We spent the past weekend in the Cotswolds and area, learning about Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon and exploring charming English villages in the countryside!
Blockley - a village in the Cotswolds
We spent Christmas and Boxing Day in Bath, and on Saturday morning we woke up early to head to the Cotwolds. The Cotwolds are a series of picturesque old English Villages in South Central England. Our drive there was enjoyable, with only a couple of wrong turns on the books.
We arrived in Stratford-upon-Avon in time to grab a nice pub lunch before seeing the sites. The weather was chilly (even for the Canadian) but we took the time to wander around Stratford and take in the historic houses associated with William Shakespeare.
We arrived in Stratford-upon-Avon in time to grab a nice pub lunch before seeing the sites. The weather was chilly (even for the Canadian) but we took the time to wander around Stratford and take in the historic houses associated with William Shakespeare.
There were five places that were open while we were in the area - Shakespeare's Birthplace (his childhood home), Hall's Croft (his daughter's house), Anne Hathway's Cottage (his wife's childhood home), the church where he was buried, and Harvard House (a house associated with John Harvard, the founder of Harvard University). There are a few other houses associated with Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust but they were either under renovation or closed for the winter.
We started off at his childhood home where we learned some basic, but interesting facts about Shakespeare - his father was a glover, he had 4 siblings that survived past infanthood, and he married his 26 year old lover at the age of 18 while she was pregnant with their first child... kind of a scandal in the 1500s. We also learned that after Shakespeare inherited the house from his father, he converted part of it into an inn, and another part of it was rented out and used as a pub, the Swan and Maidenhead.
We started off at his childhood home where we learned some basic, but interesting facts about Shakespeare - his father was a glover, he had 4 siblings that survived past infanthood, and he married his 26 year old lover at the age of 18 while she was pregnant with their first child... kind of a scandal in the 1500s. We also learned that after Shakespeare inherited the house from his father, he converted part of it into an inn, and another part of it was rented out and used as a pub, the Swan and Maidenhead.
As we explored the rest of the houses, we were constantly surprised by the lack of concrete details available on the life of Shakespeare. There are assumptions about the school he went to, the people he may have socialized with, and there is even speculation on how often he visited/lived in Stratford after he made it big in London, although his three children did grow up there. Some of the uncertainties may be due to his lack of descendants; his only granddaughter bore no children. Despite all of the uncertainties regarding the details of his life, he was quite the intriguing character and we're glad that we took the time to see the sites in Stratford.
As the sun started to set, we hopped in the car and drove to the quaint little village of Blockley to check into our accommodations for the night. Driving around the community at night was a bit nerve-racking as the two way streets were only wide enough for one lane of traffic - this was actually a common problem in the Cotwolds - and the darkness made it more difficult. We checked into the B&B and walked to the only pub in town where we enjoyed a tasty dinner and drinks before calling it a night.
The next day, we wandered around Blockley in the frosty morning sunshine and then decided to check out some of the other villages in the Cotwolds. We weren't far outside of Blockley when we saw our first roadkill of many, a partridge. A few minutes later we had a face-off with 20+ partridges on the road and it was obvious how the first guy was killed. We also saw some squirrels and a fox on the road, plus pheasants.
Our next stop was Broadway - no, not that one. We were met by construction works along the way but managed to find a way to the High Street anyway. We wandered around, found random shops called Luke's and Elizabeth's, took photos of the countryside, and enjoyed some tea and sandwiches. We enjoyed the quietness of the village in the off-season, and it turns out that by the time we were ready to leave, the streets had gotten busier and the main parking lot was full.
Our next stop was Broadway - no, not that one. We were met by construction works along the way but managed to find a way to the High Street anyway. We wandered around, found random shops called Luke's and Elizabeth's, took photos of the countryside, and enjoyed some tea and sandwiches. We enjoyed the quietness of the village in the off-season, and it turns out that by the time we were ready to leave, the streets had gotten busier and the main parking lot was full.
Our final stop was the village of Winchcombe. There were a few attractions in the town that we thought we may take in, such as Sudeley Castle and the Hailes Abbey ruins, but unfortunately they were all closed. That's a common problem with travelling in the off-season. Regardless, we walked around the streets of the village, and it felt much different than Broadway. Not many shops were open and the streets were narrower. We also walked on the Cotswold Way Trail through a nearby field, and then wandered on another path in the direction of Sudeley Castle. We turned around before the castle was in sight, but enjoyed our walks nonetheless.
Our drive back to Bath took about an hour and a half, including a slight misdirection and a dying iPhone that we were using for maps. We then spent another day and a half in Bath before going to London where we'll be hanging out until we fly back to St. John's on Saturday.
In case you missed it, here is the link to our first blog post about this trip:
Bristol Monday
And here is our next post from the trip:
Greenwich Wednesday
AND the travel video we made of our trip to England can be found here!
Here are some more photos from our weekend in the picturesque Cotwolds:
In case you missed it, here is the link to our first blog post about this trip:
Bristol Monday
And here is our next post from the trip:
Greenwich Wednesday
AND the travel video we made of our trip to England can be found here!
Here are some more photos from our weekend in the picturesque Cotwolds:
