We Visited Windermere from 2nd - 5th May

Our next port of call was Windermere, which was a 367 KM drive up North. We departed from Nailsworth after breakfast and hit M5 and M6 to be greeted by an extremely fast moving and disciplined traffic. The fear of getting a ticket loomed large throughout our drive and we navigated carefully observing all the signs and directions. The drive itself is a pleasure as long as we observe the rules and stick to our lane. One thing we learnt was to totally avoid abrupt stops, turns, lane changes and exits.

Mid way, we deviated a little bit to visit my cousin Dr Madhusudan and his gracious wife Jyoti in Cheshire, Macclesfield. Jyoti had prepared a very tasty fusion lunch. Eating good home food felt like… well, being home :)

Windermere lake

We reached Bowness-on-Windermere in the late afternoon and checked into our hotel ‘Field House’ overlooking the lake. We selected the place due to its close proximity to the lake and the city centre. Bowness over time has become a very hot tourist destination. Go with the aim of doing nothing and you will enjoy it to the hilt. The heady combination of the pristine lake, the surrounding hills, misty weather and excellent pubs makes you seriously want to linger on for a few months at least. We spent a delightful evening in the ‘Village Inn Bar and Grill ’.  

View from the balcony

Our Neighborhood

Photo Op

Jai all pleased

Quick to follow

Village Inn - for the evening gala

Capturing the moment

Windermere, at 10.5 miles long, one mile wide and 220 feet deep, is the largest natural lake in both the Lake District and in England itself.

We hired a speed boat and went around the lake. The girls enjoyed navigating the boat by themselves. It was a wonderful experience for them. There is no better way to capture the beauty and serenity of the lake and the surroundings.

Captain Sush and her crew

After a lovely ride

Captain taking it easy

Welcoming party

Pink Tabebuya in full bloom

Thereafter we took a leisurely ride in a bus to ‘Dove Cottage’ on the edge of Grasmere in the Lake District. It is best known as the home of the poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy Wordsworth. We spent the better part of the afternoon in the cottage, museum and the village; enjoying history and nature as Wordsworth himself must have experienced it. Thereon we moved to Ambleside just in time to have the much-read-about English high tea - scones with jam and cream, cakes, cucumber sandwiches and of course, tea.

There is something to intrigue people of all ages at Dove Cottage, as the story of the building and its inhabitants comes to life with unusual objects and hidden corners to be discovered.

Inside the house

Number of period costumes are kept in the museum. With a little bit of imagination one can recreate dramatic moments.

Sush and Shubhi on a dramatic overdrive

Nature at its best

On the way to Grasmere

Beautiful town

Glimpse of Ambleside

Fighting the weather prior to 'High Tea'

The best part of our stay at Field House was the full English breakfast – porridge followed by a three egg omelette, toast with homemade marmalade, bacon, sausages, baked beans and ending up with some excellent tea and coffee. After that, each of us sank into a comfortable chair like a python after a meal.

Bowness main street

In the late afternoon, the weather took a turn for the worse and the temperature plummeted forcing us to seek shelter in a very cute restaurant ‘Mio Mondo ‘. It is an incredibly warm and welcoming café which was packed to the rafters that afternoon..

Market place walk

A great afternoon in Mio Mondo

Windermere gave us the much needed break to just relax, take it easy and enjoy the place. We had no itinerary or a must see, must do list, which suited us just fine.  

We Visited Nailsworth - 29th Apr- 2nd May

We left Kings Williams Cottage around 11AM and after a beautiful drive along the countryside reached Nailsworth around lunch time. Nailsworth is a one horse town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, lying in one of the Stroud Valley in the Cotswold district. It has a population of 6000 people. Nailsworth is reported to be one of the best places to live in Britain.

The Retreat

Being a Sunday most of the restaurants were closed and the town practically deserted. We were lucky to find “Vault” once a bank, now a happening place in town with a live band, excellent wine and great food. We had a delectable lunch - ‘Spatchcocked Chicken’, Nacho style flat bread, Papoutsakia for the veg and finished it with Chocolate Tarte with Baileys and Mascarpone.

