Christmas Shopping in Olde Worlde Lille

We visited Lille back in April of this year whilst doing a three month tour, by rail, of Western Europe and vowed to return -See my previous post “My New Friend Lille”.
So here we are, having caught the Eurostar direct from London St Pancras into Lille Europe.
Our hotel is within walking distance of the station which is handy since a bitter cold winter wind is blowing as we leave the concourse.

We have two days to explore the city shops and absorb the Christmas atmosphere with visits to old Lille, the Christmas Market and finally the modern Westfield Eurolille on our agenda.

Sustained with breakfast from the hotel we turn right onto Rue de Pierre Mauroy, right again onto Rue du Molinel and then head to the Statue of General Faidherbe. This marks the entry into Rue de Bethune which is a a pedestrianised old street at the centre of the city. Strolling along Bethune introduces you into the individuality of old Lille. Our first stop is the Hema Department Store.
HEMA was founded almost 100 years ago in 1926 opening their first store in Amsterdam. At the time, department stores in the Netherlands were mainly for the wealthy and the staff mostly spoke French.. Ordinary people were on a tight budget and couldn’t afford to shop at them.
The founders, Leo Meyer and Arthur Isaac, wanted to open a department store for the ordinary folk. It was a store where a nickel was worth a dime, stocked with everyday items. Plates, soap or towels, at affordable prices. The store was a hit and the company expanded beyond Holland into Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, France and Austria.

The attraction for us is the Christmas decorations.
When I was a child decorations in the home were mainly handmade paper chains and colourful paper ceiling decorations which came in balls. As you unwound them, you twisted them as you went to form arcs across the room from one corner into the centre. Repeating this so you had four chains all meeting in the centre of the room.
In each quadrant you would then hang a paper ball. These came folded flat and you had to fold them outwards to form a sphere and then paper clip them together so the ball remained in place. The central decoration was always the largest ball or in some cases you would have another green paper decoration which when folded out and secured displayed a lovely Christmas tree.
Surprisingly the window display had these very same decorations which I hadn’t seen for probably 40 years back in the UK. I couldn’t resist going in and buying some to take home including some lovely rainbow coloured balls. Somehow a couple of packets of white chocolate snowmen also found their way into my basket, which alas never made their way home across the Channel after late night munching in our hotel room!

Walking past Dr Marten’s and Levis and heading on up the street we arrived at Grand Scene on the right. We had vowed to come back here and eat amongst the street food booths but unfortunately it was too early and then when we returned in the early evening it had closed. Note to self to check opening and closing times next time!
Across the road is probably one of my favourite stores in the world –Pylones!

This colour explosion began back in 1987 when the founders, Jacques & Léna Guillemot opened their first store in Paris on the Île Saint-Louis. As they proudly say on their web site “We shake things up, we reinvent them and lovingly embellish them with motifs from in-house or independent designers. Bright, subtle, figurative or abstract, our objects are real creations! Why Pylones? Just like the real pylons out there, those huge structures that circulate energy and cross borders, we wanted to spread our arms wide to hug the planet and transmit the good vibes!”

I walk into this store and immediately leave my cares behind and a smile is plastered across my face. This store just makes me happy! I love all the colour, it just explodes at you and I could honestly spend a fortune here. It takes me ages to choose only those items which I feel would make good Christmas gifts. I really have to rein myself in. As is normal in France gift wrapping is offered at the till but in my case I politely refuse.

Further along the road we swing left into Rue Neve and make our way towards the Grand Place. I smile at The Little Wizard’s Shop and the ongoing existence of Etam, which disappeared in the UK many moons ago.
We return to Notting Hill on the square for a welcoming cup of coffee and a cake. I always think about the film with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts when I sit inside this little cafe, looking out onto the many visitors and locals going about their day. I wonder why they called it by this name?
Having temporarily rested our legs we head out once again, circumnavigating the central Christmas wheel and rides to enter Furet Du Nord. This is another revisit. Such a great book shop featuring some English books and a great array of cards and stationary.

Heading across the square to Rue Esquermoise we stroll up this lovely street resplendent with many small independent chocolate shops. The window displays, at this time of the year, are amazing. The creations astound us. My favourite is Chocolat De Beussent-Lachelle with a white chocolate snow scene with a milk chocolate Santa on his sleigh pulled by his nine reindeer careering down the mountainside. It retails for 65 euros but wow what a unique present this would make.
You will also find some lovely small patisseries along this road displaying everything from proper French croissants to rows and rows of macarons.

At the crossroads where Esquermoise meets Rue Basse is Fromagerie Philippe Olivier – Les Bons Pâturages. We have agreed to purchase some real French cheeses which I can nestle in a wicker style hamper I have at home and gift to my friend and her husband alongside a good bottle of champagne.
As we peruse the cheese on offer it is evident fairly quickly that unless we are going to stand and inspect them with Google Translate to hand we need help. The manager of the shop smiles politely and welcomes us in French. Alas he doesn’t speak English.
Fortunately his young assistant, who is due to start work in ten minutes, kindly agrees to begin early and with her excellent understanding of English assists us in choosing a nice selection. She manages to cover provenance so the cheeses we leave with are from across France, milk origin so we have goats’ cheese as well as cow’s milk and sheep’s milk cheese and finally everything from soft to hard to smelly!
I’m so happy with our purchases it really brightens my already enjoyable day.

Walking on down the road we turn right in front of “Paul” a beautiful boulangerie and head along Rue Lepelletier to our final shop for the afternoon “Le Comptoir du Miel” -the honey shop. This is an oasis for my hubby who adores honey and will in the future keep his own bees. I love the fact that in France you find these particular, individual shops catering to just one product but in such spectacular fashion.

This shop, since 1987, specialises in the direct sale of rare and unusual honeys from beekeepers in France and around the world. Offering a selection of honeys from independent beekeepers from several countries: France, New Zealand , Madagascar, Australia, and many other wild and distant places.
Again we could have spent a fortune but limit ourselves to a key selection.

Whilst our day out shopping ended here, we took a break and then ventured back out in the evening to eat and visit the Christmas Market.

With more than 900,000 people visiting this market every year it is an arresting spectacle full of pretty lights, hunger inducing smells and 80 decorated chalets selling a variety of gifts and presents to take home.
Navigating your way around so you don’t miss anything is the first challenge but one real positive is that they limit the numbers that are allowed in at any one time. Yes, this may mean you have to queue to enter but once inside you can at least admire the stalls without pushing through crowds of people. Opening times are available on line but coming in the evening definitely lends more atmosphere.
We really enjoyed the Christmas feel, the lights and the sheer variety of purchases available.

Visiting Lille at Christmas is a unique and rewarding experience with a lovely balance between old and new. I would truly recommend this beautiful city x

New Year’s Resolutions Have Come Early This Year!

Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? Are you good at keeping them or do you wander off track within a couple of days, weeks or maybe months?

I’m not fastidious at making them although in years gone by when my girlfriends and I met up for our annual Girls’ Christmas Weekend we would avidly discuss our previous year. We would resolve to make things better next year with at least three commitments each which were then reviewed the following year.
These days, and about twelve years on from when they first began, we still meet up but the NY resolutions disappeared with the onset of Covid in 2020. I think we just felt that the whole world was spinning on its axis, nothing could be taken for granted anymore and surviving the epidemic was enough!

This year my resolutions have come early!
Whilst we were travelling for six months, and right at the end of the trip, we were in Washington and walked about seven miles on the first day sightseeing. I returned to our Air BnB and rather stupidly twisted my knee whilst struggling to lift my suitcase onto the bed! Immediate pain shot up my leg and I crumpled to the floor.
Never one to be defeated I managed to settle myself on the sofa, researched what it might be and we took the next day off, rearranging some of the remaining days, so I could apply the RICE method: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate.
It seemed to do the trick and the next day we were back out n about although we limited the walking to no more than five miles and I swallowed painkillers every 4-5 hrs!

