. He then said ‘two more’ indicating that he was going to cook another two after the first two had popped out of the machine. I smiled and said OK and when he had finished collecting his pancakes he smiled at me as he took his tasty delights back to his table.

We loaded our car and drove to Stonehenge which we had been looking forward to since before we set off on our holiday adventure. It being the school holidays there were queues for entry but I remembered that there is a fast track for English Heritage members and located that entry kiosk. We were admitted within minutes.

The weather was glorious and sunny giving me the perfect excuse to wear my new wide brimmed, straw sunhat. I was a little bit apprehensive that a gust of wind might carry it away but my hat behaved itself. I was glad I chose to wear this hat, it kept my head cool and my hair intact whereas my other hats overheat my head and I end up with ‘Hat Hair’.

On this occasion our walk to the stones, was not optimal and we were left disappointed. As we approached the stones we saw two coaches and the remains of the old visitor centre much more prominently than the iconic stones.

After we had passed the eyesore and were approaching the stones, we were tempted to an ice cream. There was a bit of a queue which left us plenty of time to decide one or two scoops… We had already chosen the flavour, Bramley apple crumble and custard. By the time we got to the kiosk we had settled on two scoops each. The scoops we saw were very small, but when our cones arrived the scoops were twice the size of the scoops other people had been receiving. The ice cream was delicious and melting around the edges causing sticky fingers. Yum Yum!

It is always a joy to see the stones within the wide landscape, although it was much busier than on our previous visit. Our time was limited so we opted to catch the bus back to the visitor centre rather than walk back (which we usually do).

Rather than eat out on our return home we decided to pick up a chicken and some veg so that we could have a roast dinner. There are always several supermarkets en-route but on this occasion, there were none to be seen. As time was running out, we resorted to googling for the nearest supermarket which turned out to be in an obscure location. We arrived with fifteen minutes to spare before it closed, but thankfully were able to pick up everything we needed for dinner along with bread and milk.

Dinner was delicious and much more relaxing than dining out after a long drive home. I missed being able to call my mum on a Sunday which has been the norm for many years…

It was Mr C’s special day so we did a little bit of what he fancied which meant that after breakfast we started the day with ‘The Long Walk’. The weather was warm but the sun had not yet broken through the clouds, a perfect time of day for walking. As we set off on the walk it was odd to hear the roar of jet planes as they approached the runway at Heathrow and not be able to see them until they emerged from the clouds. The deer in Windsor Great Park were shy and elusive, unlike our previous visit when they crossed the pathway near to me. As we walked back someone noticed the herd in the distance.

Back in town after our walk of almost five miles, Mr C had hoped to have lunch in The Pancake House but there was a 40 minute wait for food. Mr C chose not to wait so we went in search of another suitable eatery nearby. We settled on Heidi’s Bakery which had lots of tempting treats on offer. Mr C chose a quiche, this option also caught my eye but the call of a blueberry and frangipane tart was too much for me to resist. It was delicious! Whilst eating we heard loud roaring and then were visited by a dinosaur that had a few kids in tow.

Next we visited the Brooke Taverner store, one of Mr C’s favourite places for clothes, especially shirts. He came away with a few purchases. We browsed around Waterstones where I purchased a facsimile copy of a book on English Cathedrals that was written in 1934. The book is charming and delightful with its insight into history.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped off at Wetherspoon’s where I enjoyed chilling out on the terrace with a glass of rose wine.

Later we had an aperitif in the hotel bar before dining in A La Russe which was every bit as good it was on our previous visits. After dining, we returned to the George Inn for one last nightcap before retiring to our room for the night.

We reverted to our normal breakfast time of 8.30 before driving the Hampton Court Palace.

Hampton Court is currently undergoing some restoration which meant the iconic view of the main entrance was covered with scaffolding. The size of the building is impressive but somehow the history of this amazing place didn’t come alive for me.

The one exception was the Chapel Royal which has stunning architecture and is also one of the areas that has maintained its original use since it was built. Maybe I was feeling the atmosphere of a ’space’ that has remained constant but flowing throughout the years…

The artwork displayed at Hampton Court both on the walls and in frames is impressive and we each had our favourite pieces that we lingered over.

We didn’t explore the gardens as much as we would have liked. It was rather hot and we were also running out of time. We did however walk to see The Great Vine, the largest grape vine in the world and also The Royal (real) Tennis Court which dates to 1625. A garden I would have loved to visit is the Magic Garden, I love a bit of fantasy and it has a dragon! But sadly, adults are not allowed in unless they are accompanied by a child. It was suggested that we could borrow a child and come back another day…

We were a little late back to the hotel so we chose to book into the hotel restaurant, allowing us to chill out after our long day out. The food quality was good but the combinations of dishes didn’t quite work for us. When Mr C’s sirloin steak arrived it was a thick cut more like rump, he did query if he had been served the right cut as did another customer. Both were informed that it was sirloin but cut thicker than usual!

Rather than stay in the hotel for a night cap we strolled across Windsor Bridge to the George Inn which was a lot livelier than our previous visits and presumably because it was a Friday there were no calls for last orders as there had been the previous nights.

For breakfast I once again chose a few items from the Full English option. On this occasion my plan for a smaller breakfast didn’t work, the chef added extras of the items I had chosen so that my plate was full!

After breakfast we checked out of the hotel  and drove to Bury St Edmunds in order to visit St Edmundsbury Cathedral. It was one to add to my Cathedral passport which details my pilgrimage to British  Cathedrals since the passport was launched in 2020. Starting the pilgrimage  off was a bit of challenge, shortly after the pilgrimage passport was launched England and other parts of Britain were put into lockdown due to the Covid 19 epidemic.

At the Cathedral, a lady from the tourist information area pointed out some highlights and suggested we also visit the nearby St Mary’s church where Henry VIII’s sister, Mary Tudor is buried next to the high altar. She also told me to look at the spectacular Angel vaulted ceiling.

We enjoyed our tour of the Cathedral where we learned that the tower and crossing were quite modern and completed in the 1950s. We had enough time to visit St Mary’s where we were greeted by one of the guides who shared detailed history of the building including the location of Mary Tudor’s (Queen of France & Duchess of Suffolk) tomb. Mary Tudor was married to Louis XII of France until his death after which she married the Duke of Suffolk.

Besides the two beautiful church spaces the town of Bury St Edmunds is delightful. We didn’t have time to explore the town but we had just enough time to visit the Abbey gardens before continuing our journey to Windsor.

We broke our journey for lunch in The Old Butchers at Balsham a place recommended on the Extra Mile website. On arrival we found the menu was not as extensive as the website suggested but the food (in my case a cherry flap jack with yoghurt topping) was both excellent and delicious. The weather was warm and sunny allowing us to sit outside.

The remainder of the journey to Windsor was tedious; lots of motorway and duel carriageway driving. On arrival at the hotel we checked in and found that we had been booked into the same room we had stayed in on our previous visit. Initially we were a little dismayed, we had been hoping to stay in the annex near to the car park and station. We also remembered the bed being a little on the small side, which it is not.

Later I realised the problem was the mattresses were tired which meant I kept rolling into the middle (small bed space). The mattresses have been replaced and are now super cosy.

We chilled out in the hotel room, cooling off from the muggy heat before enjoying our free pre-dinner drink in the hotel bar. Then we walked the short distance across the bridge into Eton where we dined in the Cote Brasserie. Before returning to our hotel for the evening we had a nightcap in the George Inn.

Ted has returned from his adventure to Norwich and Windsor. Ted was travelling with a new friend, Jemima.

Amongst other things, Ted and Jemima visited two Cathedrals, a palace, a tower, The Long Walk at Windsor and an ancient stone circle.

They are now back home relaxing after their adventure.

Photo from the Race the Distance website

Our next holiday adventure, although still in the planning stage is coming together. We will visit Norwich for a few days where we hope to catch up with friends and also enjoy Mr C’s 60th birthday present from last year. The present is an afternoon seas rather than an afternoon tea.

Our next destination will be a short hop on the train to London where plan to visit the Tower of London and see the ceramic poppies that have been reinstalled in the moat to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of VE Day. After some consideration we have settled on Windsor where the train station is next to a hotel we have previously stayed in.

By now I am sure you are wondering where Stonehenge and my ‘Virtual Challenge’ fits in. I planned to purchase this medal and walk the virtual distance later this year but when Mr C suggested that we visit Stonehenge on the way home from Windsor it made perfect sense to start the 199 mile challenge now.

The virtual walk starts at the Preseli hills in Pembrokeshire, Wales and finishes at Stonehenge in Wiltshire. The Preseli hills are where the huge Blue stone rocks are thought to have originated from.

It will be touch and go for me to reach the virtual distance to Stonehenge before I actually arrive there in person.

Miyamoto Musashi

Some special moments and memories from 2022, one from each month of the year. The photographs are taken from a calendar that I created for myself and due to the printing deadline, December’s photograph is also from November.

1. The Inclined Plane, Coalport, 2. Lichfield Cathedral, 3. Local Pathway, 4. Llangollen Canal Nr Chirk Aqueduct, 5. violet’s Tea Room Bridgnorth, 6. Waddesden Manor, 7. Tewkesbury, 8. Sandringham Church, 9. Attingham Park, 10. The Long Walk, Windsor, 11. The Guild Chapel, Stratford-upon-Avon, 12. Stratford-upon-Avon

The fountain was installed in Goswell Park, Windsor in 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Fountain was inspired by the crown jewels and features 60 different water jets. There are also lights which make it a magical site at night. There is a garden area around the fountain where you can sit and admire the fountain.

Sadly the gates to the garden where the fountain is installed were closed on the day on the day we chose to include it as part of our walking route.