The Vault Bar

In UK the cream has been spread evenly throughout the country. Even in the smallest of towns and villages you will find excellent restaurants offering the best of fare. 

We took some time to locate our home for the next three days, “The Retreat”. Once again our choice of Airbnb turned out to be outstanding. The Retreat is located on top of a hill overlooking the Nailsworth Valley and the large expanse of a vineyard. The cottage is extremely well planned with the living room and bedrooms overlooking the valley and providing a breathtaking view of the night sky. The temperature dropped to 2*C with an occasional drizzle and so we stayed indoors enjoying the warm glow of the fireplace.

Amazing View

The huge drawing room 

Totally Relaxed

The house was full of books on wine - the owner was a wine maker

A beautiful cottage, excellent travel mates, wine and music set the tone for the rest of the evening. The red hot embers and the glow of the wood fire made our evening complete.

In the sprawling garden

The gang

Photo op

The next morning we drove to Stratford upon Avon – an extremely pretty town with great atmosphere. It is fascinating to see an 800 year old town preserved so well to this day. Some of the structures bring alive the look and feel of what life must have been during the Shakespearean era. We saw an enactment of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ by two young girls, which was pure entertainment; they acted out the scene where  on the way to Padua, Petruchio  forces Katherine to say that the sun is the moon and that an old man is really a beautiful young maiden. We visited Shakespeare’s birthplace and saw the room where he was born- not in a bed as is done today, but in a birthing chair! Shakespeare’s New Place has an outdoor space that includes a mighty, windblown bronze tree and sculptures of Shakespeare’s desk and chair that you can sit on to take the ultimate literary selfie J the town offers history, architecture, drama and theater under one umbrella.

Stratford Upon Avon Ferris Wheel

Sixteenth Century bridge upon the Avon river

The main street

The famous house

It all started here

Joining the history

Shakespeare's old house - preserved in excellent condition

English teacher enjoying her moment - Shakespeare Center

My turn

A collection  on the wall

We saw an enactment of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ by two young girls

High Road

The Avon Channel

The Shakespeare Memorial by Lord Ronald Gower. Bronze and stone, with a pedestal designed by Parisian architects, Peigniet and Marnez. 1888. Bancroft Gardens, Stratford-upon-Avon. At each corner of the Memorial, the sculptor has placed a representative Shakespearean character: “Hamlet, Prince Hal, Lady Macbeth and Falstaff. These characters were intended to be emblematic of Shakespeare's creative versatility: representing Philosophy, Tragedy, History, and Comedy” 

The bronze statue of “The Jester” stands on a stone plinth at the end of Henley Street just a few steps from Shakespeare’s birthplace. “Touchstone” is the character of a jester/fool from the play “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare.

The sculpture has been designed to represent the influence of Shakespeare spreading across the globe.

The entire garden has been designed to celebrate every one of Shakespeare’s works and is decked with sculptures depicting milestone’s in the Bard’s life and his influence on the world.

After visiting these places there are a number of pubs and inns to unwind in. We went to ‘Garric Inn’ - One of the oldest buildings in Stratford, the Inn is a traditional half-timbered building which dates back to the 16th century.

The Garrick Inn is a pub in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, located at 25 High Street

It says it all

Next morning we drove to Painswick often referred to as the ‘Queen of the Cotswolds’. We visited the 15^th century St Mary’s Parish Church and walked around the beautiful town before heading to Cheltenham. The peaceful drive through the green English countryside is a pleasurable experience. The town is a fabulous mix of period and modern architecture. A walk along the main promenade is a must – flanked by trees on either side, modern shopping arcades and lively restaurants mingling freely with deco art. The girls did a lot of shopping here.

The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary - Painswick

The Hare and the Minotaur Statue in Cheltenham on The Promenade

View on the ride back

We finally settled down to relish some chilled lager and tasty Italian fare in ‘Prezzo’ located on the Promenade. Sitting outside, sipping beer and watching the world go by was very soothing. Incessant rain yanked us away from this exciting town and we headed back to the warm homely atmosphere of ‘The Retreat’. 

Finally the fire