On returning to the UK I returned to my normal exercise at the gym, starting with only three sessions of aqua aerobics on week one, four sessions on week two and then five on week three. My knee seemed to be fine so I added in an aerobics class and a pilates class in week four.
Following the pilates class I woke up the next morning with pain but not in my right knee, it had switched to my left knee! I rested it for the rest of that week and then went back to the beginning of my exercise cycle and only three classes of aqua aerobics the following week! To say I was annoyed would be an understatement. I was already struggling psychologically to settle back home after six months away and then this had happened. I just wanted life to get back to normal.
A subsequent x-ray has revealed I have Stage 3 osteoarthritis in both knees and a floating piece of bone in my left knee. Exercise is encouraged but only the correct exercise. I’m currently awaiting an appointment with a physio to find out what I can and cannot do.
It’s really frustrating not only because I miss exercising but I am off on my Girls Christmas weekend tomorrow and then hubby and I are going to Lille. We visited the city on our European tour earlier this year and vowed to come back to do some Christmas shopping. We are then travelling to Holland to see one of my old school friends. The thought of hobbling around either of these places doesn’t really thrill me.

My knee wasn’t the only issue unfortunately………….
If you have read one of my earlier posts entitled “Midlife -Menopause” you will be aware that I am prone to UTI infections. The last twelve months have been crazy with eight infections combated by antibiotics. When we returned from travelling, and before making any plans to go anyway else, I thought I should finally try and get this sorted. An ultrasound scan revealed there is nothing wrong with my kidneys, bladder or any sign of a hernia, well that was positive.
I then went for a cystoscope and an appointment with a urologist. This revealed that my uretha is very inflamed and unfortunately it doesn’t stop there. In his opinion the continuing reliance on antibiotics for my infections has caused changes in the gut microbiome.
Certain microbes activate immune T cells that promote or suppress inflammation. In a healthy microbiome, this means the immune system does what it’s supposed to: pathogens are destroyed, and harmless cells are free to go about their business.
When your gut microbiota changes one of the side effects can be chronic inflammation. So in a nutshell, the antibiotics led to my microbiomes being upset, which led to inflammation not just in my uretha but also in my knees and some of my lymph nodes.
Apart from taking two tablets a day for the next three months I also have to:

Try and feed my microbiomes what they like

Make sure I hydrate my body daily

Start exercising in the correct way

Lose weight

Adopt an anti inflammatory diet

And thus my New Year’s resolutions are made for me!
Although we have the NHS here in the UK and medical care is provided free, the reliance upon this service has increased to such an extent that the service is quite honestly in crisis. Getting an appointment to see your GP can be 2-4 weeks! To see a specialist or consultant you have to be referred by your GP. Once the referral is sent off it can take up to 6 weeks to be given an appointment but the appointment can be anything from 3 months -12 months in the future depending upon your specific medical issue and how long their waiting lists are. These figures do not fall within the National Health Service guidelines but unfortunately are the reality.
Based upon this I have already downloaded some literature in order to learn more about my knee issue and how to help myself:

Arthritis Reversed: Groundbreaking 30 Day Arthritis Relief Action Plan by Mark Wiley


Arthritis Care: Osteoarthritis Symptoms, Prevention, Treatment, Exercise & Diet by Kenneth Lowes

Natural Arthritis Cure: The Natural Cure, Treatment and diet for Different Types of Arthritis: End The Pain by Pete Samonis

Arthritis in Knee, osteoarthritis in knee. Exercises, Stretch treatments, Home Remedies, Knee Replacements and Knee Braces by Robert Rymore

I am not the type of person to be defeated by any health issue and will now be taking the time to read, digest, learn and glean from these books what I feel is relevant to me.

Happy New Year 2024!!!!



Washington DC -What a Capital City!

I have been fortunate enough to visit many capital cities during my travels from London in the UK, to Rome in Italy, San Jose in Costa Rica, Georgetown in Grand Cayman and the list goes on but our visit to Washington stands out as being up there in my Top Three. Why I hear you ask?

A Walking City – I do like a walking city
Every capital city I’ve ever visited falls into one of two categories:- walkable or not walkable. I don’t mind travelling in and out on a bus, train or tram but once in the centre of things I like to be able to walk and not rely upon public transport. On our first day in Washington the bus from our Air BnB dropped us off along Independence Avenue and from here we walked to the Lincoln Memorial to begin our explorations. In total we walked seven miles but, in awe of all the magnificent sites, we never even realised!

Public Transport:
We liked the public transport in Washington. Armed with Citymapper and/or Google Maps we were easily able to navigate our way into the centre or out to Arlingham Cemetery for example.
Both the buses and the metro were safe, clean, reliable and staff were friendly and helpful when we needed them.
As a visitor I always feel this is a good measurement of a city. No one wants to sit on a bus or metro with dirty seats. Sorry London you definitely fall into this category!
Additionally unfriendly staff and/or lack of information as to where we are going just makes life hard -Fort Lauderdale was like this. The bus drivers grunted and the electronic overhead stop indicators were often switched off. Without a battery pack on board, my mobile would have been drained before we even reached our destination
Finally safety is a big plus or minus. We rode one metro in Philadelphia and believe me one was enough. My husband is 6 ft 3 but even he felt unsafe. Thank goodness we were only riding a couple of stops.

Free Entry:
This was an amazing plus point for a capital city.
We honestly couldn’t believe that nearly everything is free to get into. You often have to book a date and time, in order for them to manage numbers, but hey who cares when you don’t have to pay.
Entry fees account for a large proportion of our expenditure when we are travelling so to save on this was a real bonus.
In comparison for two of us in Paris we spent £48 to gain entry into The Palace of Versailles, £51 for an off peak ticket onto The London Eye and an astronomical £125 for The Empire State Building!!! (All costs in pound sterling at today”s exchange rates) .

Green Spaces:
With so many cities overcrowded with tourists and cars it was a pleasant surprise to find that Washington isn’t like that. There are many parks, gardens and squares throughout Washington, in fact 24% of the city’s area is park space and 99% of Washington’s residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. Overall, the city has 683 parks and greenspaces.

You could actually feel it wherever you went, just the sheer openness of the city.
On our first day we walked from The Lincoln Memorial alongside the Reflecting Pool to the World War II Memorial, then through Ash Woods to the Martin Luther King Memorial.
From here we headed around the Tidal Basin, visiting the other memorials until we reached the National Museum of African American History and Culture, it was lovely to experience nature alongside what is essentially the centre of a capital city.

Nature abounds in other capital cities don’t get me wrong, for example Hyde Park or Regents Park in London, El Retiro in Madrid and Prince’s Street Gardens in Edinburgh but can be lacking in others. You can walk around and just feel closed in by the buildings, the people and the traffic.

Architecture:
The variety of architecture also hits you in Washington.
Maybe because this capital city is only just over 200 years old it exudes variety.
Many of the government buildings, monuments, and museums along the National Mall and surrounding areas are heavily inspired by classical Roman and Greek architecture.
The White House, the U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court Building, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson Memorial are all heavily drawn from these classical architectural movements featuring domes, columns in classical order, large pediments, and heavy stone walls.

The main Library of Congress, however, was built in Beaux-Arts style, popular throughout the world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
In contrast The National Museum of African American History and Culture is a stone based Neo classical building influenced by African Art, the inside of the metro stations evoke the 20th century Brutalism movement and the list goes on!
My mobile camera was in overdrive throughout a lot of our wanderings around the city.

What was also surprising was the lack of skyscrapers. Such a rarity in any city in the world today but another real positive architecture wise. It gave a feeling of space, of n to being closed in.

And finally…………
The sheer volume of places to visit matches if not exceeds other capital cities but for us it wasn’t the amount of monuments but the sheer size, artistry, imagination and thought behind them.
Seriously if you visit Washington do not miss the Memorials dedicated to Lincoln, The Vietnam War Veterans, World War II, Martin Luther King, Thomas Jefferson etc but for us above all else stood the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.
At first I was totally underwhelmed thinking that the first section I saw was it!
Then I realised that the memorial actually consists of five outdoor rooms- one is a prologue and the other four represent each term of his office.In total it covers 7.5 acres!
It is so different to any of the others using not just stone but landscaping and water features to tell his story of being President.
This man is not part of my history, being from the UK, but I left feeling he was more in touch with the people of his country than anyone else since in either of our countries. Twenty two quotations from Roosevelt’s presidency are engraved in the red South Dakota granite walls of the memorial.

My favourites that are as equally relevant today, given the broken political situation both of our countries find ourselves in are:

“We must scrupulously guard the civil rights and civil liberties of all our citizens, whatever their background. We must remember that any oppression, any injustice, any hatred, is a wedge designed to attack our civilization.”
January 9, 1940

“Men and nature must work hand in hand. The throwing out of balance of the resources of nature throws out of balance also the lives of men.”
January 24, 1935

“I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished.” “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”
January 20, 1937

If any country in the world wants to build a monument to commemorate an episode in history or an important person they should come here first and see how it is really done!

If you ever get a chance to go to Washington please go, you won’t regret it!
To all those we met on our travels in America and to those we didn’t who follow my Instagram or blog, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!




A Tale of Two Cities -Wells and Glastonbury

Having visited Glastonbury we stayed overnight in Wells and then ventured out to the city itself on foot. What a contrast!
Only 6 miles from Glastonbury, a town of integrity and differing cultures/beliefs, Wells is in every sense, except size, a city of historic architectural and religious wealth and feels as if it should rank alongside other elite university cities such as Oxford and Cambridge.
Wells is the smallest city in England with about 12,000 inhabitants but it can call itself a city because of the famous 13th century Cathedral.

We started our adventure by visiting the market which comes to town every Wednesday and Saturday. We strolled around the many stalls where we expected to find your traditional local market selling home grown produce and wares and I guess there is some of that but there was more than your fair share of artisan food stalls, arts and crafts and independent drink suppliers. We love these types of market and can see the attraction to clientele living in the surrounding area where the average property price is currently about £100,000 over the national average.

The market is the central hub from which other attractions radiate and is definitely part of the city’s social history growing and developing alongside it’s wealth. There are several cafes with tables and chairs spilling out on the pavement where you can sit, take a moment and imagine in times of yore all the local folk drifting in on market day to sell their produce, hand made goods and pots of honey. The sound of excited ladies chatting as they catch up on local gossip and children running around people’s feet chasing a ball or just playing tag.

Wells is a medieval city but it dates back to Roman times. People settled here because of the natural springs that bubble up creating wells. These three wells, dedicated to St Andrew, one in the market place plus two others in the gardens of the Bishop’s Palace, gave the city its name.

After browsing the market we made our way to the cathedral again dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle and the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells. This is an absolute architectural triumph from which many other cathedrals followed. Having since visited Canterbury, Lincoln and York this certainly stands out as a forerunner. It was the first Gothic cathedral to be built in England, it was finished in the thirteenth century, though there has been a church on the site since 705 AD. The baptismal font from the Saxon church of Aldheim (c. 705) can still be seen and is still in use.
As you stroll through you certainly get that feeling of walking where many have trod before you whilst also looking up and being entranced by the sheer brilliance of its production.

Don’t miss the Cathedral Clock sited in the north transept.  Dating from about 1325 it is an astronomical clock, the second oldest surviving clock in England which still has its original medieval face. Apart from the time on a 24-hour dial, it shows the motion of the Sun and Moon, the phases of the moon and the time since the last new Moon. Every quarter of an hour is marked by the chiming of a quarter jack. This is a small automaton visible to the right of the clock, the statue hitting two bells with hammers and two with his heels. This is then followed by jousters on horseback rotating around above the clock face with the same jouster losing the mini tournament every time!

The tombs and monuments around the cathedral include one tomb dating back to the 17/18th century which shows graffiti existed even then with people inscribing their name and date on it.

There are also tombs dating back to the 900’s which shock me in their intricacy. These actually made me question if we’ve evolved at all in terms of stonework production. How did they manage to produce something of such elegance without the modern day tools and machinery we are accustomed to?
On the walk back to the entrance you can exit the cathedral into their enclosed gardens. In the far corner of one of these there is a cut out window which when you peek through looks into the gardens of the Bishops’s Palace. Like an exploring child I had to find the other side of this when we moved onto the Palace itself.

The grounds of the Bishop’s Palace are themselves a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of the market outside. With spacious lawns, seats all along the moat and further interior grounds on which to relax, picnic or just take a breath, there is an immediate sense of tranquillity as if life is on pause.
The Palace has been home to the Bishops of Bath and Wells for over 800 years and feels like the central spoke of the wheel from which the city has grown in wealth. Surrounded by a moat, visitors cross over a drawbridge, walk under the portcullis and enter the 14 acres of gardens which lure you in at every turn, willing you to explore.

We chose to take a break here in the cafe aptly named The Bishop’s Table. This is accessible prior to actually paying the entry fee for the Palace. The cafe has a complete glass front allowing great views from inside if it’s not the weather to sit outside on the terrace. It was a pleasant interlude with dessert being taken on the lawn, thanks to two lovely young ladies from a stall on the market called Somerset Blissful Bakes, check them out on Facebook!

Moving onto the palace itself we managed to learn quite a bit about the many bishops who have lived here before, intertwined with the history of it’s development, but it was a bit lacking in atmosphere and ironically soul less.

Back out in the sunshine we walked around the Grade 2 listed gardens, mainly laid out in the 1830’s by Bishop George Law. Now partnered with the RHS it was a true pleasure to walk around and a complete contrast to the austere rooms of the palace. There are plenty of benches and grassy areas where you can relax between admiring the beautiful flower borders, the well pools, the community food allotments and of course locating the other side of that elusive window from the cathedral!

Our final port of call was Vicars Close which is sited on the other side of the cathedral.
Originally 42 houses (one per vicar) these houses were built in the 14th century with the perfectly in line chimneys added in the 15th century. As you wander along the Close you have to try and look beyond the modern trappings of the 21st century when cars and recycling boxes didn’t exist and imagine it as it was, a home for everyone working at the cathedral. It is claimed that this is the oldest residential street in Europe.
I wandered right to the end where the chapel and library are situated and I must admit a few members of the Wells Cathedral School in their dark blue uniforms made it feel again a bit like an elite university city.

These two cities of Glastonbury and Wells definitely offer a complete contrast but each also has it’s own unique attraction. When taken together they give you a real sense of ying and yang.

Glastonbury -An Ancient Town Full of Integrity

If adventure is to experience different ideologies, new places and ways of life, alternative cultures and the exploration of opinions then Glastonbury is the place to do this.
It is an absolute hive of activity buzzing with people unafraid to be themselves whilst surrounded by the trappings of a modern society and enclosed within the remains of a medieval town. Known for the myths and legends surrounding both Glastonbury Tor, a prominent hillside rising up from the surrounding flat landscape and the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey. Together some would say they have made the town a thriving centre for mystical, New Age, alternative spirituality.

Integrity means being true – to who you are, what you say, and what you believe. And doing so even when no one is around to see.

Glastonbury has integrity in abundance.
Leaving the Cotswolds behind for a couple of days and staying in Wells, I arrived makeupless with my hair au naturalle to find the town full of lively characters playing a multitude of instruments wearing whatever they desire.
Shopkeepers unafraid to offer crystals, witches brews and mythological ornaments alongside religious deities from many a belief to both the local residents and tourists willing to explore their own ideas. It’s not a place for conservative coach tours full of close minded serious individuals. It’s an adventure for those willing to explore its depths.

We began our day by mooching around the shops taking in the atmosphere and wandering around the market. Those that could be described as New Age seemed so happy to be alive, they smiled, they interacted, they displayed their integrity without shyness. It was refreshing and at the same time relaxing.

Glastonbury has one of the best natural shops we’ve seen -Earthfare. In fact it’s almost a supermarket full of everything you could want if living a vegetarian, vegan or just healthy lifestyle and laden with our purchases we put them back in Conan before going back into town to visit the abbey.

The abbey was founded in the 7th century and enlarged in the 10th century before being destroyed by fire in 1184 and subsequently rebuilt and by the 14th century was one of the richest and most powerful monasteries in England.

It’s ruins, a grade 1 listed building and scheduled ancient monument are associated with the legend of King Arthur whilst Christian legend claims that the abbey was founded by Joseph of Arimathea in the 1st century. Whatever your belief it is definitely a place enveloped in spirituality. You cannot fail to be impressed by the creative intricacy when standing amongst the ruins of a building created some 7 centuries ago. How did they have the skill and the patience? How did they scale such great heights without scaffolding?

Wandering around the grounds you are surrounded by nature whilst still in the centre of town. There is a sense of peace and tranquillity, an air of relaxation. It’s definitely a place to return to more than once armed with a picnic, a good book to read and endless time.

Leaving the abbey behind us we stopped at a lovely vegetarian cafe -The Blue Note, managing to find a table on the terrace outside in the afternoon sunshine. If like us on a day out you crave healthy salad as an alternative to your normal branded, reproduced, mediocre food fuel this is a definite place to try.
Following our lunch which left us both satiated and ready to move on we returned once again to Conan to top up our parking before heading out to visit Chalice Well and heading up the Tor itself. The route to the Tor is easy to follow and Chalice Well is a beautiful haven at which to stop en route either before or after your hike.
According to legend the Chalice Well is believed to have sprung from the ground at the location where the chalice (the Holy Grail), that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper and in which drops of His blood were caught during the Crucifixion was placed.
Visitors can still drink the water which is today believed to possess healing properties.

Armed with a map of the gardens it is easy to follow the route around and visit each listed highlight. There are some lovely areas where you can stop and press pause on the life button, meditate or just soak up the quiet elements of nature. The water flows through the garden and there is a small pool where you can paddle or bathe in the waters. Overall just an oasis of calm….

The pathway up to the Tor is just behind the Chalice Well. Rising to 518 feet or as my Apple Health told me later equivalent to climbing 31 flights of 16 stairs, unless you are super fit, it’s not an easy climb. As a midlifer who walks regularly but definitely isn’t super fit I was quite pleased when youngsters half my age were also panting and taking a breath.

If you take a look at The National Trust website, who look after this precious hill, you will find a wealth of information about it’s history:
“Beneath the hill, it is said, that there is a hidden cave through which you can pass into the fairy realm of Annwn. There dwells the Lord of the Celtic underworld Gwyn ab Nudd with the Cauldron of Rebirth.

Later tradition has it that here lies the Holy Grail brought here by Jesus’s uncle, Joseph of Arimathea. The Cauldron and the Grail were both the object of quests for King Arthur and his knights.

Glastonbury has a long tradition of being ‘The Isle of Avalon’ where King Arthur went after his last battle. The monks of Glastonbury Abbey claimed to have actually found his grave in 1191.

Jesus is said to have come to Glastonbury as a boy, traveling here with Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph was a tin merchant and had travelled to the South-West for this valuable metal. This legend inspired William Blake to write the famous poem ‘Jerusalem’;

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green?
And was the Holy Lamb of God 
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?’

Again whatever your belief prepare to be astounded by the 360 degree views from the top where on a clear day you can see out over the three counties of Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset as well as across the Bristol Channel to Wales.

Needless to say we returned to Conan full of a sense of achievement from the climb and leaving Glastonbury with a feeling of having experienced a great adventure encapsulated into this town full of integrity.

The Cotswolds – Royal Tetbury

When I was a young child my mother used to take me and my sister on the bus, from our home in Minchinhampton, to Tetbury on a regular basis.
We used to get off at the famous central Market Place and then walk up Cirencester Road to see my grandmother. She used to live in a bungalow in the middle of a field at the top of this road just before the junction with London Road and Cherington Lane. I remember it well particularly the lengthy vegetable patch with the outside loo positioned near the top!

These days Tetbury is often known locally as “Royal Tetbury” since Prince Charles (as he was then) moved into Highgrove back in 1980.
Located just 2 miles south west of Tetbury this Georgian neo-classical style house was built between 1796 and 1798 on the site of an older property.
The house was purchased by the Duchy of Cornwall for Charles, ahead of his marriage to Princess Diana. As such, ownership has now transferred to Prince William when his father acceded to the throne and he became Duke of Cornwall on 8 September 2022. The King and Queen, therefore, lease the house from the Duchy to use as a country residence.
After much renovation and hard work, Charles opened the gardens 25 years ago to visitors and up to 40,000 people now flock here every year to take part in garden tours and specific advertised events.

With over 1300 years of recorded history Tetbury, itself, is the second largest town in the Cotswolds and was developed on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded.
Like so many local towns and villages it played an important role in marketing Cotswold wool and yarn during the Middle Ages. As a result many of the houses you can still see today were originally built and financed on the proceeds of the sale of wool. Others display the changing architectural fashions of the last 400 years.

We arrived mid morning and having parked at the Chipping Car Park and paid for a 3 hr stay we wandered into the small adjacent shopping arcade for our first introduction, that day, into what now makes Tetbury famous -antiques!
Back in 2018 Homes and Antiques magazine named Long Street in Tetbury one of the UK’s top 10 favourite streets for shopping.

Browsing the lovingly designed small shops within the arcade we relish the fact that you are allowed to meander at will without the normal pressure of eagle eyed shopkeepers. The owners are around if you need them but merely impart a friendly smile and greeting which we willingly return.

Moving on we go to the Market Place, at the centre of town, which dates back to 1655. Being Wednesday there is a small farmers market, which can also be visited on Saturday, with their stalls perched underneath the beautiful pillars.

Crossing over to the right hand corner of the small roundabout we then begin our own stroll along the righthand side of Long Street.
French Grey is always a nice place to start. Founded by Sally Marks in 2005 this independent business that has grown into 5 beautiful shops over the years, is a great place to browse for gifts, jewellery and home accessories and is the starting point today for what turns into a pilgrimage to candles and diffusers. Every shop seems to haver a display. The ones sold here are hand poured and made in Wiltshire.

Moving along we are soon outside the famous Jesse Smith’s butchers. Owned by the Hawes family and with ancestry dating back to the early 1800’s this shop opened in the 1980’s. There is always an extensive array of meats, deli and other cooked items on display to choose from.

Moving on past the local Co-op supermarket we enter the beginning of the antiques quarter starting with the fairly new Amy Perry Antiques, then continuing onto Philip Adler Antiques, Westwood House, the Anne Fowler Antique Shop, Decorator Source and Trilogy Antiques, Dimity and Miss Brown’s Nice Things until we eventually arrive at Domestic Science. If you have read my previous post entitled “The Cotswolds -Shopping in Nailsworth” you will have read about my introduction to this independent home and lifestyle store.
This branch is arranged over three floors and has another brilliant cafe-Cafe 53 sequestered next door with a well crafted outdoor garden space at the rear. It was busy even midweek and thus with no tables currently free we booked a table for 1 p.m.
With just under an hour to kill and having fairly briskly perused the previous long list of antique shops we walked on up the road past The Police Museum (check this out online if you fancy visiting, it has free entry but restricted opening times) and crossed over the road to the far right corner and entered Top Banana Antiques.

I’m not going to lie, I’m not a great fan of antique stores although my appreciation of such items seems to be deepening as I too become older, maybe I am beginning to see the value of aging things?
The Top Banana Antiques Mall is an Aladdin’s cave. It’s like walking into an old, friendly home with rooms filled with everything you might be looking for to furnish your home or present as a gift for a birthday etc. This is my type of antiques shop. No posh voices, accentuated displays or inflated prices.
With over 50 dealers specialising in items such as Antique Country Furniture, Prints and Oil Paintings, Georgian and Victorian Furniture and China, French Painted Furniture and Kitchenalia, Antiquarian Books and Prints, Vintage Clothing and Textiles, plus a whole lot more it is well worth dropping into.
Just like the small mall at the start of our trip today no one is there to harass you. You can just meander at your will and if you are interested in an item you just take a note of its location and then make your way up to the retail point to discuss purchase.

Antique shopping finished for us for the day we make our way back to Cafe 53.
Opened in 2005, Café 53 began its life as a small 20 seat cafe, tucked behind Domestic Science. As its popularity grew the business expanded. You can now either enter direct from the shop or alternatively via the doorway entrance on Long Street. The dining area is light and airy and overlooks a lovely Mediterranean style water garden, with additional seating.
We take our seats at our reserved table right next to the window affording us a lovely view of the garden.
It’s a bit of a cold, Autumnal day so sitting inside is preferable although some folks are braver than us and take the outside option. We enjoy a beautiful lunch opting for the Ultimate 53 burger and a Saganaki Greek Salad followed of course by cakes and washed down with great hot coffee. This cafe is slightly more expensive than it’s sister branch in Nailsworth but that’s Tetbury pricing for you!

Conscious of our car park ticket running out my husband kindly walks back to the truck to refresh our parking for another hour while I make my way back down the opposite side of Long Street towards the Market Place. Skipping past another array of antique shops I stop off at The Cherry Tree.
With two shops, one here and the other in Malmesbury you can browse their beautiful range of ladieswear, fine gifts and decorative accessories. It’s certainly different to the normal hum-drum of so many High Street retailers, offering something that is quite often unique.

We finish our shopping on Long Street by popping into the Highgrove Shop. This is an opportunity to take something home from the King’s estate!
There’s lots to choose from whether it’s a gift you are looking for, some chinaware, a book or art, bath and body products, gardenware, even luxury food and drink including Highgrove champagne. They have done well to deliver so many choices in what is in effect just a local shop.

No visit to Tetbury is complete without a wander through Artique in Church Street. This amazing Central Asian Interiors and Carpets Shop is a rare find in the Cotswolds but so worth a visit. It really feels like you are entering a small part of India.

Housed in Talboys House since 1980, with carpets from Afghanistan, tribal furniture from the North West Frontier and exotic interiors from India it is so homely and warm.
It has grown to become one of the country’s leading sources of Central Asian artifacts and is so worth a visit while you are here.

Church Street is where my Mum lived in lodgings and thus where my Dad met her and romance blossomed.
Our final internal visit is just across the road from Artique – St Marys’ Church. This church also forms part of many family memories, aunts and uncles were married here, cousins were christened here and grandparents are buried here.
The impressive spire can be seen from all directions as you enter the town, the nave dates from the late 1770s, but the best part for me are the high box pews which are fast becoming unique as other local churches seek to replace them with more modern chairs and furniture! The church, as a whole, has a lovely light and airy feel to it. It is worth popping in, even if like me you may not be religious.

After a wander around the graveyard we make our way back to the car park making sure we stop off at Chipping Steps. These are in the corner of The Chipping car park and represent one of the original entrances to the town. The cottages running down the side, thought to be originally weavers’ cottages are really quaint and a great representation of the beautiful Cotswold’s district.

NB: This is the third of a series of posts about the wonderful “Cotswolds”. An area in the UK that you really shouldn’t miss out on visiting if you are coming to the UK. It’s full of olde world charm, history going back to the Roman era and beautiful architecture. Check out previous posts in this series plus more to come soon.
Please don’t forget to comment and/or like. I love to hear what my readers think. and also look forward to your recommendations of places to see in the Cotswolds for my future adventures Thank you

The Cotswolds -Shopping in Nailsworth

I was born and bred in the Cotswolds in what was once a small village -Minchinhampton.
I left the area when I was eighteen (see previous post “All About Me”) and didn’t return until later in life when I was divorced with two children.
We settled here in 2005 and despite having all these wonderful Cotswold villages on our door step we soon got absorbed in everyday life and they just became the “norm”.
Now I’ve taken early retirement I have more time to actually explore all these wonderful places properly, in tourist rather than local mode. This week I visited Nailsworth:-

This market town lies in a wooded valley on the A46, just over 20 miles north of Bath and to the east of Stroud, in the Southern Cotswolds.
Nailsworth is a small but very welcoming town and like its nearby neighbour Stroud was once noted for its involvement in the Cotswolds wool trade. Many mills were built and used during the successful wool and cloth trade, but they have now been converted to new uses such as restaurants and hotels, like Egypt Mill, which stands near the centre of town. As a result of this history it is said to have the largest number of working water wheels per square mile in the country.

The centre of Nailsworth stands at the union of two valleys and nearby you will find Badminton and Gatcombe Park, both world famous for their horse trials, and High Grove, the country home of King Charles, is a few miles away near the historic town of Tetbury which I will cover on a separate trip.

On our midweek trip to the town we managed to park in one of the free two hour parking spaces on Old Market directly off the A46 and adjacent to our first port of call “Domestic Science.”
This is a classic example of how you can live somewhere nearby and not even know about the existence of such a fabulous shop which opened way back in 2011. As a local you have a tendency to just keep revisiting the same places you have always been and not actually exploring to find something new.
This was originally a 2000 sq ft shop, half of which existed in the basement of the original mill building. Now it stretches over another two new floors filled with natural light and with views over the stream at the rear. It is home to an eclectic mix of vintage, homeware and lifestyle. They even have additional branches in Tetbury and Stow-on-the-Wold.
It’s like an “Aladdin’s Cave”. I loved it and spent ages meandering around the different floors with their specialist dressed rooms such as “The Bathroom” full of original, quirky and off-beat vintage pieces sourced from their personal travels.
There is plenty to pick from including Candles, Clothing, Jewellery, Lighting, Stationary, Bath and Beauty items and even Toys!

The staff are super friendly and helpful and I left with a new ochre rug for my bedroom, a beautiful smelling “Illumens Poire Diffuser” and some Ecobath Lemongrass, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Black Pepper Epsom Salts in which to soak my currently dodgy knees!

In the basement there is an adjoining cafe “The Canteen” which serves the best locally sourced food, cakes and coffee. Like the rest of the building the cafe follows the interior room placement of the mill and stretches across two completely separate rooms. With it’s quirky interior and comfortable sofas, chairs and tables I thoroughly enjoyed my restful lunch of smoked mackerel pate, sourdough bread, capers and rocket followed by “Persian Love Cake” and as requested an extra hot decaf, skinny cappuccino!

With 90 minutes of our free parking already eaten up in just one visit we moved the truck further up the road into a small car park which also offered 2 hours of free parking and we set off to explore the remainder of town.
Passing the Natural Cookery School, which I’ve not yet visited, but has excellent reviews on TripAdvisor for running cookery classes, supper clubs and outside catering from their beautiful culinary space since 2007, we reached our next stop which was “Joya”.
I’ve been visiting this small shop for many years. It’s a great place to find something for a birthday or Christmas gift, they stock items such as jewellery, bags, soaps and clothes. The shop owner is really friendly and chatty, on this visit we landed up talking about the differences we see in the Millenial generation!
I left with a bunch of pure woollen socks. A great first Christmas present for my daughter who spends part of her time away from home pet sitting and now appreciates the need for comfortable but warm socks to put inside her wellies!

From here we wandered along Market Street past a selection of other shops including a couple of large charity shops until we reached Bath Road (A46). We stopped here at The Yellow Lighted Bookshop.
We both read voraciously. I’m currently on my 67th book this year to date and no doubt my husband has exceeded that! Although we do both have Kindles, bought originally to alleviate the need to pack books when we travel, we are also great supporters, when the opportunity arises, of buying from independent bookshops. I guess we are all guilty, at one time or another, of buying from Amazon but there is nothing quite like the feeling, smell and cosiness of a local bookshop.
The Yellow Lighted Bookshop opened its first shop in Tetbury in 2008, and Nailsworth a year or two later. As stated on their website the name is from a book called The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by an American called Lewis Buzbee. It’s a history of bookshops, and why they are socially, culturally and economically important.

Buzbee got the image from a letter that Vincent van Gogh (who had worked as a bookseller) wrote to his brother not long before he died. Van Gogh wanted to go back to Paris, and on a wet November evening, paint the yellow light of the bookshop pouring onto the street outside.

The owner Hereward has worked in bookselling all his adult life, from central London, to Liverpool, Cheltenham and all over the country. Their core team of booksellers have more than 100 years’ experience, with a range of librarianship, hospitality, event and retail experience as well.

A carbon-neutral business with an ethical approach to everything they do, they raise money to support a variety of causes ranging from books for children at the local foodbank, the local Women’s Refuge, and a variety of refugee charities whilst also supporting local schools on a regular basis.
I just love the history behind bookshops, it’s always worth exploring.

Further down the road on the right is “Red Hen”. We always pop in here every time we are in Nailsworth. It’s another fine example of a quirky shop with stationary, toys, home accessories and decorations as well as unique gifts. Definitely worth a visit!

Nailsworth was selected by The Sunday Times newspaper (March 2014) as one of the best places to live in Britain and the coolest place to live in Gloucestershire, according to a recent survey to discover the Top 50 Coolest places to make your home. Not surprisingly, therefore, the town is renowned for its selection of award-winning restaurants, pubs and cafes.

Eating out in Nailsworth means you are spoilt for choice and just opposite Red Hen on the same side of the road as the bookshop is William’s Food Hall which has helped turn Nailsworth into a bit of a foodie haven. It not only invites foodies through its doors to dine on fresh seafood and local produce, it is also renowned for hosting the odd celebrity.
On the opposite side of the small roundabout, tucked away behind the pretty Penny Rupert Gardens is Hobbs House Bakery. Famous for being owned by the Fabulous Baker Brothers – Tom and Henry Herbert – it was featured on their TV show.

Further up this road past the bakery, just before Morrisons, is the corner shop that is Walkers Butchers. It’s always worth taking a peek in their window even if you don’t need to buy anything, just to see the array of meats etc on offer. Today minced venison and fresh grouse attract my eye. You know you are truly in the heart of the countryside when such items are available over the counter.

On the subject of food to purchase, this area of the Cotswolds is renowned for its regular Farmers Markets and Nailsworth is no exception. They hold an artisan market on the second Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. until 2.00 p.m. in the Mortimer Gardens which is just behind the bus station in the centre of the town.
Selling local seasonal produce and with 30 plus stalls you can browse freshly baked bread, cakes, locally made cheese and pies as well as an award winning butchers alongside garden plants and freshly cut flowers plus gifts such as jewellery, soaps and wine/beer.
They even have musical entertainment on most Market days.

Walking back to the truck we loaded up and drove a little way outside of town towards the village of Avening in order to drop into the local garden centre. Owned and run by Blue Diamond it was originally built on the site of an orchard with the wonderful Gatcombe Stream running alongside the bottom of the car park.

This garden centre is a veritable oasis of shopping with everything you would expect from a traditional garden centre and more. It is always one of my stop offs pre Christmas and didn’t disappoint even though it’s a bit early in the season.
I love perusing the decorations and tree ornaments, the candle and diffuser area, kitchen accessories from cookbooks to mixing bowls, bath time specialities and locally made food and drink. They also have a recently refurbished cafe with a rich history (mention the name “Tubbys” to anyone local and they will know where you mean!) which is complemented by outdoor seating overlooking the beautiful waterside and waterfall.

What a great way to finish our day and as we set off home I make a point of driving up Spring Hill away from Nailsworth and stopping off at Forest Green Rovers home ground. This is where our most famous local football team play.
Equally renowned for making their way into the football league in 2017 as the smallest place to ever have a club in the Football League. Nailsworth has a population of just under 5800, it is also famous for being recognised by the The United Nations as the world’s first carbon-neutral football club and it was described by FIFA as the “greenest team in the world”.
As part of the efforts of owner Dale Vince who is famous for also owning Ecotricity the world’s first company to sell green energy, he introduced vegan only food at the football ground in 2015!
Perched on top of the hill it is probably one of the most weather battered football grounds in the league as well although In harmony with nature they also have an organic pitch that captures rainwater and recycles it back for irrigation, saving precious tap water.
If you visit Nailsworth during the football season try and include a game. It’s definitely a new experience.

NB: This is the second of a series of posts about the wonderful “Cotswolds”. An area in the UK that you really shouldn’t miss out on visiting if you are coming to the UK. It’s full of olde world charm, history going back to the Roman era and beautiful architecture. Check out my previous posts in this series plus more to come soon. 
Please don’t forget to comment and/or like. I love to hear what my readers think. and also look forward to your recommendations of places to see in the Cotswolds for my future adventures Thank you

The Cotswolds -Castle Combe

I am very fortunate to live in the South West of England. This part of the UK is full of quaint villages, rugged coastlines, homely pubs, amazing scenery, beautiful countryside walks and unique food.

Made up of six counties: Gloucestershire in the north of the region, Cornwall in the far south west and Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset in between. The South West is the largest of the nine regions in England covering 9,200 square miles and houses approx 5 million people. Within its borders are the magnificent cities of Bristol, Bath, Cheltenham, and Plymouth. It includes two entire National Parks : Dartmoor and Exmoor, World Heritage Sites at Stonehenge and the Jurassic Coastline amongst others and the longest coastline of any English region.
It is well known for it’s ancient folklore from King Arthur who was born at Tintagel Castle in Cornwall to the ancient stone circle at Amesbury in Wiltshire and the myths and legends of Glastonbury Tor.
Visit in the summer and you can see the spectacle that is Bristol Balloon Festival, mingle with the rich and famous at the annual Badminton Horse Trials or singalong to your favourite band at Glastonbury Festival (ticket willing).
If it is food you are after then you need to sample a traditional Cornish pasty, a cream tea in Devon or Cornwall (but make sure you know the etiquette of which goes on first; the jam or the cream?), some real cheese from Cheddar or some Somerset cider.
If reading is your hobby then seek out the landscapes featured in Daphne Du Maurier’s books or those of Thomas Hardy or the Bronte sisters. It is also where Agatha Christie kept her country home and Enid Blyton set many of her children’s books.

I forget how lucky I am to live in this area and even more that I live surrounded by the Cotswolds countryside of rolling hills and golden stone villages. The vibrant market towns of Stroud, Cirencester, Tewkesbury and Tetbury are all within a short driving distance of my home. This richly rural area also boasts 3000 miles of footpaths and bridleways which I have been walking and riding since I was a child.

Until we set off on our next international adventure I thought I would introduce you to some of the wonderful places to visit here in my corner of the UK.
I thought we would start with a small Cotswold village:

Castle Combe in North Wiltshire:
I visited on Wednesday Afternoon with a couple of my friends -Debbie and Janette and Debbie’s one year old granddaughter . We arrived at about 11 am.
Parking is at the top of the village. If you drive down into the village itself you will find most of the allocated parking taken up by locals who quite rightly wish to park outside their homes.
Leaving the car park behind you its a short stroll down into the village itself. Castle Combe is known for being a quintessentially English village and often named as the ‘prettiest village” in England. The village has a rich history and the houses happily show off the honey coloured Cotswold stone, typical of the area.

We began our visit by strolling the length of the main road running through the centre. This ultimately takes you to Water Lane. Everyone takes photos here because quite frankly it is beautiful. It’s worth doing a full 360 and capturing the village from every angle. The small stream running through the village is most evident here and in case you need a quick break there are toilets on the right hand side.

Returning to the centre of the village we decided to stop for coffee and cake. There are a few places to choose from including The White Hart and The Castle Inn but as a group of friends we tend to try and support the more independent nooks and seeing a sign on our right opposite the central Market Cross we followed it down a small lane to The Old Stables Coffee Shop. They have a website if you want to check the opening times and offer indoor and outside seating.
We were lucky, as despite being on the cusp of Autumn, the sun was shining and so we parked the buggy up and settled ourselves on a table outside. Between us we sampled a bacon n cheese turnover, a pain au chocolat and a slice of apricot and pistachio cake with edible flowers on top.
Sustained, we wandered back into the village and took a look at the Market Cross. A lot of English towns and villages feature this central construction. In days gone by markets were often granted by charter and as such it was important to mark the central point for the market to trade. The cross was there to remind folk to do business fairly and honestly under the watch of God. They were also used as sites of proclamation and often for punishment of criminals, usually in the form of public humiliation.
The Market Cross in Castle Combe was built in the 14th century but was recently restored at a cost of £100,00.

Directly across from this central marker is St Andrew’s Church. Dating from the 13th century, this Grade 1 listed church houses a faceless clock which is reputed to be one of the oldest working clocks in the country.
It’s worth noting that long before the arrival of the Romans in Britain in 43 AD, there is evidence of an early Celtic tribe’s pagan temple where St Andrews now stands.
In this modern era you can scan a QR code on entry into the church which picks up a digital tour giving you the history of things you can see and stories about the church as well as the village itself as you walk around.
As a bare minimum take a look on the north side of the church where there is a superb carved stone monument of Sir Walter de Dunstanville, Baron of Castle Combe, a Norman Knight, who died in 1270.
Leaving the church behind we spent sometime outside exploring the graveyard where there are a number of tombs, memorials and monuments, 25 of which are Grade II listed. I always find it interesting to look at the gravestones, sometimes you come across something totally unexpected. In this case it was clearly evident how the advances in medical care have prolonged life and how back in previous centuries people died so much younger.

If you walk to the back of the church you will find an exit out onto a beautiful lane and the car park of the Manor House Hotel.
Although the grounds of the hotel are only open to residents you can get a sneak peak at the wonderful waterfall which forms part of the same stream that runs through the village as well as the lawned areas surrounding the hotel.
If you turn right away from the hotel you can stroll along the lane. It is hard not to admire all the wonderful Cotswold mews cottages here which form part of the accommodation on offer at the hotel. If you fancy a touch of luxury check out the hotel on line. It offers an 18 hole golf course and a Michelin star restaurant.

The lane leads you back into the centre of the village and so to top off our visit we headed back to The Stables to grab a late lunch. They offer a range of products but we all chose a baguette made to order with freshly baked bread from The Old Bakehouse in nearby Malmesbury. All served with salad and a side of crisps. We chose the cheddar & country garden chutney, salami & mozzarella and hummus & roasted vegetables.
One of the friendly staff at The Stables pointed us in the direction of a small childrens’ park tucked away behind the buildings opposite the cafe. This gave our little companion a chance to run around and be free before we had to walk back up the hill and head home.

Castle Combe is also home to the famous race circuit and we could hear the roar of the engines as we walked back to the car. Based upon the perimeter track of an old World War II airfield it opened for racing in 1950. The track offers a number of different experiences for car enthusiasts including passenger rides, driving experiences and car shows. It’s worth having a look at their website if you are visiting the area.

Castle Combe is just south of the M4 and is within driving distance of Bristol, Bath, Tetbury and Cirencester if you are looking to do a bit of a tour of this southerly end of the Cotswolds.

NB: This is the first of a series of posts about the wonderful “Cotswolds”. An area in the UK that you really shouldn’t miss out on visiting if you are coming to the UK. It’s full of olde world charm, history going back to the Roman era and beautiful architecture. Check out further posts coming soon.
Please don’t forget to comment and/or like. I love to hear what my readers think. and also look forward to your recommendations of places to see in the Cotswolds for my future adventures Thank you



Real Life -When The Trip Is Over!

We are home, we drop our bags in the guest bedroom and try and work out what time of day it is inside our bodies.
We had woken up on our last day at 7 a.m. which is pretty normal for us and left our hotel in New York at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, travelled by taxi (as a treat!) to JFK airport which seemed to take forever. No wonder they charge so much for a taxi, it was only 18 miles and yet it took the best part of an hour and a half!
Our driver was from Central America, we knew because he spoke Mexican Spanish on his mobile to his wife twice whilst we were in the car. His English wasn’t great so we had that awkward trip where you aren’t sure whether to talk to each other whilst ignoring him or attempt to make conversation with him in stilted English. We chose the former.

Our flight wasn’t scheduled until 7.30 p.m. but we had decided to camp out at the airport rather than hang around the hotel lobby. Both of us are very much the type of people that once the day to go home arrives we just want to leave. We hate having to hang around. It’s definitely one of those “beam me up Scotty moments” where you just want to press a button and land in your living room without everything else in-between.

In between for us was an overnight flight into Heathrow, a train journey with two changes and then a trip by car from the train station to the front door. It is 9 a.m. in New York and with about 3 hrs sleep on the plane, which in itself is a miracle for me, I’ve been awake for the best part of 24 hrs.
We decide to lock the front door, draw the bedroom curtains and take a 3 hr nap. It’s nice to be back in our own bed having slept in more beds than I can remember in the last 6 months.

The next day, week and month envelop me in a cloud of unreality. It has felt really weird. We have been alone, just the two of us against the world, for the last 6 months whilst travelling. I’ve loved it. I am so lucky to have found my person whilst in the midlife stage of life. We are so compatible, intellectually on the same wavelength, both able to compromise and wanting the best for each other. It is so easy being in this relationship. But suddenly we have neighbours, family, friends, acquaintances and most of all life to deal with.
Everyone reacts differently to our being home.
Some are genuinely interested in our travels and cannot wait to hear about it. Others brush over the subject as if we’ve only been away for a weekend and have very little to say. I can feel a mixture of awe, excitement, disparity and even some evidence of envy in our conversations. Some friends have stayed in touch over the internet or by phone during our travels, a few we haven’t heard from?

There are definitely moments when I want to press that “Scotty button” and transport myself back to lunch in the Turia Park in Valencia, the winding cobbled streets of Cordoba, Elmers Bottle Tree Ranch in Orio Grande or Hudson’s Seafood House on Hilton Head sitting eating a seafood broil and fried green tomatoes.

I hadn’t thought about what it was going to be like to be back home in our own house, in the Cotswolds, in England, in the UK! I certainly didn’t imagine I would feel so lost.
During the trip I had read little news. My husband is a bit of a news fiend but he knows better than to impart what he reads to me. He knows me well enough that if I want to know something specific I’ll ask or research it myself.
I had taken a day off to watch the King’s Coronation on television in Holland in May but it had all seemed a bit surreal, a bit like watching a true episode of The Crown! I felt totally detached from it.

The reality of being home really hit me about three weeks in. I wanted to pick up our house and transplant it somewhere else. Where ? I didn’t know. I just knew I didn’t want to be where we were.
I wanted to be close to my family and friends and able to restart my hobbies and interests. My husband had sold his work’s vehicle before we left in March and was now definitively retired and I have to say adapting well to the transition. He also has his own hobbies and interests.
I found myself envying the Americans purely for the space. The country is so huge there is just endless amounts of space.
Memories of driving through Georgia with its thick forests on either side and steaming swampland remind me of books like “To Kill a Mockingbird” or ‘Where the Crawdads Sing”. Neither were based in Georgia but the landscape felt the same. Impenetrable and solitary.
You could basically buy a mobile home or wooden lodge and put it down anywhere in the “sticks” and to be honest no one would know. You could easily stay hidden from society.

England suddenly felt really claustrophobic. Even in the countryside, unless you have loads of money to buy a secluded cottage, it suddenly feels like we are all living on top of one another. I definitely feel discombobulated.

I know I’m lucky that I don’t have to go back to work but in some ways it might have been easier to just return to a routine and work my way out of this post travelling bubble.

There is a part of me that is angry. Looking at the state of our country. Having been away for 6 months it’s like returning to somewhere I no longer recognise. I feel like I’m the only one who wants to challenge the status quo, to ask all the questions that I’m sure a lot of folk have on the tips of their tongue, but are too afraid to utter. What is happening here? Why are we concreting over the beautiful countryside to constantly build more and more houses. Why are the Government being allowed to continue this path of outright corruption and disregard for the everyday people? When is someone going to wake up and realise that two party politics no longer works?
They just basically spend their time undoing what the previous Government has done, blaming all their problems and issues on previous right or left wing parties in power depending upon who is currently in control. It was no different in America.

I want the young people, the 18- 40 year olds to wake up. To use all their social media knowledge to create a political storm that makes all these MP’s who are so out of touch with reality to wake up and change or be overthrown in favour of someone younger. Someone who isn’t a Labour or Conservative believer but who cares about the things that matter: the NHS, the housing crisis, immigration, the reality of climate change, the failure of Brexit, the demise of a country so stuck in it’s past and most of all -the lack of hope for our under 40’s. What will it take to wake everyone up?

In the meantime I want to pick up my house and drop it on some remote island somewhere where we can go back to just us two against the world!

I have to make a conscious effort to push all this negativity away and focus upon our future. To imagine what our little house can be once we have been home for a year. How wonderful our life is together and I have to make a concerted effort to settle back in to real life! Part of real life for us is planning our next holiday or period of extended travelling. Canada beckons. Driving from East to West and everything in between.
I need to find another planning website. I’ve always used Inspirock but Klana took it over a year ago and after, I’m guessing not making an equal success of it, shut it down with no notice on August 23rd. All my previous trips and some we had already started to look at in the future were lost at the press of someone’s button. I’ve tried to ask them why but being a massive conglomerate they don’t care about us mere travellers. Even though people are raising the issue on line, all around the world, including one poor couple who lost their honeymoon plans, Klana continues to remain silent and ignore us!

