Saying goodbye to Dexter and his parents, we headed towards Stratford upon Avon where we were due to spend two nights. We were able to meander our way there slowly as we could not arrive at our B&B until after 3, so we detoured past Elveston Park just out of Derby, which was very busy on a Sunday morning with families and dog walkers everywhere. Although there was a large house/castle, the main attractions were the gardens and parkland – the house was not accessible to us. Onward, we stopped at Leamington Spa for lunch and to enjoy sights of the river flowing through and old buildings all around the town, finally arriving at our rural B&B on the banks of the Avon, where we settled for a couple of nights. Our hosts suggested a local pub for dinner, a 20 minute walk via country footpaths alongside the Avon River – and what a super walk it was, catching views of the local thatched roof houses – so beautiful! The pub (The Bell) itself was excellent, starting off in a sunny beer garden outside, and then into the atmospheric old building for dinner where, according to local history, William Shakespeare was on his way back to Stratford upon Avon in the rain after meeting fellow writers Drayton and Ben Jonson for a drink when he contracted fatal pneumonia! Luckily for us there was no rain and we enjoyed a sunny walk back to our base. The days are so long – even before the solstice, with sunrise around 5am (but getting light around 4am) and sunset well after 9pm and light until closer to 10pm.

Stratford upon Avon was a wonderful surprise. I thought it was famous because of Shakespeare, but it is a truly beautiful old town that never fully recognised its famous son until well after his death. We started with a loop walk along the Avon River away from the town and then back, and then enjoyed the wonderfully wonky old buildings inside the old town. It exceeded my expectations of what an old English town should be like, so quirky and just a delight to wander through. We did venture out of the main centre to do a tour of Anne Hathaway’s cottage and get a feel for the historical times of Shakespeare and Anne’s lives. (as an aside, I’ve just read a fictional diary of Shakespeare that was quite a fascinating take on how things may have panned out in those times – “The Diary of William Shakespeare, Gentleman” by Jackie French may appeal to some of you.)

After our brief stop here in this beautiful town, we headed south again through the Cotswold countryside. As always, we have to find coffee to start our day and ended up at a little cafe not far along the road from our B&B where we got talking to another couple there who recognised our Kiwi accents – a first as most suggest Australian first! Turns out they had lived in Australia for over 25 years before returning to their UK home, so we chatted for a while on familiar things before heading off on further adventures. We were very close to the famous Hidcote Gardens, another National Trust property so we had to detour for a wander. It was all quite formal and although interesting, I wasn’t overly taken with it. Our next stop was thanks to a TV series we’ve caught since we arrived in the UK – the Cotswolds and beyond with Pam Ayres. One episode she visited the Chedworth Roman Villa and it looked worth a detour for. It was fascinating to wander around these ruins and some surprisingly well preserved mosaics and picture Roman family life towards the end of the empire around 400 AD. Onward to another overnight stop in the village of Painswick – my brother messaged me to remind me that some of my ancestors were buried in the churchyard here and that there were family connections from the 17-1800’s (and earlier) all around this region.

Outside of town was another recommended garden – the Painswick Rococo Garden. This was much more to my taste, with interesting buildings and stories about the origins of the design. From here, we had a day to fill before arriving at our next housesit, so planned a picnic lunch and wander at another National Trust property, Newark Park – we can enter these NT sites for free because we purchased a joint membership to NZ Heritage and they have reciprocity, truly great value and something recommended to any Kiwis heading to the UK and beyond! And a little further on was the delightful village of Castle Combe, just 15 minutes from our final destination where we would spend the next few days housesitting.

Our second housesit was in the tiny tiny village of Slaughterford – along one lane, hedged in roads. Our charges (David) Bowie, a gorgeous Red Fox Labrador dog and three Maine Coon cats, Chester, Coby (Cobain) and Willow were easy to care for and we loved our long morning and evening walks through beautiful countryside with Bowie. It was very peaceful and a great time to relax after a few days of driving. We enjoy these housesitting times to be “normal” – eating in, doing laundry and, most of all, loving the pets.