Posting on my blog still brings me joy. It’s lovely to know people are out there reading it and I have a few more posts from this latest trip to write about plus plenty of previous adventures already in draft so stick with me, give me your feedback, tell your friends and family about it and I’ll see you again soon x

America -The Home of Politics and Religion

Apologies to those who read my blog regularly. I have been somewhat remiss since coming home to the UK.
When you return from a lengthy trip away there is so much to deal with on your return:- unpacking, washing n drying, post, post n more post!, the over run garden, trying to settle back into real life etc
It is definitely weird being back and is taking some adapting to.
There are a few more posts I would like to write about our time in America and this is one of them.

Throughout our three month road trip in America two subjects kept rearing their head in conversation: religion and politics.
Given that I was brought up not to mention these subjects in polite society this was a little alien to me. I would not have a clue whether my neighbours or even family relatives are religious and I definitely wouldn’t know how they voted politically. It just isn’t talked about here in the UK, well certainly not as much as it is in America!

Religion:
The “Bible Belt” in America is used to describe the 10 states of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Oklahoma. This was a new concept to me.
I look around the UK and this type of affinity doesn’t exist here. I suppose Southern Ireland is seen as the most religious as Catholicism is stronger there than anywhere else but other than that there isn’t really a particular area where religion is more prevalent than another.

As we travelled along Route 66 and then up the Eastern Seaboard we passed through four of these Bible Belt states which are known for being socially conservative where Protestant Christianity plays a strong role in society. Church attendance across the denominations is generally higher here than the nation’s average.
In plain English this means that those attending seek to preserve traditional values and beliefs.
Religious conservatives also typically oppose abortion, LGBT behaviour (or, in certain cases, identity), drug use, and sexual activity outside of marriage. In some cases, conservative values are grounded in religious beliefs, and conservatives seek to increase the role of religion in public life.

This narrative tends to be that of the current OAP (65+) community here. They have a tendency to want to hang onto tradition, struggle to manage change, are often technophobic, have deep rooted respect for the armed forces and monarchy.
Statistics post the coronation of King Charles III show 62% of society support the monarchy but in the 65+ age group this climbs to 80% whereas in the under 50’s this drops by age group until you reach the 18-24 year olds where the percentage is 32%.

As we drove across America on Route 66 the sheer amount of churches and the diversity of religion was mind blowing. We drove through one small town, we would probably call a large village here in the UK and counted 24 churches. It honestly left us with our mouths agape. How can one community of this size need 24 different places of worship?

I had to examine this on my return to the UK and my research shows according to the National Congregational Study Survey, there are an estimated 380,000 churches in the U.S. I actually find this hard to get my head around.

When people spoke to me about religion whilst on our trip I tended to talk about the fact that religion is decreasing in the UK.
On census day, 21 March 2021, which was during a Covid lockdown and as such is probably one of the most accurate census we have had since everyone was at home, it shows 46.2% of people identified themselves as Christians. For the first time ever this showed that less than half the population were Christians. This compared with 59.3% of the population in the 2011 census, a 13-percentage point drop in a decade.
Based on previous analysis in 2015 that shows of those stating they were Christians, less than 5% attended church regularly, the projection is that this has fallen still further.

A key finding from the census was the significant rise in people identifying as of no particular faith at all -across England and Wales, 37% said they had no religion, around 10% of the population are of non-Christian religions mainly Muslim.

When I mentioned these figures in America the overall reaction was one of shock. I actually felt like some people were suddenly seeing us a bunch of heathens!

To give some comparison on this The American Religious Landscape in 2020 shows seven in ten Americans (70%) identify as Christian. Nearly one in four Americans (23%) are religiously unaffiliated, and 5% identify with non-Christian religions.

Churches are shutting down in the UK due to non attendance.
In my home area when I was a child, back in the late 1960’s, every church held a service on a Sunday morning. Sixty years on the smaller churches are closed and those still wishing to attend a service have to travel to one of the larger churches where a vicar is still in attendance.
Some churches although depleted of a regular Sunday congregation remain open but may have a Sunday service once a month held by a circuit vicar who travels around taking service in one of four different places on a given Sunday each month.
Those that are shut down, particularly those that are not owned by the Church of England or The Roman Catholic faiths, who are notoriously richer in monetary terms, often sell them off for repurposing into housing, entertainment or retail.

Figures show that The Church of England is declining faster than other denominations; if it carries on shrinking at the rate suggested by the latest British Social Attitudes survey, Anglicanism will disappear from Britain in 2033. That’s in ten years time!

One of the other key questions we were asked in America was about the monarchy and often alongside this the future of the monarchy since the death of Queen Elizabeth II. I tended to respond by explaining that one of the monarch’s key roles is “The Defender of Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England”, titles that date back to the reign of King Henry VIII. Without Christianity where does that leave the role of the monarch?

A survey by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) just prior to the coronation showed public support for the monarchy has fallen to a historic low. A total of 45% of respondents said either it should be abolished, was not at all important or not very important.
An additional concern is that just 12% of 18- to 34-year-olds view the monarchy as “very important”, compared with 42% of those aged 55 and older. The challenge going forward will be for the monarchy to deliver its relevance and appeal to a younger generation to maintain this support.

In conclusion culturally where religion is concerned the UK and America are currently sitting in very different places which is probably why I found, during our travels, the focus on religion in America to be slightly too intense for my liking.

Politics:
If I thought religion was intense, how would I describe the political field in America? Probably all encompassing.
It came to a point, quite quickly, that I had to consult my husband every time we crossed a state line to know which political affiliation the new state voted, purely so I could avoid difficult situations and conversations.

The openness and strength of belief about politics in society was really quite overbearing.
As soon as we left Chicago and headed out onto Route 66 evidence of political belief became visible and sometimes stared us in the face. For example out in the Illinois countryside surrounded by acres of corn you couldn’t help but see the roof of the farmhouse painted red with large white lettering showing allegiance to Donald Trump.

When we had to use a taxi during our travels it wasn’t unusual, once the driver knew we were English, to then start asking about our political standing.

We heard comments in independent shops particularly book shops which we found odd, from local tourist guides whose political leanings sometimes showed in what they said about eras of history, over breakfast in BnB’s and often if the subject of Covid was being discussed.

We just don’t see anything like this here in the UK. When election season is on us you may see small flags outside peoples’ houses showing affiliation to a certain political party or sometimes purely stating “Vote Labour” or “Vote Conservative”.
Voting, here in the UK, is very personal. It’s not unusual for people within the same family to be unaware of how each other have voted.

Interestingly the percentage of people that voted at the last election in the UK in 2019 (67.3%) wasn’t vastly different to the US election in 2020 (66.8%).

It became apparent to us that because of the sheer size of the USA the vote for a president is economically beyond anything we in the UK can imagine. This, in itself, raises the stakes.
A lot of cash is needed in America to spread the word.
Conversely there are tight controls on what parties can spend here on campaigning during a general election, and private contributions are relatively modest.

In the US, the size of the country alone demands far more from private investors to get a candidate’s message heard. The 2019 -2020 campaign ran into billions of dollars overall.

The size of US rallies, also tends to dwarf public appearances by party leaders in the UK.
In each type of election, key states in the US or constituencies in the UK are usually chosen for stops on the campaign trail, but US candidates tend to focus heavily on the “swing states” where a change in affiliation from one party to another can have a huge impact on the outcome of the election.

Although it is becoming more common in the UK, TV debates are not guaranteed.
In America, however, they seem integral to the election process. Not only do presidential candidates from each opposing party debate on live TV (moderated by a prominent broadcast journalist), but there are also several televised debates before the primary elections take place.
In the UK, politicians are not necessarily expected to take part in televised debates, although a growing public interest in media has put pressure on party leaders to engage.

With elections due in both countries in 2024 it will be interesting to see how each election is conducted and ultimately what if anything changes in terms of those who win power.

Returning to our adventure in America and the subject of both religion and politics it was interesting that in Oklahoma which is part of the Bible Belt we often heard religion mixed up with politics.
As of 2023, the Oklahoma Republican Party controls all 12 statewide executive offices and holds majorities in both the Oklahoma Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives; Republicans also hold both of the state’s U.S. Senate seats and all five of the state’s U.S. House seats.
It was like a double whammy for us to which a change of subject was often neatly negotiated by either myself or my husband.

In a country so hung up on these two subjects we personally would find it very hard to be happy here. Culturally our two countries are very different and this was probably one of the biggest learnings from our trip.